david in sweden

How much will we spend .....as much as it takes..I hope

not really ! How do we know who we need to .....DAJFU until well after Sept.1st. We will sign .. who we sign by tomorrow, and the rest will come out in the wash. (HCDAJFU will probably re-emerge around Oct / Nov.time...when we know who's not doing their job). Meanwhile the new " Deadline" thread is highly appropriate IMHO.

.....and you'd be right, (I'm sure that q. came up when we brought Jos in...last season)

...and a prime candidate for one of the " drop-spots ".

Certainly NOT Green, but with " Gazza" as the only other option, I 'd like an experienced keeper on the books as back-up...at least until we see Gazza getting 3 or 4 clean sheets in the U21's

maybe it is Curtis Davies then ...?

not " a " CB ....but at least TWO .....and PDQ . I'm holding my breath on this one. The idea of getting another left back is history now, but the first rule of team-building has always been " build from the back", so I'm really surprised that former keeper NA... hasn't come up with another experienced keeper to cover / challenge... KD .....especially when you consider quite a few Prem. sides have at least TWO international keepers.....

well see... I bet he'll get top money at Fulham and be a star....for him that's better than being an "also-ran " at MU.

As I recall...some people said similar things about James Beattie after we signed him....He wasn't first choice from Day One and managed only 5 goals in his first season. and none from his 8 starts (year 2).. but by the time he got some form, he scored 11, then 12... but a whopping 23 goals.in 2002/3...when he had better support from Ormerod, Marsden and Anders S.. around him. Like the legendary Ron Davies getting his fantastic wing service in the 1960's.. Lambert did well for 3 seasons - because we learned how to serve him... Now..with new players coming in, we need to find the best possible Plan B. It will undoubtedly take a few games..perhaps longer, but hopefully NA will work it out.

.reading the last para. of this article, it seems that he had a spell at Burnley.....and we have one or two players with a similar background . Q. ......when you were at ******, who was the best player? ...(apart from you - that is ) (may sound daft but I might ask that if I were a manager...)

yes of course, but that was a couple of seasons ago - wasn't it ? .and he was a bit on an unknown quantity in UK at that time.

no problems ..sounds just like most of the other keepers we've signed over the years......

......if you don't mind his disciplinary record...and seen him play, he seems to have inherited the old Leeds axiom from the 1970's ..."if you can't get the ball ..get the man who's got it! " Er- no thanks.

I don't think it's obvious at all. NA has said we have a number of alternative formations now, and yes... Jay Rod looks a bit out of place sometimes, but he's a professional footballer for **** sake. He's paid enough surely he can learn to adapt ! Whilst I don't expect RL to go to Villa (with this latest rumour ) but sooner or later ...and he's not really (what I would call )..a CF ?...and if he doesn't carry on with his goal scoring. feats.. .they'll be other candidates (like Jay Rod..just itching to get the spot. As for Guly...I'm a Guly fan and rate him a bit more than some of this site, BUT after his recent drinking spree... I don't expect him to be playing anywhere in the near future, especially as JP has found a bit of form. It seems clear than the club will fine him for his law-breaking .and he's likely to get a club suspension for a couple of weeks ... Now with Lee back in the reckoning..and Mayuka on the books.....I think everyone must learn to tow the line and play where they're told.

I go with that, too Colin on another recent thread discussing the Academy /Rupert Lowe... etc ( article in Telegraph ?.)......RL stated that he originated the idea of an Academy, (but probably not much was done at the time because DJ was desperately trying to keep us in the Prem. and there was (presumably) a big chance that we might get relegated having commited SFC to the expense, (my opinion) ... but the Centre of Excellence was opened at Bath. during this time). We had a strong youth team in this period... included goalies Bevan and Blayney, Chris Baird, Sam Basham, Aaron Davies, Simon Gillett, Matt Mills, Gary Monk, Andrew Surman..and of course Wayne Bridge. Yes - you can look at a calendar and say they weren't " proper Academy ", (as it exists today) because the concept was just being created ...BUT there was a strong YOUTH SCHEME in operation all the time - even if it didn't have a " fancy name and fancy premises".

