Mick

We shouldn't have to sell to buy so your post is a waste of time.

Yes.

David Crossan‏@davidmcrossan Barton in L'Equipe Sat: #nufc will always be in my heart, City not as much. #nufc is the club I'm linked to...

They aren't even close.

I'm not sure that we need a sub striker more than a right-back. If Tiote and Co knock Senegal out of the African cup of nations then we should get by unless we are unlucky enough to pick up injuries to Ba and Cisse at the same time. Simpson will play every game when fit and getting an upgrade would have benefitted the team over the whole season rather than the odd game.

He's always been an arsehole, got nothing to add to the forum at all. He seems a very angry little man, and strangely unaccepting of others' opinions considering he's held high positions at various government/council departments. Anyway he can f*** off. I think I'd be angry if I had worked for either.

I wouldn't take much notice of people calling for Perch to play, it will be the same ones who wanted us to play Tavernier until the Atromitos away game.

I would prefer it to open the day the season finishes and closes when the new one starts, either that or scrap it.

That's my worry.

Tiote, Cabaye, Cisse & Ba, could throw HBA in there as well with his extended break. Not exactly great or committed starts by any of them bar Demba's goal. Ben Arfa has looked good, the others haven't but it's early.

8th.

We'll probably find out in January if heads are turned after finishing 5th unless we do better than expected again.

Of course they didn't replace him, they didn't have an acceptable offer for Debuchy so didn't need a replacement. You're also over egging what Debuchy said so here it is as a refresher. "I met him in his office and he told me the chairman stopped the negotiations and he doesn't want me to leave anymore. "So I called the chairman and left a message. I am waiting for him to call back to make the situation clearer because I can't understand. "The coach told me yesterday that he didn't want to block me anymore, that he saw my desire to discover something new. "Michel Seydoux states the last Newcastle offer does not meet his valuation. Again, I can't understand. "One day I can't leave because the club has not found a replacement, the next day it is because the Newcastle offer is not enough. One day it is the coach who blocked me, the next day it is the chairman. "I have the feeling everyone doesn't have the same words. I just want things to be clear. "I have been at Lille for 20 years, a club I really love, for which I always gave my very best. I have never made a lot of noise and I don't want to start now. "I have the opportunity to play in the best league in the world, playing regularly against the best opponents and I really want that. "Today, I am still resolved to trying something new, to have another experience, and I would like to have a talk with the chairman for things to be clear between us." Still not sure what the hell you are going on about, what you have quoted completely backs up my point You said Debuchy was told that he wouldn't be sold for a number of reasons, it looks like it was 2 and I can understand both. They needed a replacement, we didn't offer what they thought he was worth which was 8 million euros.

Of course they didn't replace him, they didn't have an acceptable offer for Debuchy so didn't need a replacement. You're also over egging what Debuchy said so here it is as a refresher. "I met him in his office and he told me the chairman stopped the negotiations and he doesn't want me to leave anymore. "So I called the chairman and left a message. I am waiting for him to call back to make the situation clearer because I can't understand. "The coach told me yesterday that he didn't want to block me anymore, that he saw my desire to discover something new. "Michel Seydoux states the last Newcastle offer does not meet his valuation. Again, I can't understand. "One day I can't leave because the club has not found a replacement, the next day it is because the Newcastle offer is not enough. One day it is the coach who blocked me, the next day it is the chairman. "I have the feeling everyone doesn't have the same words. I just want things to be clear. "I have been at Lille for 20 years, a club I really love, for which I always gave my very best. I have never made a lot of noise and I don't want to start now. "I have the opportunity to play in the best league in the world, playing regularly against the best opponents and I really want that. "Today, I am still resolved to trying something new, to have another experience, and I would like to have a talk with the chairman for things to be clear between us."

Shit, I've made it obvious.

That's a load of rubbish. I know what Debuchy has said and I've mentioned it. I don't know what was said between Seydoux and Debuchy and neither do you but you’ve set up an argument for the club without knowing it. I also know that a fee was mentioned by Seydoux and we haven't met that fee and that's all that matters. Maybe the fee was a bluff but we'll never know that will we?

Why do I "need" to blame us?

The ridiculous part of it is the lengths you seem willing to go to defend the club, you seem to be in denial that we knew a fee and failed to match it.

I didn't say Debuchy was bullshitting, something obviously did change but we don't know what it was and I don't know enough about Seydoux to have respect or not. You wouldn't sell your house for £160,000 if it was worth £200,000. Why should a club sell a player for less than he's worth?

Of course I'm assuming they had a valuation, Seydoux was quoted saying it was £6 million. We did nothing to prove them wrong so is it wrong for me to make that assumption?

It's worked once so it will always work.

Match the clubs valuation, which I think was a fair one. If that doesn't work them move on knowing we'd done everything we could to bring the player here.

They didn't have to get a replacement of any kind because we weren't willing to pay them what they though he was worth. And I do think they would turn down a bid which falls below the valuation they put on him, why wouldn't they?

You seem to miss the point that we knew how much his club valued him at and didn't match what they were looking for. Would you sell something less than you valued it at just because somebody else wanted it? If they valued him at £6 million and we'd bid that much and failed then nobody could complain.