Dr Gloom

he played a fair bit on the right under o'leary the season they had fowler and viduka but are you sure it was half the games he's played? i'm pretty sure he's played more games than not up front (his prefered position). but anyway, that's not the point. the chances are that if we sign him he'll be playing in midfield because we have three better strikers already at the club. would you fancy smith as our new right winger?

gujohnsesn can play in midfield so he is just as versitile as smith. plus he's a far better player.

I think he has more of a football brain than Dyer and id definitely a better finisher, however as has been argued elsewhere I don't see this as "simply" a replacement situation. I'd look to Charlie to fulfill the Dyer role (though with more skill) and Smith to offer other qualities. I very much disagree tbh. Imho Dyer has a quite a good football brain with a good positional sense that too often was ridiculed as "just running around". And looking at Smith's goal record I don't know where the bit about his alleged finishing skills is coming from. Smith isn't a bad player but far too much a grafter for my liking. As I said one for the charvers who like their players being dumb, agressive and running around with flying into tackles. As a replacement for Dyer I'd hoped for someone with more football skills and a more creative type of player. agree. now dyer's gone, we should be looking at bringing someone with pace and skill that can play on the wings. suddenly our wide options are looking a bit shit with duff injured, nobby not getting any younger and n'zogbia looking crap for most of last season.

I always was when he was Leeds. I have doubts as I would on any player who comes back from a really bad injury but this is balanced by the Man U factor - I think Ferguson generally improves players who sign for him. I think he has more of a football brain than Dyer and id definitely a better finisher, however as has been argued elsewhere I don't see this as "simply" a replacement situation. I'd look to Charlie to fulfill the Dyer role (though with more skill) and Smith to offer other qualities. his goal record is almost as poor as dyer's even though he's played the majority of his career up front. plus he has no pace, he's got a dodgy temprement, he looks average in midfield and he won't start up front ahead of viduka, owen or martins. apart from that he's great though. There are situations where I can see him starting ahead of those three. Looks like Allardyce favours 4-3-3, and there'll need to be rotation. i've no problem with 4-3-3 but can't see owen fitting in if that's the lineup we're using

I always was when he was Leeds. I have doubts as I would on any player who comes back from a really bad injury but this is balanced by the Man U factor - I think Ferguson generally improves players who sign for him. I think he has more of a football brain than Dyer and id definitely a better finisher, however as has been argued elsewhere I don't see this as "simply" a replacement situation. I'd look to Charlie to fulfill the Dyer role (though with more skill) and Smith to offer other qualities. his goal record is almost as poor as dyer's even though he's played the majority of his career up front. plus he has no pace, he's got a dodgy temprement, he looks average in midfield and he won't start up front ahead of viduka, owen or martins. apart from that he's great though.

ie not smudger smith

i'm not a fan of smith at all

i think he's better when he's the underdog too. no one expected him to beat kostya tszyu. he'll go down as a legend if he beats mayweather. he's up there with roy jones junior and mike tyson as the best fighters of the last 10-20 years.

i'm not sure we're that strong in midfield tbh

You know you've reached rock bottom when you crave links in the BBC gossip column. i'm craving them as much as the bagel with cream cheese i'm about to chalk up

smith is not a replacement for dyer like.

where's all the links with full backs? howay sam, please tell me you aren't entertaining the idea of starting the season with carr and babayaro???

gudjohnsen by a country mile

gudjohnsen would be class like, and would cushion the blow a bit if dyer or martins goes. plus he can do a job in midfield too.

True like. i reckon we need a squad of at least 50 players.

fucking same old shite with injuries every bastard season.

Aye, but aren't their rumours created in the same way as Family Guy storylines? Selected by manatees? i thought they were just a round up of the red tops so it's probably rubbish, but for once we're being linked with the kind of player we actually need which is encouraging.

i hope you're right. a few shrewd investments and we could look forward to the new season for once.

the guardian rumour mill has us making a bid for lillian thuram. he's exactly the sort of experienced old pro that sam would probably get at least another 4 years out of. hope it's true.

Because he's a fucking businessman and despite the fact that he's got more cash than there is water at Kielder, he'll still want to make sure things are done right - it's all part and parcel of being a successful businessman. Dan, your comment about consolidating since Bobby left is right - but that's totally indicative of the shit way we were being run! Actually I'd go so far as to say we were declining, not consolidating. It's not like flicking a switch, the whole bloody mess needs sorting!! So presumably, Abramovich ISN’T a “fucking” businessman? :icon_lol: He just waded in there and started buying players…showing his intentions. The team starts succeeding, revenue goes up and now they have a squad that is capable of winning things for years to come. Chelsea aren't a business though. They are making ENORMOUS losses and are just a plaything to Abramovich. I don't think we're going to see that sort of spending at NUFC. I understand that they aren't expecting to show a profit for a few years..but that's my point. Why should we all be delighted if Ashley's first goal is to be overly cautious rather than splashing the cash Abramovich style and getting us back up the league? We've splashed plenty cash over the years and it's got us nowhere. I trust Allardyce to make careful considered signings on a budget this window, and I trust Ashley to come up with the goods once he has a better idea of the business he's in. I don't blame him too much for not splashing daft money straight away. me too but going on sam's recent comments, it doesn't sound like he is happy with the budget he has been given.

he looked a good player to me. should have been given more opportunities

Your first quote here contradicts what I've said and the second one supports what I've said - so which is to be? no it doesn't. i accept that we might not improve on last season, but we have to at least try to give ourselves a fighting chance. if we don't spend in the right areas then we will have to accept that the new season will be nothing more than another year of consolidation, yet again.

Spot on! The transfer window isn't closed yet, BS has said we'll get one maybe two defenders on top of the four players the club has brought in already. This season is about consolidation. I agree 100%. There are no European fixtures to contend with so the squad can fully focus on the league as well as the cups. We shouldn't have to worry too much about a quagmire of fixtures. The players will be better rested and better prepared for games. If injuries are kind to us we can challenge for 6th spot. It's a big if though. The club also has a massive debt, so I presume the majority of the TV money will go to wiping some of it off. We are in a much better position this time now, than this time last year imo. The club still has a bit of deadwood in it, but not nearly as much as a year ago. Hopefully this time next year, they will be gone and we are in a position to attract higher quality players to the club and aim for a top four position. no it fucking isn't! we've been consolidating ever since sir bobby was sacked. if we invest in the right areas we could get back among the top 6.

exactly. the time to really panic is after the transfer window closes but if the new owners don't get their arses into gear we might end up having no option but to bring in more players like sibierski and bernard.

thank fuck for that. hopefully a couple of decent full backs are incoming