Mowen

Transfers: what I've decided. (Disclaimer: Opinion may change if/when I discover I'm wrong) We need a striker for this season more than we need a player for anywhere else. However, we need a striker more for the short term, as we will have 3 other strikers at the start of next season, so ideally someone who could slot in at third choice, ahead of Shola. I also believe we need a left back, but we could do with someone who is going to be first choice left back for a few years, so it makes sense to make similar amounts of money available for each position, since you can buy a decent striker for roughly the same as a first choice left back (in theory). We could do with re-inforcements elsewhere eventually, but I think these positions are the most important, so I would split whatever we have to spend this summer between the two positions. Nobby can do a job at right back for the rest of the season, and I believe that once the injuries start to clear up we will have more than enough cover, if not necessarily class, to cover midfield and centre back for the rest of the season. Players I would ask about: Striker - Robbie Keane, David Nugent, Collins John, Mark Viduka and Beattie at last resort. In that order. Left Back - Wayne Bridge, Leighton Baines, Nicky Shorey and possibly Bale, although I get the impression he could be a touch expensive. Obviously it all depends on which clubs would be willing to sell for a decent price, but we'll see. There are also almost certainly players I've forgotten.

Probably because they think it's called Local Hero.

Couldn't they tell which one?

Source I don't go for this baseless speculation shite. Everyone is interested in him according to one paper or another (Including Arsenal(!) and them(!!!)). Unless something actually happens I don't think there is much to talk about. I don't know... what could be more fun than endless speculation to talk and argue about? Oh..

Wrong. Evertonians not mancs. Not just Evertonians, one of my housemates at uni sings this song regularly and he lives very near Stockport. The Mancs sing it as well. If you want to have an argument about who invented it, feel free!

Just out of interest, why? Not having a dig, but a lot of people on here seem to be reasonably anti-Parker of late, and I wondered what attributes you think it is that Parker has that makes him more valuable than Emre?

that's not a spike, thats a Mugabe election result The OP asked for three votes. Given will get one most of the time even if people don't think he's the best. blueyes.gif

Not meaning to have a dig at Ally or 2J, but surely you could compile some unbelievable clips of Given. Does past footage really mean that much, or is it easier to rely on word of mouth?

For fucks sake! :wullie: Had a couple more thoughts about strikers I'd like us to have at least a look at before we have to go for a more expensive option: both Collins John and Dave Nugent are youngish hungry goalscorers who I think could do a very good job for us given the responsibility of being first chioce for the rest of this season and learning from the bench when Owen returns next year. I'd love Robbie Keane as well, a natural goalscorer, a 'fox in the box' if you will. Berbatov and Defoe seem to be the starters at the moment, although I think RK is injured. Anyone reckon we could prize him away for £5-7m?

Don't forget Brian Pinas!

Seems like he's gone to Celtic: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/charlton_athletic/6216305.stm Maybe he's not moving his family so far eh Vic? :winking:

Aye, but in the second half of the season what happens if Martins and Sibierski are injured for a lengthy period? We would clearly be in trouble. However, I don't think we're at the stage where we can afford to spend upwards of £8m on someone who would be third choice striker when everyone is fit, as much as I'd like us to. (Obviously this is making assumptions about how much we will have available to spend, but I think they're reasonable enough). Given the other areas of the squad that also need reinforcing (LB, CB) I think we would be better off looking for a cheaper option a la Beattie/Viduka who will be able to do a good job for us, and will not be looking for first team football the way Crouch is. If Crouch is unhappy with being on the bench at the moment how will he feel when Owen and Oba are fit? I agree, but that's assuming the club has a choice. This is the balancing act and why it's not easy to conduct transfers and get the players a club wants. The way people go on ( not you ) anyone would think it was simple. The club may want to go for a cheaper option but what if that cheaper option has other opportunities, or his agent wants him to hang on right to the last day? Then what? You're right, we could well end up in trouble if we don't sign a striker - one injury to Martins and we're struggling. As admirably as he's performed for us I can't see the Sib doing too well week in week out up top on his own. In my opinion I'd rather we went for cheaper options from day one, and run the risk of getting Crouch for £10m on the last day of the window, when all other possibilities have been exhausted. It won't be that easy to bring in a decent striker, but I'd rather the most expensive option was our lowest priority at the moment, hopefully giving us a chance to bring in a few more bodies. Having said that, if there are no defenders to be had, we may as well spend the extra (e.g.) £4m we would have on them on a striker. We'd be better off signing just Crouch than just Beattie.

Aye, but in the second half of the season what happens if Martins and Sibierski are injured for a lengthy period? We would clearly be in trouble. However, I don't think we're at the stage where we can afford to spend upwards of £8m on someone who would be third choice striker when everyone is fit, as much as I'd like us to. (Obviously this is making assumptions about how much we will have available to spend, but I think they're reasonable enough). Given the other areas of the squad that also need reinforcing (LB, CB) I think we would be better off looking for a cheaper option a la Beattie/Viduka who will be able to do a good job for us, and will not be looking for first team football the way Crouch is. If Crouch is unhappy with being on the bench at the moment how will he feel when Owen and Oba are fit?

Yeah, that's the sort of thing I was talking about. I think possibly Cech would inspire more confidence in our back four, whereas sometimes I get the impression that they're unsure as to who should be dealing with the ball in.

I'm not so sure tbh. We seem to concede a lot of our goals from set pieces/crosses, and I think Cech commands his box better than Shay does, and is better at getting to the deliveries in the first place.

blueyes.gif

He's also a centre back. Does he ever play LB for Citeh?

I'm not sure that's true, fairly convinced I've seen Pearce say he wants him for the rest of the season enough that he'd rather let him go for free than for a couple of million in January. I'd be surprised if he went anywhere on the cheap.

I think you've forgotten how average/crap Distin was for us. He seems to be ridiculously over-rated IMO. Seems to make a lot of mistakes for citeh from what I see of him as well.

Aye, good inside info Vicky :winking:

You must have been fucking fuming when we signed Woodgate!

Your last sentance is somewhat contradictory Ideally Baines, maybe Upson and Viduka if we can get him for less than £2m: that should leave us with a strong enough squad to kick on for the rest of the season, and a good base to build from next summer. I wouldn't be surprised to see us moving for Pressley and Bridge, maybe with SWP on a loan deal. Pressleys's missus just had a baby, inlikely to be wanting a move, Bridge just signed a new contract I didn't say we'd sign them, just that I wouldn't be surprised to see us making a move for them :winking:. I think it would be worth enquiring about Pressley on a free for half a season to add some expreience to our young backline, and Bridge is the best ooption for leftback as far as I'm concerned, so we might as well ask - particularly if the stories about us almost having him wrapped up on the last deadline day are true.

blueyes.gif

Tbh, I think it waas an error of judgement from Ramage, surely he should have been chesting rather than heading it? There's no way it would have gone past Pav at that rate if it was off his chest rather than head I would imagine.