Deckard 13

I'd love to know what Pardews assessment of someone like Oscars or Silvas physique is.

Put him on the Shane Ferguson milk diet!

Other than the obvious, don't really get the hate. Seems perfectly capable. Nowt exciting but it it seems unfair to crucify him on the basis that people think Pards will select him regardless. I mean, he probably will, but I'm happy to hold back for now until that happens.

Went for some classic badge kissing afterwards. Not the actions of someone who is leaving. Grenier isn't playing mind...

It could come with a hundred free blow jobs and I still would never walk around with wonga plastered across my chest. Who makes the kit is the least of our problems ATM. It could be Nike, it could be umbro. It would still have the same sponsor.

Is the idea not currently get a right sided forward? Both the French lad and PEA can both operate wide forward and up front. That could drop sissoko into midfield or move riviere to the left and Cabella over to the right should they take up a more central role. Remy looked most dangerous coming in from the left as well. Not sure pard's wants someone who won't play as a full back mind, but the options would be there for a pretty flexible front 4 should we get one of those players. Unless yanga gets sold I don't see another cb coming in. That would mean we'd have to shift 2 cbs next year when the forest kid comes in.

If that massive unsightly triangle was a few inches higher they may have just gotten away with it. Either way, it'll have a stick on patch and be made if disgusting material.

We have £8 million for a centre back but we didn't throw our hat into the ring for Caulker? I don't see it my self.

It's quite depressing really. I feel like a spoilt child seeing the club finally making sensible moves and all I can think of is that we need more. But a couple of youth prospects, a loan and replacing your best players with hopefully adequate new ones is not something we should get excited about. This is a club that has refused to sign anyone for nearly 2 years. Damn right they should be signing a lot of players. I only hope that after last seasons showing that these positive signs, like immediately replacing players, signing talented young players and actually having a replacement in the squad before you sell are the club changing their ways. Fool me once though. Until proven otherwise all I see is a club that has managed the transfer window badly for a long time doing the minimum required.

I don't think another striker is likely really. We have 4 options for 1 space and have spent all the money we realistically would have used to make that kind of signing. Unless we sell I think further purchases will only occur if there is a deal that looks like great value in terms of future sell on, much like signing the two Forest kids. I wouldn't be surprised to find out we've got deals for Abeid, Sammy and Ferguson lined up to the tune of about 5M as well in the next few days which should cover that expenditure.

Nature of the job. He can be upset, but if the choice is "sell them now and get immediate funds to improve your squad while still keeping them for a push into the Premier League" or "keep them, but you have no money and we'll sell them next year anyway" then it's a different matter. That is assuming that they have dealt with us because our terms are upfront money and a loan, opposed to instalments and you lose them immediately. From his point of view it can be a bad thing, or it can be the move that allows him to be successful.

So we've signed Argentine Cisse? Brilliant.

Wikiscouting tells me they both featured a fair bit last year. Bit odd to send them back considering our other options in their positions mind. Seems opportunistic mind. Clearly don't have any bright youth prospects to sell to Liverpool so we've brought in someone else's.

Just read the article on the chronicle website where he says he was the reason the first half was so bad, then he goes on to blame the kids again. This guy is like clock work. So predictable. No mention of the back 4 being garbage or the team having no sense of direction, just that the bairns let him down.

I loved the boosh but we still shipped goals like crazy. I don't think his departure will be felt as badly as the others. Hatem hasn't featured for a long time now so again, its not like he'll be missed. Then you're talking about these players replacing half a season of Cabaye and 26 games from Remy. Regardless of how down hearted I may be about this club I can't reasonably argue that the team that will start this season isn't stronger than the team that finished the last. The squad still needs a reliable center forward capable of 10-15 goals a season to replace Remy/Ba's contribution but if they manage that then I think people have reason to be optimistic that were not in for the same absolute shower of s*** again. At least until they remember whose at the helm.

