macphisto

Are you saying talents similar to Charlton, Robson, Dalglish, Souness, Gazza, Waddle, Beardsley have gone to waste because of the academies in the North East and Scotland?

Radically new behavior is not strange? These rules are not new and there are plenty of clubs who have money and could have spent it.

Yes, but to have a January transfer that is the lowest in 10 years (I saw on Twitter somewhere) is very strange. Maybe it's an anomaly and we'll return to somewhere near the norm. If this is the new norm, far too early to draw any conclusions, then a lot of clubs who rely on transfers could go bust. Obviously the Football League would suffer but also French and Spanish teams too given the number in the Premiership.

Would relying on youth not leave you vulnerable if the talent wasn't coming through? Shearer was the last world class player to come through North of the M62 (North East & Scotland). Since Shearer it's been a virtual wasteland, absolute no comparison to what went before. On a different note, people talk about the "bubble" bursting in football, is this window what it looks like? Or at least the the first step?

Irrespective of PSR, we'd be trying to move these players on. Obviously, maybe not quite in this manner but in the bigger picture the situation is not that different in terms of developing the team. From a commercial point of view do you spend over the odds on a player(s), that are possibly not your first choice, to get into Europe where the income is nowhere near the Champions League and therefore the additional income is cancelled out by the investment in that player(s) to get you there? I read a throw away line in the Athletic where someone in the club said the season died as soon as Tonali was banned. I get the impression that there's a ring of resignation that this season is a write-off due to injuries and that we've reached the end of the first stage of the team's development. All about setting the club up for the summer and next season now.

More likely how the season has panned out being the main driver than PSR. These players were always going to go this summer, just brought forward. Feels a little like they're clearing the decks for the next stage in the team's development.

Imagine the market without Chelsea going mad and the Saudi's on the scene this past summer.

I agree with those groups but then I think there's another group like Brighton, Leicester (I know they went down), West Ham, possibly Spurs (I'd put them in your 1st group too), Brentford who want to grow the "right way" by selling star players and reinvesting in multiple positions.

How can you miss out Charnley's negotiating skills being integral to the model???? How not to run a club....

But is not over stretching themselves only possible through selling their best players every few years? I'm not necessarily saying you're wrong but I do think a lot of those clubs factor in selling their best players every few years. Across the league, I could see FFP leading to a lot of stagnation in the future.

With little movement this window, I wonder if smaller clubs who factor in selling players as part of their business model will start to agitate for change to FFP? We could soon get to a point where only a few clubs, mainly US owners, are in favour of the current rules. Think back to Ashley, he was trying to have a model where we sold players on for big profits, only problem is that he was shit at implementing the plan.

The latest Q&A in the Athletic also say the same.

Not more the case that we've come to a natural point where these players can't take us any further? All these rumours of players going, reminds me a little when we sold Cole and replaced him with Ferdinand the following summer. I do have faith that the club know what they're doing and will kick on in the summer.

Don't think so, it would have been around that time though, but I think it was Pongolle, a forward, who signed at the same time for Liverpool. He was up front for France at the game I was at too. Just having a look and it was the Under-16 Euros. Interesting to look at the squads of the major countries as not many of them made it, exception would be Spain as they had Torres and Iniesta.

I remember a youth game at Newcastle, around 2000, between England and France. I think it was either the World Cup or Euros and Anthony Le Tallec was head and shoulders above anyone else on the pitch. Was certain he would take over from Zidane in a few years. He ended up at Liverpool and remember reading how Wenger was gutted he lost out. It would be interesting to find out who who else was playing in that match looking back.

Am I right in thinking that the three times we've qualified for the Champions League have been followed by these three major midfield signings: Viana Bowyer Tonali How utterly depressing if I'm right. Indeed in general, for whatever reason, post-Champions League qualification summer transfers have been dismal.

I see Isak, Botman and Bruno being mentioned. I think it's more likely to be one of Longstaff, Joelinton or Willock together with Almiron. Possibly Wilson to Saudi too.

That's not the point I was making, rather that we are still signing young internationals of the type similar to Bruno, Isak Botman.

Our number 1 summer signing was an Italian International, we haven't strayed from our transfer strategy.

Not wanting to divert the thread, but when I read that my first thoughts were Tonali. We're living in dreamland if we think he'll start next season fully up to speed with the team and Premier League.

In the scenario above with an England international, more the case that the club would talk to the agent to seek assurances that there isn't any incriminating evidence before going ahead with the transfer. Young lads, loads of money and time, betting will be rife in the game.

Don't think I read it here (I think I read it in the Athletic where it was more explicit) but this is Eales' quote: "If you look at our pace, roughly doubling the revenue every two years gives you an indication of how we’re looking, which is a phenomenal rate of growth."

Not sure where I saw or read this, but I'm sure Eale's remit is to double our income every two years. I get the impression that everyone sees our growth as inevitable but we have agreed to do it slowly; for example I'm sure we could have got more for ASM and been OK with 3rd party rules but decided to deliberately go low with the fee.

That wouldn't be solely down to Howe as he's not in charge of recruitment. I'd place more responsibility on Ashworth but even then I don't know how true that would be as the owners are quite hands on.

Delighted you're avoiding the points I made.