Minhosa

Nail on the head. Typical NUFC signing these days. Seems we're getting ourselves geared up for a relegations scrap next year. No offence, but this is ridiculous point of view on a number of levels. We aren't a Premiership club, we don't have much money, so we need to make signings of cheap players who have potential to do better than they have before. Obviously when we're in the Championship we can't prepare a team for a top half challenge in the Premiership, for one thing we can't afford to take the risk with the wage bill. Don't agree in the slightest. We will be promoted and that means why should be planning for it now. How many players out of our current squad are good enough for the Premiership - 7 maybe? Now is the time to be buying players good enough to play at that level who need time to gel with the current side - this is when we should be looking for the next Enrique (young, great potential and probably not after silly wages). We don't have much money - who does? We've got the smallest wage bill we've had in years and with some good planning it could be even smaller - that must free up some capital. We've got to plan for the premiership so all of this bollocks about being a championship club is short sighted - we've got one foot back into the Premiership and need to start to act like a big club again - that means investing in players good enough to improve the team immediately. Didn't Enrique cost £6m. That seems a lot to spend when we don't have much money I thought he was £4.5m but you might be right - I've not looked it up. Point being we should be scouring the various overseas leagues looking for people with the potential to play at the top level and also change our current playing style.

Nest season when Beckford joins Everton I bet he scores more goals than Best does. I'll bet that Best doesn't even get a game for us in the Premiership.

That's probably the point tbh. Yes and No. This signing just shows a lack of ambition, no forward planning for next season and is a good indication that there's no intention to change our style of play. All of which piss me off.

Maybe if the club had an effective scouting network you wouldn't be on here looking for suggestions. Why leave Moses and Beckford off the list? We failed to attract them to the club - why is that? Money. We wouldn't compete with Wigan on transfer fee. Yet we'll spunk money away on players who've never proved themselves capable of top level football. It beggars belief the lack of ambition and forward planning at the club and also makes me question Mr Nice Guys ability to persuade genuine talent to come to the club. when has Moses proved himself capable of top level football? It seems you would have been delighted for us to spunk 2.5m on him I'd have been happy for us to make an investment on someone who is widely tipped to make an impact on the game at the highest level - if he doesn't make the grade then he's a bad gamble and we'll incur a small loss. Leon Best comes with no reputation and has a career history showing a handful of goals. We were competing with Boro to get him - I hardly think he'll set the premiership alight in his tenure with us, therefore a short term, short sighted signing on the cheap. Wonderful.

We realistically could have signed both those players though? It's only through pure idiocy that we went public on both and ended up with neither Correct.

Maybe if the club had an effective scouting network you wouldn't be on here looking for suggestions. Why leave Moses and Beckford off the list? We failed to attract them to the club - why is that? Money. We wouldn't compete with Wigan on transfer fee. Yet we'll spunk money away on players who've never proved themselves capable of top level football. It beggars belief the lack of ambition and forward planning at the club and also makes me question Mr Nice Guys ability to persuade genuine talent to come to the club.

We couldn't have got Beckford or Moses, it wasn't about the money... we can't compete with the definite offer of Premiership football. We need to face that fact that we aren't the club we were, it will take some slow rebuilding to get back there. Are you telling me we can't compete with the likes of Wigan? I presume you don't work in marketing? Any bugger with half a brain and an ounce of gumption could sell this club to people like Moses. We're a fucking big club, we've got a fantastic set of supporters, a great stadium and a top class city. We will be going back to the top flight - and this point should have been sold to Moses. Why would you choose Wigan over us? Premiership football? Hardly. If this was sold to him properly his decision would've been an easy one. Ashley should have sat him down and told him about his vision of nurturing young talent through the side etc. It's clearly his strategy so why couldn't he sell it?

Yeah - I quickly thought of the following; - Harper - Enrique - Colo - S Taylor - Jonas Then thought that there might be one or two I'd forgotten. Certainly the whole central midfield needs to be looked at and this is when we should be looking to adapt the side, the way it plays in time for next year. Bullying sides and long ball tactics may be enough this season but we're not good enough at either of each to survive in the Premiership - Stoke (the new Bolton) are the fucking anti-football masters and they'd chew us up and spaff in our faces with this squad. Coyle's attempts to change Boltons style of play should be watched with interest because we'll need to do the same and I think we should be planning for that now - don't see how Leon Best would fit into that which means we're due more of the same until Houghton is booted, by then it might be too late.

