egg

Have an educated guess what he means. It's not complicated.

Completely different players, Smallbone is an attacking mid, with virtually no first team experience. Selling Romeu would be ridiculous.

That's how I saw it. The defence were massively exposed too many times and that's been the story too often under Ralph. We needed an extra man in the middle to give more protection to the defence, but even that's no use of the ball is given away cheaply when we're attacking leaving us wide open to the counter attack. The second half was west ham esque.

Garden

We've "invested" circa £40m in two CB's. That "investment" has diminished Gao asset, not increased it. You believe that chucking money at a problem is the solution, and properly spent that's a logical conclusion but our transfer activity (incoming) is hardly likely to persuade Gao that throwing money around is necessarily a good idea. Ralph's recent change of heart may well be a reality check that nothing is available that is better than we have for sensible money. I suspect it's as simple as that, but you and others choose to assume that the club is lying to us or are incapable of signing players. It's bizarre. As to your other rants, the irony of you telling Sue (whilst calling her a "bint" - really classy Gordon) to "agree to differ" when you post hundreds of nocturnal words re imposing your well known belief is mind boggling. The bottom line is that nothing any of us say will make any difference whatsoever, so why you put yourself on the verge of a coronary night after night I'm not sure. When you refer to the likes of me as "supporting the club" etc ask yourself whether others are more in tune with reality than you, and appreciate that ranting ad infinitum on a forum won't suddenly make Harry Maguire appear at staplewood. Where you and I agree is that we want our team to improve. I just think that you lack reality, or acceptance that we can't so anything about what the club choose to do, so what's the point in ranting. Instead I support the team at the ground, rather than attacking the club on the Web.

Nicely swerved. You're saying what you find hard to believe, not what you actually believe. I've never disputed that Ralph's position has changed, we agree on that. Where we are apart is that I think you assume that we've had the wool pulled over our eyes, with Ralph the mouthpiece. If that's what you think, we'll agree to differ. If I'm mistaken about that though, what exactly is your point / opinion on the change of position re full backs?

I think he's on the fringes so it's possible. He's got all the talent but for whatever reason is never happened for him.

I know. So are you saying that Ralph has had the rug pulled from under him, or is it possible that he's in agreement to the club not getting its pants pulled down, or prospective signings not wanting to be back up, or something else. I've commented above about the change of position, but I think you assume that we've had the wool pulled over our eyes rather than something else. If I'm mistaken, what exactly is your point / opinion on the change of position re full backs?

Correct. People are reading far too much into an article, both in terms of interpretation and origin. I refer back to Ralph comments yesterday which were perfectly clear.

Jeez. For the last time. An article in the telegraph is not a press release. Has it occurred to you that when a telegraph article does not bear fruit it's because it's an inaccurate newspaper article rather than something that's "meant" to be happening?

Of course he hasn't. The official line is in the Telegraph, not from the manager.

I repeat: "I'm not getting back into another boring debate..." PM me if you really must mate, this is clogging up the thread. Bottom line though is that we have different opinion. I can live with that, give it a whirl.

Bless you Gordon. I've put forward 3 possible options as to why we're not signing full backs now. Ralph has explained via the Echo (you know, an actual comment, actually attributable to our actual manager) but you carry on with your theory that Ralph is happy to peddle lies to the fans to make the club look great, whilst a journalist in the Telegraph peddles more lies on behalf of the club. Get a grip pal. If you want to carry on the discussion, PM me, cos if I'm bored with it I can appreciate that other posters will be.

Is exhibit a of this evidence a Telegraph article from November 2019? Or 2017? Or Promes going elsewhere for loads of wages? Batman, what's your theory on why we're now not (seemingly) signing full backs this window?

Ok, I'll broaden the question. If you have the ability to answer questions rather than just being pompous, please explain the link between past transfer windows and us now not signing full backs this window?

Behave. So the link between not signing Promes and now not signing any full backs is what?

I think that means in the summer, not now. If it's now then that'd be crazy.

Del, you're better that and are one of the posters who understands the business. I'm not interested in previous windows and players that we didn't sign - there's a million reasons why players choose other clubs and the past is the past. The current current transfer window is all that is relevant at the minute so I'll focus on current transfer information definitely coming from the club, ie Ralph's recent comments re signing full backs and yesterdays clear change of position. His body language and tone of voice did not suggest that he was annoyed. We agree that he clearly said that he wanted and expected full backs. He's now changed his tune. Either financial support ain't there for that; or he's suddenly concluded that Vokins is good enough and Valery has made a miraculous recovery; or as sellers/players/agents are taking the p1ss so we're playing it cool/not playing ball. Which of those 3 is it? If not what is it? And to the likes of Itchen, this is a transfer WINDOW not RUMOURS thread so discussing what we're doing//not doing transfer wise and why during the transfer window is the topic. I agree though, that past windows are of no relevance to the here and now.

You don't think that what Ralph said yesterday about transfers is relevant in a transfer window thread?

You're tedious, other posters don't want another debate about newspaper articles and who's theory is correct. The most recent and indisputable as to origin transfer info comes from Ralph. I'm interested in that, not what the telegraph wrote 2 months ago.

I'm not getting back into another boring debate about whether everything about us in the telegraph comes from the club. Try to focus on what our manager has said, and then trying to apply some logic as to why he may be saying it.

That's the article. The relevant source, for me, is Ralph. He clearly said that he wanted and expected full backs. He's now changed his tune. Either financial support ain't there for that, he's suddenly concluded that Vokins is good enough and Valery has made a miraculous recovery, or as I've said above sellers/players/agents are taking the **** and we're playing it cool. Personally I think it's the last one - let's see where we are when the window shuts.

It may not be yours, but having read this forum for years, that's the way it comes across that many think. The point is that we may be in the market, and may have been quoted daft wages, fees etc so understandably have not pursued players, and will then seek to give the impression that we're OK with what we have. That's a media manipulation that I do buy into, and agree with.

Absolutely. There is a perception that because we don't sign a player that we fans have been let down/been lied to/the club is shifting position etc. Buying players ain't like buying a mop on amazon. It's highly possible that we've been unable to get deals over the line for whatever reasons and are stating publicly that we're happy with what we have...any other message makes us a hostage to fortune if we go into the market.

I think they'll struggle too. A bottom half finish is available at 4/1 which I think is a sound bet. I'll have a few quid on that. Bottom 6 is a bit unlikely though, but a small bet at 50's is tempting.