SambaMaverick

I'm sorry SaintRalphInOceanVillage, SaintJackoInHurworth, but something has to give if we can't get out of this slumber. Ralph may be a good manager who is capable of getting teams to play great football at times, but he is completely inept at adapting his game both in tough spells during seasons (flexing to a 3 or 5 at the back system) and tough spells in games (substitutes glued to the bench as everyone in the stadium but him - seemingly - senses that an opposition goal is coming). He (or you) are a stubborn bloke who is not what we need to guide us through what is bound to be our toughest fight since coming back up.

I just don't think it's worth denting others' confidence (Forster, Sali, Livramento, etc) by sending them out to most likely get slaughtered by a team so many levels ahead of us. Stick with the bedded in, experienced players who have the very rare tendency to grind out a decent result (1-0 vs Liverpool and 1-1 against Chelsea last season the only ones springing to mind). Besides, is Salisu really that much better than Stephens... and to that end, is Forster even better than McCarthy - that one is a real Morton's Fork.

Leave out as many youngsters / newcomers as possible, it could be five or six (or worse 😈). My team: McCarthy KWP, Bednarek, Stephens, Perraud Romeu, JWP Armstrong, Redmond Adams, Armstrong

I hope the club know what they're doing because for me, we are sleepwalking towards relegation. Why we haven't got a replacement for JV despite knowing he was going for ages is beyond me. The goalkeeper situation is a joke, they're both fucking awful. The stubborn git in charge won't change from his system which teams found out how to beat an absolute age ago. He refuses to change the game through subs until it is way too late... At least we have United next week. Shite.

Good to see the scrap for the forum's top oddball has ramped up another gear.

If he wants to stay in the PL I say throw the chequebook at him!

He's toilet. If he was playing for Luton or Stoke no one would bat an eyelash. Has no outstanding attributes, is thoroughly average and was propped up by Liverpool's megastars last season. Pull the other one Saints!

Stop fucking around and get Gary Cahill in, even if we have to eat his wages in the second year of a two year deal. We've managed to lose three of our best players and we've gotten no-one who is tried and tested in the Premier League. I don't know why we act like we are too good for an old fashioned free transfer. Jeremy Pied and Cuco Martina were pretty shite, granted, but a signing like that at CB or LB would be much better than playing Rubik's cube every time we get an injury (Djenepo at LB - really?). Get Cahill on a free, back him up with someone like that Tosin fella from Fulham who can learn a lot under Cahill's wing. Jetro Willems also available on a free in the left back position. We need some experienced bodies through the door, for fuck's sake. We need a goalie, badly, as well. Looks like Sam Johnstone's list of suitors is dwindling so a loan with an obligation if we stay up would be a great deal if it gets to the end of the window and he wants PL football - we could even chuck West Brom a bone in the form of one of our shite spare shot-stoppers.

Said it before and I'll say it again. Spend the 40m we've got on Armstrong and Edouard. They can't both be shit. Delaney in on a loan to buy and Lookman on loan and we've had a decent window. Anything other than 4 signings from this point would leave us perilously close to trouble.

Villa fans on Twitter have decided through a game of Chinese whispers that Grealish is staying so long as their board match his level of ambition. This is apparently how the Bailey deal has been rushed through and this news of the Prowsey deal (apparently Grealish has "personally asked" for the club to sign JWP) has come about. How deluded can you get?

Not really sure that needed dragging up if I'm totally honest.

Still think we'd need another CB to force Bednarek to buck his ideas up if Vestergaard went. Jan seemed way too comfortable last year. Sell Vestergaard for 20m and get someone else in for circa 10m.

I'm willing to give him a go even though I saw nothing of him first time round that suggested he could make it in the Championship, let alone the PL. What's a couple million these days? As above - maybe Scotland has given him the kick up the arse he needed, his stat lines certainly aren't bad.

Sell for 25m and get Armstrong and Edouard. They can't both be shit. 🤷‍♂️

Would anyone have Toby back as part of the Vestergaard deal? We could come down on price in order for them to pay a % of wages in a loan deal? Worth exploring IMO.

Januzaj linked. Would be a tidy addition for the price mooted.

I'd take PvA and Elmohamedy as back up options for a year or two. We are skint after all.

Precisely, was shocked when I saw we've given him 75k for two years. The only silver lining is we haven't done the same with Bertrand.

Bit much that mate

Not a rest but rather all three have been caught flouting guidelines by having a party in the week if you believe some of the rumours on Leicester's side of Twitter. All three will be back for the semi.

Hope we have half an eye on Daryl Dike from Orlando City (via Barnsley). Loaned in January and has torn up the Championship, looks to have all the qualities to make it in the English game. Unlikely to command a massive transfer fee either. Exciting prospect.

JWP > Ronaldo at free kicks. Ronaldo's technique is all about getting lucky with the swerve and dip whereas Prowsey is all about curve and precision to make the keeper work about 7 out of 10 attempts. Prowsey's free kicks are special - like Carlos, Juninho and Messi special.

Cut and run... £30m would be a great deal but we should take anything around £25m. Instead of trying to replace his goals outright, maybe we could take a Moneyball-type approach and try and make up the deficit across the front four by adding a goalscorer in the 10 to play with Armstrong (someone like Minamino) and try and pick up a shrewd signing up front early on in the window.

Sander Berge

We are one injured defender away from going supernova... worrying. Blackmore really is the club's cheerleader these days isn't he. The price of access I suppose.