CanadaSaint

Oh, good. Thanks. Off to remove head from arse.

Sorry to hear that. I think he'll do well and we might end up regretting missing out on him. As you said, good luck to him.

Surely it isn't just about one midfielder so much as the blend and balance. The best four players don't always make the most effective midfield.

I think it's extremely insensitive for us to be bouncing up and down with joy over Billy Sharp while our brothers and sisters down the road are facing extinction. The least we can do is a moment of silence. Okay, carry on.

That. Premier League team? Slim chance. WHU? I've got a better chance of becoming pope.

SC, you're a mod so I'll ask you this: I have Dalek on Ignore (the only one 'cos I don't really believe in it) but, really, what is he even doing on here? The guy has no interest in a sensible discussion and spends all his time trying to wind normal people up and bait them into responses. If that's not enough to get booted we might as well all pack up and go.

We have real wood flooring (red oak) and love it. However, when you say "Gonna start off in the hallway", bear in mind that colour matching later on can be a barsteward - especially because the wood mellows with age and changes in appearance, particularly when there's sunlight around. We had 2/3 of our main floor done about six years ago, and now we're finishing the floor completely in real wood. Getting the stains close has proven to be an absolute night-frigging-mare. The contractor's on his third attempt and he's still not close. Much less of a problem with laminate, though.

It makes me very queasy when stuff like this starts flying around before (supposedly) the pen has hit the contract paper.

Indeed, Alps, "tomorrow is the best time to start that process" but it's not the only time to start the process and nor will Saturday be, which is the clear implication of the "make or break" comment. And that was my point. Yes, it's a very big week. And yes, we really need to turn the bad run around - ideally against those two teams. However, we have good squad depth compared to most of the others - even better at the end of today, hopefully. We also have excellent players coming back from injury, not all of whom will be available this week. We will then be able to reunite the line-up - and, more importantly, the shape and the balance - behind the good run. But with greater striking strength. That team is more than capable of going on the same tear in February, March and April as it did in the Autumn. So, it's a big week but by no means a "make or break" week.

Passes lower than thirty feet?

The loan-back is a condition the selling club is insisting on. It's not to get Vardy experience. FWIW, from the one full match I've seen him play, I think his qualities are capable of making him successful at Championship level and may well be strong enough for the next step, especially with quality players around him. If the Sharp rumour is true he's coming here as back-up but I think he might surprise people.

If you have the mental ability to comprehend the subtle distinction, of which I've seen little evidence so far, there's a big difference between "play(ing) down the importance of certain matches" and disagreeing with the notion that they will "make or break" our season. Sure, those matches are very important but our season is certainly not dead if we lose them. Clue: It's the same as the difference between "That's it, playoffs at best" and "That was a bad result." I was talking about when the matches are actually played.

Yeah, and we spent a ton of dough on a guy called Delgado who didn't play much either. And I think there were others like that.

I can't believe this has come from you, of all people! We're barely into February and if the last two-plus months have proven anything it's that even the top teams struggle to put together any kind of streak. Teams from one end of the division to the other slip into and out of form at the drop of a hat. Sure, it's a big week but there will still be a ton of time left at the end of it. And, given who we've been without on and off for the last month, we still have a pretty deep squad at this level - compared to most - despite what's been said. That will become a more important factor with each passing week.

Apparently, Palace have already bid 750,000 (or possibly more) with a loan-back clause.

So Alpine has been right all along?

It's just that your comments haven't been about Vardy so much as the strong likelihood that non-leaguers won't make it. I don't disagree with the generic point but, as I've said, I think the lad has enough about him to be worth a punt. Yes, even at a million because IMO the financial upside of him "coming good" (and he has the tools) outweighs the risk, especially as he's English, and that adds a premium.

Have you seen him play CD?

He's certainly not slow but speed isn't his primary quality. He's two-footed and will go inside or outside, reading the defender as he takes him on. He's also good in the air, full of running, and quite physical - not easily pushed off the ball. I was impressed enough to throw his name out in the "official unofficial January transfer targets thread" back on January 9 so I'm really pleased to read this (unconfirmed) report. We've spent a million or more on players with far, far less potential than this guy.

I watched the whole of the Fleetwood vs Blackpool tie and was most impressed with him. I think he's more than capable of stepping up several levels, especially when he's surrounded by better players than he's playing with right now.

And IMO he's absolutely correct but that doesn't prevent us from signing players to contracts containing a clause allowing for a significant increase should we be promoted. In fact, I suspect that some of our players already have this - Lallana, Fonté and Lambert for example. That's exactly how a Hooper signing would work - a boost now with the prospect of a much larger boost later.

This is looking more like the age-old "We need to play to his strengths" VERSUS "He needs to fit within our system" dilemma. I can't help but wonder whether bringing Puncheon in from the cold is a sign that Adkins strongly doubts that De Ridder can fit within the system he wants to play. It's hard to see the Puncheon decision doing anything other than pushing SDR down the pecking order.

After reading his quotes, I can only hope that his game has improved as much as his use of English has over the past few days. He's gone from "I'm not going no where gonna sit an train with the reserves/kids for 18 months" to "Thankfully Nicola is a forgiving person who has the Club's interests at heart, he has told me that the slate has been wiped clean and I can have a fresh start." Extremely impressive.

I think the point was less about individual players and more about shape and balance - both of which we had in abundance during the good run and neither of which we've really displayed since. That's no coincidence - and yes, put me in the "we miss Chaplow like crazy" school. But these are supposedly high-level professionals and it is possible to ask them to play a role outside of their preferred role so that we maintain shape and balance when key players are missing. Where I draw the line is on things like playing a left footed full back against a fast, line-hugging winger and asking him to give us attacking width as well.

I agree. And I think that there might be an interesting little tactical dilemma within the club right now, one which reflects the outlook differences on here: Group A lean towards spending big money just to secure promotion. Group B feels that the players we acquire now must not only help us this year but also be capable of performing in the Premier league; these players are harder to find and more expensive (fees and wages). I'm in group B because I think we have a finite budget since Markus died, so if we spend it now we can't spend it later. However, there are certainly big risks attached.