S-Clarke

I'd just throw Danso straight in, get Vestergard and Stephens out of that squad. Poor players, wouldn't be able to handle their pace. We're up against it even before the first whistle. We're limited and this is going to be a case of damage limitation, keep the score low and keep our GD respectable. No other outcome feasible really.

The same problems, the same issues. Repeated. Bad things happen, the entire team wilts. They can’t react or pick themselves up, they just wilt and let more **** happen. The character within this squad has been diabolical for 3 years, there’s no real leadership, no real guys shouting and geeing anyone up. It’s depressing and demoralising to watch. Defensively a flaming shambles, but what do you expect when you’ve got Vestergard and Stephens as two of the starters? Vestergard in particular is again showcasing Ross Wilsons amazing ability to pick a player. He doesn’t and hasn’t ever looked suited for this league. I also wish the club would stop trying to flog the dead horse which is Stephens. Slow, clumsy, poor positional sense. There’s no real attributes there which equal a competent centre back. So, when your back includes players like that, you will wilt at the first sign of pressure or attack. Then there isn’t the character throughout the rest of the side to pick themselves up. I imagine Ralph is going into them hard right now, he needs to – but you have to wonder what he can actually do? This is a limited bunch and he is performing miracles given the fact we’re still at this level. His lack of real genuine backing in the window has been disappointing and I’m sure he’s also disappointed. The club have assumed for too long that we have a good spine of players (JWP, Romeu, Redmond, Hoj, Bertrand) – but I don’t think these are genuinely spine players, they’re not really leaders and they’re not in the mould of your Jose Fonte or Van Dijks. Good players, but they wilt too quickly and the club have persevered with certain individuals for far too long. They need better quality around them, they’re not able to do it themselves. On wards to the next one then, should be 3 points there. Oh wait. Good start to the season beckons and we’ll be playing catch-up come October. A good season seems like a distant dream to be honest.

Ah that's really sad, he was way too young. I did wonder why he'd vanished from the tannoy at the end of last season. We’ll struggle to get anyone as enthusiastic as him, he was excellent. RIP.

Nah, goals are the least worry. He's obviously not really delved too much into our squad or paid too much attention to the 2nd half of last season. We will score goals playing as we do, as we did - it’s the other end which will cause the problem. Lazy dumb pundits. Paid a fortune to put across an 'expert' opinion for ‘naturals’ to read, yet they don't really have a scooby.

The wording of these sorts of things is strange sometimes, but the clear ones where everything is agreed are those which say 'Obligation to buy'. Which is what Ings was. The Danso deal is in effect just an option, albeit an exclusive option at a set priced as far as I can see. Nothing stop other clubs from showing an interest should he storm it, although I'd hope the agreed fee is a bit more watertight than the Toby deal.

To be fair, we got a CB, and if you just look at his attributes alone he does look pretty commanding. I haven't seen him play though, so I wouldn't know for sure. And whilst it's frustrating we haven't cleared those guys yet, I don't think it's been without a want of trying. The problem has been what went on before (the long contracts, stupid fee's paid), not what we failed to do this window. I think Carillo at least will go out on loan to a European club come the end of August. Possibly Hoedt as well, given we have Danso in. Forster - he's here for the rest of his contract, no club will take a game on him with the money he's being paid.

It's been difficult because we've been lumbered with a specific collection of players which is handicapping us, seemingly removing our flexibility to do anything. However, based around those quite seemingly awful restraints, we have managed to manoeuvre 2 excellent attacking signings with attributes we were missing (Pace/strength/power). And credit to the club for realising we needed a centre back and having our ducks in a line to pursue one, once one of the 'specific players' left. Never heard of Danso before tonight and haven’t seen him play, but he has arrived with similar attributes to the attackers - pace and strength. Those two words have been missing in our side for so long and we do have a really good boost of pace now throughout the side. I'd have liked to have seen a mobile/quick CM come in as well, just to complete the spine of the side...but we still do have an array of options in there, so that wasn't as massively critical. It's still a shame that we are so handicapped though and that we have an owner unwilling to bail us out, but in the circumstances and our ownership situation, the club have pulled off a decent result I think.

Well, this is a surprise...! He wasn't on my radar as someone we could sign, but he looks like the right sort. I imagine at this late stage, it's prob a loan?

