alexf

Still don't quite get what it means

No I can see that...the strategy so far has been not to cash in on any of our real assets. But is this method working? You say we are building a formidable side but most of that building was done awhile ago. We have been needing a new RW, RCB and replacement for Wilson for a while now but from the sounds of it we aren't able to do that and I even have doubts if we can get all that done in the summer with the funds it would take to get players better than what we have. Without top 5 this season we are going to be vulnerable to the cartel flying around like vultures for our star players. Likewise if we get champions league, we aren't going to have the funds or the wages to revenue space to flesh out the squad necessary to avoid another season like last year. Sorry I think my general bleak outlook to life at the mo is filtering over into my pessimism about PSR and how frustrating it is, knowing this squad is only a few key players from doing something special.

Does anyone feel like it's inevitable that we need to sell one of they core players for a minimum £70m+ in order to try and start building again? I don't see any other solutions at the moment. The squad was already getting stale and it was only the return of Tonali that has helped boost it this season but there's very little beneath the first 11. It doesn't seem like we are able to sell the deadwood for sufficient funds to be able to kick on, in the same way other clubs are able to do. Seems like we're pinning everything on getting top 5 this year but it's gonna be a tall ask with so many teams competing for it.

But why the inflated fee's? I get the need to pay the players higher wages. But why should it make a difference to a club where the player is going. If anything it's better for them when players go to Saudi as they won't face them in the same league or Europe. Sure in January teams will ask for larger fees to let players go. But we have seen these high transfer fees in the summers aswell.

Yup. Said before, it makes no sense that the transfer fee has to be way over inflated aswell. Sure wages to entice players to a shot league, but why is every transfer fee atleast £20m probably over people's true value.

Gareth 🇬🇧

This is completely true. If we, Villa , Forrest etc, were allowed to spend freely, you could have a far more competitive race for the title and much higher chance of teams who have never won the premier league doing so. It would then be more about which of the top 6-7 teams have the best manager, tactics, form, fitness etc and be way more entertaining. Watching Man City win the league 6 out of the last 7 times is not competitive. Spending money is no guarantee of success as Chelsea have shown recently. So it would come down to more about buying the right players, having good chemistry throughout the team etc. If lots of teams have strong recruitment and management then it will be a much closer contest between many teams. Sure the teams that can't bank role their squads as strongly will be unlikely to be able to compete at the top of the league, but then that's no different to how it's always been and those team would be able to take advantage of picking up better players that the other teams can't fit in their squads etc and give them an opportunity to thrive.

Yeah i agree in the main, I didn't say they have made any stand out signings like we have. Maybe Morgan Rogers in time looks to have alot of potential. So I think we have the better individuals but I think they have more depth across the squad. As i said they have navigated PSR better in terms of selling academy players and squad players they don't want for decent fees and also stocking the squad with 2 players in each position. The individual quality in the first 11 I believe is slightly less than ours but their second string is stronger. The * here though is they did start from a far healthier position in terms of having saleable assets in the first place and also having £100m of Grealish profit. I just feel as they build, they are slowly increasing their pot of money each time and therefore eventually they might land on a Isak level signing and kick them on to another level. I think it's clear in current circumstances they are our closest equal. Chelsea/Man city are in a different stratosphere financially and I'd say the likes of Bournemouth/Fulham etc are slightly behind us and villa.

Villas owners are way more proactive than ours when it comes to navigating PSR. Yes I'd say we have made the better signings so far in Isak, Bruno, Tonali etc. But I think if Villa keep doing what they are doing they will get it right eventually. They have racked in big fees for players recently and it will allow them to go for better players in the long term.

They did just sign that Malen who I believe can also play through the middle.

Barely got past the first few minutes of that dribble, but I did hear him say that his colleague got "a avalanche/torrent of abuse".....jeez get over yourselves you pathetic crybabies. If you say stupid things then be prepared to get called out for it. No one would even be talking about it if he didn't react like a petulant child when someone pulled him up for it. Now crying victim cus he didn't apologise or stand by his words. No idea how Keith goes on to explain how everyone has "got this wrong" couldn't bare to listen to anymore.

