Yorkie

He's offering him a new contract because he wants to keep him, so wants to get rid of the clauses. I'd say "get that into your head", or something along those lines. But you already know that because you're just 'WUM-ing'.

Oh shut up for fuck's sake. He's a key player. A potentially excellent one. And Allardyce is desperate to hang on to him. Jesus Christ. I think Dyer was a key player once too. I think he also got a pay rise and a 4 year contract Why? Just why? What do you actually get out of it? Can't be arsed with Wums. So, so, so dull and monotonous.

Would be great!

Oh shut up for fuck's sake. He's a key player. A potentially excellent one. And Allardyce is desperate to hang on to him. Jesus Christ.

Whatever. I'm sticking by my point. I'm bored of that shite. Ameobi and Ramage, two respective Geordies, both get slated to fuck. Taylor, a respective Geordie, gets praised and slated on an even see-saw. The 'people let player X off cos he's a Geordie' thing is bollocks, other than for retards and for nine-year-olds, who are the only ones who go on about it.

He seems a better all round player now the ball is being mostly played on the floor, his link up play with midfield has been excellent. I wonder if Owen was offered a new contract? tbh, I always thought his link up play was good on the deck, even last season. Don't really understand the stick he gets considering what he gives the team. If he was called Andy Carroll and came from Gateshead we'd probably have built a statue by now. Honestly, bored to death of that s****. That argument ONLY stands for Steven Taylor - who is a good player. Does anyone, anywhere, really think that Peter Ramage is anything more than Unibond League standard? Do you honestly think if it was Lee Clark doing what Martins does we'd be carping about his poor first touch? Erm... he doesn't though, does he.

He seems a better all round player now the ball is being mostly played on the floor, his link up play with midfield has been excellent. I wonder if Owen was offered a new contract? tbh, I always thought his link up play was good on the deck, even last season. Don't really understand the stick he gets considering what he gives the team. If he was called Andy Carroll and came from Gateshead we'd probably have built a statue by now. Honestly, bored to death of that shite. That argument ONLY stands for Steven Taylor - who is a good player. Does anyone, anywhere, really think that Peter Ramage is anything more than Unibond League standard?

I could certainly handle a left-back version of Vidic.

left back ?? I'm not going to be argued with over the forward/oveer/left-back situation. If you were to read my earlier posts, you'd see that i was very against this signing. But, if it is how it is, then we'll be positive in the fact that it's another body - when it looked as though we were running out.

He seems a better all round player now the ball is being mostly played on the floor, his link up play with midfield has been excellent. Only seen the Celtic game, but the way he and Geremi were constantly on the same wavelength, was very encouraging indeed. And when you consider that Geremi has the eye for a quality ball akin to that of a Nobby Solano, and when you consider Martins' pace - we could well have something rather special on our hands. Potentially. This is excellent news. I'm a firm believer of the fact that within another 12 months, he'll certainly be worth a pay rise anyhow. So to do it now to get rid of those idiotic clauses, is good thinking. The player is obviously commited aswell.

If i was gonna believe a paper, i'd believe the Times. Well, good news in the fact that it's another body, i suppose. Not my ideal choice but as Midds outlined at a point much earlier in this thread, Dyer out for £6m, Smith in for £6m is good business. Wonder how versatile he is.

The BBC's misleading then. And very pooey. Which is how i'd feel if this deal came off.

Any genuine developments since Page 10-ish? Cheers...

So the thread title is still nonsencial, then...? EDIT: More misleading than nonsencial, i mean.

Any genuine developments since the first page? Just got in, and to be totally honest, just don't fancy reading through six pages. Thanks.

N'Zogbia won't leave now, i'm fairly sure of that. Looks like Allardyce sees him as a pivotal member of the squad, and N'Zogbia himself seems re-juvinated. Every single one of his pre-season performances are evidence of a 100% improvement on last season.

Where are people coming up with the idea that the £6m for Smith comprises our entire transfer fund? I don't think it's that tbh. It's just that £6m can be spent better elsewhere, regardless of how big the budget is. Smith in for £6m. Dyer out for £5m. Net spend of £1m. Saving about £25,000 a week in wages. I honestly don't get the hysteria. Hadn't really thought of that in fairness. That looks quite nice. Still looks considerably better if you replace the 'Smith' with a Baines or a Bridge, though.

Where are people coming up with the idea that the £6m for Smith comprises our entire transfer fund? I don't think it's that tbh. It's just that £6m can be spent better elsewhere, regardless of how big the budget is. It's entirely possible that they have other targets identified and would still like to spend £6m on Smith. Just because we need defenders doesn't mean that every penny in the kitty has to be devoted to them. Nor does it mean that if we spend £6m on Smith and then fail to attract the defenders that we wanted to, that we blew all of our money on Smith. Allardyce isn't Roeder. He's harped on all summer about the necessity to bring defenders in, so he's not about to think "Ah fuck it, let's have Alan Smith instead" is he? Not saying that. Other people might have been. Don't stereotype me. I said that £6m could be better spent elsewhere, which is true. We've already got six strikers, our fifth choice being Shola Ameobi. Ameobi was first choice 12 months ago. I agree with your idea that it adds quality to the squad, but we already have masses of it in the striking department. We don't need to blow £6m on another striker.

Answered your own question mate! And, as an add-on to that, the plan failed miserably.

Where are people coming up with the idea that the £6m for Smith comprises our entire transfer fund? I don't think it's that tbh. It's just that £6m can be spent better elsewhere, regardless of how big the budget is.

How about sell dyer for £6m, buy Smith for £6m? Martins definitely isn't going. Check the thread about it Smith isn't a midfielder, though. If that was the case, we should spend £6m on a midfielder.

I like Alan Smith, and i've said that before. I think if he were to keep himself fully fit, and play 38 games in one Premier League season, he'd hit the 15 goals boundary. But. Strikers: Michael Owen, Mark Viduka, Obafemi Martins, Albert Luque, Shola Ameobi, Andy Carroll Defenders: Celestine Babayaro, Steven Taylor, Peter Ramage, David Rozehnal, Stephen Carr (not counting Edgar and Huntington) Minimal budget, apparantely. £6m on Smith. It just doesn't make sense, for me. We do not need Alan Smith. Not slating the player's footballing ability, but this signing makes the Damien Duff one look sensible. We've got six strikers. Potentially the finest first five striking options that the Premiership has to offer outside the top 4. Shola Ameobi as fifth choice? That's fucking superb. Midds' post was a more level-headed one, but i still really don't see the point in blowing £6m on Smith. £3m, and Midds' post makes slightly more sense, because it's bolstering an already very good squad for not much cash.

*Girly Dale Winton-esque giggle*

My thoughts too. What the fuck you on about now, Kaka?

On the left-wing. He's a left winger. He's a left winger. He's played gash in centre-midfield, and not done anything to suggest he'll excel at left-back, either. He's looked immense on the left-wing. He's a left-winger. On the left-wing. If by some travesty we don't sign a left-back, i'll settle for him to switch to left-back, but it'd be such a monstrous waste of talent. He's a left-winger, so should play on the left-wing. Gar!