S-Clarke

I'd argue that the foundation to our progress in recent years have been the draws and the teams we've played. When we got a toughie in the quarters at the World Cup (France), we came un stuck. I find it hard to say it's because of Southgate we've got to finals etc, it's ultimately been the draws and the teams we've played.

We're almost certainly the Spurs of the international game, that's a pretty depressing place to be. I thought Spain were levels above us, I don't think they should be, but they were - like PL against Championship for most of that game. We had the players to scare them and to make them sweat, but they had an easy game really. We just went into a low block, sunk deep and just played an old school 4-4-2, long balls game. Football has moved on, it really has - It's nothing bar luck that we've got this far, the way we play almost certainly has to change. Pickford made some great saves, but he's part of the problem with his distribution. You cannot keep playing aimless log balls and hitting it long against passing teams, because it makes it so easy for them to win it back...and when they have it back, we're just chasing shadows. We have some fantastic technical players with the ball at their feet, just as technical as most of those Spanish players, but if we stand off and play so deep it's almost impossible for them to get into the game - and when the ball is in the air, they've got no chance. Southgate has given us some fun moments in recent years for sure, but for me it will always be a case of what could have been. The last Euro's was the one for me, that was a pretty average Italian team - but we did the same against them, just sat back and waited for the ineveitable. There's a lot to build from for a new manager in the creative/attacking third, we need someone who can just let them off their leach a bit and remove that dinosaur football approach out of their heads. For players like Foden, Bellingham, Saka, Rice etc it's foreign to them - they play pass, move, quick football with their clubs - so they can do it, but we just don't provide the structure for that. Onto the next one I guess, congrats to Spain - 7 out of 7, cannot argue with that. Be interesting to see who our next manager is going to be.

Dumfries at Inter was one - Inter had him on their list should the interest in Dumfries intensify, but it never did. He's held in decent regard across Europe for what he's done at AZ though.

Agreed, I think he's going to be a top capture for us. Dare I say coup given our status as a promoted side and taking into account the other teams who have been tracking him.

I'd say taking over a year to sign a player, they supposedly want, is a bit more than just sensibly taking their time! I read the post as a dig that we're dallying on things, which I don't see. We've had a really authoritative window up to now.

What are you referring to on that one?

Yeah, no benefit to us now with Che sticking around. He's already missed two weeks of pre-season due to his dallying, so just let another club take him. Wolves don't want him enough, they could have got him for a couple of mill in the summer and dallied. Now they can get him for £0 and they're still dallying. I think other clubs see the enormous limitations in his game that we've all seen for years. And maybe his wage demands are simply not correlating with his ability.

Obligatory YouTube Video - This is a really top draw signing for a newly promoted side IMO. Surprised we've managed to get this one over the line, he was being watched by some top European sides.

Ah yes of course, forgot that one. Doesn't leave any viable options for Ramsdale if he wants to play first choice football in England.

Yeah he was, but it was just a Brooks/Ramsdale bromance thing - they've done it since their Bournemouth days, wasn't related to us as a club at all.

As it stands, the only other viable English option for Ramsdale I can see is Nottingham Forest. Their GK's are Mats Sells and Matt Turner. They've sold one of their GK's to Newcastle, so they will almost certainly be in the market for one. Other than that all other clubs seem pretty settled with their first choice GK's. Only questions marks are Bournemouth if Neto moves on, or Wolves if Jose Sa heads off to Saudi. If Bournemouth come into the market for a GK then it's game over as far as Ramsdale is concerned.

What did you expect to happen? West Ham to just hand over Downes to us upon promotion and we walk away clapping? Football doesn't work like that, never has done, never will do. There's no 'problem', it's just how football works. West Ham are protecting their asset, we want their asset, they want to maximise their income on their asset. It's business. It's football. What do you want us to do differently? Just bend over and spend 2x his value on him just to ''get it done?'' That would be dumb kill our transfer strategy dead.

Sekou Mara. The coach I think you're referring to is the club physio, Neil Simms

The club aren't selling him, he has decided to reject our contract offer and wants to explore his options. We may get a tiny compensation fee, but that's all.

What's the problem out of interest?

Whilst spending big amounts does largely correlate with success for some clubs, it brings much more jeopardy for the likes of us and requires the scouting to be absolutley faultless. I'm not too fussed personally about how much a player costs, if you look at our most fulfilling signings in recent years then they're all in the 5-11m mark. Stu Armstrong, Romeu, Bednarek, KWP etc. When we've started to spend big on Sulemana, Boufal, Lemina, Hoedt, Onuachu, Vestergaard, Carrillo etc it's been truly awful without exception - so the amount a player costs certainly doesn't correlate to how successful they will be.

Let's hope so, really hard to tell the level of quality from the youtube videos. But he does look of a higher level than Diallo just based on those. He does look more combative and physical than Diallo, looks to me like someone who could do the Armstrong/Rothwell roles and drive from CM into the attacking areas. Certainly not an alternative to Downes based on what I've seen.

They have missed out on Philogene tbf.

Every single one, we are way too slow! We should have 20 new signings by now.

Why can't we sign this many FFS Morecambe have announced the signing of 15 players, following the removal of the transfer embargo the club had been placed under. Jordan Slew and Yann Songo’o begin their third spells at the club, having both signed one-year contracts, with David Tutonda having returned to the Mazuma Mobile Stadium for a second spell, also on a one-year deal. Callum Jones has returned on loan from Hull. Luke Hendrie, Ross Millen, Max Taylor, Jamie Stott, Adam Lewis, George Ray, Harry Burgoyne, Tom White, Paul Lewis, Hallam Hope and Ben Tollitt have also all signed. While under the embargo, Derek Adams’ Shrimps had only five players under contract.

I don't disagree, I think it's easy to be blinded by his obvious physical attributes , pace/power etc - in a defender that's like top level stuff, but he's actually crap at basic defending, very naive in his approach (But maybe a little of slack there as he's quite young). That sort of thing can be improved with coaching and experience to a point, but he never struck me as someone with much of a football brain. His reputation seems to be born from his physical attributes rather than what he can do defensively. I don't believe he ever feigned injury or wimped out of games, far from it, but he's clearly pretty injury prone on top of all that. I think he played less than 10 times in the Dutch league last year. I know he was one of the players last summer who Martin referred to as those who 'think they have a PL market' - as he was pushing to get out no matter what. His attitude was questioned a fair bit in the summer by those in the club. Compare him to someone like KWP who played a lot for us in our relegation season, and previously set a reputation for himself. Not once did he start shouting and demanding a PL move, he stuck to it and played with us in the Champ to help us back - those are the sorts of characters you need, not those who think they're already too good when they've never actually achieved anything.

Pleased that he's not joined another English club, good experience for him over there. Lyon aren't scared to blood young players. He'll have his mate DCC

No squad number I can see.

Look who's back, certainly didn't expect to see him back around the place.

Pretty terrible character if you speak to Burnley fans, and their players if Connor Roberts is anything to go by. Has an ego which certainly isn't backed up by any form of decent footballing ability.