Shak

Only way we're going to get the superstars of tomorrow (I hate myself for using that term) really these days. £1m isn't much really these days, and if we get lucky and unearth the next Wayne Rooney then it's one of the best pieces of business ever. Low risk- high reward strategy, definitely worth taking the chance on a few lads like this.

I reckon a young understudy is the most likely thing, someone who can take over from Butt eventually. I'd be surprised if Butt isn't starting on the first day of the season tbh. As we saw towards the end of the season, when Butt is asked to just sit in front of the back 4 and stop the opposition and not try anything too ambitious going forward he's a very solid player. It's when he's got wasters like Alan Smith and, previously, Scott Parker accompanying him in CM, floundering in their attempts to be the ball playing CM that Butt tends to get out of his depth as he then starts trying to do more than what he's suited to doing, namely sitting in front of the back 4. With a better player than Geremi alongside him, I think he can be reliable next season. If we can afford to bring in a top replacement for him then I'm all for it, because he's not a world-beater by any means, but I don't see replacing him as being an absolute necessity, while the other 3 new starters are IMO.

I'm happy enough for Butt to be first choice next season, he's not world class but does his job quite well. We absolutely need someone with a bit of craft on the ball in there somewhere though. If we go into next year with Barton, N'Zogbia and Milner as our primary attacking midfielders either side of Butt then we're goosed tbh. Really do rate Zoggy but he's at his best playing very direct so we need someone else in there who can slow it down a bit and dictate the tempo. Ideally my 3 signings would be an experienced, cerebral CB who reads the game evry well, a ball playing midfielder and a big, physical CF type. Go into next season with a team something like this ------------------ Given/Harper Beye ---- Taylor/Faye --- New CB ------ Enrique ----------New CM ---- Butt ---- N'Zogbia Owen Martins ------------- New CF If we can get a really good DM in to replace Butt then by all menas go for it, but these 3 other positions are the most important for me. I would then expect there'll be a squad player or two brought in as the likes of Duff, Smith and Barton may be moved on. I think that team would have a nice balance to it, with N'Zogbia playing much wider than the new CM, operating as more of winger when we do have possession. Martins could pull out to the right hand side to try and give us a bit of width out there, as the new man brought in will hopefully be a bit more of a ball player type.

Well all know Cath's taste in men is nothing to get excited about.

In a way, you could say that she has a point.

Couldn't agree more, lets hope Keegan sees this thread.

Was watching an FA Cup game a few months back, think it was Man U v Arsenal where Man U thumped them. Girlfriend was swanning about in the kitchen, no interest in football at all. The pundits were talking away at half time when she asks "Who's the hot guy?". Given that the three fellas on screen were Shearer, Linekar and Hanson I had to ask which one she meant. Apparently Alan Shearer is pretty hot.

Even if you do rate Dawson, surely you can't really argue that he's the type of defender we need at all. We need a more composed, organiser type CB to play alongside Faye/Taylor. Someone who reads the game well and will allow Taylor/Faye to be the more physical all-action CB. Dawson certainly doesn't fit into that category, he'd be a dreadful signing tbh.

I always give a disappointed sigh and look suitably unimpressed for a moment before changing the subject. Real men follow football. FACT.

Be a good signing as long as he's not the lad we're bringing in and expecting to turn us around or anything. Tidy player who can play a few different positions. Technically very good which is something we lack badly in midfield, I'd be happier seeing him on the pitch than Geremi or Milner.

Rozenhal looks composed on the ball alright, but under any pressure he tends to panic and hoof it aimlessly, or that's what it seemed like when he played for us, could easily have been Big Sam's instructions though I suppose. His passing is quite overrated by some on here, it's not really much to get excited about at all.

He's useless though Jon. Can't cross, his passing is s****, set-pieces are worse than his passing, slow as f*** and ugly as original sin. Useless.

http://videodetective.com/photos/060/00255324_.jpg "JonE5 is alive!!!"

So why are Barca selling him for £4 million? If he's got so much potential then why not develop him and sell for a massive fee, or even keep him and reap the rewards? Last year of his contract and he wanted to leave Also the fact that Bojan and Messi are vastly better prospects so Dos Santos likely won't see enough first team football to be worth keeping around.

To be fair to Dos Santos, he's only just turned 19, still can go on to be a very, very good player you would think. He may not be at Messi or Bojan's level, but he's a very exciting prospect and I'd be delighted if it was us signing him, and I suspect many others here would too.

Only 12 grand, eh? Even with club authorisation it'd be a waste of £435. I mean who can't find the fixtures if they want to anyway?

Potential to be better than Carrick?!?! Sign him up FFS.

I say keep him. He's on his way to being absolutely world class in a year or two. His stepovers and twists are amazing, and he works hard as a motherfucker too.

I don't see your point. I think people can't or won't seperate the man from the job he did in Shepherd and Halls case. I've said it often enough, I judge a chairman primarily by how they back their managers, and in this instance Mort has came acros to me as being completely out of touch and knowing nothing about football. Why do people think he's been such a good chairman, he's done nothing except ironically make some stupid statements to the press. He's also had 2 managers complaing about the clubs ineffiency to complete transfer deals. To me, this is as worrying as it gets Fair enough, I don't think he's done a particularly good job either if I'm being honest but he's hardly been a disaster either. It would appear that he was only ever here on a short-term basis and that he was always going to be replaced this summer, so it's unlikely he was ever going to come in and do anything radical or be particularly knowledgeable about football. Stop-gap chairman that did pretty much what you'd expect him to do IYAM. More interested to see who is replacement is and how much Ashley is willing to put into transfers, which is his call at the end of the day and not Mort's. Anyway, best duck and cover before I end up arguing about the board with you, a prospect that terrifies me to my very core.

Where's anyone said that doing the conga makes him a good chairman anyway? People seem to think it's funny, and I'd tend to agree with that tbh. But I can't see where anyone has used it as any sort of indicator as to how he's done as a chairman, unless you count Jonny Hall's original post that first brought the incident to people's attention, which was clearly in jest. Why can't you seperate the man from the job he's done NE5? Because I really don't see the need for going off on a wobbler here at all.

Yeah, one of my Man U fan friends reaction was "Yeah, f*** him anyway" Yeah, you're welcome.