Summer transfer rumours, speculation and out-and-out b*ll*cks.

[Concrete John]

we hadn't got players off the books when we got bought Makoun and Bent

Well, apart from Gardner the Elder, Shorey, Harewood, Sidwell, Davies and Carew, that is.

what? they all left before Bent and Makoun arrived? what about Pires? Following chris' strict wage regime (which he's known about for 12months but have kept it to himself while going on about Lerner spending big *cough*) he couldn't have come in before another guy going out surely?

Gardner, Shorey and Harweood left in the summer and the others in the same Jan window that Makoun and Bent arrived in, although I can't remember the exact timings of what happened when.  Why you're bringing Pires into it, who was a short term emergency signing on £10k a week when we had an injury crisis, is anybody's guess, although I'm sure it makes sense to you.

[Greg N'Ash]

we hadn't got players off the books when we got bought Makoun and Bent

Well, apart from Gardner the Elder, Shorey, Harewood, Sidwell, Davies and Carew, that is.

what? they all left before Bent and Makoun arrived? what about Pires? Following chris' strict wage regime (which he's known about for 12months but have kept it to himself while going on about Lerner spending big *cough*) he couldn't have come in before another guy going out surely?

Gardner, Shorey and Harweood left in the summer and the others in the same Jan window that Makoun and Bent arrived in, although I can't remember the exact timings of what happened when.  Why you're bringing Pires into it, who was a short term emergency signing on £10k a week when we had an injury crisis, is anybody's guess, although I'm sure it makes sense to you.

i'm sorry but as chris has stated we can't sell a player before we let one go. You've obviously not been taking any notice of his doom laden statements for the last 12 months. I know i missed them.                                                   

[Drummond]

If we don't strengthen, we're in for a season of struggle.  Our squad showed it wasn't good enough last season, and we've lost lots of players from it.  Any attempt to spin this as a positive is utter madness.

It's not spin, it's accepting the reality of the situation. As a fan I want us to spend a trillion pounds but can understand why they want to see what they can get out of those who are already here. So, for example we buy a new central midfield player how do we then give Bannan, Delph, Makoun and Ireland all an opportunity to prove themselves?

If you think that we can make an effective midfield out of that lot, plus Petrov then you are simply kidding yourself.

How the world has changed.

Three internationals and an Under-21 that can't make an effective midfield.....

[Concrete John]

i'm sorry but as chris has stated we can't sell a player before we let one go. You've obviously not been taking any notice of his doom laden statements for the last 12 months. I know i missed them.

No, I think you just delibrately decided to read into them what you wanted.

We are trying to manage the wagebill and reduce it's percentage against turnover.  In the course of this, the plan is to try and use the present/squad youth players as much as possible in order to stop that wagebill from growing.  So, in the example of the CBs, we have three senior ones on top money and a promising young kid.  So they'll be used and if one of them leaves, such as Carlos, we can and will enter the market.

Thing is, I honestly don't think you have any difficulty understanding this, but you're so busy trying to score points against other posters any actual common sense is left behind.

[Dave]

Does anybody else think it ironic that the person most likely to question others' (players or posters) mental health isby far the most obviously unhinged nut-job on here?

While i admire your self-analysis, perhaps these sort of public declarations are best left for off-topic

"I know you are but what am I?"

I can only imagine you've been going to debating classes recently greg.

[Greg N'Ash]

i'm sorry but as chris has stated we can't sell a player before we let one go. You've obviously not been taking any notice of his doom laden statements for the last 12 months. I know i missed them.

No, I think you just delibrately decided to read into them what you wanted.

We are trying to manage the wagebill and reduce it's percentage against turnover.  In the course of this, the plan is to try and use the present/squad youth players as much as possible in order to stop that wagebill from growing.  So, in the example of the CBs, we have three senior ones on top money and a promising young kid.  So they'll be used and if one of them leaves, such as Carlos, we can and will enter the market.

Thing is, I honestly don't think you have any difficulty understanding this, but you're so busy trying to score points against other posters any actual common sense is left behind.

i freely admit thats the case but its a big fucking point score imo. You've got someone who's had a go at me and others saying we're too doom laden about the money situation for months and months, and then on the basis of an AM interview he's now saying we're skint and not only that but he's known and thought it for the last 12 months. Now, i can take someone admitting their wrong, or saying AM is playing games in the media and he doesn't believe it, but trying to to pass off you never had that opinion in the first place is too stupid to ignore. He'll be changing his name next and denying he was ever called Chris Smith.

[Percy McCarthy]

You've forgotten who you've
 called a nutter? Sorry greg, had I known it was dementia I wouldn't have said anything.

[Greg N'Ash]

Does anybody else think it ironic that the person most likely to question others' (players or posters) mental health isby far the most obviously unhinged nut-job on here?

While i admire your self-analysis, perhaps these sort of public declarations are best left for off-topic

"I know you are but what am I?"

I can only imagine you've been going to debating classes recently greg.

meh. you don't play the 1st team for non-league opposition

[Chris Smith]

we hadn't got players off the books when we got bought Makoun and Bent

Well, apart from Gardner the Elder, Shorey, Harewood, Sidwell, Davies and Carew, that is.

what? they all left before Bent and Makoun arrived? what about Pires? Following chris' strict wage regime (which he's known about for 12months but have kept it to himself while going on about Lerner spending big *cough*) he couldn't have come in before another guy going out surely?

What are you on about now? When have I been going on about Lerner spending big *cough*? Everyone in the entire fucking universe, except you in your bunker it seems, knows that the club have been saying that we have to reduce the wage bill and that they would not countenance players on big wages not contributing. If you got out and about instead of living like the Unabomber you might pick up on these things.

[Greg N'Ash]

You've forgotten who you've
 called a nutter? Sorry greg, had I known it was dementia I wouldn't have said anything.

i've no idea who i called a nutter percy. It wasn't you i'm guessing. Sorry.

[Percy McCarthy]

OK. Any post-it notes about, on the fridge or the mirror perhaps?

[Greg N'Ash]

OK. Any post-it notes about, on the fridge or the mirror perhaps?

I'd like to play along percy but unless this is going somewhere and you want me to apologise for calling someone a nutter then meh.

[Risso]

We'd got carew and Sidwell off the books, you daft apeth.

As I've tried to explain but you are unwilling or unable to grasp; I want us to sign Parker, personally I don't care about the wage bill. However, I realise that the club do so they are unlikely to go for it while they've got 6 other central midfield players on the books.

We bought Makoun while still having Petrov, NRC, Bannan, Hogg and Delph on the books.  If they're just looking at the wages issue on an individual position basis rather than as a whole, they're even more incomepetent than I assume them to be.

It doesn't matter how many central midfielders we have, the fact is that they're unlikely to be good enough, as was demonstrated last season.  Ditto the defence.  If we want to improve, then we need better players.

[ajmant]

I think we are fucked but there you go.

Haven't posted for a while. Feels better to share that thought.

Good night!

[Merv]

Yep. There doesn't seem to be any drive to improve the squad. We've got the base numbers, sure - just about - but it's not about figures on a spreadsheet (or maybe it is). We've got four or five defenders who just weren't up to it last season, but it seems they're staying. We've got six midfielders, technically, but we all know what the reality of that situation is.

Greg's getting a kicking on here as usual but he's right in some ways. Five first team starters from the second half of last season have gone. One has been replaced. One other might be replaced. Do our plans extend further than that? The wages might be dropping but so is the quality.