Lighthouse

We've also got Palace and Brighton in the same League, not to mention the South Wales Derby again, possibly. There is also the Steel City derby in League 1. We could also have Leeds vs Udders. Fun times ahead for the men in Blue.

Quinn at Sunderland in 05?

Anyone who thinks we're going to be stealing players off the Championships top teams is probably going to be disappointed. The likes of Long, Graham etc are likely to come with a £3m price tag and a hefty wage packet even if they did want to come here. Premier league rejects even more so. There may be a couple, but I'd have thought a few of the brighter prospects from the lower leagues would be more our target.

I don't think any of West Ham's better players will stay around for NpC football. Green, Parker, Hitz, Ba and Upton will all get offers from Prem clubs which West Ham just cannot afford to refuse. The next Pompey IMO. Would love it if Poyet went there. Would f##k things up for both clubs.

Well, I believe Arsenal have been looking at a certain League 1 winger for the last few months. PNE signed Nugent from none-League Bury and he ended up in the England team. Sure there are dozens of other examples. Being good in League 2 doesn't necessarily mean you can't cut it at a higher level.

Genuine answer, no idea. Been doing it at a lower level for a few seasons, so could be another Lambert or another Ormerod. Young enough, eager to prove, should fit sensibly enough into the wage bill, doesn't come with a history of injuries. If it all goes tits up, he should still have a reasonable sell on price.

Without checking back through this thread, I see Adam Le Fondre wants out of Rotherham after they missed out on promotion from league 2. Seems to know where the net is and is only 24. Could be a decent replacement for Connolly.

Hello indeed Bratislava.

A quick look at wiki and it seems Nugent and Shifty are still on the books. Odd as I thought both were out of contract and had said they weren't going to re-sign.

We've been awarded a £136m contract to build an oil rig in the South China Sea apparently.

Chamberlain is in for a very boring trip.

Never seen that personally, but it's not th point I'm trying to make anyway. I'm saying we just need one more quality striker with or without Connolly. Having Connolly will just add another chunk to the wage bill, without really making a difference on the pitch. Barnard has been one of our best players this season. His work rate wont go amiss in the Championship and he is a pretty good finisher too. We've only lost 2 games he has started under Adkins, tough midweek trips up North to Walsall and Rochdale.

The solution will undoubtedly be a blend of sensible signings and giving youngsters a chance when they're ready. I don't think we will see anyone starting the first game of next season who hasn't already been a first team regular (or signed in summer). Have a feeling we might see a couple, maybe JWP, Doble or Shaw in the League cup and possibly come January in the FA Cup. Think we're more likely to see younger players loaned out if anything.

Never saw him play for Stockport, but I really can't see us using him in midfield any time soon. He's played 24 games in 3 years here. What makes you think that's going to change any time soon?

Guly yes, he can play accross the front 6 if needed. Lambert, not sure what you're refering too, I've only ever seen him play up front. Yes he can drop deep and drift out wide, but he is a striker. Forte I'd consider a more likely prospect on the wing, but yes he is another striking option. CMS other otherwise is likely to involve a considerable transfer and wage packet. Another reason we can't have any extravagances with the squad.

Bellamy has gone from Newcastle to Blackburn, to Liverpool, to West Ham, before signing for Mega Bucks City. I doubt he's taken a pay cut anywhere along the way and I'd say he was on nearer £100k than £40k. No idea how that breaks down with Cardiff as a percentage. I'd guess at 80/20 with Citeh still paying the lions share.

I've often wondered that too. Experienced players aren't going to take home peanuts, regardless of how much or little they play. I can't see too many players signing a contract which might pay them sod all for 3 months if they're injured or not picked. They would probably still want a basic wage of some description and a substantial appearance bonus.

I think the loss we made last season, despite 2 very lucrative cup runs, shows we need to keep the wage bill down. It's one reason I don't think we can really afford "fringe" players on the squad who can only do maybe 10-20 games a season. People are saying we should keep Jaidi AND bring in someone to replace him. Same with Connolly. Financially I don't think it's viable. Why have 4 high earners on the books, when we could just have two very good players on much less total money? Guly, Lambert, Barnard, CMS (hypothetically) - 4 decent strikers with varying atributes. Sorted Guly, Lambert, Barnard, CMS, Connolly - An unnescessary extravagance.

Matey taking the kick just passed the ball very gently to one of the Saints players in the wall. Can't for the life of me figure out what was going through his head. My favourite song was "You're our second favourite team" aimed at Bompey. Also quite liked singing "Rochdale's (and other places) a sh*t hole I want to go home" Sh*ttest song is pretty much everything aimed at Pompey.

We won't get another Puncheon, Forecast or Pulis though. Puncheon was signed by Pardew and clearly never looked happy once he'd left. Forecast and Pulis were two completely retarded transfers and God only know's what Rupert was thinking when he bought them. Quite how a sh*te goalkeeper is better than a sell on clause for Gareth Bale I have no idea. Anyway, I digress; Cortese and Adkins are in charge and have been fairly sensible in the transfer market. You will always get the occasional transfer which doesnt work out, it happens. I wouldn't get quite so excited about Forte and Connolly's contribution either. Other than those 2 minutes against the Dons, Forte has done bugger all else of note. Connolly has come riding in on a white horse at the end of the battle, but the rest of his season has been a nightmare. I'd much rather have someone like Nugent, CMS etc. than both of those players. We need reliable players. DC isn't and neither is Forte, although I would give the latter a second chance. Your statement about the midfield just illustrates exactly why we need someone fitter than DC in the squad. What if Lambert and Barnard both got injured? Connolly would most likely be injured too, leaving us with Guly as the only striker left. That would kill our promotion chances stone dead.

If we are serious about promotion to the Premier League, then we're going to have to put sentiments aside and be ruthless. There are certain players who did an decent job this season, but can't take us any further. Connolly - No There really isn't much point in 'PAYP' contracts. It's not like you can chose the games he will be fit. If Barnard breaks his leg, you can't just flick a switch and make Connolly fit for 2 months. Having Connolly is like having the worlds greatest health service, but the hospitals are only open on Tuesdays. Brilliant, unless you have an accident on 6 days out of the week. Jaidi - No Doing a great job last year in League 1 isn't the same as doing a great job in NpC. Let him go, get someone the same 10 years younger. Martin - Yes One for the future definitely. Harding - Yes Absolutely! Butters - Yes Has invaluable NpC experience. Gobern - No Never really troubled the first team in League 1. To go up we will need players who CDAJ in the bottom half of the Prem. OG is a long way short of that. I'd also get rid of Holmes, Forecast and Seaborne. I thought the former was out of contract anyway.

Eurovision is always good for seeing some East European totty get their 15 minutes of fame.

Will be about 7th or 8th when you add the other 6 teams in. Interesting to see the Skates are as high as joint 4th from bottom. They've got no players left and no money to buy any. I'd have put them down there with Barnsley and Donny myself.

Morgan is just back from a fairly long injury, so playing 2 games in 2 days would just be silly. Connolly is getting on a bit and is very injury prone. Butters didn't feature Saturday either so who knows, maybe he is carrying a small knock.

I hear he is also a massive fan of regular Premier League football and £80,000 per week wages packets. It's possible this might put another dent in our bid to sign him.