Cronky

Thanks guys. God this new tech is dangerous. Apologies to Alex.

Okay, I'll rise to the bait. What has always irked me is the way in which HBA and Keegan have been put on such pedestals that any criticism gets treated as blasphemy, however mild the criticism, and however much one may couch the criticism within an acknowledgement of the positive things they brought to the club. The anger and emotion is so often disproportionate. I'll test it out. HBA was an absolutely brilliant player. In terms of raw talent, the only one who could compare with him at our club is Gazza. There was no limit to what he could have achieved in his career. Those goals against Everton and Bolton brought me to my feet. The problem wasn't that he was one of those individualists who couldn't contribute overall to a team effort. Rather, he had this compulsion to bring about conflict with coaches and team-mates alike. In a strange but not unique way, he was more comfortable with failure and victimhood than success. As for which manager could have brought out the best in him, I can think of only one. That's Eddie.

Ben Arfa was often at odds with team-mates. It wasn't just managers or authority figures in general. You admirers often seem to have this unnecessarily hostile attitude to his critics. Yes, he was a very talented player, but it's a team game, on and off the field. What I think is sometimes missed is this element of self-sabotage that he showed in his career. Apart from Nice, he seemed to willfully mess up every opportunity he had. Deep down, I don't think he could cope with success and its pressures. It's easier in many ways to stay a rebel.

Let's just remember what happened with Joelinton when Eddie moved him away from the front line. I think we'll see a different Woltemade too.

On reflection, the player that I saw on the match highlights didn't look like the player that I saw in the Under 21s. He looked a bit nervous and hesitant, whereas in the Under 21s he was eager to get on the ball and make things happen. Maybe that's because he was given a freer role, I don't know. Obviously there's less pressure at that level. He's only had three caps and Germany have lost all three games, so things aren't going well. He's also had a turbulent last few days with the transfer. Eddie is very good at giving players the right environment, so let's be patient.

I'm only going by the highlights, but he didn't look all that confident in that No9 position. It's being widely said that he prefers a more withdrawn forward role, so maybe there's something in that. He didn't seem to do that well with his heading opportunities, but that's something that can be improved with coaching.

The report I read in the Times said that the Lewis family have no intention of selling. Levy has delivered a magnificent stadium and, as far as I know, given them financial stability. The supporters seem to have turned against him for the usual reason that supporters turn against a regime - results on the pitch.

I agree. The man has far too much class to say anything bitchy. Regardless of others' behaviour, you have to abide by your own standards.

I'm all in favour of a spending cap, but that table brings home how ridiculous the effective limit of £35m per season really is. It's been unchanged in over 10 years.

McFaul Nattrass Moncur Woodgate Kennedy Green Bruno Gascoigne Bellamy Beardsley Isak I wish I didn't have to pick the last guy, but I have to be honest. That front three together would be deadly. The defenders may look like an old guy's sentimental choices, but for no particular reason I don't think we've produced outstanding defenders apart from Woodgate.

Like Amorim was the next Guardiola. Decisions seem to be based on supporter-like dreams, rather than hard-nosed professionalism. Anyway, I do like the way you continue to post on here, despite all the stick.

That may be the case, but sometimes you just have to bite the bullet. You need an experienced, confident keeper.

I don't know Lemmens, but he's young for a keeper and he comes from the Belgian league. There's bound to be an element of risk. Apparently they could have got Martinez, but they baulked at his wages. I do wonder who's making the decisions with transfers. Goalkeeper isn't the most glamourous position, but it's a very important one.

It was interesting that Steve Parish was the one who made the official announcement, gushing about what a great signing this was. I do wonder whether he was hoping to convince Glasner that this was Guehi's promised replacement. Allowing a sought-after player to end up with only one year left on their contract is a big error. It looks like another cock-up to go with the ownership issue.

I think we're overpaying slightly for this lad, but sometimes you have to.

Got to say, that when I first saw that figure of £28.5m, I thought they may have put the decimal point in the wrong place. But with both Villa and Frankfurt showing an interest, I've decided to keep an open mind about this lad.

I haven't enjoyed the window, with all the drama around Isak, and the media's unrestrained relish whenever one of the 'big six' beat us to a player. Only a few days ago, I was worried that we'd end up in a very bad position. In the end though, our much-maligned recruitment team have really come up trumps. Overall, I think we now have a better squad and a better first team than last season. The big plus for me is Woltemade. I think that all the big clubs (including Bayern) thought that it was only a matter of time before he ended up at Bayern. We've stolen in while no-one was looking and landed a major talent. So I give it a 9.

I don't think it's fair to blame the club. These things happen in football. It looks like the agent set things up so that Isak was no longer any use to us, and there was only one club who was in a position to buy him. We couldn't generate an auction, so £125m is about what we can expect. I'd say he's worth £150m, but hey ho. If we get another striker in today, (and it doesn't need to be a Lewandowski), this will be a good window. I really rate Woltemade.

What an unbelievable signing. I saw him at the Under 21s, and I've just checked out a Youtube compilation. He's immensely strong. Defenders were grabbing his shirt, his arms, his shoulders, doing everything but shoot him, and he was just shrugging them off. He was literally head and shoulders above everyone with his headed goals - he'll be great in combination with Elanga and Gordon. For a big lad, he's got very quick feet, and he can shoot. He's even got pace. I think he'll prove to be a better signing than any of the strikers that we missed out on. All round, he may turn out to be better than Isak.

I saw him play in the under 21s and I thought he was great. I can't believe we've got him. I thought he was destined for Bayern or one of the mega-clubs.

Bloody hell. That’s cheered me up. He’s seriously good.

Out of genuine interest, who was that?

I've just watched Amorim's post-match interviews. He's as good as offered his resignation. One of the great things about following football is you've never seen it all. That was astonishing. Right from the start, I've been surprised at the negative air that he has injected into his comments to the media. He sometimes gets applauded for his 'honesty', but he needs to be encouraging his players far more. 'Honesty' is for the dressing room. Sesko looked lost. It was like Hojland all over again. When your centre forward is the 10th one up for a penalty, there's something wrong.

It must be pretty discouraging for a team when their manager is too nervous to watch them take penalties. I don't doubt that he has some ability, but this job has come round to him too early.

I find the timing of this thread a bit strange. We've just witnessed a really exciting game, and a few months ago we won our first trophy in decades. Yes, there's a problem with the income distribution between clubs. The gaps between the regular Champions League entrants and the rest of the Premiership, and between the Premiership and the Championship, are both too large. I don't like the idea of the new Regulatory Authority, but maybe something will spring from that. I'm 68 and I'm still passionate about football. Firstly, the quality of the product that the Premiership offers is great. It scoops up much of the best footballing and managerial talent from all over the world. Secondly, I'm still hopeful that we can make a breakthrough, despite the PSR obstacles. The reason is that we have a manager who is able to get performances from individuals and from a team that are way beyond what could normally be expected. The only equivalent I can think of is Brian Clough. As an NUFC supporter, the best of times is now, no question. This is a great journey. Although we've made some good signings, this window has felt a bit shitty. We looked set for real progress, but our best player looks to have decided that he's better off elsewhere. It's a setback, but not the end. Dealing with this blow can make us stronger eventually.