ohmelads

Strange transfer. We've got Tiote and Bigirimana, we have only three centre backs, three forwards and our right backs contract is running out and we bring in another DM? I hope he isn't set to be a replacement for a Tiote, who happens to be injured right now. Fingers crossed this is an addition and we will also get the players we urgently need in defence and attack. It doesn't seem like Ashley's style to do that though, generally players we have signed have been replacements for outgoing players. Cisse was the exception, though you could argue he was a belated replacement for Carroll, not to mention Best and Lovenkrands left soon after.

If Tiote is out though who would you replace him with for the Spurs game? Perch? Gosling? We are not really stacked with proven Premier League players in that position and Guthrie is gone. I'm not sure Perch is a natural DM and for all his stock has risen, I think he has limited potential. Gosling has barely played in years and not shown anything yet. When you look at our options, suddenly putting Bigi in doesn't look such a bad idea. Hopefully Tiote will be fit and this will be a moot point.

An extra quality player is always welcome but I can't help but wonder where he fits in. Gutierrez, Tiote and Cabaye are all key players in my eyes, and I'd be disappointed to see Gutierrez make way and spend most of his time on the bench. I also thought Bigirimana was brought in as an understudy to Tiote and he looks a prospect. We can't afford Debuchy in a position we need yet this seems like a luxury signing for the same amount of money.

I can't figure our transfer strategy out this summer. Why are we targetting Andy Carroll, who costs far more than Debuchy, when we already have Ba and Cisse in the team? Aye we need another striker, but whoever comes in will be 3rd choice. We are looking at massive money for a 3rd choice forward yet we're very reluctant to bid more than a minimal sum for a right back. If you're playing Newcastle you take one look at the lineup and who are you going to target? That's right, the full backs and espescially Simpson. To an extent Santon too (defensively), but you sense he was growing in confidence last season and much like Enrique before him, I expect him to get better and better. Considering we'll lose Simpson for nowt in 12 months, it's a no brainer to sell and replace. So take that opportunity to upgrade the team's weakest link while we're at it. It's not every day you get a France international right back saying he wants to come to the Toon, at the very time you're looking for a right back. That's where we should be putting our money, not bids for players like Carroll. Doesn't make sense to me. After publicly chasing Carroll, Lille know we have money to spend. I appreciate you have to haggle hard, but there comes a point where you risk missing out on a good deal.

Sorry but I don't really agree with some of your points there. I saw the Belarus game and Brazil didn't have it all their own way. I was quite surprised and think you haven't given Belarus any credit there. I always expected the result because hey, it's Brazil and Belarus, but it was nowhere near as one-sided as you're making out. You have also glossed over the Honduras game, where 2 red cards and a penalty proved pretty decisive. I imagine quite a lot of people saw that game and would agree that they expected more from a young but very strong Brazil team. The first red and the pen were fair decisions, granted, but the fact is Brazil struggled even with an extra man to control the game. Honduras twice took the lead. Credit to Brazil for eventually getting the result but it was a nervous game. And as for the Korea game, I don't care whether you get the ball with the man's head or not, you do a studs up kick at head height and kick someone in the head it's not only a foul but also dangerous play. I can't believe I'm defending a mackem but you'd have held your hands up for a free kick if that had been the centre circle, wouldn't you? Look how high his studs are. To say Korea ran out of gas after 35 minutes is an exaggeration, but they did towards the end of the game, yes. The game was over when the second goal went in which was actually against the run of play because the Koreans were on top at that stage. In the first half Brazil improved as the half wore on but were still second best at half time and slightly fortunate to be ahead courtesy of a goalkeeping error. They certainly weren't controlling the game with only 40% possession or thereabouts and barely a chance to talk of. Korea started the second half better and were denied another obvious penalty but soon after conceded against the run of play to a good Brazil attack. That proved decisive and was game over. Korea lost their shape and confidence I thought and Brazil to their credit punished them with a third goal. The last 35 minutes were played out without much ambition from either side. It was a clinical performance but the scoreline was a bit flattering and the talking points of the game were the two penalty calls. Brazil have scored an impressive 3 goals a game, but the stats don't tell the whole story. Brazil have definite weaknesses to work on. The world cup squad ought to be a lot stronger, the players will be two years older and there will be more senior players who we didn't see here. But Brazil seem to have named a strong squad here with a lack of competitive games running up to the World Cup and I expected more from them in terms of performance against what, really, are pretty poor teams. I think you will beat Mexico who look an inconsistent side. There is just much more pedigree in the Brazil lineup but if I were you I'd be hoping for a more convincing team performance in the final.

