Shearergol

Never quite meant this as much on here, but seriously, fuck off.

Why? Because we kinda have to have a squad. I don't see any successful teams going into a season with just about enough players to fill half the bench. So you'd keep him because he's a human being? Flog him and get someone from the reserves in as an emergency measure, save 50-60k a week. Hang on, I've already made that point when I said about bringing in a league one player, which people said was pointless. Make your mind up. What do you think the club should do, and what do you think they will do? I think the club SHOULD look for a quality striker and sell Smith. I think they will either keep Smith, or sell him and not replace him.

Play a striker in front of the defence and I think you'd be wrong. I'm by no means a Smith fan by the way, but if he were that easy to replace you'd hope that our Billionaire owner might try and do it.

Signing a decent striker and selling Smith would make me more happy etc etc... I bet we're not even contemplating signing strikers though.

Why? Because we kinda have to have a squad. I don't see any successful teams going into a season with just about enough players to fill half the bench. TT - I'd agree with bringing in Billy

Why don't we? Because Smith is better than we can actually get? A Premiership club can't sign a striker capable of having more than about five shots a season? Howay. Obviously fucking question on the way now.... Why aren't we then? Because most of them still wouldn't be good enough? We could find someone better than Smith in League One, but there's no point signing them for the Premiership is there? So sell Smith and bring nobody in. Bingo. Eh? If we weren't paying his ridiculous wages, we might be able to. If push came to shove, yes I'd sell him and bring nobody in. No point giving God knows how much a week to someone who doesn't resemble a professional footballer in any way, shape or form. Sorry, but that's bollocks, and highlights the point I made about people on here going overboard on their hatred for players.

What would be the point in that? Who said no replacement was coming in? Getting difficult this isn't it. My original post was about keeping Smith if we don't get a replacement; this was followed by "having 10 men would be better than having Smith" and "nobody is better than Smith, he's worse than shit". Kinda appears that people would be happy to sell Smith, even if nobody came in, which is absolute nonsense.

Yep, we've certainly improved since he left. I for one am much happier with the current state of play now that we don't have to worry about Bellamy's name appearing in the press.

Why don't we? Because Smith is better than we can actually get? A Premiership club can't sign a striker capable of having more than about five shots a season? Howay. Obviously fucking question on the way now.... Why aren't we then? Because most of them still wouldn't be good enough? We could find someone better than Smith in League One, but there's no point signing them for the Premiership is there? So sell Smith and bring nobody in. Bingo.

Jesus, take the post in context. It followed the question of why don't we sign a cheap league one striker. Seeing as every single one of you avoid the point, do you honestly think we should get rid of Smith if no replacement comes in?

Why don't we? Because Smith is better than we can actually get? A Premiership club can't sign a striker capable of having more than about five shots a season? Howay. Obviously fucking question on the way now.... Why aren't we then?

Why don't we? Because Smith is better than we can actually get? I'm as pissed off as everyone that (it looks like) we're not signing a replacement for Smith, but I also accept that if we don't sign a striker, we can't afford to let Smith go. The squad is as thin as we've ever had it in the Premiership, we simply cannot let more players go without replacements coming in. WarrenBartonCentrePartin, read my original post and take note of the words "until we replace him". It's a clue.

Rightio, lets go into the season with a 14 man squad. That's a fucking brilliant idea. Why does everyone on here go so over the top about our players being shitter than shit? Is Smith was as shit as you lot think, why don't we just get in a cheap league 1 player to replace him?

Smith may be shit, but until we replace him, he's better than nothing.

I'd loved for us to sign Bentley, but that wasn't the original question. Nasri is the player I'd want, but we had ZERO chance of signing him, whereas I think we had a 5% chance of signing Bentley. Don't rate him then?

Nasri. Gem of a player.

What are the Premier League rules on names on shirts? Can it be anything? We had this debate in the thread about him

Why would they want to sell him? Just signed Ben Haim so Richards at right back? Richards in midfield probably. Ben Haim and Dunne at the back. New, proper right back instead of playing a rotating collection of centre backs there. That wouldn't make any sense, they've got money to burn out of their arse and they're selling one of their best players because they got Ben Haim? And they're going to push their best defender into midfield... They haven't got money to burn at all. Thaksin has hardly spent f*** all and Jo, his only big signing, is costing them buttons in the short term, paid on the drip over several years. Richards has played midfield before- they need a defensive midfielder and don't have the money to buy anyone good. Edit- and why would Ben Haim leave Chelsea's bench for City's? He'll be going there to play every week. Apparently Corluka all agreed at £6.8m subject to a medical. Irrespective of whether City have got money or not, I'm surprised they would be selling a good player they got last summer at a loss for no good reason. He has proved himself able in the Premier League after all. Kicking off in the City forums......................... Did you ever find out who the two medicals were booked for by the way?

They're both still burning a huge hole in our resources. I know that, but all the same we've had 2 months to sort the problem and here we are still with it. And it's a bloody serious one What if the budget isn't there? Why isn't it there? We've got a small enough squad! Speculate to accumulate. As entered in two different threads. If Alan Smith stays for the remaining 4 years of his contract we will pay hime £10.4 million Shola has shown how difficult it is to get highe earners to leave. £10m would give us a huge amount of leverage to work with Which is exactly why running a football club just like a business doesn't work. You can't say that we're not signing a new striker because one of our shit players will cost us £10.4m over the next 4 years! The teams at the top are there because they sign players when they need them. Does it bother Man United and Liverpool that they owe so much money? Does it bother Chelsea that their money is coming from a billionaire owner rather than "recovered" funds? Fuck it, let's stop bringing players in until we sell everyone we don't want.

They're both still burning a huge hole in our resources. I know that, but all the same we've had 2 months to sort the problem and here we are still with it. And it's a bloody serious one What if the budget isn't there? Why isn't it there? We've got a small enough squad! Speculate to accumulate.

www.google.co.uk

Is this a re-hashed Bernard story?

For crying out loud man, read the previous page. He's flying over today to finish the deal. Some sources say have medical, others say he literally just needs to sign the papers. It's from the Official Deportivo Magazine. Yeah, but why isn't he already wearing a Newcastle shirt? Why isn't he in the team already? Why hasn't he scored for us yet?!!! Goddammitt!

A quick trip to . . er . . . INDIA, perhaps?? I'm thinking a night in Magaluf personally Signing a striker?

stjamestoon is maetihs I take it?