Chris_R

Sounds like from the referees' perspective, he's got a Targett on his back...

I'd suggest that if anything, one of the things least tolerated in KSA is rape.

That's nonsense though, unless you use your real name on here Even if your real employer was tracked down, they'd be unlikely to care that a random account called "Kid Icarus" had said something controversial because that in no way reflects badly on them as a company because nobody stumbling upon your words will form the link to your employer without considerable effort. However using a work-verified Twitter account is massively different. It reflects badly on the company and will affect how clients feel if they see it. And clients likely WILL see it. Coupled to the exposure level - anyone can see a tweet, however it takes effort to sign up here and there a much smaller user base.

Joelinton cannot shoot and Almiron cannot play RW. This would be a disaster. Jo and Bruno CM, Willock ahead of them, Fraser (or Murphy) RW. I know that's deficient, but round pegs in round holes please, especially when we've repeatedly tried the square pegs and seen how badly they fit.

I don't think Defoe is a gamble. They'll see in training if he still has the legs, they're not compelled to play him. Colin is a decent managerial appointment, too. It could all work out well for them, though obviously there's still a lot of football to be played.

He does have free speech. He was absolutely free to write what he wrote - Nobody stopped him. This is the thing though that people always forget - freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences. You have the right to be as horrible as you want, but in return people have the right to judge you on that. In this case, he was judged to be no longer needed by his employer.

Anyway, for me: Wood/Wilson ASM Willock Fraser Joelinton Guimarães Targett Burn Schar Trippier Dubravka That's what I'd like to see, I think. Shelvey's done well and it feels harsh to exclude him, but the middle 2 MUST be Joelinton and Guimarães, surely? Willock needs to play in his proper position, as a 10, we know he can run and finish and we need someone on the end of Guimarães' through balls. Putting Joelinton there is pointless as he can't finish and also his best work has been deeper, winning the ball back and being a general nuisance. I'd like to see Fernandez play too if Schar is out, but he seems out of favour entirely sadly. Almiron could come on for Willock if he's knackered, but I'd keep him away from AMR where he's useless. Shelvey could come on for cameos for Joelinton or Guimarães if we're winning(!) by a couple and they're tired. Our lack of cover on the wings is terrifying, but there we go.

I don't get the "but Lascelles is captain, he'll not be dropped" thing. He's Bruce's Captain, and Rafa before him, but this is a situation Howe inherited, not one he's had any say in. He may have his own ideas about who will be captain and it may well be someone different but I can't recall a team ever changing captain mid-way through a season. For me, Lascelles is very droppable.

Joelinton £40m Wood £25m Willock £20m Unless I've missed something?

I'm now desperate to see a Ryan Fraser headed goal from a Dan Burn cross.

But not too soon.

We've got 2 genuinely world-class players in Trippier and Bruno. Couldn't GAF that Trippier is 31, that's nothing these days especially for a defender. Ashley Young is still playing PL fullback at 36. Azpilicueta is 32. Thiago Silva, admittedly DC rather than a fullback, is 37 and still going strong. Age need not be a barrier and Trippier looks after himself from what I can tell and can serve us for a few years yet. I'm slightly disappointed that after getting one world class player in defence and one in midfield, we didn't also get one up front. That would have guaranteed we stop up, IMO. That said, Burn looks decent and will augment our defence which is fragile as fuck. Targett likewise. Wood is an odd one. He seemed a genuine panic buy but I think we HAD to panic. If we'd not got 4 points in the last 2 games, we might not have convinced Bruno to join us. I think he'll get goals, he's got a good record of 1 in 3 in the PL and I'm not worried about his slow start, it's not like he's old enough that his legs will have gone over the last summer or anything silly like that. He's just had a dry spell, hopefully that means he's due to bang a few in. That said, he was overpriced at £25m given his age but he's already contributed to 2 good results. So overall 7/10. We've given ourselves a good chance of stopping up, but fallen short of a guarantee.

Not a lot of choice when you're long enough to be continued.

Willock and Almiron will only look better if they're played in their correct positions. Which for Willock is not CM, and for Almiron is not RW. Both are number 10s, yet they're barely been used there. Willock was last game, and looked good again.

He's said he'll only sign if we strengthen the attack.

Bet Levy still hasn't stopped laughing after that call.

Desperately needed another wide forward. We're a 1-man show now with ASM. Which is ridiculous in itself, but if he gets a knock we're a 0-man show.

What a surprise.

I think this is exactly what happens. If they won't accept our best offer now, walk and try to find someone else. They'd absolutely love to pull the rug from under our feet at 10:50pm.

Now's crunch time. If we want Lingard, we need to offer what they want now. Or walk and find someone else whilst there's still just about time to do so. Man U would love nothing else than to pull the rug from under our feet at 10:50pm, we absolutely must not leave them in a position to do so.

Maybe not this year, but long-term we're a top 4 rival. They absolutely want us relegated.

I think that's the problem.

Fair enough. I was only making a joke anyway, with the thread title having said "en route" for a couple of days now.

Where's that been reported? Thread title still says "en route".

Is he walking up from Brighton for this medical?