He lacks confidence but it's based completely on his decision making on the pitch. He needs to start making the right decisions and if he does confidence will come in himself, us and the players around him. Confidence is a by-product coming off his poor decision making, I don't know if he can change. For me he's a bit like Titus bramble, perfect physically for his position, good technique for his position and now and then has a good game, but doesn't learn, adapt or improve his game from a tactical point of view therefore never realises his potential. Yes this is his biggest problem. Decision making and awareness is a huge part of football, it's instinctive and while you improve with regular games, he tends to make the wrong decisions most of the time. He'll pass it too early or release it too late, he'll run into blind alleys then stop and try to beat his man from a standing position. At 23 he is still learning but he shouldn't be making such basic errors. Regular football will sharpen his game but do we really want to give him that? Having said all that, we shouldn't sell without a better replacement lined up. He can run with or without the ball at pace which can cause problems for teams and his workrate is also good. There is no point banking a couple million with no replacement.

Obertan relies too much on his physical attributes to mask poor technique and decision making. He's more an athlete than a Premier League footballer. His pace can be a weapon off the bench against tired legs but there are loads of similar wingers out there, such as Routledge as someone already mentioned. These kinds of players have a good game once in a blue moon and you think they have turned a corner, only for them to return to form. I think if we're serious about challenging top 6 again we'd be better to cut our losses but only if we can find a better replacement. He would need to be replaced because with Marveaux's injury record and Jonas's lack of goals/assists we could do with another winger. If anything happens to Ben Arfa we could run into problems with creativity. So for that reason I would try and find a better winger than Obertan to give us that extra option.

I've seen all their games and even though they will probably take gold, I'm not convinced by this Brazil team. They made hard work of beating Belarus as well as Honduras and despite a 3-0 win tonight they have to give the ref a huge thanks after Korea were denied two obvious penalties at key moments in the game. I'm curious how many of these players will be representing Brazil at the World Cup.

Hope he gets minutes tonight because we need him for Spurs and Chelsea.

Lighten up man. Perhaps my post wasn't worded well, I'm certainly not hitting the panic button with 3 weeks to go. But I'm also not complacent Ashley will get the players we need. If we can upgrade at right back and bring in a fourth striker, I'd be pretty happy with that. Provided we don't lose anyone of course. Another centre back is needed, but I doubt we'll get it. That's more or less the point I was trying to get across. Until they're in it's a case of wait and see. As it stands we are not equipped for a 55 game season, but there are 3 weeks to go and we're hitting the business end of the transfer window. think you got the initial post largely spot on imo. wouldn't sell Obertan mind as i think he can contribute as an impact sub. and i'm not sure you can really get a forward good enough to contribute substantially to the first team (more significantly than, say, Sammy) by spending peanuts. a top RB might cost £6m but you'd have to spend at least around the same to get a versatile back-up forward. I see what you're saying with Obertan, but if Marveaux gets crocked again I think there'll be huge pressure on Ben Arfa for creativity. Gutierrez doesn't get the goals or assists and Ba, reading between the lines, is not that happy playing out wide. I don't mind the idea of Obertan off the bench but if he has to play a string of games in the first team we'll quickly grow frustrated with him. IF the money is there, it's one area we should look at, but striker, right back and centre back are more pressing priorities. I agree with you that a right back and a forward would cost significant amounts but if the budget is too limited then I'd say stick the money on a proven right back to improve the first team and try and pull off a gamble on a promising, less proven forward. It doesn't make sense to me that we are claiming to chase Carroll while putting such small bids in for Debuchy. We can afford to upgrade our right back while we can't afford to upgrade our strikers, so why are we offering pennies for a right back and moving for a very expensive striker?

