Lighthouse

In a Utopian world we'd have all our business done a month before the season started but transfers aren't like that. Never have, never will be. I'd compare it to the housing market if anything, you can't just buy a house and move in tomorrow, there's a chain of other deals which will likely have to be agreed before a sale can go through. Other clubs will be holding out on other bidders, we might be holding out until later because we know a club wants to sell and we want to drive the price down. I'm sure it has occurred to Les and others that VVD would have been useful in that 2-2 draw at Newcastle or the 3-0 defeat at home to Everton. However, it is better to wait for the right player at the end of the window, rather than the wrong player earlier on. Boufal is evidence of nothing other than a player struggling to adapt to the English game. People said the same about Gaston, he missed pre-season etc. We've now been waiting 5 years and counting for him to perform.

He was responding to a post about bring in players early and used Boufal as an example. His lack of impact has stemmed largely from his injury and attitude. If we'd signed him on 1st July, he'd have been no more effective last year. Obviously we'd want all our signings done before the first game but that's not always practical. It also doesn't make late signings any less effective. Didn't Lambert come in after the season had started and score twice on his debut?

Agree 100%. No more sh*tty, desperate, deadline day signings, like Mané, Alderweireld and Van Dijk.

We're stronger than we were at the beginning of last season. In MG and CA we have two very capable goalscorers and in Gallagher a promising young player. If we're playing 1 up front, that's enough; if anything I believe we have a surplus in Shane Long. If you're expecting us to have 5 strikers on the books come the end of August, you are likely to be highly disappointed. Creating decent chances, that's a different matter.

In the sense that he has never done anything like it before or since and that if he tried again 100 times it wouldn't go in. Great goal but hardly his trademark.

Only because Pied had a long term injury. He is very much Koeman's Paul Telfer.

That's how I remember him. I think that goal gave him confidence in the second half of that season but he is not a Premier League level player.

Easy - Long, Gardos, Clasie, Targett.

We didn't sign Austin and Gabbi for fun. Both were obviously signed with a view to someone else leaving at some point. With Austin it was Pelle and Gabbi it was JRod. We clearly have enough strikers, whether they are good enough is another question but we wont be getting another without somebody leaving.

Gabbiadini is the replacement for Jay Rod.

I wouldn't be devastated but I'd still like to see 3 out 3 in personally. Clasie to be replaced by a more physical, mobile midfielder Long to be replaced by an attacking midfielder. Someone with pace but more talent. Gardos out, another CB in. I'm not happy that Bednarek seems to have replaced Fonte

Not sure why so many are picking Boufal. He's done bugger all to warrant a place in the team so far and his attitude stinks at times. FF Cedric - VVD - Yoshi - Bertrand Romeu - Hojbjerg JWP - Tadic - Redmond Barry Obviously Hoj hasn't done much to warrant a place either but the two main differences are his attitude and that right now we don't really have a better option.

Brilliant!

So you're saying we shouldn't have loaned Toby in?

Don't forget Pompey, we're miles behind them.

Zoltan Liptak. On the rare occasions when he made it onto the pitch, you just knew it was going to be utterly hilarious.

Isn't Long the Irish Marian Pahars?

I think that's one of those 'pirates cure cancer' stats.

They've also won 6 tournament knockout games in the last 50 years. 3 were either pen or AET, the others were against Denmark, Ecuador and Paraquay.

TBF they're by far the most active in the market right now.

Here's a stat for you; League goals last seasons Lukaku - 25 The rest of the remaining Man Utd squad combined - 32

He'll be about 33 by then, can't say I'd be wetting my knickers over that. We didn't exactly miss him when he left. Can perfectly understand Rooney's decisions although I'm not entirely sure how popular he will be with fans. Whilst buggering off to play for Man Utd would seem an obvious career move to him, I doubt the Scousers were all that enamoured with the situation.

Agree with this. It's tragic but I hate how it's become almost a soap opera in the media. The number of people on social media talking about how devastated they are and in tears all night, over a boy they've never met, is getting a bit silly.

I don't know enough about RLC to compare styles but if it was the option of selling Clasie and bringing him in I'd be happy enough with that. There's nothing to say we can't buy him at a later date, like we did with Bertrand.