Theregulars

Sounds like you need to organise a minute's applause for the sadly deceased atmosphere at SJP. Anyone fancy debating the merits of clapping some more? Alternately I could mash my head against the keyboard repeatedly.

Could it not be solved thus? 1. Clap if you want 2. Don't clap if you don't want 3. Don't get angry at people who take the opposite action and carry on supporting the team. Onto the game, I'm eagerly looking forward to watching the referee. The one against Blackburn was crap and the one against Forest was in the Ali Dia school of con-men/incompetence. You'd think that the referee put forward will be one of the best in the division / under stern instructions to not fuck it up. Just want things to return to normal with a routine win and put that week of insanity behind us.

We were so naive. Fell for totally obvious relegation fodder away tactics and played into their hands.

Incompetence?

Nah fuck you, dreamstealer.

Just don't agree with you. He does nothing of note, is generally ineffective and has nil redeeming features that make up for his many, many deficiencies.

He was ineffective and chased shadows. He executed a few routine passes and did little else.

Neesy had gone home with heartburn. In short, he has been a cunt.

By "cunt", he means "asked if we could stop off for food on the way home".

Boom boom boom, let me hear you say Gayle

You're a gentleman and I will pay for your meal on Saturday. My number has changed - ping me a PM with it and I'll drop you a whatsapp. I arrive in town about 17:30 and will be out with Neesy that evening but won't be getting obliterated as looking to not throw up on the pitch the next day. Thanks skipper - you now have free board x 2 in London!

Oh fuck is he really? How about a meal and multipack of twiglets?

LFEE can I be a scumbag and stay at your house again? There's a good few pints on Friday and Saturday night for you if so...

I think you're all weird goblins

Da ba dee da ba fucking die until i die.

Well this pretty much defines you as a poster you big wet gaping fanny. t*** Long live the O.C. Seth Cohen for president. I literally own the same pair of vans that he wore in season 1 and I am proud of it.

utterly undeserved but entirely predictable.

Looks like a lesbian and couldn't hit a barn door.

Whichever team has the gift of the Ginger Pirlo will emerge victorious. With skills heightened by three years of kickabouts on the mean streets of Singapore, this already classy performer has been steeled with a streetwisdom unavailable to the casual attendee.

Any London dwellers watching this in the Cock and Lion?

Haaaaahahahahahahahahaha!

Basically, I think it's churlish to suggest that it's a complete and utter waste of money and premature to say that it's a great deal for us until we know what he's capable of with the consistent surrounds of good/motivated players and an adept coaching staff. I suspect that the fee will end up looking inflated because he has technical limitations (first touch and decision-making) and/or he will be a squad player, but not daylight robbery like the Carroll deal. I understand the anger insofar as it relates to his disrespectful conduct in trying to secure his move away, but I find it hard to be really angry about lacklustre performances on the pitch when we weren't trying/functioning as a proper sporting institution for his entire time here. Everyone saying "it's a good deal" - it looks to be one, but I don't think we will be able to tell until approximately 2 years down the road. My personal suspicion is that he won't make the grade at Spurs and it will look like a good deal. I don't think he has a team-first ethic that is required to succeed in a side like theirs.

