Yorkie

We also offered nowhere near that amount if you believe Howe. Which in this case I do. £70m was the upper end of what Palace were asking for.

Thought I was in the Gordon thread for a sec then...

The tunnel is what Trippier calls his bedroom*

Without knowing what happened in the tunnel, none of those incidents are comparable imo but I'm not gonna go too strongly in on the debate; I get why people would want him because he's very good. We won't be interested so it's probably not worth the time.

Sure, but the issue is they benefitted from unfettered investment in order to establish this current position - something others now aren't allowed to do. It demonstrates the drawbridge better than anything.

I'm sure observers would point to my 'acceptance' of our owners as hypocrisy, but tbh I don't really fancy Cunha at our club given he thinks it's okay to elbow an old bloke in the back of the head and then grab the glasses off his face.

Interesting/encouraging/motivating(?) that their hand can be forced.

West Ham have already spent ~300m Euros since Rice went. Guessing they're golden for a while thanks to that sale?

Er, twice we've trailed 1-2 against Bournemouth in recent times and twice Matt Ritchie has saved the day. He's exactly what we needed yesterday. Disclaimer: not a serious post

Without wishing to go overboard with praise re the visitors - cos they've had plenty - it was pretty amazing to see Brooks not only playing, given what he's been through, but playing brilliantly. Can remember when he first burst onto the scene he looked a serious talent with a glass ceiling, and I thought he looked close to that player again yesterday. Remarkable recovery.

I'm sure he wasn't always as sloppy as he has been recently. It feels like every game the ball bounces off him a couple of times or his short passing has been well off the mark. I adore the guy but when you consider the outrageous quality next to him in that midfield, you wonder how much longer his strength and athleticism is going to keep him in the side despite his (occasional) lack of ability on the ball. It's not like Bruno and Tonali lack physicality so Joe might have a job justifying his inclusion if there comes a point where we can invest again at CM. (Probably nothing to worry about for about four transfer windows then )

Looking forward to it already. Pity it's on the road but it's nevertheless the ideal opponent to recover from today's disappointment. Hope we come out angry and energised; should be a routine win if so.

Aspiration's probably the wrong word because I suppose the vast majority would want to get into Europe. But a club like Bournemouth is absolutely planning first for survival or consolidation. Using your finances on 'accessibly'-priced unproven talent from the continent is okay for that plan, and if they exceed expectations, what a bonus.

Combined with @ponsaelius and @Infinitely Content's points about risk, Bournemouth made those signings with aspirations of mid-table. Much less of a gamble.

It's enough to almost make you feel apathetic. It's the ideal time to strike in the market for us but we can't because reasons. Such bollocks.