Dean Smith - Confirmed

[algy]

When concerns start to arise about our best players leaving, it's worth re-visiting who our owners are. Any Basketball fans out there will be better versed than me but I gather Edens' team has a star player who Edens has done everything within his powers to keep and as a result, they've challenged for championships.

Sawiris is worth a fortune. From what Ads said recently, he's just sold a stake in a private jet company where one of the other owners was Bill Gates. Whatever Sawiris said to Jack last summer it was enough to take him from a position of not opening contract negotiations to having signed a new deal within 24 hours. That's not something you hear happening often at elite level.

I think our past experiences as fans are still influencing our expectations of what will happen. Maybe at some point our resolve will be really tested but these days its not easy to pull a player away from many Premier League sides. Prices are just too high. When Leicester are able to refuse to sell a centre back for anything less than £80m, you realise things have changed a bit. The TV money means nobody has to take big money when its offered.

As far as spending £50m on one player, we're obviously playing ball with FFP. We're looking to be a well run club that's capable of self-sustaining itself. A lot of work has gone into the recruitment department and by looking at certain age brackets, we're probably looking at identifying players that we can buy for less but who can go on to become £50m (or higher) players. We're still short of a few players too so I suspect one big signing like that would be more likely once the squad is more or less there in terms of being candidates for Champions League qualification and we don't need to spread our investment across several players.

I agree with this. I don't think we're likely to buy many £50m players tbh. It feels more our style at the moment to pluck out players in the £10m-£30m bracket and develop them in to £50m+ players.

I think - sort of hope - that this summer will finally be one where we've cleared out the last of the deadwood, and can start looking at upgrading already-decent players. Marv's the obvious example for me. I don't think he looks out of place at this level at all, but he's maybe not quite well-rounded enough to be a top 6 kind of player, where you'd expect a little bit more than 'just' doing one thing really well. Can see him being shifted on to a newly promoted side in favour of someone like Sander Berge.

[SoccerHQ]

Just going back to the conversation over last few days.

Watching tonight and can't help thinking a Neto type on our right is the next piece of the jigsaw. Despite the odd mishit cross he was a constant outlet for them. Targett was back to his good standard but was still a tricky neat.

We love Trez for his effort but general football quality isn't there and Traore to me is better inside so there's a void there so interesting who we target.

Second half was poor but at least when we moved Ollie out wide we got up the pitch a little bit more and won a couple of late corners of which we nearly scored from one.

I'd like DS to shift from his mindset a little that CF must always play centrally for every single minute of every game next season as Watkins out wide could be a nice little plan B option for some of the tougher home and away games next season.

[mr underhill]

play Bert centrally and OW wide.

[Footy-Vill]

I'm with Dean about creating big chances and working hard which he said in his comments after Wolves.
We've actually been unlucky v Wolves and Sheff Utd to not have scored any goals.

We'll give some team a good thrashing before not too long.
Once they all goals go in.

In Dean we trust!

[Ian.]

Just going back to the conversation over last few days.

Watching tonight and can't help thinking a Neto type on our right is the next piece of the jigsaw. Despite the odd mishit cross he was a constant outlet for them. Targett was back to his good standard but was still a tricky neat.

We love Trez for his effort but general football quality isn't there and Traore to me is better inside so there's a void there so interesting who we target.

Second half was poor but at least when we moved Ollie out wide we got up the pitch a little bit more and won a couple of late corners of which we nearly scored from one.

I'd like DS to shift from his mindset a little that CF must always play centrally for every single minute of every game next season as Watkins out wide could be a nice little plan B option for some of the tougher home and away games next season.

I agree with this, definitely on the Neto type option. Also when you look at Man City, they don’t even play with a centre forward at times. I know their quality is immense but it shows that the traditional No. 9 is not always the way.

[Luke8]

To be fair, you do see Watkins drift left and look to play/get in between the full back and centre back quite a bit. And he links well with Jack.
Just, as with a lot of our attacking play, that this fall down quite a bit when Jack isn’t there.

[Drummond]

So, because we've a young squad that like playing games until 2am we don't start training til 12pm as they then get adequate sleep.

Is this a good idea?

[AV82EC]

Yes.

[Risso]

So, because we've a young squad that like playing games until 2am we don't start training til 12pm as they then get adequate sleep.

Is this a good idea?

I'd probably think so if I worked there! Amble in at 11.30, lovely!

[Drummond]

Meets their needs, no excuse for broken gates either!

I think it's quite a progressive idea for a manager to be honest. Not sure how many other clubs do it.

[eamonn]

Where has that been reported ? Luiz is addicted to Call Of Duty so it probably explains his drop in form.

Didn't this type of shit cause David James to drop clangers at Liverpool and help Yanited win the league 25 years ago?

Confiscate the consoles and grow the fcuk up.

[LeeB]

Where has that been reported ? Luiz is addicted to Call Of Duty so it probably explains his drop in form.

Didn't this type of shit cause David James to drop clangers at Liverpool and help Yanited win the league 25 years ago?

Confiscate the consoles and grow the fcuk up.

Maybe it's down to the fact there's fuck all to do for wealthy young men at present, and if they're spending their spare time playing COD it's a damn site more acceptable than some of the others things they might be tempted into.

[Risso]

Where has that been reported ? Luiz is addicted to Call Of Duty so it probably explains his drop in form.

Didn't this type of shit cause David James to drop clangers at Liverpool and help Yanited win the league 25 years ago?

Confiscate the consoles and grow the fcuk up.

Maybe it's down to the fact there's fuck all to do for wealthy young men at present, and if they're spending their spare time playing COD it's a damn site more acceptable than some of the others things they might be tempted into.

Fortnight?

[Monty]

play Bert centrally and OW wide.

Disagree, Bert is better with a slightly more limited brief, and Ollie's energy to run across the line shouldn't be restricted.

[LeeB]

play Bert centrally and OW wide.

Disagree, Bert is better with a slightly more limited brief, and Ollie's energy to run across the line shouldn't be restricted.

That's good point actually, I played up front on my own for a couple of years and hated it when we did switch to a two as they'd just get in the way of my runs.