brummie

Monchi at work, I imagine. Emery also worked with Torres at Villareal, don't forget, and I remember as soon as Emery joined, everyone was saying he wanted Torres. A bit like when MON joined and everyone knew his first signing would be Petrov

You’re not fooling me.

Bit harsh on Carlos. Snapped his Achilles in his home debut. Out pretty much the entire season.

¡No gracias!

Transfer list: Pau Torres Ferran Torres Alton Towers Fawlty Towers Fernando Torres Blackpool Tower.

They might not have anything to spend it on right now in Saudi, but they have the rest of their lives to do it. I think as fans we sometimes underestimate the extent to which footballers are really about the money. This Saudi thing is really showing it. It is the same dynamic that brings a lot of players to the Premier League, we just find it harder to admit that.

That’s actually €35m so £31m.

35 not 55.

Incredible how lucrative being a poor manager and delivering poor results can be.

Yes, good point re academy. I'll also say this now - Jacob Ramsey is better at 22 than Grealish was at that age. His two younger brothers are also at the club (Aaron was at Boro last season). I am hoping Archer gets a chance - he's a very impressive finisher. Also re spending - Douglas Luiz, Kamara, McGinn, Ramsey - total cost less than £20m.

Our net spend over the last 4 transfer windows is £40m. Nowhere near.

I think he's looking at it in terms of increasing the quality available in as many areas as possible, and whoever earns the start, gets it. Torres, Mings, Konsa and Diego Carlos as centre half options is very good. Now we need a back up keeper, a right back and a wide player.

Nah, there's no way Mings would be off. He was absolutely imperious under Emery last season. Mind you, so was Konsa for long periods.

If you are going to be a mid twenties multi millionaire, London is one of the best places to be. He's a very good player indeed. He chose them rather than you, don't dwell on it, god knows how many 'this or that' decisions are made in football every day that we don't hear about.

The unique thing about your ground is that it is right in the city centre. I don't think you realise what a difference that makes to the way a club feels to its city, especially as you are a one club city. You'd be fucking nuts to piss that away and move to some enormous bland-o-dome in the middle of nowhere.

You're not fooling me. I know you love the Villa, and you always will do. In the style of a homophobic politician who turns out to be gay. Anyway, bet you can't wait till next season, having your club and your second club to follow in Europe ;-)

Not a signing, but a new 4 year contract for John McGinn. What a turnaround, what Gerrard did to him was inexplicable. Him and Mings, for that matter. Genuinely the clearest example of managers ruining players I've seen, I had no idea it was possible for it to happen to that degree, given how far McGinn fell under Carpethead, he looked awful.

Yeah checked, you are right. That goal of the season he scored at Everton the championship year. He tells a story about that. He's a Scouser, Evertonian family, few days before the match, Saunders says he's thinking of not starting him, because he knows it's his club and isn't sure he's got the mentality. Then he picks him, he scores goal of the season, and if you look at it, he turns and flicks the V's at Saunders. Also tells a story of how his house burned down in a fire. He slept in his car that night, goes to training next day, smelling of and covered with soot. Saunders complains, Morley tells him what's happened, asks for help, he says "I don't pay you for that, son. Check into a hostel, get some clothes at a jumble sale, and get yourself sorted out" What a guy.

No it doesn't. *fidgets in chair* At least we don't look like NOTTS COUNTY. "Notts County? Who are they?" *slurps milk* "EXACTLEEEE"

Great player. No England caps, I don't think. Or Dennis Mortimer, or Gary Shaw.

Looks like the sort of shit Burnley would wear. I hate Castore.

They held a review and vote for the design for the new badge. That one got chosen. Then today, they've said they're keeping the old one but also using this one on kits, but only for this season. Total and utter clusterfuck of stupidity. I reckon that's one reason Purslow got the bullet. Anyway, shirt is horrible.

The Saudi - Chelsea thing is dodgy as fuck. I genuinely think this sort of thing plus concepts like multi club ownership will conspire to fucking ruin football.

He's fucking 33. What is the point? What does Southgate think he's going to discover about him at this point? Why isn't he using matches like these to blood some of the younger players? This is what i can't stand about Southgate - I appreciate he can point to results - but it's so predictable and fucking boring.

Do clubs ever comment on transfer rumours? This is quite clearly absolute horseshit.