derry

So what are the statistics regarding the shots he had no way of reaching, 6 out of 6 this season. You have become obsessed with pushing your view which really is unsustainable. Worse still you are keeping this useless thread going. Maybe the answer is to refrain from commenting and feeding your obsession. But you can't!

The flaw in a new double your money contract. If we are fortunate enough to get promoted this season we then have another two years of an expensive contract for a player who doesn't score enough goals in the Premier League and will need more strikers.

I see that the investors lined up by Everton have pulled out as the company that has loans currently with Everton have a legal right to take any investment against the loan.The investors will still support the stadium however reading between the lines Everton apparently won't own it. Financially they look a basket case, even current transfers look difficult to finance.

Che Adams's record as a striker, specifically scoring goals, apart from a season at Birmingham in the Championship isn't very good. What? one every five or six matches. Over the three years he has been here the only consistent thing he has done is not score. Last year he was a prolific misser of chances, The only certain thing this season is that he has scored three goals however there is no certainty considering his track record that he will be prolific for the rest of the season. Adam Armstrong however hard anyone argues hasn't scored from play this season. Being given Tella's goal on a brush off the back of his head whilst ducking out of the way doesn't cut it for me. He has otherwise performed well. Whether Adams stays or goes we still need to bring in a consistent goalscorer and keep Tella and Sullemana. If we are going all out for promotion then that investment is necessary.

I've nothing of interest to add and by the looks of this thread neither does anyone else.

Personally I favour bringing in a strker. Che has historically gone on long goal droughts so if he does stay a reliable alternative is also necessary.

This has just become boring repetitive stupidity that offers nothing of any interest.

He was training at Staplewood today, together with Downes and Sullemana preparing for QPR.

It's about time this thread was closed. It's obvious it's been kept on life support by around half a dozen biased posters that aren't prepared to cut him some slack. The facts as I see them, he has let in six goals this season and in my opinion had no chance with any of them. The criticism would be better aimed at the ball watching back four. KWP who doesn't track back or mark the only threat on the far post, Manning who needs new studs and learn to recognise a time and place not to try and pull the ball down with his spare foot, Bednarek who will blame anybody and everybody whilst failing to recognise he took no action, Stephens who ball watches and backs off instead of closing down. All ended up giving away the goals. Alcaraz marking nobody who didn't bother picking up Rowe being marked by nobody. Russell Martin needs to get a grip on the lack of competent defending. Bazunu hasn't been bad at all.

It seems to me that the impecunious Everton are in for a host of players from various clubs. If there is only truth in half of them they are stretching their reported resources to the limit. It looks like trying to pay poundshop prices on the never never. I would have thought Liverpool's experience with their arrogant bidding for Lavia would have told them Saints aren't a pushover. Maybe we're only being patient possibly to get a good deal on Holgate.

Just watched the Sky transfer program. The only mention he got was we had turned down Everton's £12m bid. If it really is that close I would have thought they would have been all over it.

It's reported that Lavia is looking for a London apartment, that'll be a bit of a commute to Cobham.

You're absoutely right, ball watching and a lack of concentration together without the ruthless frame of mind to mark tightly. Our defensive coaching is hopeless. A free wheeling passing game WITH the ball is great but if we lose it we need to be ruthlessly tight, passing responsibility doesn't cut it and needs a dose of the hair dryer treatment to those at fault. Our defending is careless and needs a kick in the pants.

I didn't mention Sulemana because I hope he stays. Everton were sniffing about a loan. It could still happen as we are talking to them about a loan for Mason Holgate. however it looks like they've signed Harrison from Leeds on loan and are in for Gnonto who is kicking off and refusing to play. It seems that nearly all the Leeds players had relegation release clauses and whilst they have transferred/loaned out about 15 players and received comparatively little in fees that has really hit them hard. I think we should keep Sulemana he will be lethal in the Championship. It may well be that as he is away from the club having treatment according to Russell Martin it's going to be a good while before he is match fit.

Personally I think City think he is not ready to play as a holding midfielder in their team. Liverpool are short, Chelsea are all over the place but they are buying great potential and especially Liverpool gambling that despite their reservations he'll cut the mustard. Is he a big loss for us? I don't think he is, a loss but not a big one. He obviously doesn't want to play in the Championship and as Martin said he didn't consider him because his head was in the wrong place. If he stayed under sufferance we were not going to get the best out of him. In my view the £60m fee will really underwrite our aspirations and allow us to shift the dross we need to shift and be more circumspect about fees etc. I think the £60m giving us north of maybe £170m if we can unload sicknote Bella Kotchap. If the likes of Adams, KWP decide to go we are close to £200m especially if Genk buy the swap for Onuachu with Joseph Paintsil their versatile forward. We are in a marvellous position to really strengthen the team/squad.