I'm concerned about the lack of natural width. Its only the kids ATM who are wingers in a traditional sense really.I'm sure pard's is happy enough with cms, forwards and fullbacks in wide positions but I'm not. One more versatile midfielder would really be a step forward for me. Someone else comfortable across what like like being a front 3 behind the striker. Its a shame that we won't see that. It looks on the face of it that a minimal investment of around 20 mil and a clearing of some of the deadwood could really take the club forward. We've replaced what we've lost but nothing more. A quality forward and a decent midfield added to this lot surely isn't too much to ask and would give us some real depth rather than hoping that one of De Jong or Cabella stays fit and hits the ground running.

Nope. He stays in your squad and earns you 0 pts while taking up one of 3 slots from the same team until you transfer him out. Brilliant news. Seems kinda bulls***. Especially after Remy got sent off and the triumphant return of Ramsey has resulted in another lay off.

What's the deal with players who get sold outside of the league? Cabs has gone and I'm getting trolled by the game with the message of "Joined PSG, unknown return date" or something but he is still in my team and to remove him costs 1 transfer. I thought when a player left the league you were given your cash +1 free transfer? Is that not the case?

The more I think about this, the less it makes sense. Cabs left the best team in France for a new start in a bigger league. He leaves us going back to the best team in France, albeit a stronger version of it. Other than the finances of the deal, the only other thing he can possibly hope to win that he has no experience of winning is the CL. I just keep thinking we had to wait 8 or 9 years to really see a quality centre midfield after Rob Lee left. I hope we don't have to go through a similar period of time to see Cabaye replaced. I'm not sure I can handle more years of the Parkers, Butts and Emres of this world. That's what hurts the most.

What irritates me is that much like the rest of the squad bar Williamson/Tiote is that there has never been any talk of offering him a new deal to stay when its clear how important he is. From the moment they saw they could get a player of his calibre on the cheap the end goal has been to sell him for a song. Like a bullshit version of bargain hunt. His value as a product to be bartered for is greater than his value in sporting terms.

It looks to be another successful window for those in charge. No one has had to spend any of that money we don't have despite evidence to the contrary. The Team is nice and safe, doing well enough to secure the next round of season tickets. There's non of that impractical and financially unimportant cup nonsense to worry about and we can look forward to the teams best player being shifted for a tidy sum in the next window. The accounts team will be very happy. Might even improve morale by sticking a few of those spreadsheets in the trophy cabinet. Might distract from the unwashed making a cup final while our manager has guided us safely out of all cup competitions early to ensure the status quo of mid table premier league. Smashing.

Weird time to say this when the un-droppable Jonas has just joined Norwich on loan and is upset about the way he has been shifted out. Plus Sissoko probably has more assists this season already than Jonas ever managed. This. Pretty sure Sissoko has more assists than anyone else in our team this season. Just needs to score more. He's been presented with some great chances in the last few games and hasn't taken them.

Taylor won't start vs Villa imo, doesn't look ready at all. He's obviously been enjoying his Christmas dinners if the training photos are anything to go by.

I'm not to worried about all the french speakers because who are they going to upset? Great english speaking players like Williamson, Simpson and Elliot? They can have a whinge about it sat at home on saturdays. Short term, i think its a plus. Cabs, Debuchy and Sissoko are mates aren't they? And the international lads should know MYM. It should allow players to bed in alot quicker when there are some familiar faces around and you'd hope there will be less finger pointing, less blaming each other when its with people who you know personally rather than just people you work with. Long term it's probably not great and will need to be addressed but i fail to see how signing five players who all speak completely different languages who come from different cultures would be preferable to players who should know each other and know some of the people already in the squad.

I'm more of a lurker than poster, but i've been motivated to post and say you're mental! Short memories it seems. A squad is about more than the 11 on the pitch. There's european football next season and 12 million will not come close to replacing a 16 goal striker who looked unstoppable for half a season and pefectly decent for the other half. Lots of games to play and we need to keep these players together, even if they don't all get to play at the same time. He's looked tired, no doubt next season he'll be banging them in, as he has done throughout his career.