S-Clarke

I reckon you could get a player of equal ability, and maybe even slightly better, based in Europe for around 1-2m. Easy. You just need to widen the nets scouting wise (which is what we're doing).

There is no chance anyone other than Leicester City will spend £5m on him, even Wolves bulked at the asking price. He's a good player and I'm ****ed off that we aren't enjoying him, but I wouldn't spend £5m on him even though I think we need a CB. Leicester aren't exactly living within their means, they're going **** or bust. I don't think we need to do that.

Benzema surley will play up top as a striker? and 27m is about 15m too much for him.

Punchon is a really talented player when he wants to be, but he will always be a journey man and have the odd couple of months of success here and there in his career. Rumours are that he doesn't want to go back to Blackpool as he couldn't settle there. He couldn't settle at Plymouth either, or here by the sounds of it. What is up with him? bit of a mentalist if you ask me.

I'm pretty sure that Les Reid is in essence our DoF, but just under a different job title.

Players follow the money, it really is as simple as that. We're living within our means, whereas West Ham and Leicester for e.g. are going **** or bust.

I bet you the Mellor story is an agent plant, just to push the price up a bit.

He's a pretty solid player, but at LB he'd get skinned by most (including our own chambo hopefully!). They seriously need at least 10 players don't they? to even be competitive...? crazy.

He's out of contract....they've offered him new terms, but he's stalling apparently.

are you ITK?

Looking at their squad makes you wonder WTF some of our lot are so worried about. We're in july and they cannot field a starting 11 - now that's something to get panicky about.

Isn't he like 41?

I think footballers are out to milk it as much as they can. Agents know that we're owned by a billionaire, so they'll try their best to get the most money out of us that they can. NC is clever and he'll never allow us to be taken the **** out of, which is probably why we're struggling to agree certain deals. I think you'll find when the end of the window comes and those players still haven't got their move, they'll be knocking on our door again - but hopefully, we'd have got suitable alternatives sorted by then.

Hi Alps

Saw on another forum that he's demanding upwards of 20k.

Well seeing as we didn't have a bid accepted for CMS it's a silly thing to say. And how are Burnley more ambitions than us? have they signed jack cork? or anyone for that matter? No. (maybe you're being sarcastic??? can't tell on here anymore!)

I think that was what he was looking for tbh. At the likes of QPR, Leicester, WHU etc he'd have been a squad player.

Bad way of looking at it. Ignore his skate connections, and he's a good player. Alot of fans said exactly the same over Viafara when he signed, but I thought he was great for us. Showed real passion too.

Similar level to Sharp IMO - but 3.2m cheaper, and £3.2m free to spend on a CB and a CM.

It's been a rumour on the cards for a few months, but has picked up a bit of momentum today. Someone I spoke to a few weeks back suggested that he met up with some of the staff at the trip in Vegas but I found that seriously hard to believe. Would still be a bit mixed about this signing if I'm totally honest, but if you remove the last 3 years (his association with our fishy friends) out of his career and say we're signing him as a PNE player then we'd all be drooling. He was rated as one of the best centre forwards outside the premiership and he's not too old (24/25 i think?) so he could recapture that form with us...

Was commenting on someones post about George Boyd, their other player that's probably off.

Where would you fit him though? He plays in the same position and in a similar way to Lallana, and he's not going to sign for us when he knows he'll be second fiddle to Adam. (which he would be, as Adam is still a better player) I'm not denying he's a good player, but I just can't see a place for him in our team tbh.

Maybe this is why we pulled away from Sharp? £3.2m on sharp, or £0 for Nugent, who IMO is a similar player (not much difference between them ability wise tbh)

Have heard a few rumblings about this, but I have a feeling it's just come from football-rumours as it's all over there at the moment

Connolly was great for Sunderland at this level, so def. has nothing to prove. As you said, it's only really fitness issues that he needs to put behind him.