positivepete

And of course with both clubs complaining about tapping up, it would be an excellent example of doing business quietly and correctly. The little teams fighting back against the PL bullies, though not suggesting that would be the reason for the transaction of course, but it would be funny if it happened, and would of course strengthen our team.

The Chinese group negotiating to buy Palace have pulled out due to being unable to agree a price, according to The Times. The rumoured price that Palace wanted was just north of £200m.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/jul/14/swansea-everton-gylfi-sigurdsson-question-tapping-up Another club getting fed up with tapping-up?

Prefer to buy him, could be a very good player. Outstanding when i have seen him for U21's

Just don't sing it to a Plymouth fan, it gets the derision as we give when rival fans sing that about our former players

Or Loftus Cheek, he has the potential to be a top player

Nailed on. A kit like our new one, and a picture of PEH.

The report in The Times is a bit more speculative than the note on not 606 implies. The report says the investigation is about the split in the number of days spent in Switzerland and Germany not being as reported to the German authorities. Depending on the outcome of this investigation the estate may have to pay more tax, and if it does it may have a knock on effect on the sale of the club if Katrina has to sell the club for a knock-down price to pay the tax bill. Lots of assumptions in the article, no facts.

No thanks, last time we did that we got Harry. We have done pretty well bringing in managers from outside the league, and not many in that bracket have done as well as Puel in their first season, certainly not with teams outside the top six

Thanks Billy, another great season of blogs. I would have thought The measure of progress for JWP would be the boos that rang around at the end of the season when he got subbed, at the start of the season a section were booing him when he came on! Funny lot our fans.

Fortunately, the board (like the Sunderland fan)have more perspective than a number of posters on here. The only time in the last 20 years I thought about giving up my season ticket was under Strachan, who ironically, also reached a couple final and had a decent league season, but the football was attritional. I was not calling for his head, I value stability, but I was prepared to vote with my cash. The performances have not been great at home this season, but there are some games where we have shown great promise, and away (except Prague) we played a lot better because we are generally set up as a counter attacking side. We have a young squad, and a manager who was in his first season outside his native country, so the prospects for next season should be better, I am sure Claude has learned a lot this season. If however, he or his wife, have not settled, and / or it is true that there is unrest with key players (fringe players will always moan) then no doubt we will start next season with another manager who has not managed here before. But we seem to cope with that, but as I said at the top, some perspective is required, the football has not been as we would like it, but we achieved the financial milestones of 8th and a cup final. That gives a platform for next season if we are still owned by the current regime.

The Glaziers used borrowed money to buy Man Utd. Of course, there are a numbers of differing opinions as to whether that has been a good thing or not............

The football this season is miles better than 2003. We barely had any shots on goal, never got anyone in the opposition penalty area, and the style was dire. At least we mostly have a go this season, we may be rubbish at converting chances, but at least we create them. That WGS period was the only period I considered giving up my season ticket. I would take the relegation season with the Dutch duo over the WGS bore fest

Would be happy with Garcia, Tuchel or Emery, a couple of those could be free

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/apr/21/roanld-koeman-young-platyers-english-managers-everton Talks about both using Young players this season

The ones with more money who don't know what they are doing are indeed the biggest problem. You cant always trust the groups who should know what they are doing, such as SISU, who had an ex footballer as their guide, but whose end game was more to extract value than build it. The truth is that the only time we will know if they are any good will be when they have run the club for a season or two.

Making me miss my time in Brisbane with you guys. Give my regards to everyone. I will be back!

There are a few restricted view seats. At the back of the Kingsland where the extras cameras have been for the past couple of years there are a number of seats that are pretty worthless buying. There are also some seats where the railings by the exits restrict the view, though this is minor to the ones blocked by the cameras

Telegraph reporting that VVD may not play again this season http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/03/27/southampton-eye-mamadou-sakho-chelsea-bound-virgil-van-dijks/

Spot on! The freedom to rotate that Puel gives the front three is working now the third player, Gabbiadini, also moves intelligently.

His style as a central striker certainly suits the way we play, we have been putting in a lot of dangerous crosses on the six yard box most of the season, we just haven't had anyone with the speed of thought and movement to attack the near post, nor someone who can beat a man with a turn in the box. Interesting that his last coach said he couldn't play that role.

An article on Lille, referring to how important Boufal was to them https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/feb/20/lille-marcelo-bielsa-ligue-1-marseille

Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth for me. You always get one who has no form from Christmas and drops into it late.

Amen!

You really don't know that we were not in for a striker last summer. It is just as likely that we were but just couldn't agree a deal for whatever reason.