Personally If I had been Gavin Bazunu I'd have been thrown out of the club by now. Why because I'd probably have poleaxed any or even all the back four because of their lack of concentration, abysmal positioning and ball watching. I'm not saying he's a good goalkeeper but the twats in front of him are making life incredibly difficult. Instead of bigging up his back four and Stephens in particular Russell Martin needs to get a grip there and lay down the law about concentration and ball watching and if he hasn't got a good defensive coach get one in. For example Bazunu was indicating picking up Sargent but was ignored by KWP who didn't mark properly not for the first or last time either..

Liverpool were originally saying they'd bid and get him for about £25m, first £37m, second, £41m, third £45m we wanted £50m they wouldn't bid that now it's supposed to be £60m. Snatch their hand off before they realise £60m will buy a host of good players. Come on Chelsea you know you can do it. Just a few more quid. Liverpool surely you're not going to let them get away with that.

I respect him as a person. He has behaved impeccably I don't disagree with his ambitions to break a record and play in the Premier League to try and achieve more England caps. However I'm not sure he is going to achieve that at West Ham. It is a club that has proved a graveyard for many talented footballers and I'm not sure his lack of pace and power together with his style of play will fit in there. In any event I wish him well.

The team collectively need to be shown the good then the bad. the defending was abysmal two were dead ball situations. The hair dryer needs an airing and those goals pinpointed. KWP for the first and Alcaraz for the second went missing and switched off. Secondly this zonal non marking is garbage. We need the three best headers to attack the ball front post, middle and back post every other player marks tight. All the zonal marking theory does is give every player a ready made excuse that it's somebody elses fault. Just milling about in the box is rubbish defending. I watched the Nigerian women come within a hairs breath of knocking England out of the World Cup with a superb demonstration of close marking without the ball. That's the way to play when opponents have the ball. It was proper in your face defending from front to back. The result of coaching something we obviously don't do because it's been happening for years. Get a proper defensive coach in and insist on total concentration and taking the responsibility to defend properly. I go along with the possession football, I love it, lose the ball so lose the nice and adopt the ruthless. We need to concentrate better, KWP, Stephens and Alcaraz were examples of what not to do. All four goals conceded were either non marking or taking the easy option of just standing in front of attackers. Manning's clusterfuck was just poor decision making, trying to pull the ball down as the last man with pressure approaching is stupidity time to put a foot through the ball.

Four players switched off for Norwich's four goals. KWP was asleep for the first because he could see Sargent and had plenty of time to shuttle across as the other defenders were near post. He should have covered the inside of the back post. For the second Stephens stood off instead of getting in early, afforded the room Sari struck an unstoppable shot. The goal from the corner by Rowe was rediculous. He was literally stood on his own, what was worse so was Alcaraz. He needed to cover Rowe but was another not concentrating. The final goal was a clusterfuck by Manning trying to pull the ball down with his weak foot. Sometimes as the greatest sides in the world show at times you have to belt it. Today with KWP and three midfield players upfield left us outnumbered by quick breaks. Come on Russell Martin get a grip and put some discipline into defending. Luckily Adam Armstrong buried his penalties because neither occasion looked like a good goal chance. I like the way we are trying to play but we are too loose in midfield and the back. We created plenty of pressure but pressure doesn't win matches. We have to have enough in defence to pinch off any break out.

Smallbone for right footed and inswinging corners. Alcaraz probably penalties and right footed direct, Manning left footed and direct plus inswinging corners . That would give us much more unpredictability.

VPN ???

12pm tomorrow.

Cliff Huxford was captain of Chelsea's reserve team, what a captain he turned out to be. His voice boomed out the whole match, the original hard man and tough as nails. George was volatile, a skilful reserve player at Leeds but a clinical finisher. He carried a knee injury for years but you wouldn't have known. A great player for us. The only time in league football I saw a player throw a punch properly. Harry Harris of Newport hacked George who threw a right upper cut and poleaxed Harris, who was stretchered off. Dick Connor was an incisive passer especially forward and blended in, however he only lasted the one season until promotion but it was enough. I think the first game back in the second sivision we hammered Liverpool 4-0 at the Dell. The Saint's forwards were the key. Paine, O'Brien what a pair on the right, Reeves in the middle, either tommy Mulgrew or the brilliant in the air Brian Cifton and the quickest player in the country in my opinion, John Sydenham on the left. Over a hundred goals a season in the league more than once. I hope these memories give you the picture. In those days managers assessed players after tips from scouts and believed their own eyes. We bought crap in later years because we didn't do that.

Personally I think Adams and Armstrong are hopeless and we should unload them both as soon as we can get in probably three consistent goal scoring strikers with the season's transfer total probably approaching £200m from Orsic, CC, Salisu, Liveramento, JWP, Lavia, Bella-Kotchap, Adams, Armstrong, Sulemana (possibly), maybe a few others. Spend the money wisely and we could have a team good for a few years.