Mr Logic

If Dyer is sold and Sam uses all the money to buy a defender I won't be complaining.

I saw that BBC link too, there'd be a wage problem to get over there wouldn't there?

Well said Northerngimp. He gets way too much stick.

Sam's going to walk if he doesn't get players, we'll go into the season without a manager. Worst case scenario.

So is the Zog.

Aye that one surprised me. Just high spirits.

But we wouldn't get regular CL football without some investment on the player side of things, and given recent prices that could well take considerable investment.

Geremi as a RWB is better than Geremi as a FB for sure.

Completely unpedjudiced view there then.

Thought he looked great alongside Xia Bu in Drunken Masters of Kung Fu but a bit out of his depth in Crouching Tiger.

Similar reason as to why Bowyer kicked off against Dyer, Dyer missed a ball, head dropped and just walked on. He's half-hearted a lot of the time and it's probably too late to sort out. He's industrious when he's in the mood but largely ineffective, an apparently lesser player could do a better job over the course of a season.

I would have thought it was important to try and give your first choice eleven a chance to play at some stage. A few games left yet mind but what with players yet to come in, some maybe leaving and others lying injured it doesn't look likely. The result doesn't matter, fitness counts.

Well Allardyce seems to think they do need convincing. We don't know that sufficient money is there, all we know is what he's told us, which is that the board have been slow to act and that deals have been falling through which suggests money is very possibly an issue. Could be an attempt to introduce a proper wage structure.

Went one down at Hartlepool too, no worries atm... (fuck!)

I hope come Bolton away our line-up looks considerably different to that. Geremi and milner on at HT?

Baines, the deal was moving until Whelan heard about it. Nearly had a stroke at the thought of Ashley getting one of his players by all accounts. Sam wasn't too happy either. Reckons he'll have to turn to Johnny-foreigners now. Of course that's a complete fabrication on my part but it will be interesting to see if it's repeated.

He wasn't the brightest light on the Xmas tree but a canny lad. No idea about his abilities as a coach, as GeJon also notes.

I think he means too many of them lining up next to each other in defence though. They would have to get used to the premiership and each other at the same time, whereas EPL experienced players would only need to get used to each other.

Star player.

Initial talks don't get past that very stage for whatever reason? -- From the Journal, mostly same comments but the feeling that if something doesn't happen in a few days he'll turn to Europe from necessity. He said: “Unfortunately everything this week has progressed to a certain level and has then fallen on stony ground. “We’ve not been able to bring anyone in for a medical and it’s been an incredibly frustrating two weeks in terms of bringing players in. “There are few defenders with Premiership experience around and that’s our main priority at the moment. I like going into the foreign market but having too many new players from abroad could cause us severe problems in the early part of the season. “They take a little bit of time getting used to the Premiership and having too many of them together at the same time would not be the done thing. “If that’s the only option, I’ll have to take it sooner rather than later, but we are trying to bring players in with Premiership experience and we are having to wait to get the right one.”

I think Heinze is very keen on Liverpool reading between the lines of the various reports.

Big Sam in the Journal. “There has been no bid from West Ham,” confirmed Allardyce last night, who also revealed he has had a frustrating fortnight in the transfer market as he frantically attempts to strengthen his defence. “We’ve had no contact from either Alan Curbishley or their chief executive, we haven’t heard a thing from them, so I don’t know if there is anything in the reports that they are interested in signing Kieron. “If we are going to hear from them, I would assume it’s going to be this weekend. If we get a bid, we will take it from there, but I’m not particularly keen to lose Kieron.” Dyer was booed by some Newcastle supporters at the end of last season and Allardyce hinted that has had a lasting impact on the former Ipswich prospect. And, while Allardyce is not keen to sell, a large offer from the Hammers might be enough to persuade him to part with Dyer, if the player is also interested in a move to east London. Allardyce added: “Kieron is a player who is an integral part of my plans but, like everything else, I will need to have a chat with him to see if he thinks there is anything in a move to West Ham. If there is, we will discuss it privately from there. “I think Kieron has had his unhappy days here which he will never forget and for which he will never forgive some people. When you’re somewhere for nine years, you have your good times and your bad times and you remember the bad times as much as you remember the good. I don’t know if he is unhappy here or whether the speculation about West Ham has had any effect. I will have a talk with him next week and see where we stand. “It would take a very sizeable offer to even tempt me to let him go.”

Maybe possible Sam knows there is a player coming in for his position later in the window.

He's 30 now and the next World Cup in 2010 is in 3 years...... do the math. Born July 10, 1976.. so he will be entering his 35th year on the planet during the world cup.