Baird of the land

Yeah we should be getting Long out on loan & giving Gallagher opportunities.

Why would we commit to paying a huge fee regardless of whether he plays garbage or well. Truly bizarre. He was certainly a good player before the injuries so he may end up being again but seems a massive gamble. Not particularly impressed that it likely means less chance for gallagher once again.

Can’t see that signing working out very well. Also What do they mean by fringe? Does that mean getting rid of likes of long/Davis or flogging young academy players.

--------------------Mccarthy-------------------- Cedric----Vestergaard----Yoshida----Bertrand --------------Romeu----Hojberg---------------- ----Redmond----Armstrong---Elyounoussi---- ------------------Gallagher---------------------

Yes Leicester made a couple of dodgy signings after they made millions by winning the league & playing champions league. Musa that big bucks signing they managed to sell for 16.5m after he had a good world cup. Leicester have also sold 83m worth of players and spent 79m so not exactly spending multi millions more than recouped. We may not be the only club to have bought a dud but the volume we have is higher.

How many other clubs our size in the prem have the levels of big money signings(boufal, Clasie, Carrillo) now on loan elsewhere but essentially for the most part still stinking up their wage bill. Our 3rd choice keeper is more highly paid than most team's first choice too. Man City may be able to get away with that but a club saints size that's gotta pinch. Didn't we have about the 7th highest wage bill even before this window when we've added 5 & maybe shed 3 senior players.

Players the black box identify cost money and not just in the transfer fee but in the huge wages. Last season we panic bought Carillo & we are still paying both for the huge cut of the van dijk fee we flushed down the toilet as well as the large percentage of his wages we are no doubt paying even while he's on loan. Then there's gallagher who shouldn't have been loaned last season(especially without a release clause). Personally i'd prefer to see him given an opportunity this season than another carillo like punt. Then there's the fact including gallagher & the new winger/striker elyounessi that we have 5 strikers in a team where we will start at most 2 of them. If we had managed to sell a senior player on big money like long, i'd be supportive of re-investing those wages/fee elsewhere.

Can't describe it as a poor window. They've done their business early which is good. Far too early to judge whether the signings themselves were right. The club unfortunately are having to deal with past misjudgments(forster,boufal,clasie,carillo)

I'd prefer us to revert to a 4 but given we've prepared playing 5 we should probably start it. I'd prefer at least one of Stephens/Yoshida in the 3. Given we're playing burnley bednarek's aerial ability just swings it for the remaining slot. Centre mid picks itself as Lemina seems missing. Up front i'd love to see us going with gallagher from the start, though just as long as he's on the bench above long. Mccarthy Targett Stephens Vestergaard Bednarek Bertrand Hojberg Romeu Amstrong Gallagher Austin

I lie the fact some of the youngsters are being kept around. Now hoping they get actual minutes on the pitch. Rather relieved we aren't panic buying at the end of the window to be honest.

As things stand the defence worries me more, less from a view that i think they are all bad players but more from a it seems like we are badly in need of getting to a settled set of starting centre backs who are in tune with eachother. That coupled with rumours of Targett leaving, meaning left back cover would be weaker & he's the one player to look ok at cover right back too. Striking, Austin looks our settled first choice. Good to see Gabbi back & more involved. Also think Gallagher has tonnes of potential if we actually have the bravery to give him opportunities. My one qualm is the rumours surrounding us selling him when it seems obvious to me that if we want to lose an attacker it plainly should be long. Can't Elyounessi play up there too?

Don't think it should be complete expected starting xi. Hoping we give the likes of sims/Gallagher starts in this one to see if they can make a case for a more prominent role.

Still keeping my fingers crossed rumours of us shipping Gallagher are false & he;ll actually be given an opportunity by us this season.

Disappointed Hughes doesn't seem to rate Hesketh. Hope he can get a move somewhere where he will be given an opportunity rather than waste the year making up numbers for the u23's.

Is hesketh injured again or just on his way out? Our lineup looked a mess generally. I’ll judge team on later friendlies.

Frustrating player. There were a couple of moments of absurd skill but just didn't work out. Hopefully he does well there and we actually end up getting some kind of fee for him.

If we aren't willing to give Gallagher a game then we should sell him.

Bertrand has had the same level of cover since he’s been here, when he developed into an England international. If we believe he is complacent sell him(i don’t Believe he is) and buy a new first choice one. If they are under threat it’s likely we’ll have a hole elsewhere in the squad.

He may not be perfect but he’s a good highly paid international first choice right back. We’ve enough unhappy players we need to loan out without creating another one because there isn’t a chance in a million of Cedric accepting being our reserve right back. If we sell him try and buy a better replacement sure but can’t see how a club our size can or should maintain a bloated squad of players, let alone the potential detrimental effect on the quality of first team signings from having to maintain such a squad.

We didn’t sign Cedric as backup to clyne but as his replacement. We aren’t going to sign a better right back and have the first choice Portugal right back as an unhappy reserve.

Prefer to have Stephens/Valery as backup rather than sign another journeyman to bloat the squad.

Thought first half was pretty dire by both sides. England had 2 shots on target all game & one of those was a penalty.

Bizarre game. Colombia not bothering to do anything but be filthy for 70 odd minutes. When they did bother to have a go they caused England all sorts of problems. Glad England got through but they played extremely poorly, with exception of period during 2nd period of extra time Have to play a million times better to beat a good Sweden side. You’d think they wouldn’t be as stupid as Colombia.

They were never going to score from lumping it in the box from a corner, given the nature of the 2 teams.

Utter stupidity from Japan. Why are they even trying to swing a high ball into the box from a corner, let alone in the last minute of injury time. Play it short! Shame I was looking forward to extra time.