midds

Honestly think the length of the contract is more important than the actual wedge. Not that the contract (if there is one?) will get signed due to general stubbornness and a lack of compromise.

I reckon it's a genuine 3 horse race next season. Mancini had just about cracked it in the second half of last season and a lot of the players (Dzeko and Ballotelli for example) are surely going to be stronger this time out. How they'd get round, set up another company to pay the wages or something like that? He mentioned it a while ago, I'll try to dig it out but they've basically found a loophole. Can't remember what thread it was though. I asked him to expand a bit at the time but I'm not sure he did.

Why would Larsson and Gardner ensure that when they were part of a Birmingham side that went on a similarly dismal run? I'd love for somebody on here to put together a genuine explanation as to why Larsson and Gardner are well rated on this board. I particularly went out of my way to watch more of Larsson in the backend of last season and I simply don't understand why he is highly rated. One paced, not the best technically and his set-piece crossing ability is so overstated it is untrue. Gardner on the other hand is even more confusing to me. What the hell do people see in him? He's not got great technique, not got any real vision or passing range. His apparent quality is that he has a good goalscoring record, but before last season it was nothing special. He scores goals because he picks up the ball and shoots as often as possible without much thought or intelligence. He's worse than average. This going to come across like even more anti-Sunderland bias but it really isn't. I was hostile in another thread towards re-signing Ireland, yet I'd much, much, MUCH rather sign Stephen Ireland than either of these players. That's how little I rate them. I'm not saying they'll be outstanding or anything like but they're decent payers. They've bulked out their squad and will have a decent season with their decent, solid, unspectacular, workmanlike players. If they can keep Gyan fit and supply him then they'll do ok. If he breaks a leg or snaps an Achilles then they're fucked though.

Yup, the signings scream of consolidation but not major progress. It is quite depressing though, taking away the fact they're your enemies, that the realistic 'best' a team can aim for is 9th. Things just seem like more and more of a closed shop as days go by. Man. U Chelsea Man. City Arsenal (looking dodgy though if they lose Fab & Nasri etc) Spurs Liverpool The rest of the pack from here on. 7th is the best the rest can hope for currently. Everton would be a decent bet for 7th, ourselves, Sunderland, Bolton, Fulham Stoke and Villa will make up 7th to 13th with the order completely up in the air. The rest will be battling to stay up from the first game.

Another decent player tbh. Their signings aren't good enough to push them on to the next level but they definitely are good enough to make sure they don't go for 3 or 4 months without a win during a season like has happened last season. And the one before that. They've got 9th written all over them.

Got a feeling that City are going to have a real go at both the League and the Champions League this season. They've won their first pot and they'll want to push on and make an impact in Europe too. Signing players like Nasri to bulk out the top end with quality is exactly what they need to do to be able to rest players to keep them fresh for when they're needed. I'm sure Village Idiot mentioned a few weeks ago that Barca had already found a way around the new turnover legislation stuff coming in and I'm sure City will somehow manage to wangle things so they can still pay top dollar for new players. Their bubble isn't bursting just yet so we may as well get used to it...

Someone said that. There isn't one, he says. I that case he'll walk next May. Wonder where he washes up?

#signthefuckingdealthen

JIDONGWON Fine. They're relying on Gyan, Wickham, the Korean lad and Sessegnon. They've got about 40 PL starts between them! How many do ours have? That's a fair point. I think Ba will do ok though. Ameobi has generally chipped in (somehow) with 6 or 7. Best will get a few as will Lovenkrands. I also think we've got more goals in our midfield, particularly Ben Arfa, than them.

JIDONGWON Fine. They're relying on Gyan, Wickham, the Korean lad and Sessegnon. They've got about 40 PL starts between them!

He's a good player and will get better with experience. His value is only going one way but I still don't think he's what they need right now. It's more of an investment than anything else. They've only got one fit striker - Gyan and now Wickham. Sessegnon could fill in I suppose but after that it's the kids. That's a hell of a gamble to rely on those 3 to score the goals.

Reads like a really thick cunt trying really hard to be clever/genuine.

Still wouldn't surprise me if Spurs came in at the 11th hour and matched the mackem's bid. Lot's can happen overnight if they know he's due for a medical/sign tomorrow. It'll be interesting.

Squad is much stronger but they haven't really improved the first XI yet imo. They're all decent players but the teamsheet they submit on matchdays won't have anyone who would strike fear into you. Imo Gardner is an upgrade on Henderson, and one of their main faults last season was lack of goals from free-kicks and corners, which Larsson can provide. Gardner is as good as Henderson but can't see that Larsson is all that good really. If he plays 38 games for them then he's bound to create and score a few but it's not that much of an upgrade on what they had at RW last season imo. Not saying he's shit, he's decent but he's nothing to get too excited about.

Squad is much stronger but they haven't really improved the first XI yet imo. They're all decent players but the teamsheet they submit on matchdays won't have anyone who would strike fear into you.

They can still get 3 or 4 in on loans for the year though...

Wickham.

Football journalist must be the easiest job in the world. Work from home, click a few links here and there, create an 'article' and email it to your boss. Piece of piss. 'Getting it right' doesn't even matter. Just flog papers, any old shite will do.

Wouldn't touch Gibson with a shitty stick. Has absolutely nothing to offer us from what I've seen and for £5m it would be money down the drain.

From what I've read he's not quite ready to start week in week out in the Premier League. Still a young boy with a massive price tag (relatively for his age), massive shoes to fill and the expectation he comes in and scores about 15 given his fee and reputation from his (retarded) fans. Cracking potential but they need the goods now. This move could break him. Jon Stead mk II.

So we're only 4 star because of the lack of quality accommodation in the area? Genuinely don't know.

Aren't we only a 4 star stadium or something? Rings a bell.

Keep it civil or take it to pm's please chaps...

He always gets the bites though, no matter how shit the bait is.

If Ashley thought this would potentially cost him £10m then we wouldn't even be anywhere near it.