......sssh !....we have a Swiss bank account ....sorry, bank manager ...

Hi Ian ....I think ....he's a Davies ...(I know it's difficult -isn't it )

(that) .was partially due to the fact that we sold our other "star players " like Jeff Kenna and Tim Flowers at about the same time. It's no wonder Blackburn won the title.

How much is he worth.(to someone else?) Someone (Dalglish) thought Carroll was worth ....£35 million (at the time) ...but on performances since it has been a lot nearer £5 million. Everyone knows that just being a club in The Prem. is worth the money. Clubs desperate to stay in will invest huge amounts -just to stay up. Based on prev. seasons performances even in L1 Ricky is a winner, but nothing is forever...and despite scoring that great goal at Etihad....who amongst us can guarantee he'll pop up with goals like that regularly?. Yes if he moves for Villa ....there is a chance he may score goals to keep them up ....might even score against us, but so too might Surman ..and Dyer when we play those clubs. As of tomorrow (last day ) Ricky will IMO never be worth more than he is today (in money terms). Will he score goals YES...but nowhere near the number he had done in the last 3 seasons. would I like them to be with us (of course). But how long must Rodrigues and Billy Sharp....and even Lee and now Mayuka wait..in order to get established before RL takes a " back seat?" If SFC thunk RL is worth keeping for the remainder of his 3 year contract?..then we'll keep him, play him less and less ...whilst we try to get the new guys "on -line"....and avoid relegation at the first hurdle. No -one has doubted RL's ability to score goals, but continuing to play the same formation ..in the hope that he will continue to score goals..is a dangerous, given the known shortcomings in his own game. I'd hate to see him go , but there is no better time to sell.. otherwise he will ..in a season or two ...become the butt of the fans anger, when he eventually fails to score regularly. In over 40 years, I've seen the great stars fall before.. .and it only makes for a bad memory.

As a good fan, your text sounds all right to most ears,(even mine)... but even without the benefit of a crystal ball, you might re-write it and substitute seasons .....with months.

This type of top level move does happen ..occasionally. One Prem. club selling a good player to another. Rickie won't want to go to Blackburn .(now he's got to the Prem. and especially after their Cup performance, but VILLA is another thing... NA has made it plain that no-one has a guaranteed place in the start line-up, and one day RL will have " peaked " in his career. At 30 he knows his shelf life is very short compared to the 20-plusers we are signing now. ..but ASTON VILLA ...there is another proposition....still Prem. and willing to lay out £4 million - did I read? I don't expect NA to stand around waiting for RL to lose this permanent place which he might well be able to command at Villa Park. As an oldie myself, I can recall the fan-uproar when Lawrie McMenemy let Terry Paine go ............and years later Mick Channon the two biggest names in the clubs history at that time ...(it didn't make him more popular at the time,) but the timing was right. We've got new talent on the way. They may take time to settle, but the majority of people I read on this site throw doubts on the suitability of most of out Championship sides ability to make it in the Prem.... ...and the closer you look ..the more truth there is to that. We are planning long term (acc.to NA /NC) so the likes of KD and RL won't be around in 2-3 years time...most people are already to admit the future of Jos and Fonte is in doubt, so this is the "Generation Game " in reality. I don't expect everyone to exit in one go, but I seriously doubt if we will have 4, maybe 5 of the current start side stillas first choicers ..come May, and Rickie may well be the first to depart. I didn't say I liked the idea.. btw....but decades of following football has taught me that ...nothing is ever a surprise....

errr...maybe not, eh?

I think you've answered your own question here.

maybe Ladbrokes will take odds and this thread making it to 6000 ..before he puts pen to paper...?

First I read you , then Aussie Dog (further down the thread) and we all seem to think alike. How come we are all so far from the action.... yet share the same view ?