Shak

Would be a very disappointing signing, mostly because it'd indicate that we missed out on all our main targets in terms of strikers. Would be a stop-gap signing, and has been said he was poor at the Euro's and is nothing even approaching the player he once was. Would be an improvement over Smith and Shola though, I guess.

I thought we'd established that Ronaldo didn't play in midfield lads.

Would have been quality had he slipped while collecting his award.

Best case scenario, if most of the team stay fit I can see us being upper mid table, but missing out on Europe. If we have injury problems (6/7 injuries for significant parts of the season) I think we'll struggle to do any better than last year. IMO we'll drop a lot of points in games like last weekend where a team sets out to defend against us, as we've a lack of options to break them down, and we'll leak a few goals on the break as we push for a winner. This is based on the current squad. If there's noone we can realistically sign who can offer much improvement to our potential for this season, then i think that's a pretty sad state of affairs, and I can't see how that situation is going to improve in the future. Agree with that more or less completely. I'll be furious if there's not at least 1 signing that we expect to come in and significantly improve the first team. Either a central midfielder who'll give us better distribution from the middle or else a striker who can offer us a bit of quality dropping deep and linking the play. On top of that we need a squad replacement for Milner if he leaves and then I'll be happy.

I can't remember too many players being told they are going and then the selling club withdrawing at the last minute and keeping a player who will have been told that he was not a part of our plans. The Souness comment was made while Milner was at the club and we had just lost in Europe, he wasn't at Villa at all. Was pretty sure the season was finished when Souness said that, but not sure. Either way, he's still been in our first team pretty much the whole time he has been here, he's hardly been treated awfully has he?

Don't really get all this "he's been treated terribly by the club" stuff. Deals collapse all the time, sure it's tough on him but it's part of the business. More importantly though in his time here he's had every chance to improve as a player. He must have started well over a hundred games in his favourite position, on the wing, and by all accounts he's been treated very well apart from one collapsed move. The Souness comments were unfair, but Milner was on loan at Villa the whole time anyway. Agree that he's been a very good pro though of course.

We need to replace Ameobi and Smith, you can't just keep adding more strikers when you've got 6 that have already represented the first team last season without shifting some dead weight. I'm assuming we're trying to get a deal for a new striker arranged before allowing Smith to leave. Fucking hope so anyway.

We do need another striker, hard to deny it really.

As said, I think he'll be an improvement over Butt in there. While not a world class player, at his best he's the best CM we have and I think once fully fit and not suspended he'll be in the first team. Still think another CM is essential though. Allow Barton, Guthrie and the new man to battle for the two spots. I'd be fine with that, with Butt as 4th choice and then leaving next summer.

Reads to me like he's trying to light a bit of a fire under the recruitment teams arse. Only 5 days left, this time next week we'll have a much better idea of what our new board are really made of.

My point is that plenty of people will argue that he's not a good little player at all.

I like to imagine junkhead as a complete heroin addict, spacing out 23 hours a day on a manky ould mattress in a rundown flat, with the odd post on N-O from his shitty 20 year old computer his only contact with other humans.

You've no read the thread then? Glad to hear you're coping by the way Jon. Chin up, things will get better.

Going to a festival early on Friday morning and won't be back and anywhere near a computer until Monday afternoon. I'll have someone text me the result of the Arsenal match but that'll be about it as far as Newcastle info goes. Gonna be very interesting logging on on Monday and trying to decipher what exactly has happened over the weekend.

Agreed. nowt spectacular but would be a solid signing. How about Wigan`s right winger, Valencia? I'd take either of those two and be very pleased with getting rid of Milner. Still need a central midfielder and probably a striker after that though.

Larsson from Birmingham would do me, better player with more upside.

Hope Jon is OK, poor guy.

Delighted. On yer bike, ya useless cunt.

No, It's still embarrassing. Give over, we've outplayed them and been unlucky in 90 mins.

Oh yes, you've missed a lot my friend.

Very Spurs-esque team. Midfielders for the win.

We'll sign a full-back and a CM, one before this weekend and the other on Sunday or Monday. The alleged "wow signing" is Berbatov in my opinion, and it's not going to happen. If he hasn't signed for Man U by Monday then we'll come in with a big bid and try and push through a shock deal. But odds are he will have signed for them by then, and if not they'll get their act together when we make our move and get the deal done.

What I least like about him is his lack of urgency on the ball, particularly when he has a bit of space to run into on a counter attack. He's not as slow as some make him out, but he plays at an annoyingly lethargic pace too much for me, which is frustrating considering his best quality is probably being able to beat his man and create enough space to get a cross in. His crossing isn't fantastic, but I could live with it if he'd try and make things happen a bit more when he has a bit of space in front of him to work with. As it is he farts about doing pointless stepovers and allowing to defence to regroup much too much. Rarely does anything particularly positive with the ball until every so often he puts a good cross in.

I'd say the left probably suits Jonas better. He likes to come infield and get involved as much as he can, so coming from the left suits him as he has the ball on his right foot. Though I reckon on the right he'd be a lot better than Milner has in the first two games, so if we can get a proper LB in then ideally I'd want N'Zogbia on the left and Jonas on the right for a few games, think that could be a very good pairing.