quayside

Only 24 named on that list? And Xisco and Routledge are included (so is Ireland). Surely that leaves quite a few gaps that could be filled?

Yes the release of Routledge looks like a mistake right now. I would think that AP was thinking that the club would sign Larssen and he would have Gosling as a back up. Mind you Barton seems to be holding that position down at present.

Laughed when I heard this. Kuqi is a clumsy target man and really not a very good player. I've always found him amusing when he was playing for someone else. But this is not a statement of the club's policy of recruiting new players it is merely bringing in a body who, as others have said, will only get time on the pitch in exceptional circumstances. The guy is 34 years old and he is not going to get an offer beyond this season ffs. Think Fitz Hall and Pancrate, that is the sort of signing this is. Bit of an over reaction on here tbh.

Bingo! Well yes that has to be assumed before you can judge whether it was a good deal for us or not. If Ashley uses the money to fund our losses or reduce his loan or in some way we end up pissing it up against a wall, then there isn't any real debate on the value of the deal is there? I wouldn't say funding our losses or paying off debts is the same as 'pissing it up against a wall'. But I get what you're saying. Pissing it up against a wall as in spending poorly on the squad. So all 3 possibilities end up with the squad being no stronger. Yeah I know, all I meant was that covering our losses and paying off our debts is a valid way to spend money. It doesn't make the team better, obviously. I can't see that being a widely held view tbh.

Bingo! Well yes that has to be assumed before you can judge whether it was a good deal for us or not. If Ashley uses the money to fund our losses or reduce his loan or in some way we end up pissing it up against a wall, then there isn't any real debate on the value of the deal is there? I wouldn't say funding our losses or paying off debts is the same as 'pissing it up against a wall'. But I get what you're saying. Pissing it up against a wall as in spending poorly on the squad. So all 3 possibilities end up with the squad being no stronger.

Bingo! Well yes that has to be assumed before you can judge whether it was a good deal for us or not. If Ashley uses the money to fund our losses or reduce his loan or in some way we end up pissing it up against a wall, then there isn't any real debate on the value of the deal is there?

It might well, especially as AC has so many years ahead of him. There is clearly a risk with Carroll from Liverpool's point of view though. He isn't the finished article and is still very raw. He might not settle at Anfield, he might simply not develope as a player, he might be constantly injured etc. £35M was a staggering price for a player at that stage in his career. Although they aren't totally the same type of scenario think about Spurs selling Carrick and Berbatov for £50 million. Both were more proven players than AC. Michael Carrick hasn't really looked the part very often at ManU so surely most people would say that was excellent business for Spurs. Berbatov on the other hand is unarguably one of the best strikers in the Premiership but I would doubt that Spurs have any regrets on cashing in on him either. Sometimes there's a deal you can't ignore. And before anyone jumps in I am of course assuming that, like Spurs, we make good use of the money on our squad.

True. Don't know how they get away with that utter crap.

To be honest you can look at all the good results both Hughton and Pardew have got and construct a reason that gives them little or no credit for our success on the day. Its purely a judgement call on whether AP is an improvement. Yes for me.

I posted earlier on this - I got the same message as that off a few Hammers fans I know.

What a bunch of fannies the Arse are really. They are like the camp hairdressers of the Premiership.

I'd have been over the moon, just like I am tonight.

What changed the game today? The sending off was the turning point. But there has to be belief from a side that is 4-0 down especially when its against a side that can keep the ball like Arsenal. Without wanting to be arsey - how would you have reacted if Hughton was managing and we'd pulled out that result today?

The ambition must be to get a 4-4 draw I suppose

He has hit some howlers in his time, but even before today, I've seen enough of Tiote to suggest he could be really good going forward. It's a tricky one because you wouldn't want him to jeopardise his defensive keeping-things-simple style which is so invaluable and rare, but it helps to have a midfield general who can do both - and I think he's always had it in him. His distribution (even going forward) is underrated IMO. Didn't Pardew make some comment ages ago about Tiote, saying he could be a weapon going forward? Sure he did. Yeah he did say exactly that.

