Memphis

These discussions devolve into the same thing every time... Obviously all of us would love to see trophy signings. Their absence in this transfer window is more likely because of a lack of availability and/or interest in joining us rather than an unwillingness to spend money. Better to stock the youth system with promising talent than to do nothing at all.

Why anyone would have a problem with signing a highly-rated, potentially quite good young player is beyond me.

This was always going to happen. Any person who has watched us play 90 minutes this season knows how thin the squad is and how toothless our attack can be. Playing Arsenal twice in a row at the Emirates only highlighted the obvious flaws. We'd love to add in this window but who'd come to this rabble at the moment? It's a difficult position to be in. With a manager whose teams thrive on confidence, I can't help but wonder what just one solitary goal might do for the side. Hopefully we'll find out soon.

Plucky little Liverpool just grabbed an equaliser against mighty Havant & Waterlooville.

This is true - let's remember the 20 million pound offers that were supposedly on the way from Man Utd et al to get their hands on Dyer. He was shit hot at the time. Zoggy can be great, but he's still a ways from being viewed in the same light Dyer was back then.

Neither of his legs were very cool at all.

I'd like to know what this speculation has done to Chris Mort's socks.

I'm quite sure Ashley and Keegan are well aware that the cost of doing business in the Premiership has risen sharply. And I'm sure they're also aware that Sky and international TV money has risen sharply as well. Taking inflation into account, the prices aren't all that silly. Besides, when you're a billionaire, what's 10 million between friends? If Keegan really wants a player (and can lure him to us), he will get him.

All of this is pointless until Berbatov or someone close to him makes even the slightest indication that he would be open to this move now - and I doubt that he would be.

Lua Lua looked promising and the team tried to actually play football. Those are the positives. Milner was awful today, N'Zogbia never really got going, Ameobi wasn't anywhere near match sharpness, and Owen was a nonfactor. Given all of that, it was going to be hard to score against anyone, much less a team with 9 behind the ball. It's a process. And I hope this shows people how far we have to go.

Nothing too surprising, really. You get the sense the players are playing under a bit of pressure, and with the complete lack of options available, it's going to be hard to create much. Bolton have come to stop us from playing, and they have done.

Could it be that he has a zillion Pounds instead?

Excellent and important point.

The free interview on the official site is amazing. His answer about motivating the players was extraordinary - I'm paraphrasing, but it was something like: "There will be a lot of players in this dressing room who have played for big clubs, Real Madrid, Liverpool, some have played 60, 70, 80-odd times for their national side, but what I'll tell them tomorrow is that you've never played for a bigger club than this."

Anal actually struggles with the mask before pulling it off for the big reveal... "IT'S ME!!!!!!" I'm sure this has to rank as one of the proudest moments in Lee Ryder's journalistic life. Straight man to the most embarrassing reporter on Earth.

Two things: 1. Who cares what anyone else thinks about what "might" happen, or tension that "may" exist? Some media members and outside fans will have a pop and a laugh, but what does it really matter? Owen is a professional, Keegan is a professional - Keegan plays 10000% more attacking and entertaining football than BSA, Souness, or Roeder ever could, so a forward like Owen should be loving life right now. 2. It is very likely that an older and more mature Owen, and a wiser, more refreshed Kevin Keegan will get along just fine.

It's more likely to have meant that only 15k had been sold to that point.

I understand completely the OP's sentiments, but after three straight managers who stifled creativity and either bored us to tears or made us furious with negative tactics, this is a breath of fresh air. If Keegan fails, hire Deschamps. But this club needs positivity and solidarity right now more than it needs "outside respect" or what have you. Keegan is the ultimate embodiment of that positivity.

It seems clear Deschamps is being intentionally coy here. I'm not even sure I know the difference between an official and an unofficial approach in this case. The bigger issue here is that he is an exciting young candidate who meets all the listed requirements from Mort, has taken an unfancied club to the CL final, and most importantly, would find us "an exciting challenge". Very promising.

Got that bit right.

Would be a very ambitious and risky hire. Extremely exciting if it happens.

Another bonus: Houllier fell out with Cacapa towards the end of his time at Lyon. Less Cacapa means more points.

Incredible that after Souness, Roeder, and Allardyce anyone would complain about potentially bringing in Houllier. He represents such a step up in class and expertise it boggles the mind.

The way this process has gone - with complete silence from the Club and random speculation from all and sundry and in the press - I'd expect an announcement to be sudden and decisive. Remarkably, Mort and Ashley seem to have kept everyone's lips sealed on the issue, so it would not surprise me to see an official announcement completely out of the blue as soon as tomorrow, but anytime really.

Given is a fantastic shotstopper, there's no denying that - but his command of the area and communication are both quite poor at times. He's by no means a dominating presence and we probably could have done with one of those considering the state of our defence. That said, he is still a major asset to the team.