Cronky

There are lots of issues that I could argue with, but just to pick a couple - It often gets said that Ashley needs to communicate more with the fans about the club's strategy. Well, he's already done that, in black and white (no pun etc) Break even in terms of annual income / expenditure by 2015, develop young talent, only pay money for players whose value will be maintained or increased over the length of the contract. He's actually been far more transparent than most owners. The Carroll transfer often gets used as evidence that Ashley is simply out to make a profit, but £35m was a ridiculous offer and, if the money is used wisely, can result in a stronger squad. There's every sign that the club are trying to do that, but obviously it's not easy if more successful clubs are also interested in the top players. Critics like Barton and Keegan both came out with the rather schizoid stance of criticising the club for selling their best player and then later saying that they'd have taken the same decision, giving the size of the offer. You can't have it both ways.

It reminds me a bit of the old story of the team celebrating in the dressing room after winning a trophy. The Chairman pokes his head around the door and says, 'Well done, lads. Now I'll be able to buy some really good players'. Basically, the group of lads have made themselves redundant. They deserve our appreciation for their efforts and achievements, but at the end of the day they are professional sportsmen who are extremely well paid, and protected by contracts. The club doesn't have to act like it's a charity.

He also shouldn't be talking about Jonas and Jose and their futures like that. If they want to comment, they can do so for themselves. It was a worry of mine that Joey was going to take his apparent rejection by the club badly, and act in a destructive way. This doesn't look good.

Realistically, it would be difficult for him to continue to be the main man in the dressing room if he's not in the first team. Ashley showed with Hughton that he has a ruthless streak. If it leads to success, we won't be complaining.

I still don't get the 'dings' but never mind. We've had five years and more of Shearer saying that he wants to be a manager, but somehow it not happening. He's opted for the easier life of the pundit. Sure I'm speculating, but if someone has any more plausible theories, let's hear them. I don't blame the bloke at all. It's his life. And who knows, one day he might well scoop a really good job under the noses of other candidates who have grafted at the likes of Hartlepool. That's up to the club in question.

Ding ding ding ding ding! no comprendo

I think that, as with us, it hinged on money available for new players. Shearer doesn't want to make the sacrifices that go with management unless he has a good chance of success.

From a quick look at Wiki, Cardiff's situation is similar to QPR's. The owners are wealthy, but haven't bankrolled things on the pitch to the degree that you might expect. That might change now. I don't think Shearer would join what looked like a sinking ship. I suspect his name has loosened the purse strings a bit and he'll be backed in the transfer market.

Aren't Cardiff in some financial trouble?

I'm a bit relieved that it appears we're looking at him for a more withdrawn or wider role. I wasn't sure whether he'd be ready to take the sort of battering that a striker who leads the line has to take in the Premiership. He seems to be in the number 9 role at PSG, but as someone has pointed out, the defending in France is somewhat less robust.

What's bothering me a bit is that, of those players, Erdinc is the only one that seems to be getting pushed out of his club. There's a new broom at PSG and I get the impression he's surplus to requirements. His 'bad spell' is a worry because the Premiership - and our club in particular - is no place for a striker whose confidence is a bit shaky. He'll need to find his feet fairly soon. Bellamy has been mentioned, but confidence was never Bellamy's problem and he made his mark right away. As I said, I'll keep an open mind, but I've been quite excited about our other signings / links, but not this one. So far.

I like the look of Ba. He looks a tough hombre who's already shown he can impose himself on Premiership defences. I'm not sure about Erdinc, and I'm not sure why the journo bigged him up as someone whose name he couldn't reveal without causing some big fuss. That's all.

I'm keeping an open mind on the player. It's just that the journo seemed to be shrouding the whole thing in mystery, like something really big was in the pipeline. I'm still hoping for Drogba, truth be told. He needs a change of scene and a final challenge to round off his career.

He looks decent technically, but I'm not sure he's got the athleticism for the Premiership. He might need to toughen up. Whatever, he can't really be called a 'big name'. I'd be disappointed if it was him.

Isn't that a positive?

The next decision will define the rest of his career, so I can understand him wanting to take his time. I actually think he'll struggle to get an offer from a bigger club, or one with better prospects. He may get an opportunity but those clubs might well have other targets who they prefer to go for at this early stage. Providing he's happy with the club and the area, he'd be as well to throw in his lot with us. I certainly don't think he'll get an offer from a risk-free mega-club eg Man U, Chelsea, Barca, Arsenal etc

I really like the guy's attitude. He wants to make his own mark on a team that's a work in progress, rather than join a set-up that's already established. It's the sort of decision that often works best, and the likes of Gervinho should consider that.

Drogba. I think he's bored at Chelsea and could do with a fresh challenge.

I think he looked better last season because he was played in the only position where he should be asked to play ie leading the line as a traditional number 9. He can't drop deeper or play wide, which was what was happening when he had to play with another similar striker. It's also helped his reputation that he bagged a few goals, but that can happen with any striker who hits a good streak. If we're going to play better football, we need attacking players with a bit more in their armoury. In a 4-3-3 he would mostly be required to lead the line, you would expect Ben Arfa or Zog/other to be providing the width. As a squad player he's adequate imo. If we've got Ben Arfa and Zoggy, picking Best to lead the line feels like an offence against the gods of football. When I said he's been better in that number 9 position, I didn't mean to imply that he'd been particularly good.

A decent article spoiled by the penultimate paragraph, which is a diversion from the main point. With virtually any club, you'll find a large proportion of supporters demanding that the owner/chairman 'splashes the cash', 'invests', 'gets out the cheque book' as the way forward, coupled with the accusation that they are using the club to line their own pockets, however much the facts state otherwise. I don't think NUFC fans are different from others in that respect. There may be a question of degree though, because the level of support is large, the club plays an important part in the life and identity of the city, and it's been a long time since there's been any success. The feeling of having been let down, and the pressure on the owner to deliver, may be that bit greater at our club. What Ashley has shown over the last year - not before time - is an ability and willingness to resist that pressure.

What does cabaye say about gervinho? Having a lovely time, wish you were here.

I think he looked better last season because he was played in the only position where he should be asked to play ie leading the line as a traditional number 9. He can't drop deeper or play wide, which was what was happening when he had to play with another similar striker. It's also helped his reputation that he bagged a few goals, but that can happen with any striker who hits a good streak. If we're going to play better football, we need attacking players with a bit more in their armoury.

Pardew is trying to add more pace and sharpness to the attack and Ba would make sense from that point of view. I do get uneasy when Best is named as a decent back-up option for the future. For me, he's a British centre forward in the traditional mould - strong and good in the air, clumsy and slow in other respects. He's the sort of player we should be leaving behind if we're going to progress.

But dammit man, the tie! Look at the state of his tie! The tie is cool though. Shows he's smart, but laid back too. The knot is at a skewed angle and adrift from the collar. No doubt Pardew will be having a word with him.

But dammit man, the tie! Look at the state of his tie!