Sidney Fudpucker the 3rd

Both Ings & J-Rod suffered serious injuries and never really found their past form. We sold J-Rod last year and it feels like we've replaced him 12 months later with somebody in a very similar position career-wise. I really hope he proves me wrong and that he will benefit from a fresh start.

Our record for signing mis-firing strikers continues. One day one of these will come good. Just hope it's Ings. http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=52481

It's a season long loan deal.

I think he'll go and Ings will come in.

Inclined to agree. Don't really see any value in the £50m we've spent. Another close season where I look at the business done by our closest rivals and wonder why we're still ****ing around hoping to get lucky with players who've never played at Premiership level. Would have preferred Gibson to Vestergaard and Ghezzal instead of Ely. To top it all I've a horrible feeling we'll let Targett or JWP go and then spunk £20m on Ings on deadline day when we should really go for Welbeck if we're going to spend that sort of money.

I've a funny feeling that if he goes he'll get regular football and will be the next big thing. Another player that we'll regret letting go for less than we should have got.

The only way I'd take the money for him is if the money is going towards us buying Welbeck.... Which won't happen.

When we started buying early I was optimistic about the season ahead. However, I thought there would be at least 2 more signings and Hughes is now saying that our business is done. Given that we've failed to sort a couple of key issues and opted for Vestergaard over Gibson, I'm concerned. The pre-season performances have shown that we've not really improved anything after last season.

Why did we sign Vestandpants when we could have signed Gibson for similar, if not less money?

In the words of the mighty, Half Man Half Biscuit... Supercalifragilistic Borussia Mönchengladbach.

I'll be really ****ed off if we sell Targett. Particularly as we need cover at RB/RWB. ...Sadly I think he's gone. :-(

We could wear the yellow kit at Fulham, Spurs and Newcastle. The home shirt could easily be worn at Watford and Huddersfield. Somebody, somewhere has been paid a fortune to come up with a third kit that's primarily the same colour as the home shirt. I just don't get it. Why not make something that's completely different? There's plenty of other colours out there!

It was always going to happen. Ah well, let's hope it continues so that we can command a decent fee for him.

Mine arrived in Dublin today. Can't grumble at that. The new shirt including delivery to Dublin for under £30.00. :-)

This.

I'd send him out on loan for another season. If he returns having scored 15+ goals then keep him. Less than that then sell him next year.

The issue wasn't with their pre-season. The problems started when they lost some key players through injury. Most Stoke fans i've spoken to have said that the problems weren't Hughes' fault and that he should have been given more time. I've not spoken to one who thinks they would have gone down had he stayed.

Funny how people are slating Stephens. It's a far cry from the praise that was heaped on him following a impressive performance against Liverpool. The Telegraph said "The centre of Southampton's defence has been decimated with Jose Fonte sold and Van Dijk going, but Stephens has been a revelation and was part of an impressive collective defensive display against Liverpool." ESPN said, "If Hansen watched his beloved Liverpool being dumped out of the EFL Cup by Southampton on Wednesday night -- robbing Jurgen Klopp of the chance to win his first trophy in English football -- his words "You can't win anything with kids" would have come back to haunt him again. For Southampton's 1-0 victory, securing a 2-0 aggregate scoreline, was built on a rock solid defence, with academy graduate Jack Stephens very much at the heart of it. This time last year it is unlikely anyone outside of Hampshire would have heard of Stephens, who is now looking forward to a big Wembley final before even making his full Premier League debut. In fact, when the team sheets were released a little over an hour before kick-off with injured captain and star player Virgil van Dijk absent, Liverpool fans were buoyant at their chances of overturning a first leg deficit to set up a likely capital showdown with Manchester United." Then there's the winner he scored against Watford in the FA Cup and the equaliser he bagged against Brighton. Some fans have a very short memory. He's not a league 2 defender, FFS.

Just received shipping notification for my order.

Until I saw this thread I had completely forgotten about him. It didn't even register that he wasn't in the French squad.

I remember seeing us score 8 in a pre-season friendly in Sweden when Paul Sturrock was in charge.

For £20m you'd want Ings and Sturridge. Even then you'd only get half a season from the pair of them.

I know Ben. He's my neighbour in Chester. Looks like he'll be going out on loan for the season. Stoke are very interested.

I think you'll find he's referring to James Maddison who has just moved from Norwich to Leicester for £20m.

Read a very interesting piece about Bertrand's exclusion from the WC squad. Southgate and Holland said their decision not to take him had nothing to do with his playing ability, it was based on his mental state and his frame of mind following a difficult season at Saints. They wanted everybody onboard with the right attitude and didn't feel his head was in the right place.