stknowle

Hmmmmm, hope they're playing their cards close to their chests ref midfield, We're still too weak in there. Vest going and a MF that can do a decent job at CB as well if we can't afford both in that scenario.

Yeah and also whats all this nonsense about needing 4 chances for every goal scored. He didn't miss a single chance in that vid..............

Him in midfield; Phil Jones in defence. Add in Carroll to solve our striker worries and we're sorted. Can't see a downside.

Sheffield Utd had a shit end to the season before last and went down with a bullet last season after strengthening their squad. We had a shit middle and end to last season and haven't strengthened so far, in fact we are definitely much weaker without Ings. I can see a relegation season rivalling theirs IF we don't at a minimum get in a decent replacement for Ings plus 2 more, probably midfield reinforcement and sensible left back cover.

If we don't make a minimum of 3 proper first team starter level signings in the next 3 weeks I am 100% with your brother on this. All this banging on about we know we need more players blah fucking blah and I bet we start the season with a weaker squad than we finished the last one with.

Interesting debate and I'm not sure what I would want less, a striker that gets into good positions and gets loads of chances but doesn't score many because he's a shit finisher*, or a striker that doesn't get into good positions very often but scores almost all of the chances he gets on the rare occasions that he does get into a good position. Ideally neither option should have parents-in-law. *come to think of it we've sort of had that for several years now with Long!

Just a reference to the Duck's frequent lament that we have a team of son-in-laws.

We should also make sure whoever we sign ain’t married…..

Not particularly half hearted. Just telling it like it is really with no ott bullshit.

Indeed, we haven't exactly addressed the threadbare aspect of our squad yet have we? Ignoring the deadwood - Ings and Bertrand out; Perraud, Livramento, Simeu in. That ain't exactly a lot stronger is it? We need to be a nett 3 or 4 starting quality first team players up on last season to be relatively sure we won't be starting matches with benches full of rookies again. Lose Vestergaard (likely) that's 4 or 5 players we need to secure in less than a month.

I'm a pessimist and I thought nothing would happen this summer with a takeover. I will remain pessimistic.

Been quite an interesting window so far tbf.

More worried at the mention of 'Longy' as a serious option. The thought of possibly only 2 more players in is also a serious fuckin worry imho. We need minimum 3 without any others going. 4 if Vestergaard goes which he probably will.

Well, apparently Shane Long has been looking sharp in training....................

Do you think holding onto him for another season and then having to let him go for nothing is more or less stupid than what we have just done? Would selling him to someone else (Spurs?) later in the window for less money than Villa have paid us be more or less stupid than what we have just done? Seriously they are the two other realistic alternative scenarios, nobody was going to pay us more.

I hope/assume this is sarcasm and you would view getting in - say - Thomas Delaney as a sensible if not quite insane move or indeed a cunning stunt.

You didn’t see that as much when Romeu wasn’t injured tbf. We’re still too thin in there though and a Romeu injury or loss of form away from reverting to our 2nd half of last season flimsiness. We need another option and that’s assuming JWP stays.

At the risk of sounding like a judge on the Great British Sewing Bee.........Gotta say I don't think it is. The fabric's too thin. Mine's got numerous snagged threads after being in the washing machine once. Not an issue with - for example - any of the UA kits so it ain't down to the washing machine.

Ahhh the old 'gentlemen agreement'. No point having written clauses in contracts when a simple handshake and conversation will do.

Source?

Look forward to this being officially announced by the club next tuesday week.

The ridiculous and seemingly compulsory mispronunciation of the word ‘clique’ as ‘click’. Can’t recall the last time I heard someone say it correctly. Heard numerous times during the Euros that our current squad does not contain clicks or suffer from the clickiness of previous squads and that previous squads may have been more talented but were too clicky.

Look at their Instagram account

Encouraging that all our returning loanees are putting in maximum effort and looking utterly superb in training. TBH though Ralph's hardly going to say that they're all shit and he can't wait to get rid of them.