Badger

Was there not an article/rumour that they'd had a falling out ?

For all this talk of a change in tactics and Benitez masterstroke the fact is we brought about our own downfall (AGAIN) by feeble and poor defending, Stephens slicing a clearance out for a corner, Salisu going to sleep combined with McCarthy not calling/organising his defence to clear. Conceding so early in the game handed them the initiative, keeping it at 0-1 for another 10/15 minutes might have frustrated them.

The figure mostly bandied about including the article SuperSaint posted is around £17m. How that is constructed though is unknown as the press and clubs only report the headline figure. Imagine Bologna will want the bulk up front, whereas we would prefer it structured like an old fashioned catalogue book purchase (for those old enough to remember their mum's having one) of minimum up front and the rest over 38 instalments.

Would it be right for us though ? He wasn't interested when we made an approach in January/February wanting to see if bigger things were available, and probably they will be. But if he was available to us are we looking for good signing with potential, or someone to fill the void and do the job now ?

Really ??? Don't recall that

Yes, ridiculous, what purpose does it serve ? Can't imagine how they dress at home !

Didn't it seem Armstrong was 'only one option' or had fallen down the pecking order at one point ? I'm not so against the idea of Phillips as we have often been calling out for the 'no nonsense' type of CB in the past and don't think he's as bad as many claim him to be, difficult though if only judging him on the VVD scale obviously and pace would be preferable but won't get everything for £15-17m. If we went for Phillips though would prefer a loan with an option to buy, leaving some funds for elsewhere (?) Think Phillips may have been a smokescreen, wouldn't surprise me if we brought someone else in from abroad that had previously been discounted. Wonder if we're still sniffing around Tomiyasu , although all reports still link him with spurs.

And the long term injury/potential treatment table box ...

Leicester have done very well at identifying targets but also reinvesting wisely on selling. We've just frittered it after the sale of VVD especially, and made a series of poor managerial choices after Koeman left. Until Ralph. Main difference betwenn Saints and LCFC for me has been the ownership, yours stable and ambitious, ours ... well, less said the better, wants to sell and can't. Agree about the need for experience around young players, something Lawrie used to do well years ago. As for the bit in bold, that's been our way for a few seasons now. Hoping Ralph can keep us going until we throw off some financial shackles of ridiculous wages, or new owners come in.

Do you see them as 'leaders' on the pitch ? Walcott and JWP tend to disappear at times you seldom saw that happen to Ball or Case. Romeu to some extent perhaps.

Delaney for me too, and I don't think the signing of his experience necessarily compromises the clubs policy of nurturing talent to sell. The three or four younger players will in my view develop better with an old head guiding them. Steve Williams acknowledged he wouldn't have developed so well without Alan Ball's influence on the pitch and in training, and if you go back to our exciting young team under Chris Nicholl involving the Wallaces, MLT, Dodd, and Shearer they had Jimmy Case pulling the strings. The alternative is to throw the youngsters in, and watch them wilt due to panic and self-doubt. False economy not to see the advantage of a couple of players who will develop those around them to fulfill their potential.

What happens if he does his knee, ACL, or whatever in training today before the medical ? Or Vardy crocks him in training. Not the first time he's buggered a CB of ours at cost to the club.

Of what is left I would have liked Delaney, and a CB (if reluctantly accepting a GK won't happen this window). Suspect this might also be a loan, reading that Liverpool might allow Phillips to go as a 'pay later' type of deal (as was Ings of course).

I don't think it was the means of communication in a local paper that was the issue though, more the insincere content and manner of leaving which he tried to conceal by his lavish 'media splash'. That piece by AA does come across well, as do most of the genuinely felt replies from Blackburn fans.

Worries me that the focus is on these two who may or may not be up to it. Diallo was considered Kante reborn after a few cameo appearances as sub, yet considered woefully out of his depth when starting. This has been forgotten amidst an improvement in pre-season friendlies. Salisu ... looks "a beast" according to some after a couple of friendlies but we've no idea how he'll react in the glare of the EPL for real. For every sublime crossfield diagonal ball from Vestergaard (and I think we only discovered those during his purple patch last season) there was a memorable on field fuck up, but we're conveniently overlooking the fact he was an experienced and more than competent member of a good Denmark team keeping the talked about Andersen on the bench. Diallo and Salisu may come good but they need some experience around them to help them develop as with Lawrie's day of mixing old heads and younger legs.

Depends who we bring in to replace him.

Would like to think we've negotiated that off in order for them to accomplish a 'quick' and convenient move.

Impressive. Hasdn't seen any of his goals from Barnsley or Bolton before only from Blackburn on youtube. From that compilation you feel he should be wearing the 7 shirt for us after MLT and RL.

All about opinions but I think its the other way round. Under the Hughes period I can recall a few important saves by AM , Bournemouth (home), Everton (away - although that was undone eventually by a Bertrand wayward clearance in injury time), and Swansea in the critical game at their place. FF has a better penalty record admittedly, but I struggle to recall a 'save' that you come away from the ground talking about by FF in his time with us (other than when the ball has hit him in the face, chest, shoulder, or he's cleared it with an ankle and it hasn't rolled back to an oncoming forward). One exception was the Sf at Anfield where he twisted himself to get the ball off the line, though it was after one of his own fuck ups. Accept that the AM saves are a couple of seasons ago, and that he can be a calamity with the ball at his feet, but FF always gives the impression he's playing in wellington boots so scares me shitless with the ball at his feet also (remember Palace away a couple of year ago?). In truth my answer given the option would be a resounding "neither".

Still an ideal candidate for us. Didn't realise the previous comment was specifcally about CB's in which case I hang my head in shame having only skim read the previous post or so.

Agree, especially as rumoured at €9m

And news of another former manager, WGS https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58165761

Strange ... when I looked they were all in Gloucester

Don't think Nat Phiilips is known for pace thought, rather like Vestergaard is a bit slow out of the blocks.

... to the Benny Hill theme over the stadium speakers...