egg

No it's whinging. Not one person has mentioned affordability. Fwiw I think £18 plus reduced and some free concessions is fine given the opposition and where we are now.

So in Gaston's number 10 position? A position that is arguably Lallana's best too. While I think that lambert is arguably a better 10 than 9 in the Prem I think there's little chance of him playing that role ahead of Gaston or Lallana.

All of this.

Hatch, chances are it'll be a connection or something minor. Autotechnix are much cheaper than Anglesea. http://www.autotechnix.co.uk/Contact-Us-and-Map(507893).htm

Anyone know why he didn't play much last season? Injury?

My assessment was based on what I'd seen of him rather than heard or read. I fear that he's the kind of player who's liked by people who thought that Chaplow and his ilk are/were great players cos they're busy and look more effective than they actually are. I hope that I'm wrong though and that he proved to be great signing but I've got reservations.

Shiels and Celticman are correct. I said above that his distribution isn't great and that his tackling is not disciplined. He's got athleticism and strength but he is quite a limited player who just ain't worth 12.5 mil.

Not every murder case is the same so what is meant by a "life" sentence should be on a case by case basis. Example. Take an 18 year old woman in say an arranged marriage. Her husband beats her, locks her under lock and key, rapes her and controls her life. He cuts off her contact with the outside world so she has no way out. She kills him and is convicted of murder. Should she spend her whole life in prison? The law has to impose a life sentence but the judge determines the tariff. In her case should she have a chance of returning to society after not too many years or be locked up forever? Then you have your proper nasty killers like Hindley and Sutcliffe that should never see the civilised world again. Simply, there are murderers and there are murderers and I don't agree that every murderer should receive a whole life tariff. I do, however, think that some cases justify it and that if the judge deems it the appropriate sentence then their should be no review. The bottom line is that a sentence is based on the facts of case and the sentence should be upheld and respected unless a court overturns it. A review to a panel of people is an appeal through the backdoor and I don't agree with the concept.

Agreed. I've seen loads of posts where people put him in the 10 position - he's a defensive midfielder!

It seems that you're confusing sentence with conviction. Either way I don't understand your point about Bamber. So he doesn't admit his guilt and he's had a tough time in prison. Surely he would have had the same tough time as a convicted murderer whether he was a standard lifer as opposed to being on a whole life tariff? Murderers, rapists, child abusers et al get a dose of their own medicine inside, its a reality. Back to the initial point, if evidence becomes available to cast doubt on a conviction (not sentence) then an appeal will always be possible regardless of whether its a whole life case or something else.

Nonsense. It's entirely possible to have a whole life tariff and a fair system to challenge the conviction that led to that sentence. If a wrongful conviction is reversed on appeal then the sentence falls away.

Agreed. It's not difficult to have a "life means life" sentence with an appeals process for wrongful convictions.

Fluid formations and free roles are ok going forward, but less so defensively. Who gives width to cover the full backs and track the opposing full back? On paper that line up presumably leaves it to Lallana and Gaston which means that in reality they're starting wide and to a large extent expected to stay wide. That doesn't suit Gaston at all.

I think if you have no experience of a player then that's right. I dont think its right though to say that if the club deem a player good enough then he must be. If on the other hand you have experience of a player then its ok to share your view - essentially that's what this place is for. Where it goes wrong is when people without experience of a player argue the toss with people that have.

My view on the player will be the same whoever I reply to! I've said that I don't think anyone can give an opinion without seeing someone play, or having info from someone who has. I stand by that and that applies to any player. If you've seen him play then fine, have an opinion. We disagree so lets leave it there.

Davey, you're right to an extent. What is dominating this thread is opinions about a player from people who have never seen the player or heard first hand reports. Ridiculous. If someone has no knowledge they can't express an opinion about the players ability, and shouldn't criticise the opinion of people who have.

Diggy, if you bother to read what I've actually written I say I've seen him play a few times. Based on what I've seen he ain't a £12m player and not an upgrade on what we have. Is your opinion on him based on just what you've read on the Internet?

Is 12 yellows in a season a sign of a disciplined and accurate tackler. Yes or no?

I never thought I'd call you the voice of reason Del but on this occasion you are. Completely over rated.

You're an idiot mate. I haven't said that my opinion is that the transfer committee have messed up. I just don't rate this player as highly as some. That seemingly includes you, despite you never having seen him play.

Didn't know that was my opinion, but thanks for your opinion of my opinion. My opinion is that he's a more athletic player than we have but a lesser footballer. You've never seen him play so its probably best not to express an opinion, or speculate about the opinions of others. Any, footy is about opinions so allow people to express theirs.

Whoa wild man. I thought this was a forum where opinions are expressed. IMO (having seen him play several times) he's athletic but erratic in the tackle and not a good passer. If you can't win a clean tackle against Scotland prem midfielders you're gonna struggle against the prem finest. When he's not suspended he'll help our pressing game but from what I've seen he won't help us keep the ball or hit accurate passes like MS or even cork.

It should buy better than that. 12 yellows a season playing against average players and a terrible range of passing doesn't excite me, especially at £12m

Because its not a giveaway price. I can't believe we're prepared to spend £12m on him. He's big and athletic, but not a great footballer.

I think inexperience is the wrong word though. We seem to be naive of how the transfer game works. Not being held to ransom but at the top level you have to compete with other clubs in the transfer market, and to steal a march on them you've got to at least match what they're prepared to pay everyone involved in the deal. If you don't you can't compete at that level.