Yorkie

Fuck em up

The comms

I don't think it's a panic buy as such; he's just the last/nearly last on the list in terms of our "has demonstrated they can score in the PL" criteria.

I think there's a valid point to be made about our process but it's absolutely a secondary cause. Everything is different if Chelsea can't sign Pedro.

[Review start] • We elect not to squander our finances on higher-risk targets • PSR fucked our chances of signing our primary targets (Pedro, Ekitike) • PSR fucked our chances of signing our secondary targets (Sesko) • Isak's conduct put a massive dent in our bargaining position • No one wants to sell their first choice striker with days left of the window (Wissa, Strand Larsen) • The cartel owns the market [Review end]

Definitely starting to feel a wee bit desperate. Fuck Isak, fuck Liverpool and fuck PSR.

I am ready. The trouble is kick-off is approximately 400 years away.

Absolute shark-jump of a moment for PSR if Rogers were to go to Spurs. I don't know how anyone could ever disagree with the argument about it's horrific impact on fair competition if that happened.

Yeah, Everton's new digs looked really impressive I thought. I don't love the architecture and still think it resembles something more like a gallery than a football stadium, but the setting is spectacular and the crowd looked great. Feel like they might be in for a good season, vibes seem decent and Ndiaye and Grealish will cause problems. Hopefully their new striker is as rubbish as Beto. Bloody Moyes making me like em a bit, too.

I get where you're coming from but if we withdraw from the media battleground (where this has been almost entirely played out) then we surrender the initiative. Howe hasn't just been diplomatic, he's reinforced that we actually hold the cards in this deal - including by continuing to publicise that Isak can return. It's a shame that the boss has to fuck about with this rubbish but ultimately it's actually one of his strengths as a manager.

Can't pin down my feelings about tonight. It feels like it should be one of those epic occasions where the crowd and team match each other for intensity and get a big win, but we haven't got a fucking striker. But we know their defence can be got at and I do think we'll score. Set pieces could be the difference. 1-1

Yes

In which case I guess the theory stacks up that he'll be cheaper to buy the closer we get to the deadline?

Still have a feeling this'll be a deadline day buy (or loan if Wissa arrives) because that'll be the cheaper way to do it. That's banking on no one gazumping us mind.

Ah I see. Yeah I've got a lot of time for Lascelles; this summer just seemed like an opportunity to do shit like this. Alas it's been very messy and opportunities to be super proactive haven't really come around.

I've no idea, someone else from the England set-up seeing as that's done well for us. Maybe that unit Cresswell who's at Toulouse. I've never seen the guy play before anyone comes at me with all the reasons why not.

I don't agree personally; in an ideal world we'd sign another this summer as part of the succession plan, and theoretically we'd find Lascelles a move. Not sure Disasi is the answer mind.

Anelka and mid-noughties Newcastle would've been a match made in hell. Can remember it was him, Viduka, Boa Morte and Kanoute linked all the time until the Owen thing happened. We invested a lot that summer but the only one with any meaningful success was a deadline day bargain for Nobby Solano.

Absolutely. Utterly fucking tedious at this point. Same miserable garbage, day in, day out.

I half expected it in June but surely far too later in the day now? He's obviously not up to it at the CF position (yet? who knows) but he's an option across the front line in a grueling season. Can't see it. Plus the Elanga thing.

Yeah, it's so shit. And Howe pretty much confirmed he agrees with this take in the presser. Feels like we need a miracle to sustain our position as CL chasers this season.

Absolutely love that. Fair play to Stal, man, that's the sort of optimism you love to see.

Think his second one wasn't the one he intended to ask, just a response to Eddie's first answer. I didn't mind him going for it tbh, was a bit Draconian from the press guy I thought. Suppose it was just with them knowing it would be dominated by Isak stuff and wanting to manage it as much as poss.

West Ham have done such a shit job at buying strikers. Haller €50m (14) Ajeti €11m (0) Scamacca €39m (3) Ings €12 (5) Fullkrug €27m (3)

I'd say I'm properly feeling the jitters today for the first time. Really thought Wissa was going to happen, but that doesn't seem likely now with him in contention for the weekend. I am totally in favour of Jackson now (and quite liked the idea anyway), but if Emery is at the table you imagine we're not in pole position there either. You do wonder where we can turn to next and my needle is finally flicking towards the 'someone, anyone' side of the meter. I assume it's probably gonna come to that for those internally by September 1st too; Gordon simply can't be first choice CF until January. Panic buy (/loan) territory feels just around the corner. Would've absolutely loved a striker in for Monday; even if they weren't available to play, just that easing of pressure would help the crowd going into the game. Maybe it'll still happen.