sadoldgit

It is still August. We have a squad decimated by injuries and sickness and short of one CH. It is a bit premature for an autopsy.

David Armstrong. Nick Holmes. Alan Ball.

Because life was so much better in Division 1. We still have two cups to play for and we are still in the Premiership. Man up. There is a long season ahead.

I think we need to grow a pair. Last season we exceeded expectations big time. This season so far we have been poor. Nobody died.

He has had an operation. Perhaps that has put a bit of a crimp in his day?

The principle is the same though. They haven't kept hold of their best players.

If it is going to happen either tomorrow or the weekend would be good. If we win tonight it will add to the feel good factor. If we go out it will help deflect some of the disappointment. Also a speedy exit after Celtic's loss would be another kick in the teeth for them so a few days grace would probably be in order.

So having just said that you don't know Vics state of mind, here you say he clearly isn't happy???

They may not have used the word happy but that doesn't mean that he is suicidal and gagging to leave does it?

There have been various snippets from ITKs but lets try this another way. The release that he was unhappy came from Spuds. How do you know that is the case and that he is unhappy?

I know that some of the posters on here will not like this because it doesn't suit their agenda, but I think - at the moment - that we have an owner, a Board and a management team that have a great deal of integrity and that they are all pulling together for the good of the club.

So when the club says he is happy to stay and a release from Spuds says he wants to go, you believe the Spuds PR machine?

There is a vast difference in picking up the club on making mistakes and slagging them off for mistakes that haven't actually been made. But hey, if you want to believe that the manager and the Board are a bunch of liars then so be it. Lets have a little look at Charlie Boys examples shall we? 1. It is quite possible at that point that Ron had been told that they couldn't reach a deal. 2. He said he had had a conversation with Toby and Toby had said he wanted to stay. Toby's Dad was saying the weekend before he moved to Spuds that nothing had been agreed. I suspect he knew around the same time that we did that Toby had decided to go elsewhere. Why would he say that Toby was up for joining if he knew damn well that the papers would be full of Toby with his Spuds shirt the next day? 3. He welcomed Gaston back and said that he had a chance to stake his claim and guess what, he got injured again. So maybe, just maybe, that changed the situation a bit? 4. Again, if he is told something by his medical staff and something changes, that makes him a liar? Also don't forget that the guy is Dutch and English is not his first language.

No he didn't, he said that we didn't have to sell. I don't recall him saying that no one would be sold. Feel free to check back and find the quotes and I will apologise if I am wrong.

Maybe he just isn't fit enough? Only just returned to training after injury hasn't he?

Anyone who calls their son Rodney is a plonker.

Didn't Vic and Fraser get written off before they had even kicked a ball for us? Ron knows a thing or two about defending. I doubt he would want van Dijk if the guy wasn't ready for Prem football yet. And at least he is a 1st team regular. Athletico wanted rid of Toby and no one knew how he would get on in the Prem. That didn't work out too badly did it? (apart from the Spuds bit of course).

I really don't think that the club has a policy of selling everyone brought in by the last manager.

I think I will put a tenner on them finishing in the top four.

It is one thing having a different view - and isn't that why most of us come on here? To read other people's viewpoints and debate issues? What I find difficult about Alpine and his ilk is the wild jumping to negative conclusions virtually all the time. Yes, they have a right to do that, but bloody hell, it is SO tiresome. It is one thing to wet the bed with just cause, another to wet the bed when you are no firm need to. There is absolutely no point in kicking off about our dealings in the transfer window until it is closed. Only then will we know exactly who we have bought and who we have sold - but the bedwetting started the minute the window opened. It is the same every frickin year!!! Why oh why do they bother?

How do we know he isn't happy? Because Spuds spread a rumour? He may well fancy a move, I expect most players in the Premiership would want to double or treble their earnings and play in the CL but it aint gonna happen until it happens. I agree with the window though, it should be done away with. It used to work well enough where the window closed in March. It just makes for a media circus now but if they have to have one, shut it down at the start of the season.

so long as it doesn't spread to his bibliography

Agree. The money they could make from telly revenue would be huge.

Bid or no bid. Transfer request or no transfer request, if Ron says no one else is leaving in this window I am inclined to believe him.