Deano6

Thanks 'Slo! I enjoyed reading that.

I don't feel the Board are f**king up (maybe the Toby thing as an isolated incident, who knows, but not in general). However I do feel we are getting a bit shafted, due to the natural "pecking order", as it's been coined above. We got a bit too good, flew a bit too high, and now things are reverting back to norms - players too good for us are leaving for bigger and better and places, meaning we are dropping back to 'our level'. Also I think a few of the "big boys" were a bit sh!t last year (they know who they are) and they are now doing the strengthening they need to do to get better...which they are doing in part with our players. So I accept it's a natural course of events, but it's still a bit hard to swallow especially as we've had 6 years of unbroken incremental success. I fully expect us to do worse in the League next year - but at least we get to have fun in the Europa League to soften the blow*. *As a parenthetical thought: I am pretty sure we will do worse in the League next year whether or not we get into Europa (which is why I'm pleased that we have it to enjoy), due to losing Champions League quality players and replacing them with Europa League standard. However I am also sure that there will be a lot of people on this board midway through the season complaining that the Europa League was the reason for the drop and we could be challenging with the big boys if only we'd avoided it. I'll be interested to revisit my prediction in 6 months and see if I'm right.

For what it's worth, I agree with you. It was fun to mix it with the big boys for a season though. I have no regrets. We go back to our main challenge to stay on top of the Stokes and Swanseas of the world now.

It would get bullied, its results would fall even further and the overall standard of the group would suffer. What's your point?

YES! I have had some experience with match betting. I was in St Mary's and there's a booth there where you can place a bet on pretty much anything, so I bet on Saints to win...which they did!! I did it other times too but lost.

Would be strange for a Chief Financial Officer, an accountant by training, was left responsible for Legal wording in a contract.

But let's imagine he was, as the question posed. Things would be much, much better.

But it would be fine to target citizens of other countries?

I didn't see Sunderland or Newcastle finishing second in the last 2 years. It wasn't that long ago!

No, we're doing some of it earlier and some of it later on. It's a fairly continuous process. HTH

We should definitely have "goal scoring" as our number 1 criteria for picking our centre-backs.

That doesn't make them overinflated, that's just the difference between "going concern" valuation and "liquidation" valuation. For example in the latter the value of intangibles drops to zero in many cases as there is no longer the ability to recognise future profits associated with them.

Turkish - I'm gonna be flying over for one of the qualifiers in mid-August. I'll be coming from the US which means I'll be fat, loud and obnoxious. Please can you recommend a suitable attire for someone in my possish?

Good point Scotty - what we really want is mediocre local players who are independently wealthy. Does anyone know of Dominic Gape's family business interests?

I don't know why people are struggling, Window Cleaner is being very clear in what he wants...for the academy to produce players who are good, but not good enough to play for the Top 6. We've been falling a bit foul of that last part recently and so I agree we need to produce players who aren't quite as good as those in the past. Maybe we should start from the top and appoint slightly worse coaches?

I can confirm that I made my comment without every (knowingly) having seen him play.

He's ok. We're in for him to try and bulk up our number of Belgian players to entice Toby. Spurs have at least 3 of them so expect bids for Witsel and Jelle Van Damme soon.

£60,000? More like £94,000!

Redslo ain't from round 'ere. Quick everyone - get 'im!!

Is Neil Allen wearing a tent? Find a shirt that fits you for chrissakes!

So-are-ess oh-oh-oh oh So-are-ess oh-oh-oh oh He comes from somewhere for-eign Turkish is gonna do a parody of this song Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap

It's seems like they signed them early just to p!ss off Alpine and make him come up with a new gripe to moan about. He even seemed to be trolling our Austrian curmudgeon, putting two fingers up by saying "We have signed two exciting talents early in the window." Nice one Sir Les!

She's going to be a pornstar just because you've never got laid and have disgusting hygiene habits?

Why didn't we sign this kid instead of Toby?!?

"We think Nathaniel Clyne is a very good player but I would be disappointed if anyone thought that on the basis of a good season with their clubs they can walk in and demand a place." As opposed to on the basis of what, exactly?