The best come back ever in the Premiership. No side has ever done what we did today.

To be honest he's got a long way to go before he makes any money out of the club. I said earlier on here I don't know if he's preparing to sell or not. In some ways the Carroll deal weakens the argument that he is selling. If he does have any sort of desire to do something productive with the club then I'm sure the two clubs he will be looking at are Arsenal and Spurs. Arsenal for picking out young talented players on the cheap, and Spurs for taking the cash on stellar deals when they come along (Berbatov, Carrick and Keane to Liverpool all went for big money) and using that finance to develope the club. Many are not even prepared to consider that as a possibility and its easy to see why. I'll be quite honest and say I don't know what his intentions with the club are and I never have done really.

We've just brought in £35 million, why should he have to put pressure on his mate by talking to the press? I actually think that Pardew is (or at least comes across) as as disillusioned as a lot of people about the whole Carroll thing. I think he's making it clear he doesn't want it to happen again. Then again, it's tricky trying to interpret things without actually hearing them said. It could be that but he has to be careful his negativity doesn't cross over to the players. This is a good test of his management credentials, we should see what he's made of now. Very much so. The key area where Pardew has to make a diffeence is in grinding out results in adverse situations.

Don't know if that was addressed to me or not. But my answer is no I haven't forgotten that and I'm sure Ashley hasn't either. So he signed some high earners? It certainly isn't the only thing he's done that he's decided to change because it wasn't working for him. His whole time here has been littered with inconsistencies. Just for the record I don't like Ashley or Llambias one bit. I didn't like Shepherd either but there again I doubt I would like many football club owners if I met them. It has become a spiv's industry sadly. And I think if Ashley sells it could easily be to someone worse.

He's out of contract so there is no one to loan him from. It would involve offering him personally some sort of short term contract.

Sorry, but a 4-5-1 formation requires much from an attacker. First, the holding play has not been that great from Ranger's side. Second, and he needs to move more without getting the ball. Third, he must constantly be focused. Ranger possesses none of these abilities, yet. Ranger needs to be loaned out for one whole season in a league that doesn't have the same tempo.. Sorry, but Aliadiere offers nothing more on the pitch than Ranger does. Pointless, i suppose Aliadiere would be happy earning a wage though and sitting on the bench. Aliadiere has scored a goal or two in the Premiership in his time. Nile has not as yet done that. Btw I am not an Aliadiere fan especially (although I do like his interviews) it is purely a case of where we are. I really am regretting my involvement in this thread...

So find a new owner who can pay the price required to buy the club and will not only provide survival money but also is happy to stick money in to move it on. which is really nothing to do with our potential. had abramovich took over colchester and went about things the way he has at chelsea they would have won the premier league by now and be chasmps league regulars. Hmm don't know about that. There was some infrastructure at Chelsea before Roman (more than there is at Colchester) and, of course, Chelsea is a lush location for.... I'll not get drawn on this and just call him a foreign investor. Ashley really isn't Roman, he hasn't got that sort of money to burn. Of course there was potential with us but who was around to buy us for a totally stupid price when any due diligence would have had anyone sensible not going anywhere near?

He'll play this season and he'll score goals which gains them points, he'll not do that for us and he'll have given them a lift just through signing for them while according to our manager our players are down in the dumps. I don't know whether AC will score goals at L'pool or what but I would think our players are very down about this regardless of him not being available for several weeks anyway. But Pardew has to deal with it and get results, that is why he was appointed.

So find a new owner who can pay the price required to buy the club and will not only provide survival money but also is happy to stick money in to move it on.

It is where we are. We got the wrong end of the Torres deal apparently and so taking a cheap punt is what's left. Got anyone else to offer that's played at this level and is available and low risk?