healthyaddiction

Just because we might sign a midfielder first doesn't mean we aren't looking at buying players for other positions. We don't need to buy players in order of need (though in some respects it'd be nice). I think we've proven that whilewe may not expand our squad we do replace players when they leave. We've lost two midfielders this summer in Smith and Guthrie. Smith isn't a lossin but saves a lot of money, Guthrie is a loss that needs to be replaced but doesn't saves us much in wages. Together they can easily pay for us to bring in a quality midfielder to add depth. If you look at our midfielders currently we have two quality choices and very little else other than unproven talent. Given we have dabbled with 4-3-3 quite a bit this really leaves us lacking. Personally I think a midfielder is atleast as important as a centre half and striker.

Maldini was a naturally left footed centre half?

To be fair to him the injury he got while playing for us was from a really shitty and dangerous challenge (or so I seem to remember). It's not like he was running along and bam he was out for the year.

Not sure he'd have played tonight if a deal was close to being in place. Total speculation though.

You would think a right footed fullback would be able to play right back though wouldn't you?? It must feel more natural than playing on the wrong foot. I'm sure I read he used to be a forward at one point in his career, if so he probably likes to cut inside and shoot. Bit wreckless like, but I've done that before I think he just meant he was an attacking player because he was a right wingerat youth level until Mourinho converted him (or so I read). I actually think he is a left back and should play there but it's nice that there is some flexibility.

"At the end of last year Pardew had warned me that his intention was to make me play on the right, but that another would come in too." -DS

He captain's the Italian U21 at right back. Presumably he plays well there.

They said that houghton was from Durham the other night.

There are a lot of papers running with it, including the guardian and independent which are little less of a rag as the sun and the metro.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jul/09/football-transfer-rumours-andy-carroll?newsfeed=true

I seem to remember that he went to go watch spiderman and there was a kid and his dad there who he chatted to and he said he'd put on a spiderman mask if he scored that week. Lo and behold he scored and so he whipped out the mask and wore it.

What confuses me is, if Ba does have a £7m release clause, why hasn't he left yet? Why wouldn't liverpool, arsenal or tottenham not have been in for him already? I'm sure that it is far from as straight forward as the media are trying to make out. :touchwood:

There were a few news stories a while ago saying we weren't happy about the quality of our development squad so we were lettings loads go and had set a seperate budget for bringing in some young talent to fill it up. I assume this story to be true and this is what we're doing.

They really arent though. Erm, yes they are though. http://forzaitalianfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Milan-1990.jpg tbh. For a toon link, I believe that team were finally beaten after over a year by a Tino Asprilla goal for Parma.

I'd probably go something like Casillas Arbeloa Ramos Pepe Jordi Alba Pirlo Khedira Ronaldo Xavi Iniesta Gomez Not sure about all those. I can't think of any outstanding right backs or strikers but I reckon if Gomez hasn't been rested against Greece he would have had the golden boot so I put him in. I think there are good claims for kicking Ronaldo and Khedira out for others but Ronaldo was exceptional for two games and Khedira was Germany's best player in my opinion.

as soon as Best goes we will have 3 first team strikers, 2 of whom could be gone for a month in Jan and the other one is Shola. Do we not still have Xisco and possibly Ranger? How many options do we need?

You swear down he's making word up? I suppose swear down aren't made up words but those two together?

And so you chose the transfers thread?

There's a video on YouTube of him going absolutely Joey Barton. Is he liable for a red card?

God I hope i'm not the only person who tried to press the play button.

The second most embarrasing thing to happen on talk sport after the alan brazil bob monkhouse incident.

Oh dear what did he say about Shane Long ? Reported we were going to sign Shane Long a week after he had signed for West Brom.

Cause Messi has never missed a penalty to cost his team a european semi final.

On SSN they said they needed 8 people to vote for them to stay in. So if 6 say no they're screwed. Assuming SSN aren't talking bollocks.

I think the Invest in Africa thing has something to do with an Oil company. Possibly that's the link to Castrol.