Lighten up man. Perhaps my post wasn't worded well, I'm certainly not hitting the panic button with 3 weeks to go. But I'm also not complacent Ashley will get the players we need. If we can upgrade at right back and bring in a fourth striker, I'd be pretty happy with that. Provided we don't lose anyone of course. Another centre back is needed, but I doubt we'll get it. That's more or less the point I was trying to get across. Until they're in it's a case of wait and see. As it stands we are not equipped for a 55 game season, but there are 3 weeks to go and we're hitting the business end of the transfer window.

I personally doubt we will get a centre back in. We will take the same risk we did last season but with Curtis Good as a completely unproven 4th choice. I think we will get a striker in because we have to. We've got rid of Best and Lovenkrands and Ranger and Xisco clearly have no future here. We can't attack 4 competitions with just Ba, Cisse and Shola. As far as a right back goes, I think we will sell Simpson regardless. Ashley won't give him the contract he wants, nor will he want to lose him for nothing in a year. I think we will bank a few million for him. But that doesn't guarantee we will sign a full back to replace him. If we don't get our targets on the cheap, Ashley may decide to leave us with Santon, Perch and Raylor, with Saylor and Gutierrez as emergency full back cover. The only area we can realistically improve the first team is at right back so that's where I'd put the bulk of our money. We do need another forward, I'd go for someone pacy, young and versatile who can play wide of a front 3 as well as part of a front 2. We need a forward in the Bellamy mould who likes to work the channels, because Ba, Cisse and Ameobi all like to stay central. Perhaps we will go for that young French trialist. I recall the club saying we were interested and he is said to be lightning quick. Most of all he will be cheap. Given the choice, I don't see much point in throwing lots of money at a striker and pennies at a full back. For me it would be the other way round. I worry a little bit about our width. Obertan doesn't look good enough and Marveaux seems very prone to injury. Gutierrez is a player I really rate but delivery in the final third is his major weakness. That leaves just Ben Arfa. I would cut our losses on Obertan and bring in another winger.

It will be very difficult to achieve what we did last season with the same group of players. We now have a shortage of strikers as well as centre backs, and we have perhaps 10 or more extra fixtures. The likes of Liverpool and Chelsea will expect to improve on last season and Everton will be a threat. I think there is a bit of complacency that the same players will do it again without a great need to strengthen. Pardew has to show confidence in his lads in the press but he will be concerned. The time to panic would be three weeks from now, but I wouldn't be complacent. Mike Ashley will be after a bargain, he will sit tight until near the deadline and if he has to leave us short on strikers or defenders for the season he will because he's done it before. Perhaps a great or an awful start against Spurs and Chelsea might influence his thinking going into the final week of trading.

Are we dreadfully short at RB? Honest question. Simpson hasn't been sold yet. Debuchy would be an improvement, no question. But we also have another year before Simpson goes (most likely) and we have a number of players who can fill in there. I expect they realize this and so aren't going crazy throwing cash at lille trying to force this through immediately. Well you always look to improve your first team and looking at our first team I think most would identify Simpson as the weakest player. Then throw in the fact he will leave for free in a year and has failed to agree a new deal with the club and there is a need to bring Debuchy in. If not they will end up giving Simpson a new, better deal or losing him for nothing. If we do that the club loses the player's value or pays him more than they think he is worth for a new contract. It makes more sense to spend the extra on Debuchy and move Simpson on, and in doing so hopefully improve the first team. I think you are right that it is not an urgent priority, hence the concern that Ashley will be more than happy to let this run until deadline day and even sign nobody. As my post pointed out he has been happy to do that in the past even to the extent of leaving the squad short and 4 different managers have had to panic sign in September/February as a result. If he's willing to do that then perhaps people shouldn't be so complacent that this deal will be wrapped up. I think it will, but it's far from a given because of the way Ashley operates.

