Happy Face

I'm the star in the reasonably priced car.

Of course he would. And Barton and every single player we've got and the extra 6 or 7 that Pardew wants to bring in to improve us. Fuck the wage bill, that will just materialise out of somewhere. Its like classic opposition politics. "We wont do the bad things, we'll only do the nice things"........Never any need to explain how it will be done, where the money will come from etc etc. Its quite frightening when you see that West Ham have just spent £16 million over 5 years on one player. I am sure someone will know the facts but I find it hard to believe the earnings percentage ratio today is anywhere near what it was in Sir Johns day. This is where Leazes always falls down. He can never explain how financially it can be done in todays climate. Great if you have a sheik but otherwise books need to be balanced. Yet again you come up with stuff thats totally irrelevant to the discussion. LM isnt arguing that we should buy them all and keep our existing players hes talking about strengthening the squad, not merely gambling on new "talent" while binning the known capable players. Team irrelevant strikes again No he's not, he wants to keep players regardless of costs and sign big names without knowing where the money is coming from The money comes from the owner. He reaps the financial reward when he sells a club in the champions league.

Is that the salary he's got from west ham? Reportedly so Still waiting Leazes, would you offer Nolan 50k a week on a 5 year deal?? Come on, answer please Is he not on the 40k he got here?

Is that the salary he's got from west ham?

What was Sol on?

Apologies TP. "Appeared on your shortlist for player of the the season, a shortlist that covered all the bases (as usual)" just didn't roll of the tongue quite as well. I don't think it changes the general thrust of the point though, Ashley can sell CT's favourite and best players and leave Perch as a first choice player....and there'll be nothing but loyal adulation for the wise decision.

We did well to cover over the fact that his legs were gone this season. The perfect crime. Will be surprised if anyone even notices that Nolan's not here next season. Business as usual, chalk up another win for Ashley. He mustn't need legs then cos he was CT'a player of the season. There's no higher authority. Are you sure? You wouldnt be making things up again would you? And that's a player you want to sell? Is there any player at the club whose sale could not be justified?

We did well to cover over the fact that his legs were gone this season. The perfect crime. Will be surprised if anyone even notices that Nolan's not here next season. Business as usual, chalk up another win for Ashley. He mustn't need legs then cos he was CT'a player of the season. There's no higher authority.

* no official confirmation from NUFC as yet regarding the signing of Mehdi Abeid, a French midfielder who was a free agent following his release by RC Lens late last season. Say .com Might have jumped the gun on the op.

We signed a French international who took his place in the starting 11 too. I thought he was brought in to replace Stephen Ireland

No choice but to sell Nolan. Doesn't mean we're a selling club. 3 years older than Rooney, clearly past it. Scored more than him last year though. Capti like him are ten a penny. Stevie Taylor will do the job just as well.

I'm not misreading anything. Does my postscript not reflect your point basically? I'm just disagreeing. I am saying what you have is Milner and the suspicion that the Carroll money wont be used as the evidence base for the extreme negative view. Well tbf, also the potential sale of other players too. Not sure I've been extremely negative in this window. You started this argument with me by quoting a post from February when I was extremely negative having lost our best striker and not replaced him. I'm quite hopeful for this window, but I fear the worst having sold... Milner - you agree, it supports the argument. Given - You say we had no choice, I say he was under contract and we rushed it to get as much as possible in the winter window. No reason it couldn't wait until summer. Zoggy - All I can see from you on him is that we might possibly buy him back. That doesn't support any argument we were right to sell him. I say it's the same as the Given sale. Even if we did buy him back, I'm not sure why paying more for him than we got and paying higher wages would be a good thing. Bassong - You say we had been relegated and had to get what we could for who we could. I totally agree. As one of the youngest, brightest prospects at the time being paid a very low wage, it's still annoying that those in charge dragged us down and had justification for selling. Carroll - You say we'll reinvest. It remains to be seen. All the talk was a of an early push in the transfer market to bring in the names we wanted. Here we are 3 weeks from the start of pre-season training with 2 players signed at a cumulative total of £4.3m. That doesn't prove anything of course, we've got 2 months to go. I'm happy to wait and see and congratulate you for being spot on about Ashley's intentions come September 1st.

I'm not misreading anything. Does my postscript not reflect your point basically? I'm just disagreeing.

