shurlock

The general consensus though is that it is time consuming and a distraction. There is a strong argument that some of the problems that we experienced at the start of the season stemmed from the type of targets we were chasing in the summer. Would be very surprised if Yoshida was our top target rather than a target we hurried back to at the end of the window after our other deals didn't go through. It's also pretty clear that we wanted 2 CBs but ran out of time to bring another in.

Seeing as the Damiao rumour is likely to go the way of the others, it raises the question of how ambitious we can be without getting ideas above our station. At the same time, the opposite call i.e. to be more realistic seems just as unhelpful for it usually means HCDAFUing players who add only marginal value to the squad while bogging us down in lengthy contracts. Is there a Golidlocks solution out there - who is the most realistic-ambitious player we can go for or is any player that can take us to the next level always going to fall the way of the bigger clubs? Does it mean that we are unable to sign proven, off-the-shelf players and instead forced to take risky punts -possibly Damiao is an example given he's never played in Europe.

Reckon he's overrated myself.

Always liked wolves' hi ho wolverhampton in that thick black country accent (rainman will probably pick me up on the geography). And can't beat status quo and rockin all over the world at the end of games.

Though you would look a bellend

Or the injury time pen we conceded up at Stockport - enjoyed on an open terrace along with the company of the rain

On your measure, sticking with us in the NPC in 2008/09, the proper dark days, was a bigger feat than the dewy-eyed romance of L1.

Brett, I could never tell from his ingeniously crafted alias.

True, though I think Brett had thrown the towel in after the leyton orient result.

F**k me you sound like a ghetto tourist. Surely no matter what league you're in, it's about constancy, not being fickle, not wavering. If anything for a team like us, the higher division you're in, the more you learn. We were flat track bullies in L1, able to impose our will on most teams, even if we were ultimately big fish in a tiny pond. By contrast, now we're back in the top, we're being reminded that you can't always get what you want and there's an important lesson in there somewhere.

Brett, there was this one poster -dell days was his name I think, a bit before your time- who went into meltdown after the first couple of setbacks in our L1 promotion season. He was writing us off, saying we would never go up, that we shouldn't be in this position - the presumption that were too big and good for another L1 scrap. Brett, if only you were around back that, sure you would have given the histrionic tart what for.

Could easily see a few geordie lasses in a black and white version of that.

He's a rich man's viafara.

Yep and that's probably a better analogy.

GS is full of s**t, though in other walks of life agents fees are usually around 5% of the transaction, so 500K isn't that far off if you believe the transfer fees being bandied about.

Frankly can't see Cork, Wanyama and Morgan in the same team - IMO MP wants the two CMS to be proper box-to-box types that can switch between defense and attack the way the successful German sides do. From being all the rage, the specialisation between DM and CM and AM appears to be falling out of fashion. Unsure if Cork provides enough in an attacking sense to fit this spec. A player like Wanyama also provides some power and direct running which we haven't had since Viafara's poor man's version in the NPC. Apart from Clyne and Shaw, we sorely missing that option, especially in the middle of the park where it's much more dangerous, committing opponents to create space for others on both sides. I think Corky's defensive skills are top-notch, so Wanyama will have to be something special to trump them. But if he can, it might mean that we can take a few more risks with our furthest advanced CM. Davis inclusion has been a compromise, a commitment to maintaining shape and organisation. If Wanyama and for that matter, Lovren make us stronger, perhaps we won't need as much as defensive redundancy in other areas of the pitch. Cannot see us lining up with 6/7 defensive minded players - we really did struggle for goals and find it hard to create openings at the end of the season. In terms of transfer priorities, would have started with a winger and striker before turning our attention to another CM (of course, we may have done and nothing stops us being opportunistic if a good player whatever the position comes available). Still if Wanyama can provide some burst, it will be a start in that direction...

Best highlight reel I've seen of him:

Racist - next thing you'll be saying that no player in the history of the game called jermaine has had a triffic attitude

On the plus side, the premier league has been a bit of a refuge for players like Osvaldo -think Di Canio, Cantona etc. There's something rawer, more honest and welcoming about English football culture that's always been attractive to misfits and miscreants.

He didn't die the first time What a shock - such a talented actor. Guess when you're carrying ginny-sacromoni-type bulk, you're skating on thin ice. Rip

Me too. No question.

They're not the same but sufficiently similar that its either Wanyama or Banega but not both. Surely?

Hope Wanyama isn't our top target - strong and tidy but lacks that willingness to drive forward with the ball a la Viera or Toure to make him a top CM.

A million of these things isn't going to compensate for the job we did on them in snatching Luke Shaw from right under their noses.

Sounds like an upgrade on Davis if anything.