"Chelsea asked..." Is that just the standard tag in for any transfer story? Ofcourse they did 😂

Heard Micah Richards (known Arsenal fan) earlier on the podcast he does with Lineker and Shearer, literally call it the worst decision in the history of the premier league. Was probably recorded before the Oliver getting abuse news surfaced so he will likely try and walk it back to save face but how absurd and sensationalist is that. Probably wasn't even the most controversial this week across the country.

Wasn't he accused of online grooming underage boys? I assumed at the time that was bullshit and probably is, but reminds a bit of when Kevin Spacey had those allegations against him and then decided for some reason to choose then to come out as gay.

Wow ok. I didn't see the whole conversation just your post suggesting the guy was making up childish nonsense calling Le tissier a conspiracy theory guy. But a quick Google shows that he quite clearly has gone down that path. https://onefootball.com/id/berita/11-of-matt-le-tissiers-wildest-conspiracy-theories-from-vaccines-to-the-communist-takeover-37793318

Where have you been? Have you not wondered why there is a "makes you think?" In every other thread these days.

Yeah they need to stop doing that. Takes all the weight and inertia out of the motion so some things that look awful actually had very little force behind them and often the referee hasn't given it in real time but after a VAR shows them a super slow mo they change their mind.

Christ could you imagine the carry on and fume from the media if Jim did what Mike Ashley did to us. Could you imagine Gary Neville, Rio etc with the platform they have if Man utd sold their best players, invested nothing in new players over many windows, painted old Trafford in blue and red sports direct tatty logos, renamed the stadium to 'sports direct arena' without paying a penny in sponsorship for many years. Etc etc.. Christ we really did let him take the piss out of us didn't we, oh god it's all come flooding back. The league and the media just sat and laughed at us and never said a peep about the disgrace that whole era was. For that alone we should have been allowed a grace period to have some fun in the transfer market with our new owners but no, shut it all down and keep those plucky northerners quiet .

Said it before but I can imagine Liverpool will be the ones that bid if any in the summer. I think they stored up some decent PSR room, probably sack off Nunez. That being said if they win the league and other cups + if Salah stays, they may think they don't need to splash out and keep doing what they are doing buying cheaper across Europe. Nah it's gonna be Chelsea that come calling again isn't it. It's always Chelsea. I'm choosing not to listen to all the Arsenal bullshit anyways and just enjoying watching a phenomenal talent play in a Newcastle shirt.

Am I right in thinking he hasn't lived up to anywhere near the hype? Haven't seen barely anything in fairness and obviously still very young.

Would have loved him to have scored...with his right peg aswell. Would have been perfect. As much as his time here is up, it's concerning that whilst Barnes is out, we don't have another attacking winger to bring on. Willock and Osula are about the the sum of our attacking options to bring in at the moment which isn't quite what you'd expect of a champions league chasing side.

Realised today I take it abit for granted how good he is at times. Yes we have good players dotted throughout the first 11 but he is the difference maker. We're all praising Murphy's form and rightly so. But if he fizzes that pass into the majority of the other strikers in this league and it's probably not a goal. Love when Isak is in the mood because he not only gets in behind and causes havoc but he also drops deep and links the play so well at times.

Won't be easy. Fulham have good athleticism all over the pitch like Bournemouth. Like that game though I think it's more about which version of us turns up. Signs again today that the players are bit leggy. Not sure how much was conserving energy or genuine tiredness. In spells we look excellent still as two of the goals showed today. Fingers crossed the players are at their best. Could do with Barnes getting fit soon to have that extra option off the bench.

Seems to be an Arsenal thing. Keown is the same. You can tell an Arsenal fan up is down but they will swear blind that it's not if it involves their team. Nothing showed that more obvious than loads of their online contingent claiming the Havertz handball wasn't against Villa. So seeing that today doesn't shock me that they will see it as more of the "conspiracy against them".

The weight of the pass into Isak was excellent. Just fizzed in enough to give the defender no chance of intercepting. Just take for granted these days that Isak is gonna take it in his stride and finish so easily. But love the connection the two of them have at the moment. All Murph wants to do is feed Isak the ball. Shame Isak and Gordon haven't quite got the same link up but Gordon has his own qualities.