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Touche. I'd really go nuts if we bought Fletcher

Of course, he will get his chance to prove himself like every new signing does. His price tag is irrelevant after he's signed because the only thing that will count is how he plays for us. However, generally, price tags tend to correlate with a player's ability. Like many people have said, £2m is peanuts these days. So is he a player that every team can find and afford? If so, not much to be excited about, yes? Beye cost around 2m, is he average and unexciting? Price sometimes is a good representation of value, not often. Can't compare the two signings. Massive age difference, massive difference in experience and also the fact that Beye was a captain of a decent team in another league while Guthrie was a bit-part player for a team who nearly got relegated last season. Massive, massive difference. Youngsters also generally tend to fetch a higher price because they've got a lot left in their tank/can be sold off/have time to develop. Beye and Guthrie isn't a good comparison because when we signed Beye, we had no one at right back. Beye's also about 10 years older, so of course his price would be lower than if he were 21. If Guthrie was highly rated, then his price tag would be much higher for a 21 year old English attacking midfielder. I also think we've got enough average slow-but-good-on-the-ball midfielders. Edit - this is a really jumbled post. But let's not bicker. I'm still feeling 'meh' about this, but of course I'm still hoping that we sign some real classy players in this window.

Age is irrelevant, mate. If you're good enough, you're old enough. They haven't seen him for over a year. Those opinions have as much as weight as ours did after Milner returned from his year out at Villa. Bolton fans saw him for 30 games last season. I'd rather trust their judgment than Liverpool fans (who notoriously overrate their own players) who haven't seen him lately. I'm not sure why you mentioned highly rated youngsters as being mutually exclusive from being a foreign prima donna. There's another thread developing on this forum about our very own highly rated youngster who's also a foreign prima donna.

Of course, he will get his chance to prove himself like every new signing does. His price tag is irrelevant after he's signed because the only thing that will count is how he plays for us. However, generally, price tags tend to correlate with a player's ability. Like many people have said, £2m is peanuts these days. So is he a player that every team can find and afford? If so, not much to be excited about, yes?

I've never heard so much shite in one paragraph. 1) "Can't get in the Bolton team" followed by..... "played for them 30 time last season" the contradiction speaks for it's self. 2) "Bolton fans are glad they are not buying him"..... evidence please? Funny enough the Bolton board clearly were impressed enough to try and sign him permenantly. 3) "The Liverpool fans think he will never start for them" Very true but half the players in the league couldn't get a game for them with Gerrard, Alonso and Mascherano in their midfield, therefore a rather irrelevant comment. 4) "We have enough squaddies" What the fuck is a squaddie? If your reffering to the size of our squad then it is nowhere near big enough. Personally i'd rather have good young players who still have hunger on the bench than players who's best days are behind them. 5) Excitement is irrelevent. Can't get in the Bolton team = 21 league starts for them. That's just over half the possible starts. Are you excited? The total number of games includes coming on as a substitute, and of course playing in league cup games and fa cup games. The fact that he only started about half of their league games says a lot to me. True, the size of the squad isn't big enough. But if we fill it with average players, we'll have an average squad. I hope that we'll end up signing quality starters so that Geremi and Butt are relegated to the bench, and then we'll have a big enough squad and it'll have some quality. The odds are that Geremi and Butt will still be starting if we continue to sign these players. That's not good enough for us, even if our current state. Excitement isn't irrelevant. I want to be excited about our team. I want to look forward to games. I want to see us play good football. If you're not excited about your own football team, about the future, then you may as well not support it. It shouldn't be a chore nor an obligation to support your own team. I am excited about next season, but that's because of Kevin Keegan. I would be even more excited if we signed some players who have shown their class, but that's not to say that this boy won't come good. Just saying, he doesn't exactly get your pulses racing, does he?

I think we have enough squaddies. We need someone with class on the ball. This has been mentioned throughout the whole of the last season. We've got enough hardworking players in the team. If we sign some class players, those hardworkers who were playing will be relegated to the bench anyway, and our squad will fill out. I hoped that we would sign someone who gets the pulse racing. Gutierrez - pacey, Argentine international and highly rated - is someone I'm excited about. This player - £2m, can't get in the Bolton team, the Bolton fans are glad they're not buying him, the Liverpool fans think he'll never start for them, mentioned as being slow - doesn't excite me. I still hope that we will sign some better players. But like I said, I'm not excited about this signing. And who is more suited to commenting on Guthrie? How about the fans of the team he played 30 games for last season?

Whoa, so I'm not excited about signing a player who played on a really shit team last season (and wasn't even their best player), doesn't look like ever being able to play for Liverpool (a team we should hope to challenge in a few seasons) and I'm sad? Are you all excited? I'm just being honest. 1 goal and 0 assists. I've never seen him, but from the sound of things (especially what Bolton fans have said), I'm not excited. Of course, this doesn't mean he's shit, or that he won't play well for us. I'm just not excited. There's a fucking difference, you dipshits. Edit: Bolded the part I know some idiots will miss on purpose

I think Diabi and Denilson will get more games in the center of the park for Arsenal. I really rate Denilson, so let's see how he does this season. Probably shouldn't have sold Diarra considering Flamini's and Gilberto's situation.

Unexciting as fuck. 'Meh' was my first reaction.

