ponsaelius

It's a PL/FA rule, not UEFA. Dyke wants to decrease (the number of non-HG players) from 17 to 13 as well, so its only likely to get worse. Champions League you need 8 home grown players in the 25 don't you? One of the reasons City & Chelsea were linked with Alex Song. Yeah but the PL has the same rule, pushed by the FA not UEFA. We don't need to have it in the PL; France, Germany and Spain etc don't. Its the PL ruling thats inflating prices more, because you play 38 games a season and clubs want a full squad. Plus you've got 20 teams scrapping for 'HG' players rather than just 4.

It's a PL/FA rule, not UEFA. Dyke wants to decrease (the number of non-HG players) from 17 to 13 as well, so its only likely to get worse.

Tim Vickery was raving about him last week (Lawrence)

Aye they're off Wiki

It changes every season to that season's ball

Blackburn mate reckons Gestede is better

I don't think he is. Too slow and poor on the ball for a higher level.

I'm not sold on either of them tbh. Austin has looked shite everytime I've seen him play in the Championship and PL, but he scores and would probably get 10-12 regardless of how shite we are because he just has a knack for scoring. Mitrovic has a great pedigree for a player his age but he seems to rely on service and is a headcase. Lacazette last season would have been a far better signing than both of them; pacey and streaky, can make goals for himself etc. We'd have got him if we'd stumped up the cash anarl, but now he's a £30 million player.

Well I think it reflects my own opinion of his ability level. He can't get close to the squad in an era where good English CBs are at a premium. He's not quick and poor on the ball. He'd improve our current defence, but so would any limited defender with a moducim of leadership and organisation about them so its hardly saying much. I think its crazy to suggest he'd be the 'perfect' signing as Ronaldo and O-Nut have put it.

Of course he's overrated because he'd cost circa £15 million despite having no international pedigree whatsoever and being shite with the ball. He'd cost a hell of a lot more than he's worth in terms of talent because he plays for a PL club who have no need to sell. Madrid got Varane for £6 million, Man City got Kompany for £6 million, Valencia got Otamendi for £8 million, Juve got Bonucci for £10 million, Atletico got Godin for £6.6 million. That's 5 of the best CBs in the world, just as a sample, unlike strikers they don't tend to cost huge money.

It's not as if Porto are totally adverse to plugging the squad with older players. Thing is keepers are always harder to make a profit on and you're often better off with an older head anyway.

He's at least a 7.5 out of 10 defender and a very good leader who happens to be the main reason only 4 teams conceded fewer goals than Stoke last season. If that constitutes a mancrush, fair play. It's actually probably more creepy that the false 9 brigade advocate wasting money on players with no PL experience/aptitude instead of the likes of Shawcross. 'Wasting money on players with no PL experience/aptitude' - well no, people just think we can do better. You've said it yourself - he's a 7.5/10 player. He plays for Stoke City and has zero international pedigree at the age of 27. Yes, he'd improve us, but so he fucking should considering he'd cost circa £15 million and our current CBs are an actual comedy.

He's supposed to be excellent and been linked to lots of big clubs

Shawcross is overrated and a proper twat to boot. 1 England cap considering the state of the current defence shows he's really not all that.

Lukaku, Benteke and Bacca had similar records and they've done alright. Belgian league is better than the Eredivisie these days innit

I went to a PSV game last season and I've got to say I really liked the club and the fans. I had always thought of them as a 'plastic' club compared to Ajax and Feyenoord because of their association with Phillips. Also they have a street next to the stadium named after Ronaldo which is cool. http://i.imgur.com/7u7J0A3.jpg?1

If anybody has earned a chance with a new coaching set-up its Cisse imo. Would like to see him stay.

Balkan players have had great recent success in the PL; Dzeko, Vidic, Ivanovic, Modric, Matic, Begovic, Berbatov, Petrovs, Kolarov, Tadic etc just off top of my head. They only seem a better fit for Italy because many of the good ones have traditionally gone there due to closer cultural links and scouting networks.

With the Ameobis, Gabby and Anichebe the Nigerian diaspora in England has a lot to answer for.

still doing the clapping on 17 minutes, FML

Cisse looking worse for wear after his holidays mind

Check your PMs stifler

Cracking pen

PM me a stream lads