"Individual circumstances" like you were glad about it? How's that reasoned argument? I've not been banging on about anyone (right or wrong minded) giving up on the club, I've paid 3 years in advance so how you get that is beyond me. And I've not been banging on about Carroll either, I was making this argument before he went, I argued in January that we were as likely to sell Carroll based on previous experience as we were to keep him. His sale and the lack of contracts being offered to secure our other top players suggest to me we'll see more go this window. Saying something is shit is not conceited I agree. But you're saying my reasoned argument (supported by examples both before I started making it and after) is shit, but that your "I'm glad we sold Milner...therefore you're talking shit" argument is wholly superior. I think the superiority you see in your argument is without foundation* and that's where I think you're being conceited about it. I expect more of you than I do CT. You should too *That's not to say your argument is without foundation. I fully appreciate the point that Ashley has only actually turned a profit in 3 out of 9 windows in his control so far, one of which followed relegation. That's not an argument I would say was shit. It's just not one that fills me with optimism given the contract wrangles ongoing.

This is EXACTLY what you were saying in January tbh. How there had been no pattern of selling, circumstances had dictated previously, you couldn't imagine any scenario in which we would sell Carroll and the best indicator for the next window was the previous window. Surprised you're as conceited on this subject as you are. That's not to say we'll be selling everyone and signing no-one this window, just that it remains to be seen. I didnt know Abramovich was going to allow us to command £35m for him. In January i was making the point that the last 2 windows, with the benefit of hindsight were very good. The argument put forward at the time was that we were bound to sell him as thats what we do, sell our best players. For the last 2 windows that wasnt true. Its telling that you keep bringing up me being convinced Carroll would stay and not foreseeing the quite frankly ridiculous circumstances when i express my point of view. Which incidentally is that it remains to be seen whether the negative perspective on the Carroll money (spend none of it) will come true as the evidence is mixed and is not definitive. Conceited? In which way do you mean? EVERY window has some circumstances to explain away selling, that's the point. There's 6 examples above of us selling our top, top players in the last 3 years, right up to the last window. But that's "shit evidence" and a "shit argument" (which is what I mean by conceited). Alternatively, we've brought in Tiote and Ben Arfa rather cheaply and now Cabaye, one of these has worked out so far, and this is proof positive of a new level of ambition. I'm happy with all 3 buys and look forward to more. Still worry which important players we'll lose.

Cheers Not sure what happened there. I'll put him in.

This is EXACTLY what you were saying in January tbh. How there had been no pattern of selling, circumstances had dictated previously, you couldn't imagine any scenario in which we would sell Carroll and the best indicator for the next window was the previous window. Surprised you're as conceited on this subject as you are. That's not to say we'll be selling everyone and signing no-one this window, just that it remains to be seen.

Also, Milner was sold for well over double what we got for him less than 2 years later, but as long as you were glad it's shit evidence?

The other examples were prior to relegation. I'm sure you're right though. Selling your best players and being relegated as a result, then selling the players that get you back up doesn't make you a selling club. We won't sell any quality players in this window and all the Carroll money will be reinvested. Pardoo will make sure of that.

And Bassong was a young player we developed (across his first season in the Premier League) and sold for a gain. He wanted out too though, despite being under contract and on one of the cheapest set of wages at the club. I'm sure that'll be shit evidence too. Different case to Carroll, cos relegation demanded it. When Enrique goes in this window we'll have tried everything in our power to keep him too I suppose. We can't force anyone to stay. Gazza and Beardsley and Waddle all wanted to leave too, we weren't a selling club under Seymour. Wise up.

Since putting the club on the market the first time he's closer to £55million in profit on the transfer market. What relevance does this have though? The £21m worth of players sold after relegation would not have covered the losses made during the subsequent season and we are in the process of spending the Carroll money. If we spend it all, then there will be no "profit" from the transfer market, as spurious a notion that is anyway. A few people are trying to make out we are a selling club but as far as i can see only Milner, N'Zogbia and Carroll support that view. I'm glad we sold Milner, disappointed at the time for Carroll but with the NOTW article on Sunday questioning his attitude, lifestyle and fitness, it looks like it could be fantastic business. Which leaves N'Zogbia which we are potentially buying back. Shit evidence tbh. Why Zoggy and not Given? Just remembered... http://www.toontastic.net/board/index.php?...st&p=835616 You can give it to Run Geordie Run

God I hate the transfer window.

All watched over by machines of loving grace. Last weeks was about how your playststion 2 was the cause of millions of deaths in africa. Great music too.

I'm not on the DD but my credit card bill is in already.