Wilsons track record is pretty diabolical though. He'd have had genuine input in Carrillo, Hoedt, Lemina. Yes, so did Reed, but Wilson would have worked on the assumption that these were good deals as well. If he pulls something off now, yes, he goes up in my estimations. But based on prior history, he won't and he will continue to steal a living.

Stephens shouldn't be concidered for CB, let alone flaming DM. Liability of a player at this level. Honestly.

Well, that's positive! One of the key bits of news I wanted to see! Good stuff.

The problem I've had is his social media activity, proper baiting of fans. But never mind, we've got a fee which I didn't even imagine we'll get. I hope we're still not paying a % of his wage and this is a total clean break. That will be a little weight lifted off of us.

I do agree with that, we're in a bad place and how we've wasted the VVD fortune in particular is just beyond depressing. It doesn't help that we have an owner not willing to invest or show any interest though. It makes me sick that people like Ross Wilson are still around. He's half of the reason we are where we are with this squad, what on earth did he do to earn a promotion. You try and have more confidence in the ‘new structure’, but then realise they’re the ones who promoted Ross.

Yeah, **** off. Overpaid waste of space he is. Won't allow us to bring anyone in and he'll still be ours as I assume it's a loan, but at least his stench won't smell the place out for this season.

There you go! At least that tweet has come in early. Thread closed!

It is quite depressing when you see the level of money thrown around in the PL, by clubs who we should be aspiring to at least match competitively. The TV money is usually a huge factor in that, but there are also lots of owners with genuine ambition. I don't want to be a club who just spend, spend, spend with no real structure, don't get me wrong. But I do want to be a club who is capable and able to get key elements of its squad sorted. This is where an owner should put his hand in his own pocket and help, but that won't happen as he has zero interest in us as a footballing entity - I think that's fairly clear. If you think about it, we've spent around £45m this summer - 14m of that funded through the sale of Targett and a further 14m from the sale of Gabbi. So, we haven't spent an astronomical amount of money. I'd have hoped there was more there. What we need in the squad isn't a 'nice to have', it's an absolute necessity to have. We really can't tiptoe into a new season with the same failed CB's AGAIN, how many close shaves does the club need? Continuing lack of investment such as this will lead to us losing a great manager, which will inevitably mean we will slide down the leagues and be in an even worse financial situation. Sometimes owners need to be brave and take a brave gamble, but I honestly don't think we have owners who have the interest or ability to even do that. So, I'll go back to what I've always said, what was the point of the takeover? It's benefited us in no way whatsoever. Cheers Kat.

It certainly didn't work out for him at all after he left us. Never worked at Utd, certainly didn't work at Everton. Grass isn't always greener, but I guess the bank ballance is. $$$$

Looks like they may be losing Eriksen for £80m ish to Utd - so Coutinho will be a loan replacement, and then they have some cash to go and get a proper front man to play with Kane.

There were plenty of links and build up before that date though, most of the summer - although it ramped up the week before and it was just a matter of time. There's absolutely nothing going on right now, no links, no build up. zilch. Until we can shift, we’re tied, and this looks seemingly unlikely now. I’m fully prepared to have the same failing centre backs in this side next season, which is less than ideal, but nothing we can do about it. Just need to hope the extra goals help us overcome the inevitable leakiness and weekly errors we will witness.

A loan though, from the one player I'm sure the club believed could generate the most $$$. Absolutely no chance of fee's from any of the others then!

Probably a last min loan to a foreign club long after the English window has closed, whereby we pay a main % of the wage and get little to nothing in return. That will probably happen with most to be honest. Hope to be proven wrong!

He has a knack of coming on at the end of games and making stupid mistakes and decisions which have cost us numerous goals. Really not too sure about him.

I think any Everton interest is now done.

I honestly think that level of incoming is unsustainable. I think they are flirting with disaster here. They haven't stopped yet either. Talk of a £35m bid in for Berradi from Serie A, and another £20m bid in for an attacker from Serie A. All very excitng, but it's simply not going to work. Silly club.

Because we have an owner not willing to spend any money. We can only spend what we generate, wage wise and transfer wise. Hence why Che didn't come in until we had shifted Targett.