Saint Charlie

Koeman did say afterwards he wanted the full backs to get forward more and that it would come in time. North Wilts - how did you see the game as a whole last night?

Especially seeing as we can buy these players without spending any bugeted cash as I assume player sales were not factored into anything going by Reed's comments.

He was on the bench and came on. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/27167657 I have nothing against him apart from his record suggests he isn't good enough at PL level. In the Championship last two seasons his record is as follows: Doncaster 13/14: 15 starts, one sub: 4 goals Reading 13/14: 6 starts, 4 sub: 2 goals So nothing against him, but he is nowhere near what we need. Couldn't get in the Reading side regularly, didn't do well at Doncaster. He will probably be loaned out again. If he isn't then its a backward step seeing as he has been the previous two years in the PL.

Key thing isn't if Celtic want to sell, because they have shown at the right price that they always will (much like us). They key is that Forster must be keen on the move, for us to have put a bid in. As we have seen with our own players, once that happens often its just a matter of time, lots of posturing from both clubs, then it happens. Would be a good addition.

Goal are even less reliable than Crook.

Thanks for the summary ronnie. At least Pelle has unanimoisly good reviews so far.

If not there will probably be home tickets.

Exactly, and this summer we can do it without evening spending any budgetted money. Would be crazy if we don't sort the positions we needed from last season. When Reed talked about all the planning and moving in on targets etc you can only assume it were these problem areas yet nothing has occured yet. Obviously have time to go in the window, but when you see the pre season lineups so far, they don't look like PL sides. Realistically we only have Wanyama, Schneiderlin and Ramirez to add to it, and central midfield already looked like one of the stronger positions anyway. Left back Centre Back Wingers Strikers All lacking PL quality and/or numbers.

Forster or Marshall would be great signings, BUT, only if we keep Boruc. Forster would come to get PL football and give himself a realistic chance of England game time, knowing if he plays well he could get a move to an English team in the CL within two or three years. Would make sense, and to train with the England GK coach.

Mayuka is far from a great player, but I personally think he has more adaptable attributes to be a threat than Sharp does - even if it is just raw pace. Sharp is a poacher, but his all round game is lacking, and his movement restricted. Didn't even make Doncaster's first XI team in their relegation decider FFS - we shouldn't really, as a PL club that came 8th last season, even be debating him.

Fair enough. When I mean we couldn't get a 20m CB, I mean in the way that the ones worth that pretty much all play CL football, and the ones that aren't will only leave teams to go and get that, like Lovren is with us. We could pay the fee, but that doesn't mean you get the player. Plus, they want the wages a 20m player commands, up in the type of figures that aren't sustainable for us. Thats not negative, its reality. If we buy in a centre back better than Lovren then fantastic, but IMO he was right up there with the top ones for most of the last season, hence the fact Liverpool want him, so would need a superb piece of scouting to find someone better, who isnt already at a top club, or wanting to move to one. But of course, we may do it.

Is he really a good sub? For a PL team that has money to spend and ambitions to finish top half? He wouldn't start for any PL team, and probably wouldnt be a third choice either. All for giving players a chance, but has had two years in the PL and been out of his depth time and time again. Its not a charity.

Manchester Evening News says their Chief Exec is leaving their training base to work on securing de Vrij.

Of course. Which is why nobody really replies.

Hopefully we get someone better than Lovren and the scouting department did brilliantly to identify him. But there aren't always opportunities like that or everyone would unearth them. End of the day he is a £20m centre back. The majority of those are unattainable for us and teams like us. Thats all Im saying. My main point is that CB is a very weak position for us, which Im sure many would agree with. Reed said we would emerge stronger as an overall squad from this window even if players went. But we are quite some way off doing that right now. Which, again, Im sure many agree with. Nothing controversial or overly negative there, surely?

Which bit don't you agree with DPS, the fact we were going to sell lots of first team players (in progress) or the way we haven't started to cover any of last season's gaps? (also in progress)

Christ. Lovren will leave this summer. When he does we will sign a replacement. That might be right at the end of the window after a few games. Whoever we sign will probably not be as good as Lovren. Hooiveld isn't PL quality and Yoshida borderline for me. Fonte was poor the first year but better last year when playing alongside a top centre back. I think we need two because of the three we have who look likely to stay there are too many question marks. The likes of Hammond, Chaplow, Richardson all were rightly let go, yet Hooiveld has managed to hang around and is set for his third PL season despite being proven inadequate in both the previous ones. CB is a key position. IMO we are really short of depth and even with a good signing we are an injury & suspension away from a horror show at the back.

One of the Dutch reports I think. Might have been for Tadic. Either way if you spend approx 10m on a player they arent going to be paid peanuts.

Ok. Obviously I mean without Lovren who at the moment isnt playing for us and will move clubs this summer. We are very weak at centre back.

But when have we ever attracted the best players? That isnt our market. We are paying Pelle 40k a week. Plenty of very good players who would join for that.

He must have a little chuckle to himself when he sees Billy Sharp back in the fold! Not sure why anyone is suprised, he always said there was no limit on what we could achieve. Its words. He said eventually they aim to win the PL, whats wrong with that? He is not saying they will, just thats the aim eventually. A couple of years ago they had more of a chance than Liverpool.

How can wages be an issue? We have already got rid of two of our highest earners in Lallana and Lambert, with Lovren to follow and almost certainly Osvaldo. Of those left we have so many kids in the squad that our current wage bill must be tiny compared with say a WH or Newcastle.

As if people have forgotten the quality of the league. PL defenders would deal with Sharp in their sleep.

QPR medical today according to some reports. He plus Ferdinand is consoderably better than any partnership we can put out at the moment IMO, even considering Rio's age.

He is better than Jos but centre back a massive worry at the moment. We need two new ones who are both better than the three we have. Bet we only get one and after two poor seasons Hooiveld will appear in the PL again, with the same outcome. Such an important position. Even if he only plays a handful of games, it has an impact. We got something like one league point from the the four games he started last season.