Ignacio Gonzalez, Xisco, Lamine Diatta, Fabrice Pancrate, Zurab Khizanishvili, Marlon Harewood, Shefki Kuqi. All panic signings made on deadline day or after as a result of leaving the squad short, and all made under Ashley. For the sake of balance, I applaud what Ashley has done with the scouting, and our signings in the last two years have improved dramatically. Also, most of those signings were a while ago, and some would say lessons have been learned since. But old habits die hard, and Ashley sees himself as a tough and ruthless negotiator. Others would say reckless and complacent, espescially for an owner with a relegation already on his CV. My gut feeling is we will push this transfer through because we have to, because it makes too much sense. But knowing how Ashley operates, concerns are beginning to creep in. We all know Ashley is prepared to sweat it out until deadline day and leave us with Simpson or less. The above list of panic signings made by four different managers under Ashley is testament to that. I hope that lessons have been learned by Mike and Dekka and we're not bringing this back up in 3 week's time.

Worrying signs that targets like Debuchy and Carroll have taken up the majority of our transfer window. We should have set an internal club deadline on both deals long before the window shuts. If they're not in by that deadline, stump up the money or go for someone else. I have said all along it's a possibility and a concern that we will play a game of brinkmanship and could end up short as a result, or panic buying at the end of August. Worst case scenario is we keep Simpson and fill the forward gap with midfielders or youngsters like Vuckic/Ameobi. I hope I am wrong but under Ashley this would hardly be a first. As an owner and a businessman he has balls but he is also a bit reckless. We were short on defenders last season, now we're short on strikers too. If we are serious about strengthening the squad ahead of a big season we should have signed this lad or moved on. We have offloaded a lot in wages early in the summer and this player clearly wants to come. The season starts in two weeks, the time for fannying around is running out. I don't think we can afford to play a game of brinkmanship and lose out, considering the number of fixtures we have we will struggle with this squad as it is.

What a massive fanny. Other players suffer leg breaking tackles and make less fuss. He just got tripped. You would think he'd keep his mouth shut after missing the Olympics claiming injury, not drawing attention to himself.

The puns are getting a bit tiresome now. I think we need to close this thread for the good of the forum.

I think Williamson is good enough as a 4th choice squad player, but I'm hoping for a player who will challenge Taylor. Either Good is going to be a revelation or we still need one in. Taylor has a history of injury problems and let's be honest we might have sneaked a Champions League place last season with an extra centre back in. Easy to say with hindsight but we should be learning from that.

Where did you hear that? Saw it on .com but it's quoting a random Australian site so take it with a pinch of salt.

I just hope West Ham can secure a deal soon. If they don't, we will be linked until deadline day and we could end up with nothing. Wouldn't be the first time we've done that. If West Ham signed him tomorrow we would have ample time to switch to other targets and no excuse for ending the window short on strikers.

We may move for Anita to cover other areas, but I don't see us signing another centre back and relegating this lad to 5th choice, espescially if it's true he is on 10K a week and a 6 year contract.

Me too. So I can't say I'll be disappointed if we can keep all of our key players and add Carroll to the squad! At these prices though you can't help but think where else that money could be spent, and how the club will try to balance the books afterwards. Ashley has made it clear he is all about profit, so adding Carroll at huge expense would represent a strange shift in transfer policy. You wonder who he might then sell to balance the books, be it this window or in January when it's a seller's market.

For the fees being talked about, I'd rather see us bring in a player who is less trouble and offers more versatility. Ba and Cisse both like to play down the middle. Carroll does give added height in both penalty boxes and a more physical outlet up front, but given the choice I'd rather a forward with pace who likes to work the channels while Cisse or Ba stay more central. Someone more in Bellamy's mould. With Carroll, if 4-3-3 suits the team better then you're looking at Ba out of position and Carroll sat on the bench, whereas a more versatile forward can challenge the wide players as well. It suits our needs more and when you look at the run we had with 4-3-3 last season, it makes better sense to have a player who is adaptable.

After reading Bale's comments I was expecting to see a malicious crunching studs up tackle, chopping Bale down as he flew down the wing. How long is he expected to be out for? You would assume it's a serious injury the way he's talking.