Nail on the head. Typical NUFC signing these days. Seems we're getting ourselves geared up for a relegations scrap next year. No offence, but this is ridiculous point of view on a number of levels. We aren't a Premiership club, we don't have much money, so we need to make signings of cheap players who have potential to do better than they have before. Obviously when we're in the Championship we can't prepare a team for a top half challenge in the Premiership, for one thing we can't afford to take the risk with the wage bill. Don't agree in the slightest. We will be promoted and that means why should be planning for it now. How many players out of our current squad are good enough for the Premiership - 7 maybe? Now is the time to be buying players good enough to play at that level who need time to gel with the current side - this is when we should be looking for the next Enrique (young, great potential and probably not after silly wages). We don't have much money - who does? We've got the smallest wage bill we've had in years and with some good planning it could be even smaller - that must free up some capital. We've got to plan for the premiership so all of this bollocks about being a championship club is short sighted - we've got one foot back into the Premiership and need to start to act like a big club again - that means investing in players good enough to improve the team immediately.

I wouldn't want to choose a pair from that lot for the reserve team to be honest. A cumulative bag of shite. We don't need stop gap signings, we need players good enough for mid level premisership sides. We're buying ourselves Donnay trainers when there's Nike pair next to them for a fiver more.

Nail on the head. Typical NUFC signing these days. Seems we're getting ourselves geared up for a relegations scrap next year.

Someone should alert half the premiership of our bid then - he must have passed them by. Give it a break mate, I'm stating fact. Did I say you weren't? He must be good if he's our third choice.

Someone should alert half the premiership of our bid then - he must have passed them by.

From Moses to Best in 48 hours. FML.

Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful we're on our way back up but I can't agree that this season has been remarkable or much of an achievement to be honest. We're only top of the league because it's a shite league and our position is more about our opponents than us. Isn't it remarkable that our current set of players have managed it though? Not really when you compare them to their peers in this league. How many players in this league have; - Played for England (Smith, Butt) - Played in Champions League ties and finals (Smith, Butt, Colo, Lovenkrands) - Still represent their country at top level (Colo, Jonas) - Represent their country at more junior levels (Ranger, Kadar, Krul etc) - Have loads of top level experience (Shola, Barton, Nolan, Smith etc) The only surprising element this season is that the team pulled their fingers out and made some effort, which if they had of done last year, we wouldn't even be here (Hang your heads Messr's Owen, Beye, Martins, Barton etc). There is enough proven quality and experience across our squad to make them favourites to go up (even if they don't all play well at the same time), to scare the opposition into respecting us too much and to outplay lesser knowns in this league. Barely any of them are of premiership quality though which makes me rather pessimistic.

A 13 second gap between Man Utd winning possession on the edge of their own box and the ball hitting the Arsenal net. What a break.

Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful we're on our way back up but I can't agree that this season has been remarkable or much of an achievement to be honest. We're only top of the league because it's a shite league and our position is more about our opponents than us.

I think for me the big worry is just quite how much investment we require to be a half decent side. I mean we'd get absolutely battered next year with the likes of Nolan, Butt, Raylor and Smith. So, it depends on how short term your view of perspective is........................... - Yes we should get promoted but that's more about the dross in this league than us. - We'll be the first team promoted to the top flight without having played well for 90 minutes. - BUT, who wants to be a yoyo club? Or a guaranteed season of misery next year? I can't see how we'll be anything other than relegation fodder given the amount of players we're carrying who are sub-standard, unfit and immovable. That's before we even get onto the monkeys who manage us, direct us and own us. If we're purely looking at perspective in the now then yes, we should be thankful we are where we are but if you're talking about anything more than short term perspective, then we're right to have serious concerns about the wellbeing of our club.

i get this all the time, your midfield must be amazing with nolan etc from opposition fans To true - if we get promoted, we'll do so being the only team to go up having not played well all season, bar maybe the first half at Portman Road.

He's no Nicky Butt.

True.

He's got to expect some shit at St James having played for the scum. Unfair to spit at the lad but what does he expect - a fucking warm welcome? Of course he's going to get some shit.

Totally agree with that.

Colo played better than Williamson? Love the fact i'm not the only one who thinks that yet you've highlighted my post, get a life. Just easier with yours as i expect you to be biased. I dont remember Colo doing much of use atall really, didnt do anything wrong either obviously. Maybe it was because he wasn't trying hollywood balls and didn't have the use of half decent full backs or defensive midfielders? How do you expect him to stand out?

Yes, i also saw him absolutely boss the game at the back in general for us. He takes control far moreso than Colo, not that Colo had a bad game either. Let's see what you think of him by Christmas. My guess is that he'll be good for the bench in the long term and that's all.