Alex

Yes, by mentioning the mock indignation I even removed your ability to play that card. You're welcome

Something like that. Asked some Sinn Fein rep if 'Gaelic' was batty language too iirc

CT loves this sort of thing. Go back to when he first started posting on here after KK left. He took immense pleasure in winding fans up when they were at a low ebb. Ditto now. It's an easy way for him to get attention he so obviously craves. Watch the mock indignation now.

Being realistic

Who was it then? How representative are their views? I hope CT was one of them.

J, who reckons McClaren should be sacked? Out of interest.

Colback was signed because he was on a free so it's moot. Comparing him with signing Austin is apples and oranges. Yes, most people were reasonably happy but you're incorrect in saying that everyone everyone is saying the players are shit and the manager should be sacked. It's straw man stuff.

So is you just there on holidays?

You asked which established PL players moved. I gave you a load of examples. I didn't say we should sign them all. You were the one who inferred no established PL players moved in the last transfer window, it was a response to that. What I'm getting at is you need a happy medium whereby you don't just sign young, unproven foreigners because it's too risky. You need to get people in, a la Richards, Lescott, Huth or whoever to do a job from time to time. Especially when you just missed out on relegation on the last day of the previous season. I think it's reasonable to argue some experienced pros could have been signed to 'steady the ship' so to speak and mean we weren't relying on a load of new signings who'd never played in the league to hit the ground running. But there's little chance of selling them on at a profit, hence why I think we didn't pursue those types of players, which was the original point I made. Obviously just signing other PL teams cast-offs isn't the best option either but I wasn't advocating that, as I think you probably know.

He's not an improvement on Williamson? You're taking the piss now. Who else? Micah Richards. You saying we can't compete with Villa?

There were loads man. You saying all these went to clubs we can't compete with and/or wouldn't have gotten a game for us / improvede the squad? Artur Boruc, Sylvain Distin, Glenn Murray, Petr Cech, Scott Sinclair, Micah Richards, Joleon Lescott, Asmir Begovic, Yohan Cabaye, Tom Cleverley, Aaron Lennon, Robert Huth, etc., etc.

What theory? I'm undecided on Mbemba not having seen enough of him but he's clearly an unknown quantity in the Premier League. It's don't know what point you think I was making but it wasn't advocating buying Huth instead of Mbemba. He went to Leicester in January. We're not exactly well stocked with central defenders so why not get someone like him? He was just an example really of the type of player we wouldn't go for but would be reasonably cheap addition to the squad that would improve it.

Pretty much how I see it. I've said a few times it was a really negative step giving him a new contract.

Trying telling anyone who gives a shit. That is the real disgrace.

Reminds me of that bit on Spender where he's at the Benwell training ground for some reason. Think Ossie Ardilles featured just before he was replaced as manager. Stevie will no doubt remember it

That pretty much sums up the view by most. Who'd seen enough of the likes of Mitrovic to really comment on him as a player? At the same time it was a positive statement of intent so there was some muted optimism against the backdrop of the end of last season.

He didn't specify they had to be English and neither did I. Robert Huth would be a decent example of someone who would've bolstered the squad. Can't believe we're unable to pay £3m for him or match Leicester's wages but he doesn't fit the profile. Not saying he's great but he'd easily get a game for us (his poor injury record notwithstanding). He's a significant upgrade on the likes of Williamson and Taylor. Do you agree with the point about the policy still being about buying players you can sell on at a profit and that being a factor that almost overrides everything else? Because I'm yet to see evidence otherwise.

I think it was clearly illustrated with Austin v Mitrovic (who genuinely believes we were ever going to sign both of them?). It might turn out to be a good decision (I hope it does) and there's a risk Austin wouldn't have been able to repeat his form again, obviously. But Mitrovic was definitely a riskier buy set against the greater potential sell-on value further down the road. If he'd really changed the way he was going about things you'd perhaps have seen an experienced centre-half coming in, given the need there.

The one thing I would say about it is that the buying policy remains essentially the same, i.e. we may have spent more money this time round after the fright he got (with the caveat there was a canny bit extra TV money too) but a major consideration in all the signings still seems to be potential sell on value. I don't mind it as a general rule but I think you need to occasionally buy the finished article, which isn't necessarily a top player, just a steady pro you know can do a job but might be around 30 year old so isn't going to make a big profit. The policy leads to further problems, like not necessarily strengthening where you need to and, furthermore a high turnover of players means you're never that far away from players getting pissed off because they haven't got a move away and ones who couldn't give a fuck because the club's seen as just a stepping stone. I think this buying of potential carries an inherent risk (all signings do but it's increased when that seems to be the policy behind virtually every signing).

You'd expect one of the hallmarks of a good coach to be flexibility in terms of tactics.

Aye, that's exactly what'll happen. Small change to them though and Mourinho will still go round letting everyone know he was right without incurring any financial loss himself. She's been treated very shoddily in all this by a wanker and a bully

I'd love to know which games she saw where he excelled in centre-mid for Argentina as well.

I could accept giving him a one year extension but two years (with the possibility of a further year iirc) was pretty negative I thought.

Yep. Especially as the latter looks past his sell-by date.