Yorkie

Just started watching it; infuriating how Carragher is interrupting him from the off.

Kind of you to remember my Trippier and Tino successes. Dele Alli may yet also sign, too.

How about a thread, folks? Why the hell not?

Chomp. Signing players who have already demonstrated their capabilities in the Premier League is obviously less risky than signing players who've never played in the league.

I'm on the same page but I just think it's incredibly wishful thinking to imagine we aren't gonna be considering selling those players, particularly in the PSR era. Obviously I hope all of them stay forever. Anyway, we're drifting far too much into misery with all that. My main point is that I don't think it's a disaster if we sign no one else. That morning when Gordon looked like he was going to Liverpool I'd have absolutely snapped your hand off for the status quo, and that was before we signed a promising striker.

I do take the point but the likes of Isak could leave regardless of whether or not we get into Europe; they're so good that they'd only be moving to a bigger club anyway. It's a miserable thought I knew, but we should expect them to be linked with moves away in every single transfer window, regardless of how we're doing. I'd be disappointed if we signed no one else because the point about stagnation is a fair concern, but I'd sum it up as more of a mixed bag than a disaster. It's a minor miracle that we put £70m in our pockets at the end of June without losing any of those guys, and Kelly/Osula look like good signings. I certainly wouldn't rule out a European challenge.

Calling a window where we've avoided a double-digit points deduction whilst also hanging onto Bruno, Isak and Gordon (despite not being in Europe) a 'disaster' is a bit crackers imo. I'm not underselling Newcastle there - they're world class players whom we're vulnerable to losing to teams at the top of the food chain.

It wouldn't be hard to find a basic upgrade, but it's hard to find someone who is enough of an upgrade for it to be worthwhile from a financial perspective. We're taking a risk-averse approach to squad building which - until the academy catches up - is anchored in recruiting as sustainably as possible. If we get no one else I'd question their judgement to some extent, but any transfer window where we've kept Isak, Bruno and Gordon gets a fair bit of grace from me.

Seen Hall omitted from a few teams. Did he really have a stinker at the weekend then?

Being unable to upgrade Miggy is annoying 99% of this forum tbf "One good transfer" means either upgrading Miggy or getting a top CB; we can't have too many complaints if it's one or the other as we're essentially not allowed to do both. You could chastise the scouting department for not uncovering a bargain, I suppose, but we're very risk-averse in the transfer market, which I'm on board with.

All we need is one good transfer and it's job well done. The only thing that's particularly annoying is being unable to upgrade Dubravka.

Palace would make it known if that were the case imo.

The part where they brought rugby and rugby players into the debate was the peak. Fantastic stuff.

Fucking hell what a move that was.

Staggeringly shit defending. Love Leffe but howay Leicesterm

Yep. Immediately hits home just how vulnerable we are in that position.

They're cut from the same cloth; Douglas and Downie are less incendiary but chuck em in the mix n'all. You need to take every one of them with a pinch of salt. Their modus operandi is to drive engagement so it's not possible to take them completely seriously, ever.

Is it a mental take that we'd finish 8th? It would be a failure, obviously, but there's huge talent all across the top half. Not implausible that the likes of Brighton, West Ham, Villa, Wolves all have really good seasons. I'm optimistic that Chelsea will continue to falter and the Ange thing will go up in flames sooner rather than later, but we won't be the only side trying to take advantage.

Alarmed by the lack of Ando and Razor on the highlights, hope that's not a permanent shift. Especially not for that ear-bleedingly shrill Ian bloke. Fantastic to get the win. Red card was extremely harsh. Noise was fantastic when the goal went in; love it when you get joy mixed with vindication - it's almost a different kind of roar.

That you embracing failure again?

Impossible not to feel optimistic now. Unless Palace are deliberately trying to waste our time for shits and giggles (which I doubt), then you'd imagine we've gone back in again cos we weren't as far apart as suggested previously.

Well put, @80

I think it's becoming harder and harder to establish a useful benchmark. Between inflation and PSR, transfer fees are all over the place, and the scope of 'value' is so much wider now. When £20-30million was the very upper limit to transfer fees, it was easy to differentiate a £3m player from an £8m player or a £10m player from a £15m player. But these days - when the baseline is always in the tens of millions - a difference of five is almost impossible to interpret. Previous generations to me would probably say the same about the front end of my example, because transfer fees have consistently inflated over the decades. But I do wonder if it's ever been quite this difficult to define talent by a transfer fee. If we can afford to pay £70m for him and the bosses consider it to be worth it, then my instinct is to back that call; however, I'd be concerned about us being held to ransom.