Dr Gloom

we conceded loads of goals last season because teams were carving through our midfield of Miley, longstaff and Bruno who were all dead on their feet playing two games a week with no rotation. We should avoid that happening again if we avoid another injury crisis, which hopefully we will without the extra european fixtures. There’s nowt wrong with our CBs. The same defence was watertight the previous season when the players in front of them weren’t all dead on their feet. There is plenty wrong with our options at RW. I’d much rather spunk £70m on Mbeumo or a Bowen and get a stopgap signing or loan at centre back rather then the other way around. But it looks like the powers that he disagree. Unless they’re keeping their powder dry for a £120m splurge on deadline day - seems unlikely given psr but if we shift Trippier and Miggy for decent money, you never know

wingers win you games, particularly away from home where we dropped so many points last season. I know we disagree here but I would be throwing more money at the RW problem than at CB, where we are well stocked when everyone is fit. I’d prefer a stop gap signing or loan at CB and a marquee RW rather than the other way around

Great, another season of a Miggy and Murphy. Triers who lack end product.

Miggy is in single digit assists for his ENTIRE Newcastle career

We ideally get a right winger who combines Miggy’s work rate in the press with finishing and assists. They don’t grow on trees and cost a pretty penny

he’s a good player and the recruitment team clearly want him so you have put faith in them as they haven’t got much wrong since the takeover. I agree about the price though. I really hope the inflated fee doesn’t prevent us getting a right ringer in though I suspect a lot will depend on whether there are more outgoings

give us the name then Keith, you big tease

Love how CN is playing the “staying away from running commentary” line for missing out on the scoop btw. As if he wouldn’t have written it up if his sources had told him

It’s had quite a narrative arc

This, if the fee is agreed, must go down as the first transfer “saga” under the new ownership

I’m almost three weeks into a “holiday” from work with the kids. It’s a nice distraction from their bickering

something to do, innit

I won’t cry if we also secure a RW that can go straight into the first team too

Hummels is out of contact. He’d be worth a punt on a short term deal. He still looked the part against us last season and for Germany in the euros - or perhaps @Isegrim can tell me if that’s a bad shout

I think the fact we’ve had four bids ruled out tells us it’s time to walk away. We’re being taken for mugs with this deal - something that hasn’t happened since the takeover so far. I don’t feel like we laid over the odds for anyone so far, except maybe Chris Wood but we were desperate for a forward then and it was a case of needs-must and tbf to wood he did a job to help keep us up, while looking like a bit of a donkey at times

He obviously isn’t a £70m player. Even taking today’s inflated prices and the English tax into consideration

I’m sorry, I missed the memo that said we weren’t allowed to question the wisdom in spunking £70m on a player who was worth half that price before the euros. it looks like the recruitment team agree he isn’t worth what palace value him at. I don’t think that’s a bad thing - we’re not Man U and I don’t think we want to develop a reputation for spending over the odds as long as these psr rules are in place. If we could freely spend the money the owners have without fear of a point deduction I wouldn’t be getting involved in this debate, I’d say spend the cash to get the players we want

I also like their idea to build homes on part of the green belt, “brown belt” I think they called it. Hopefully this gets moving sharpish

Again I’ll caveat it by saying it’s early days and they have done some good stuff in the short time they’ve been in power. I just get a bad vibe about Reeves. I was hoping there mint be an early rabbit or two not in the manifesto but I’ve got a bad feeling she is going to pander to a lot of middle England who helped elect Labour. I hope I’m wrong and we don’t have to wait until the second term for the transformative stuff because it might be too late by then. They need to work out how they’re going to start improving peoples lives in the first term. Some signposting around closer alignment with the EU would be a good place to start

made the Bank of England independent - that wasn’t in the manifesto

this is exactly the sort of alternative deal for a centre half I was talking about. I confess I know little about him but he just won the Bundesliga, so clearly no mug, and he’s £20-30m cheaper then Guehi, leaving us more cash to get a RW