duo

What's the latest on this one? Trying to agree a fee?

4 minutes ago, midds said:

I've got a massive problem with people picking and choosing which rumours they believe and which they ignore. You can't just believe the ones you want to be true and disregard the ones you don't fancy, it doesn't work like that. The truth is probably somewhere between the 2 extremes and I personally don't trust a single one of these vague tweets and quotes from random as I don't trust them either. 

 

I tend to ignore pretty much everything reported on twitter and in the rags, it's invariably utter shite. It's far easier. When it happens it happens, until then it's bollocks. 

 

 

 

Who knows if it's true - but can't blame people questioning it.   

1 minute ago, r0cafella said:

That offer is perfectly reasonable like. 

Dunno like - we are about to be relegated to the Championship so it is kind of ridiculous. And how much of the 35 mil was if we win the Champions League? 5, 10, 20?

1 hour ago, HaydnNUFC said:

I mean, if that last bit is true that's taking the piss a tad.

 

It would explain the lack of movement on other transfers if those are the types of add-ons being added.  

20 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

 

Big Guillem sticking his oar in.

He's probably right though.

2 hours ago, Kanji said:

Lingard could very well be the key to staying up. 

He will help- but we need to sort the defence. Scoring goals hasn't been our biggest problem it's been conceding.

1 hour ago, Yorkie said:

I've gone back and forth on Lingard but I'd certainly take him at this point. Where previously we've looked capable of being dangerous, I basically never feel confident that we're going to score now. It's Maxi or nowt unless Wood can establish himself, but even then the latter needs better service. 

 

If we're to continue with the set-up and style of play we've been seeing, the order of priority is, imo:

 

CM/CDM      critical 

CB                 high

RW                medium

CAM             medium

CF no 2        medium

LB                 low

GKP              summer

 

If we're changing tack - for instance, going with three CBs and wing-backs (which, tbh, I've wondered if Howe has had in mind given then desire for two new CBs and a LB) - then we could probably mitigate not signing a Shelvey replacement. 

 

 

(for fun, as our work IT systems are kaput):

 

                         Dubravka

        Carlos      Fernandez    Schar 

Trippier                                        Gosens

                 Shelvey     Joelinton

         Lingard                        ASM

                            Wood

 

 

... a la Rafa's 5-4-1 out of possession/3-4-3 in possession, with Lingard and Maxi as Almiron and Perez. 

All good bar Shelvey- just a massive whole in CM. Needs replacing ASAP 

1 hour ago, toontownman said:

Quite possible LB is the lowest priority with CB's, CM and another Striker being the priority. Could be Gosens is the long term target too. 

 

At that price deals for Tagliafico, Ginter and a bunch more with contracts coming up seems like a no brainer! Makes you wonder why more teams aren't bidding though. 

 

ok Dummett is back but we've conceded far too many goals from that area. Also Richie is just a knock away.

So is it one of Botman or Carlos because we need both 

I so hope we sort this before Leeds, imagine Lascelles benched 

1 hour ago, Mike said:

Bring him home. We're dogshit I don't care if he's 35.

Agreed. He'll be better than every player we currently have 

Does handing in a transfer request force clubs to accept a lower off? ? 

45 minutes ago, ManDoon said:

I liek Yerry Mina tbh, solid PL defender

Has he been injured?

1 minute ago, The Prophet said:

 

In an ideal world I'd have preferred us to have a signing or two more by now, but looking at the calibre of player we're trying to bring in, these deals take time. Ultimately though if we get a top class CB and a CM in by February it'll be worth it. 

 

I think Wood will prove to be a useful addition. It's rough to write him off after one game feeding off scraps.

They needed to identity a set of targets for each position, if their bid gets rejected - move on.  We've not the time to negotiate, if we were sitting mid table it'd be different.  In the Watford game we were crying out for a DM someone to control the midfield.  If they had got one in we could have potentially won that game.  Leeds next which is another vital game but as yet still no movement on new players.  We need to be moving fast. 

12 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

 

Out of interest, what about it is an 'utter shambles'?

 

 

 

Bar Tripper - still no CB, still no LB, still no CM and Wood as our striker.  We're two week into the window and games are passing us by.  Just don't feel that they had a proper plan.  

I'm starting to hate this transfer window - it is turning into an utter shambles.  You don't feel like there is a cohesive plan.

1 hour ago, Ben said:

 

Well that didn't last long 

Please let us not throw away £15mil on Phil Jones

1 hour ago, Elliottman said:

We have zero midfield, a horrific back line and our best forward is injured. There’s no way this set of players can play the way he wants them to play, there’s not enough athleticism in the team. Until he’s got some of his own players in, I’m not going to be over ally harsh on him, it’s pointless. 

His job is not getting the team to play the way he wants but getting the team to play in a way that suits the players.  That's where Rafa was king - he nailed it.

Becomes a 5 for me if Rafa came back as in Rafa I trust.  It is a 10 for Howe sadly.

It is never going to happen unless PIF suddenly pull rank as Amanda would have to admit she got the appointment wrong.

4 minutes ago, Stottie said:

Imagine him coming in and upsetting the Trippier and Howe love-in. Or ASM who nearly won us the match, but only after committing our biggest lapse of the first half, losing it on the halfway line.

 

I think the team is going in the right direction, but there is just so much ground to make up. After two months of Howe, I don't think our problem is lack of organization or effort. It is poor, error-prone footballers and an ingrained losing mentality, a lingering smell from when defeats had positives and being in the bottom three was "ticking over". If Rafa suffered from a lack of fit strikers at Everton, well guess what he'd walk into here.

What direction is that?  We've been awful all season and show no signs of turning the tide.

36 minutes ago, Elliottman said:

Until he’s had a couple of windows and gets 6-7 new players it’s really difficult to judge him. 

His job atm the minute is not to get us into Europe, or win things it is to keep us up.  Granted he inherited a mess but he knew the brief when he came in so it's only right he's judged on it.

20 minutes ago, neesy111 said:

Leeds making a mockery of these called off games.

Yep - respect to them for that.

Can't believe people are writing him off - he was just the right man at the wrong club. It happens.