Lighthouse

A 5 month contract at £850k works out as less than £50kpw. Either article could indeed be BS.

Incredible. Not one of those facts is correct.

Yes. Why he thought I'd want to see pictures of him doing THAT with a butternut squash, I've no idea.

He is a highly rated English player and as such won't be coming here. More likely someone like Spurs or Liverpool for a massively inflated price.

Again, all assumptions based on nothing. We aren't reluctant to spend money. Forster, Virgil, Hojbjerg, Bertrand, Tadic, Long and Redmond were all in £10m territory. Gabbi and Boufal around £15m. We could easily put out a team worth over £100m. There is nothing to suggest Les can't complete a deal. In summer we filled all the positions which needed filling; 5 player in total. The board quite clearly do see the need to sign another defender as we obviously tried in January, then brought in MC as an emergency top gap.

Not this again. Just because Hojbjerg is white, doesn't mean he can't be Vic replacement. No he's not as physical but he did have other attributes. Yep. We had Austin, J Rod, Long, Tadic, Redmond, Boufal. Six players for three forward positions, with promising youngsters like Sims and Hesketh. The fact that Long, J Rod and Boufal have all massively failed to deliver and Austin has had a long term injury is neither Reed nor Puel's fault. J Rod we all had doubts over but as a squad we should have had enough.

Because Yoshida and JS are the best centre halves we have available and are likely to be the ones called upon next season, in the event of an injury. I wouldn't be advocating playing JS if we had 2 fit Virgils but when it's a choice between him and Caceres, who hasn't played for a year, is primarily a RB and wont be here next season, I'm saying play Jack.

This really isn't complicated. Fonte (and if necessary Virgil) will need replacing in the summer. We will need two competent players as back up. Yoshida is a competent player Stevens NOW has proven to be a competent player. Had he not made a single Prem start, he would not have been proven as a competent player. Caceres will not be here come what May, in the most literal translation of the term.

Obviously he would rather be first choice playing every game but so does everyone. That being the case, our squad would just be 11 players. He will be 4th choice next year but he will be a better player for having half a season under his belt. No, he wont be as good as he could be playing every game but it's a balancing act he will just have to accept. Let me put it this way, if he was our 4th CB next season and had never started a Prem game, everyone would be furious that we hadn't adequately replaced Gardos. As it is, Jack is capable of doing that job. That's what we're getting out of this. A competent 4th choice next season, rather than a complete novice. He will get his moments when injuries and cup games crop up.

It's obvious we tried to, the deal didn't come off and we ended up signing MC in desperation, as cover. A month from now, Martin will be gone and this summer we will find a proper replacement. If VvD leaves, then likewise. I'm really not sure what you are referring to from last summer. As far as I can see, we achieved all of our transfer targets and replaced the players who left with what looked like good buys.

I wouldn't have blamed the rest of the league for wanting rid of us.

What if he was injured too? You're completely missing the point, first team experience will benefit any player. Just look at how Calumn Chambers has vanished into obscurity since becoming an Arsenal reserve - on the verge of being relegated.

Suppose Virgil and Mystery Mush are our first choice CBS next season and one of them gets injured in training the week before we go to OT or The Emirates. Would you want JS to be making basically his league debut in a game like that? With half a season of first team football, he will be far better prepared mentally should such a scenario arise.

Why do people say daft stuff like this. If those two start the first game of next season (aside from concurrent injuries to 2 better CBs) I will stick my kn*b and b*llocks in a George Foreman Multi Grill.

People still watch Soccer AM?

Why Caceres? He won't be here in a month and I can't believe he will be any better than JS anyway, given he hasn't played competitively in a year. Likewise Hassen. Forster isn't going to improve sitting on the bench.

You're basing that on a wild assumption.

Was only signed as emergency cover, I'd have thought that was obvious.

Paying the price for selling Fonte, without having a decent replacement already signed. Having said that, what's done is done, no point crying about it now. I've got no problem with JS playing ahead of MC as the latter is only a temporary fix and this kind of thing is invaluable experience for one of our young players. However, that was Costa and Hazard, bang in form, up against our 3rd and 5th choice centre halves (at the start of the season). It was only really going to go one way. For all those complaining about Puel, I seem to remember Poch didn't get a win against a top side either. We won at Anfield when Liverpool were in poor form, much like us in the cup. That's about it.

Why? He's been excellent this year and not at fault for either goal tonight. Just needs a decent partner.

So anyway...

Hazard on 5 mins. Sounds a bit familiar.

Sounds like something Utd and Chelsea fans might say TBH. I'd rather be rid of the likes of Sunderland, continuously floundering in the bottom third of the table, than smaller clubs making a decent fist of it, like Watford and Bournemouth.

Wonder which one of Tadic or Boufal will get hauled off at HT.

With Newcastle's promotion it's one from Reading, Wednesday, Udders, Fulham or Leeds. Who do you want? I'd like to see Leeds because it's a decent away day, they always bring a few here and Monk/Beatts. Failing that Huddersfield just because of that Titanic bottle for promotion in League 1. Reading and Fulham, whilst both local, are a bit 'same old'.