KelvinsRightGlove

I'm crazy like that.

I still just don't get it. As I said, maybe I'm over romanticising it (I do that with things sometimes). But, I really don't get why you would rather a loved ones body parts rot/be burned than live on through someone else?

It's hard to ever know how good he really is. He's hardly done anything the last few years. If it was a case of Boruc leaving and a choice between him and Davis/Gazza I'd say VV. But I think it's so unrealistic, if we were going to talk dream scenarios, there's a few keepers I'd prefer.

I seriously wasn't being serious...

it's laughable, it's a joke. The clubs above us are bigger than us and we will never make it. Cortese bris shame on us for even wanti this. FFS.

How are we going to get lucky with kids if we don't have them around?

Valdes wants out at Barca... Maybe MP did a bit of cheeky whispering in his ear before he left Barcelona.

JWP has made a fair few appearances, in one of our stronger positions. Shaw has been highly rated by the club for some time. I don't see why it is such a surprise that he is doing well. It's not unheard of for young players to take to the league well. If you disagree, fair enough, that's your opinion. I just don't really subscribe to the idea that having a good player, putting them in the squad, and then subsequently said good player being good is lucky. Either way, it's worked out well, Shaw is going to be class. Lucky or not. So what's the problem.

The 'Homegrown' quota to the PL doesn't have age restrictions. It's 8 players of any age that spent 3 years between 18 and 21. Therefore Rickie, Kelvin, Clyne, Fox, Morgan (they can also be foreign), Cork, Chaplow, Puncheon & Lallana meant we would have met that quota without Shaw or JWP. City do that for the CL.

Where did I say we were a mess? All I have said, is that I think if we were so desperate for a LB, we would have tried harder to get one in. If it was a top priority, we could have spent more. As This Charming Man, has put in such charming terms, we don't know the exact thinking. Maybe, Fox was going to be moved on if Buttner did come in? It's a stated ambition of the club to have a pathway for youngsters to come through, after all. Maybe they knew Shaw would be ready sooner, rather than later. How do you and TCM know for sure that wasn't the case? If it is so stupid of me to think the club thought Shaw was going to be good enough to play this season, why did they promote him to the first team squad at the end of last season?

Wasn't Davis in the Championship team of the year last season?

So hang on, me saying if we were desperate for one, we would have gone for/got one is acting like I'm privy to dealings & daft. You and Sour Mash saying we were unable to isn't? Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

Buttner isn't the only left back in the world. If we were that desperate for a new one, we could have just as easily gone after another, and spent more than £3m on them. If we really wanted. We clearly didn't, so we didn't.

Yep, I don't dispute that, rightly so in my opinion. I can't imagine he'd be keen to go through another Puncheon saga in a hurry, even if it did work out alright in the eventually. What I meant was, there was clearly money there to be spent, if Buttner was deemed an unsuitable fit, character wise, then we could have paid more than £3m for a LB if it was deemed such a priority.

If we had £12m to spend on players like Gaston, we certainly could have gone above the £3m for Buttner, if it was deemed a priority. It wasn't, so we didn't.

I'd probably echo this. Personally think it's unlikely, but after the past few years, I wouldn't say it's unachievable.

So then why didn't we either pony up the extra dough, or go for someone else after the deal fell through? Maybe, the guy that was promoted to the first team at the end of last season, was deemed good enough for the first team.

It clearly wasn't seen as a top priority though. We went for someone, who tried to mess us around, so we pulled out. Clearly if it was thought Luke Shaw was no where near ready, the club would have gone for someone else. At what point is anything not luck then? Are we 'lucky' Morgan & Rickie have played well? Are Utd lucky RVP has scored lots of goals? Are Swansea lucky Michu has had a good season? Were Liverpool lucky Suarez was a good player? Is there no such thing as judgement in football? Or are all scouts and coaches, where judging players talents is a large part of their job, actually just exceptionally lucky people?

I'm not 100% what you are getting at here mate. The way I see it, IF we can keep the core of our squad (obviously offloading the deadwood) then we have a talented, group of players with a years worth of Premier League experience under their belts, including scrapping away for a while, before (hopefully) pulling away to a more comfortable finish to the season (this is, in my opinion, what will happen). The majority of this group of players are at a pretty good age too, so you would hope that year of Prem experience, and being a bit older they will be improved on where they were in August last year. I definitely agree that we should be looking to add extra quality, but personally, I would much rather we stick to what we have been doing. Which is looking to recruit young, talented players, who can improve, and push on with us. Whether or not they have played 200 games in the Prem is of less importance in my opinion. For example, I'm delighted we signed Clyne and not Bosingwa last summer.

My christ, what a load of nonsense. How is Luke Shaw luck? We have a track record of producing and bringing talented youngsters through to the first team. The people working in the academy, who have probably seen a fair few players of significant quality before, were most likely aware that Shaw clearly was near enough ready for the first team. That is judgement, not luck.

How have we been lucky? What a load of rubbish. Also, why don't you try looking at the table, we are closer in points to Swansea in 9th, than we are to Wigan in 18th. Even if they win their game in hand, against City, they will still be of an equal distance from us as we are to Swansea, with a far greater goal difference. And really, this transfer policy nonsense again? We signed Clyne, Yoshi, Davis, Gaston & Jrod last summer. All are First team regulars, if not consistent first Xi'ers and all have improved the squad significantly.

I think that's mostly fair. However, similar was said last season, with clubs spending more than us etc. etc, and look how that ended up. I don't see us pushing for top 4 next season personally (probably not any time soon if I am totally honest). I've lost sight of what my point was really, I guess, let's just not rule anything out, and enjoy the ride!

I like these stories. They make a pleasant change from the usual pretty negative stories you hear coming out of football. Certainly made me smile on the train this morning: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2307500/Jose-Mourinho-gives-Mexican-fan-Abel-Rodriguez-job-Real-Madrid-backroom-staff-finding-sitting-snow-outside-training-ground.html

I cannot understand a religion or person that would not want to help someone after they have died. I 100% think it should be opt out. What the f!!k are you going to do with your organs when you are dead? Maybe I am being simplistic/romantic/idealistic, but I cannot for the life of me think of a better thing to do, or a better legacy to leave than potentially help give someone a new lease of, or at least an improved quality of life in your death. I think it makes peoples lives, and I guess their death too, that much more valuable.