Well, I'll say this. The finance stuff is only a means to an end. The end is having a good team on the pitch, a team that KK believes in and a team that can hopefully challenge for the top 6. So, even if we have to continue signing players using the Webster ruling or even relying on a few Bosmans, if we can sign a striker, two central midfielders, a central defender and maybe an extra versatile midfielder, then I'll be happy even if all of them cost nowt. September 1st will be the time to judge the board and KK on our summer, and I have faith that they'll address our needs. But just to add a little caution; even if we don't spend big, the season ain't a write-off. We still have KK, we still have some players who will improve and any new cheap signings we have may have a similar impact to our other cheap signings from last season (Faye and Beye). The time to fully judge everything will actually be the end of the season. I'm only worried (or will only be worried) about the financial situation if it severely restricts our ability to sign and compete for players with the teams in and around our level (Spurs, Villa, Everton etc.). But still, if the team plays well, it won't matter if they collectively cost £1m or £50m.

Ronaldo is out for at least 12 weeks so will definitely miss out, not that it will matter. Keegan's our manager; don't worry.

Maybe. Hell, at this point in the summer, I'm probably on the Ameobi bandwagon.

Was watching a few vids on the tube the other day I'm excited about next season, even if we sign fuck all players from now until the end of the window. This is the biggest x-factor that has yet to be considered. No more Allardyce, no more Souness, no more Roeder. We'll play football and the players (even the shit ones) will buy into it. Hell, Alan Smith might even score.

I'm not sure I agree with this line of thinking. How would it be more sustainable if we take our time to build our squad? If we can get the same squad acquired in a shorter amount of time, then surely that should be preferable?

He's 27.

I've no idea what his plans are, but it doesn't say that to me at all. Looking for investors is pure common sense I don't read it any other way. More ammo the better imo. If you have the cash, why would you need investors? Serious question btw. Seems to me that you only need investors if you lack a bit of £££. Chelsea don't any, neither do Portsmouth, and similarly Man Utd don't.... however, Liverpool do. And you know that for certain? I did say 'it seems to me', so if you want to act like a little dipshit, then be my guess. And why don't you answer the question while you're at it. If you have the cash, why would you want/need investors? Easy, cowboy. I only asked a question. In response to your question, I'd say that many big businesses seek investment from outside parties. Why shouldn't this one? Apologies I think football's a different kind of business; having many partners is an unusual way of running a football club. I'm not sure if there's one club who's done it successfully (with the exception of Arsenal, who have lifelong fans as partners, which is different from having 'business' partners) in the past, and I sincerely thought Ashley would do it differently. It is a bit heartening to hear that he wants investors from Newcastle because they're then more likely to be fans and thus not in it only for the cash (of which every possible investor will definitely be in for), but again, having many people controlling the club can be destabilising. And again, every investor will want a return. I know that football clubs make money when they win, but that requires long-term investment. If he can't get any investors in it for the long-term, what do we do? Btw, this also makes the story that we 'approached' the investment firm in America much more credible.

I've no idea what his plans are, but it doesn't say that to me at all. Looking for investors is pure common sense I don't read it any other way. More ammo the better imo. If you have the cash, why would you need investors? Serious question btw. Seems to me that you only need investors if you lack a bit of £££. Chelsea don't any, neither do Portsmouth, and similarly Man Utd don't.... however, Liverpool do. And you know that for certain? I did say 'it seems to me', so if you want to act like a little dipshit, then be my guess. And why don't you answer the question while you're at it. If you have the cash, why would you want/need investors?

I must have missed that. Where did he say he doesn't want Villa? 'at this moment, not our target', and later mentions that he wants Keane. Think of the price that Keane's going to fetch (and consider Tottenham's cash-rich situation) and then consider the price that Villa would fetch (and Valencia's poor season as well as their cash-strapped situation).

I've no idea what his plans are, but it doesn't say that to me at all. Looking for investors is pure common sense I don't read it any other way. More ammo the better imo. If you have the cash, why would you need investors? Serious question btw. Seems to me that you only need investors if you lack a bit of £££. Chelsea don't any, neither do Portsmouth, and similarly Man Utd don't.... however, Liverpool do.

I've no idea what his plans are, but it doesn't say that to me at all. So what do you think he means then? Especially the 'the seat I'm in is costly' remark? To me anyway, it's him saying he hasn't got enough cash. And if he hasn't got enough cash, what then? It'd fit in with the way we're overhauling our academy and also the noises about us modeling the club on Arsenal (who also rarely spend big money).

He wants Keane but doesn't want Villa Jesus. The fans will turn sooner or later if he continues to be a retard.

Taking things a bit more seriously, if he has said this (and the paper hasn't fabricated his quotes like NOTW has done once), then it's a bit worrying. It seems, to me, to be him saying that he hasn't got enough money to help us push up and challenge for the top 4, and our only way of doing it will be through signing young players and developing them. Again, I stress that this highly contingent on the fact that he's said this for real and other quotes (which would change the context) haven't been cut out. But if it's true, then it's something that worries me because we'll end up being a yo-yo team like Everton, a decent-good team that just doesn't have enough cash to make the necessary investments in the squad.

Fantastic :lol:

Dude, coming from you

Barton > Parker > Sidwell in my opinion, obviously.