Wallace

He was certainly being noticed by fans of other clubs by the end of last season as he was often mentioned in those "who would you buy from the relegated clubs" articles.

Need to get it on Rafa's to do list.

If there are any interested clubs, I can imagine them happy to play a waiting game until we lower the price. Of those mentioned, it looks like he would be bought as a squad player rather than first choice and no-one is going to pay £35m for a squad player.

If he is that good, I am surprised that he has not been linked with Premier League clubs.

It depends on much they are offering. We may be happy to sell for a reasonable fee but some clubs will come in with ridiculously low offers and we are right to reject them.

I am nervous because when everything looks to be in our favour, we normally find a way to cock it up.

Haven't we previously monitored him?

Spurs have a habit of doing that - overpricing their players and refusing to budge on the price and letting them play in the reserves.

I keep hearing him claim all the credit for Defoe's form last season. I may well be wrong with this but my impression was that he did not play Defoe until he had no other option and then Defoe just kept scoring so he couldn't leave him out. I seem to remember Sunderland fans phoning up Total Sport not understanding why he wouldn't play Defoe when he was their best striker.

There was a Dutch journalist on the radio yesterday saying that the Dutch manager was concerned because we have/had 5 Dutch internationals and he did not want them playing in the Championship. So they are pleased Gini has gone and expect Krul to go as well. They are concerned about Janmaat as there are 2 Italian clubs very interested but they are not sure if Ashley will let him go. Didn't mention Anita or De Jong. If any clubs are interested in Krul, they may be waiting until he is nearer being fit as he won't be much use to them at present. Wouldn't be surprised if that was a late one.

He had a very poor record in the Liverpool games especially at Anfield.

Players have been banned before for the first game(s) of the season. Not sure if the rules have changed or whether it depends on the type of pre-season friendly e.g. a tournament like those that Arsenal hold each year.

We've indulged some players for far too long. No wonder there was a lack of team spirit.

Got to be. They're going straight back down at the moment, with or without Bruce. I am sure I heard that they only have 13 fit players at the moment.

His first squad will be interesting. Wonder if there will be a coaching role for Nolan.

Never understood the club's attitude before as I thought it put us in a weak position when openly touting the players. Every club - even the likes of Man Utd are vulnerable if bigger clubs come calling for their players so there is no need to advertise the fact as Pardew regularly did.

Charlie Adam said on 5Live earlier that £20m would be a steal and that he would put him in the £25m - £30m range.

If we get £20m+ for our players, the prices for players we are interested in will increase hugely. Should try and get the players in before we sell.

Liverpool overpay for all their players - don't see why we should let them have a bargain.

Past names are irrelevant now Rafa is here. Pre-Rafa, such lists would have been relevant because we always went back to previous targets.

Love it when the new boys score.

"When he arrived as a manager he fumigated the old club training ground at Benwell and decorated the whole building. Benitez, who has instructed his staff to read a book about the period, has followed the lead." The very book written by the author of this article.

Maybe he's running out of premier league options. Sunderland might not be glamorous but they are a s*** version of Everton in many ways. Overshadowed by another local team close by, but still a big fan base for a manager who can get it right. and again managed by Rafa. I agree that Moyes is running out of options. He has turned down one or two jobs because he will not get the control he wants but it is hard to see where he can realistically go. The top half are basically all foreign managers so are unlikely to go for him if they have a vacancy.. Which clubs could sack their managers quite early? West Brom, Hull ? He probably thinks he is better than that. Watford? Change their managers too often. Swansea? He doesn't fit their blueprint. Boro? Possibly - a good chairman and he will get time but does he think he is better than that? Palace? That love affair will probably last a while longer yet. That leaves Sunderland - if they are interested - otherwise he will have to look at the Championship.

I heard some "expert" on the radio yesterday say that Allardyce had done a better job than Rafa because he kept Sunderland up and that was an incredible achievement considering where they were when he arrived. They seem to overlook that he had most of the season and only just managed to keep them up and Rafa had very few games in comparison. I am sure if Rafa had as many games we would not have been anywhere near the relegation zone by the end of the season.