S-Clarke

That's been the line for so many recent windows, and slowly the level of quality will drop...and drop....and before you know it, Romeu and Stephens will become key players. Oh wait.

It's a very, very frustrating and self defeating way. It's not being 'sustainable', it's actually the least sustainable way to run a PL football club, as you'll just get left far behind. We can't even afford a loan before we hunt for someone to sell, it's so depressing. We shout about this model like it's some sort of magic though, but it's just self defeating.

Holy shit, wtf.

This is going to really really hurt clubs. Will be lots of lower league clubs going out of business after Christmas in my opinion.

Davies is very average, but still much better than the options of Romeu or Smallbone at the moment. I wouldn't say he fits the type of profile we were after though - powerful/box to box style midfielder.

Can't disagree with you mate, but we're in a nanny state for at least the next 6-8 months.

I can't imagine any fans until spring next year.

Either of those loans would take up any remaining money we have (Wages/loan fee), I'd have thought. We may not even be able to scrimp enough together to get a loan of that profile. I think we're struggling to get enough finance together for any deal tbh. Sad times really, got to feel sorry for Ralph.

£25-30m is the quoted figure for him from previous articles. Absolute no chance. We won't sign anyone above the £10m mark IMO. I'll eat my words if anything comes of that.

I'm finding the lack of any links quite concerning to be honest, especially when you see clubs like Fulham going for players that would certainly add what we're missing. Lookman would add a lot of quality out wide, and it's only a loan. No brainer. But I imagine we'll have to wait until we have a fee for Boufal before we can service a loan.

I don't like the sounds of the DaGrosa takeover, but beggars prob can't be choosers at the mo.

You can't play that way of defending with the players and midfielders we have! Do it when we have better players in those positions (who are quicker/more mobile) but not when we're relying on Romeu, Stephens and Bedernak to provide the last line of defence. It really is suicide and he must see something in training from the existing players to suggest they can play that way, as I can't understand it otherwise.

I thought we were terrible against Palace tbh, lethargic and slow. Palace could have had more than the 1 goal they had. I'd say we've had about 125 mins of terrible football, only good 45 was the first half today - that's it. The consistent theme has been the high line. We employed it against Palace and Zaha had a field day, we deployed it again today and Son had a field day. Self-defeating style shit with players who will never be adept to playing that way.

Don't expect too much, will be pleasantly surprised if we get more than a loan CM on the final day.

It's a sign of how much the squad has regressed and hasn't evolved since 2017. Romeu was signed as a squad player, he's now a starter every week. Stephens was a reserve/squad centre back, he now starts every week. McCarthy was signed as a backup goalkeeper, he now starts every week. We've let the squad go to the shits because we're lumbered with the likes of Lemina, Hoedt, Carillo etc. But part of me is wondering if they are becoming part of an 'excuse', and we really are totally and utterly skint whatever their situations may be. When you cannot afford a loan for KWP without receiving a loan fee for Cedric first, it hinders you. We are always playing catch-up because we are never able to plan before a departure, we have to sell, make sure we have the cash, then get the player in. Surely it's not asking for much to have a club that can evolve positions in it's squad without having to sell anything that moves first? I cannot think of another club in the PL that acts in this way, it really does make me wonder what really is going on sometimes.

Bedernek looks somewhat distracted, or is that just me? Doesn't look focused and drilled as he was last year, it's like he's taken his eye off the ball. No news on his contract either and he's entering the final 2 years, methinks his head has been turned a little.

That's the thing, we can all see what he's trying to do. It's a very extreme pressing game, but he's trying to make do with sub-standard players for this tactic because he has never been backed. He's performed miracles with this bunch, in my opinion. Own goals today with the tactics for sure, but it must be frustrating for him when he has a clear idea of what he wants but no tools to actually implement it.

He was incredibly exposed, but like you say he's not the right sort of GK for the extreme way Ralph likes to play. He's never been a sweeper keeper and never will be. Ralph would replace him if he could, I'm sure.

The prob we had is that the PEH money was used to sign Salisu and KWP, two positions which were urgent as well. We then have to/had to wait until we made further sales to open up the possibility of replacing PEH. I've seen some fans saying on another forum that we got '18m' for Hoj, so let's spend that on another CM. We can't, it was spent. We just have to see what's out there and string together a few bits of lose change from the Reed deal.

All that shows is that Smallbone isn't really ready. Romeu certainly cannot play a full on high press. It's a position we need to fix otherwise we will have some serious problems.

I would agree that a high line is borne out of our style. I have no problems with our style and the intention of how we play, but the problems I have is evolving the style, but not evolving the players. He has scored an own goal for sure, but you also have to feel sorry for him because he's not being given the flexibility to mould this squad the way he really wants to. In a couple of years time we will regret not allowing him more flexibility to build a squad in his style. There is no way in any universe that Bedernek and Stephens are 'Gegenpress' style defenders, maybe one at a push, but playing both of them is suicide. Romeu is also not flexible or mobile enough in the CM to play the 'full on' Gegenpress tactic. So, whilst Raph has had a blind moment thinking those players can play that way, it's also very frustrating for him as he will never be able to fully implement his style unless he is given flexibility in the market.

So, what do we need then..? New starting top level CM, without question. Another CB, let Jan go as it seems as if his head has been turned. He's attitude has looked shit this season. New GK if we want to play a highline with a sweeper keeper. New attacking winger to replace Boufal and give us more options than Tella. What will we do? Probably a CM on loan on the final day.

Playing as high as we have this season has been an own goal and I'm not sure why. Palace could have had a couple against us, they caught us. Brentford caught us. Tottenham, with their superior quality, have rinsed us. Really be interesting to hear Ralph's views, but it feels as if something has gone on behind the scenes. Maybe Stephens and Bednerak have the pace of Traore in training or something? I have no explanation for why he thinks they can play that high, I honestly don't.

They need to rip up whatever the plan is and start again after this shitshow. Need new additions in ASAP. Hopefully this signals the end of Romeu, Stephens et all. Not good enough, this has shown up every limitation of Stephens game.

All Ralph has done is hang Stephens and Bedernak out to dry, anyone with a braincell can see that McCarthy, Stephens and Bednerak cannot play such a highline. They are too slow. Maybe this change is an adjustment for Salisu, but make the fucking adjustment when he's in the side, not before. Why does Ralph score own goals like this tactically?