Badger

Any suggestion or song that Long has knobbed Posh Spice yet ?

Depends if we see Stephens or whoever making a step up on occasion. I suspect though the Wollscheid rumours may be recycled from last week before we bought Gardos (who is also a 6'4" CB), so our interest may have cooled. VVD, who I understand is more of a cultured ball playing CB may however still be an option as he perhaps offers something different or extra to what we already have.

I think this is probably just a rehash of a story late last week.

I think we still need another CB (Van Dyke would have been my preference but the trail has gone cold it seems). Ideally, I'd also like to see another RB (Byram if possible), and if we're going for a winger etc then the Brighton lad March appears a good prospect and option. We may also need another GK if Boluc wants to leave.

Don't worry Hypo, the Global Scouting Network continue to scrutinise the 'soccers-sphere' to bring in top quality replacements, (from as far afield as Humberside).

I think he played alongside VW for a number of games last season, as well as in place of him. From our angle, do you think VW will want to stay another season, or do you think he'll be pleading the 'project has changed' next May and looking to move? We should be doing everthing possible to retain an important and versatile, not to mention reliable member of the squad.

Ridiculous if true. Cork is one of the stable players who provides something extra in the squad, team spirit. Plan ahead, give JC a new 3 year contract and he'll stilll be an important part NEXT season and possibly the season after. No matter how good he is its doubtful Taider will be here next season, and Schneiderlin may not be here next month. I always feared we'd be a team of dago mercenaries under Poch when he came in, it didn't happen, but ' itshappeningnow#' alright.

yeh, maybe Sam Baldock is worth a punt as well...

I too have some doubts about this proposed signing at £12m but of the players you mention the only one I'd want ahead of Long is Ings.

Hardly a prolific goalscorer then. Can only hope other areas of his game, ans 'assists' make up for this. I've not seen enough of him to judge,but from the limited amount seen and read he does seem a bit in the Ormerod (for effort)/Speedie or Dickov (for niggling and aggression) mould. At £6/7m that would be fine perhaps, but £12m ?

Were either Hooiveld or Yoshida involved that day ?

Good job Les has a Global Scouting Network then.

Funny, but on reading the news on this my immediate thoughts were he's a cross between Ormerod and David Speedie. Seem ro recall he was the pr1ck who went down clutching his face to get Ramirez sent off v WBA (after tugging his shirt for the previous 20 yards) then got up without a mark on it. We could probably buy Ings for £8m and at least he brings some potential and goal threat.£12m for Long, if true, is excessive. Perhaps we've realised we can't entice the big players we wanted, so Plan B, lets act big and spend £12m on a journeyman player. Happy to be surprised and proved wrong.

Yes, think it was an Easter Monday fixture.

Yep, I'm hoping they've found one,and he develops into a player more of the Lovren standard than Liptak.

Then we have to disagree on that point then.

Agree. Yoshida seems to make some mistake every game. He is always a 'mistake away' from a balls up, which is marginally better than Jos just having an own goal just around the corner I suppose.

I'm sure he is, but more importantly is he good enough back up for Fonte or Gardos if he joins ?

There you go, presumably SSN and SS News are the same?

On another thread, someone says SSN reported that we've given up on Byram and Rojo.

Excellent, someone else who supports my version of events, and gives me hope it wasn't senility setting in. Definitely at the Archers Rd end as well where he hit the post.

Alan Ball.

Yes - last season I think.

Yes - in the 1980's.

Some supporters on that footage will be seriously embarrassed by their hairstyles and fashion of the day ! That game v Spurs was a bit of an anti-climax really, as we'd secured promotion midweek at Orient ( at the time proud to say I was there when the wall collapsed). Would have been good to go up as champions, and deprive spurs of promotion at the same time. Didn't particularly like spurs then, and nothing has changed since. I thought Funnell hit the post in the first half rather than late on.