Shak

Yesterday should have driven home how desperately we need strikers added to the squad. If we signed Wood and then added another, more exciting striker like Isak in the coming weeks it would make sense. 17m does seem stupid money for someone who should be 3rd choice behind Wilson and a new striker soon. Although I suppose we could be targeting someone who can lead the line or play just off the striker, in which case Wood would (wood would Fleetwood) still figure to be quite involved even if everyone was fit.

Honestly got a bit emotional typing out that formation. Really took me back to my college days, stoned out of it in the computer labs typing out the ways we'd accommodate players we were linked with into Bobby's team.

From the links it does seem to indicate Howe would like to go for a back 3/5. Very attack minded full backs in Trips and Digne seems to be Plan A and the lack of targets of wide attacking players is another clue. Could be aiming for something like this, best case scenario. Dubravka Schar Carlos Botman Trippier Digne Kamara Wijnaldum Joelinton ASM Isak 17 points from the next 9 games to pull clear, meanwhile we've had some easy draws in the FA Cup and have coasted to the quarters...

Yeah, huge run of games coming up and we need to get our targets in as soon as possible. I'm sure our current bid (or something slightly lower, frankly) would be accepted on deadline day but we haven't got that luxury and Lille know it. If we have other targets that we're equally as excited by then we could choose to make a bit of a statement here by walking away... if this is the guy we really want though I suspect we'll meet Lille's terms very soon.

This is all fucking hilarious

Nah, the good times are here. @Mike

It's weird liking a positive post by you.. it's weird that the football section is a positive place now

I love how quickly we've all just accepted our new wonderful reality

Change the thread title FFS, I can't nut til the thread title is right.

Honestly? Are you saying some of your thoughts are dishonest?

Sounds good, we should always aim to have one player whose name fits nicely into an Agadoo chant.

Yeah, there's a balance to be struck between getting our #1 target and letting clubs know we won't have the piss taken over the price. A few negotiations where we walk away from the deal and move to other targets will be beneficial to us in the long term.

Botman seems like the kind of signing we should be making. You're hopefully getting a player who'll develop into a cornerstone of the team for the next decade. I get the idea behind signing Trippier and Ramsay of course, players who can hit the ground running and hopefully keep us up. I'd definitely prefer a bunch of FM-tastic wonderkids though

God, what a way to go. Killed by Michael Owen. Mortifying.

So yeah, having given it up when Rafa left I hadn't seen this guy play til a week or so ago. Looks a good player, not sure what you lot have been on about the last few years

Real blast from the past type of thread this, kind of thing we used to love before our spirits were all battered to death.

A 7 or an 8 for me. Think it's a fair bit more likely that we'll go down than not but if the money is there for serious investment in January I think we have the manager and enough to work with in the squad already to give it a good go. Might not be enough but I expect us to still be fighting until the last few games. People voting 10, man. You're basically saying you think it's 100% impossible to stay up? Just miserable

Does feel like draws in Howe's two home games this far are possibly gonna be killer. I do think he'll turn the team into a decent unit who can play but we're massively behind the 8 ball already. We really could do with a couple of things going our way. A bit of luck would really be fucking nice right now.

Man you'd swear Clark gets sent off every time he plays and Fernandez is Baresi in his prime the way some people go on He's been very unlucky in that his two winnable games so far we've had Darlow and then Clark fuck us over by being shit and stupid. Could he have played other players instead of them? Sure, but the degree to which they've cost us by being in the team is incredibly harsh. Thought we did really well tonight, should have won it and probably would have done if not for Dubravka making s silly mistake, Norwich looked toothless.

Haha take that Krul you 80s looking shitcunt. Shite Pen. Get in.

Such poor situational awareness. He 100% knew it was a red card offense as he was doing it. How can you think getting sent off after 9 minutes is better for your team than giving the opposition a good chance. Wasn't even a sitter, just a one on one. Absolute moron, he shouldn't wear the shirt again.

First Darlow and then Clark. Really been punished mega harshly for being slow to make the right changes to the lineup.