I'd say 8/10 for now, with the potential for a higher score depending on how circumstances break. Of the new signings: Diame, Ritchie and Gayle would not look out of place in the PL. I have a suspicion that Hayden is a PL-quality player in the making as well, but evidence is limited. On his reputation and club career, in theory Gamez would be competent in the PL, but I don't know enough. Selz, Yedlin, Lazaar and Atsu all have the potential to be PL-quality players given playing time. Further comment is necessarily reserved to judge on their performances. Hanley, Clark and Murphy appear to be Championship-quality, but - as has been acknowledged all along - the Championship is a squad exercise, bearing in mind the frequency of the games and the physicality of the league, so I am not sure why people are disappointed/underwhelmed/surprised. Personally I always felt we would - and frankly should - have made a few signings of this ilk just for the numbers. For years we have been woefully short on squad depth and Rafa said early on that he'd need to address this. Of the outgoings: Cabella, Thauvin, Riviere and Saivet were failed products of an extremely flawed and rigid transfer policy, and were not fit for purpose/did not want to be here. I don't consider the loss of them to have any negative impact on the team/club/squad whatsoever. Coloccini, Taylor, Cisse (and, if he somehow goes, Tiote) are all well past their sell-by date. None were fit for PL duty for- and this is being kind - the last 2 seasons at least. I don't think any of them would have fared any better in the Championship, because they would have continued to decline in my opinion. Taylor's heart might have been in it if we offered for him to stay, but aside from being crap he's also extremely injury-prone. The rest would never have wanted to be there. Armstong, Sterry, Mbabu and Toney - all of these young players have potential, but need some proper experience and game time to develop. It appears that our manager (who is basically the second coming at this point) did not believe they were ready for that yet at this level/in this environment/with promotion being imperative, so they are being loaned out in order to potentially benefit us in the future/examine over a longer period of time whether they're fit for task. It can only be a positive for us in that respect, unless we have a severe injury crisis (in which case, for all we know, we would be able to recall from from said loan). Mbabu is the slight question mark because he looked decent when he played last year, but it was an extremely small window and he also needs to prove that he can stay fit over the course of a year - to be out injured as frequently as he is at his age is arguably alarming. De Jong/Krul - As mentioned above, the physicality of the league and frequency of the games mean we don't really want to be carrying permacrocks. De Jong may well have bossed this division because he is supposedly a very adept player, but he's been unfit the whole time he's been here. Seeing if he can prove that fitness, while maintaining his contractual status with us, means we can keep an eye on him to see if he can actually get himself in shape without having to rely on him. It's an intelligent use of the loan system. Krul would have been good at this level, but, again, he has had recurring injury problems. Let him prove his fitness and then we can make a decision as to our long-term number 1. You need a consistent, reliable and ever-present first choice keeper in the league in an ideal world, and his fitness issues meant he was unlikely to be it. We have three able keepers without him anyhow, so get his wages (partly at least) off the books and again, we can monitor his rehab. After years of injury mismanagement, I don't see how people can't see that this strategy - long-term, no-pressure rehab - is a great idea. Obertan - s***. Marveaux - looked talented in fits and starts, but again had injury issues and rumoured to have poor attitude. When I saw him I personally rated him, but he's done nothing on loan/elsewhere that makes me think he'd be a difference-maker at this level. Probably thoroughly disaffected after 3/4 years here anyhow and likely wanted out, too much of a risk to keep around in the circumstances (of must-gain promotion). Sammy, Vuckic, Bigirimana - would have outright sold the first 2 as well, none are good enough. Bigirimana gets some sympathy because he had the potential and got poorly treated under Pardew, but the club needs to move forward and not ponder what ifs/consider the last chance saloon anymore. No loss to the club. The final four, unless you are just being spiteful, all would have been good at this level and helped us achieve promotion, unless their attitude was so poor that it rendered their inclusion pointless (which may have been the case, who knows what has been said behind the scenes). Townsend - gets a free pass from me. Put in the required effort last year, scored some useful goals and provided some useful assists. However, he joined us as a product of our circumstances (desperation, near relegation) and protected himself in case it happened. Loses a few points because his decision is potentially short-sighted when you consider the Rafa vs Pardew, but (because England are s***) the guy has England prospects and it was his decision. He made it. Ritchie's just as good, if different. Thanks for your effort, we move on. Janmaat - I actually would have kept him around, rated him. He dipped last year but I think it was mental and based on a realisation that we were a nothing club with no ambition at that stage. Then again, he is prone to lapses defensively and more offensively minded; the fact that Rafa allowed him to walk for a very modest fee (in this summer's terms) suggests that he doesn't rate him very highly. It's to early to say whether Yedlin can fill his shoes, but Anita has been pretty good at RB since the back end of last season in my opinion. Wijnaldum - being realistic, he is too talented for the Championship. Yes he went missing too many times, yes he doesn't seem able to grasp a game by the scruff of a neck and influence it outright. I actually think he's a "7 a side player". We received a very inflated fee for his contributions. He gets a free pass in my mind because he may well have been much, much more influential under competent management and in non-toxic surroundings; there's clearly a decent player (and, in my opinion, bloke) in there somewhere. However, if he's just as anonymous at Liverpool, then we're probably well shot. Never expected him to stay but a bit gutted nonetheless. Sissoko - 30m for him is daylight robbery. He's a very limited footballer. He can be a role player on a team that needs a powerful, athletic flat-track bully, but I think he only "shone" in our side because we had very, very few good players over the last three years. I think he'll be a complete waste of money flop at Spurs because he's thick as mince. Again, mitigating circumstances due to incompetent coaching and toxic environment, but I've seen enough to conclude that he's not that great a player. Had he stayed and actually wanted to contribute, then he likely would have been useful at this level; but in an age of player power, over-hype of athleticism over footballing talent and offering our club as a stepping stone, there was no purpose of him staying. Team spirit is an important thing, especially at this level, and he likely would not have been a positive contributor on that front. It's largely a positive, but with a twinge of regret because had we been a proper club, he could well have been a very useful player (we won't ever know, realistically). Overall: Based on the above, anybody who is complaining needs a reality check. It's as good as it could have been in the circumstances, and we've banked enough to buy insurance policies if we need them in January and, I reckon, given ourselves financial flexibility to re-establish ourselves as a PL entity if we go back up. I expected Rafa to execute the window to an identifiable and sensible plan, and that's what he's done.

Woooooouuuullllddd haaaaaaaaaavvvveeee

Also don't name yourself after one of a rapist's favoured locations.