S-Clarke

Their owners are minted for sure, but as we see with this PSR rubbish these days, it doesn't matter how much your owners are worth - it's about revenue in relation to your outgoings, they just have the extra headroom at the moment as they've been lower league for 2 decades, so haven't spent big. Good strategy really, spend big now and establish themselves, increase revenue further and just top the side up in the forthcoming windows.

Not minted per say, just not handcuffed like the rest with FFP. They've just had a huge increase income and haven't spent a great deal in previous years due to their league status, so they can realistically spend all of that new PL income and not be slapped.

Yeah he's a good CB, he's like Lyanco but with actual footballing ability. He backs up the 'pashon' with the technique. There is good value to be had shopping in the South American markets if we're still fixated on that £10-15m bracket. Charly for me is proof in that.

Yeah you're right - Forest signed him for £35m a year or so ago. Definitely one we missed the boat on, although I can't recall him ripping up trees at Forest (although no one has there due to their bat crazy transfer policy)

Sanagre, that's the other one. He went to PSV didn't he?

Camara is the sort of signing that other (non top 2) PL teams always manage to get over the line (Palace with Cheick Doucoure as one example, Villa when they signed Guaye from Lille, Pape Gueye at Spurs etc) and they end up being a mega success in this league. The French league is full of decent and athletic CM's. It's just our luck that the one time we tried we managed to find Ibrahima bloody Diallo. The same summer Palace signed Doucoure I think. I really, really, really hope our scouting is better.

He would have been 4 or so years ago, not now. Reed makes sense, I can understand that one. Jack Cork is a signing an ambitious L1 side would make for a season, not a Prem side serious about being competitive.

I imagine the club are keeping him away, don't need his attitude polluting the place again.

He is a talented player, when Watford signed him he was seen as a bit of a wonderkid. It's true that his form has dipped up and down quite a lot, he hasn't really hit the hights they hoped he would when they signed him - but last season was his most fruitful for sure. Like you I was massively impressed by him at SMS, the best player on the pitch that day. He's your typical ''play anywhere across the front'' attacking winger. There's a player in there, but still lots of rawness. Only has a year left on his contract so potentially not crazy money.

The loans will be where our big, side quality improving signings come from IMO. But we'll need to be patient and wait until the back end of August.

He's on somewhere between £120-135k per week apparently. We'd need him to drop that by 60-70% before he's affordable to us, which he obviously won't do. I can't see WHU subsidising any wage that much either.

Many people thought Fonte wouldn't handle the step up the PL, and that Jos was the better fit. Total opposite happened there. It's not really fair throwing the ''only Championship quality'' rug over players who have never, ever had the opportunity to prove themselves any higher. Wood, Edwards, THB, Will Smallbone, Stewart etc all full under that hat. It's probably more fair to say ''Unproven players'' rather than ''Championship standard''.

How refreshing are Turkey to watch, they have been an absolute joy in this tournament. They're the story.

It was a hard watch again, it wasn't as bad as the previous - but it couldn't have been worse, so that's nothing to laud about like the pundits are doing for some reason. The normal in-game performance is still very poor. Not getting the best out of our best players, and leaving the substitutes as a reaction rather than being proactive about it. We were lucky it went to penalties. In fact we're lucky we even got out of the groups, overall we're just plain dull and lucky in this tournament. We're still stinking it out in my eyes. Penalties were utterly faultless though, cannot beat a bit of ecstasy from a pen shoot out win! But let's not allow that to mask the horrendous performance, yet again, against sub par opposition in the main.

Trash game, I'd say worst of the tournament, but I've watched England's games. If anyone deserved it on open play, it was probably Portugal. France just sat in and waited for the pens, horrific display by them. Spain will wallop them.

Ronaldo manages that team in all honesty. Martinez isn't strong enough to overhaul that. Bit of a pointless manager all told. Ruined Belgium's greatest chances, now putting the knife into Portugals.

Close...

Yeah maybe, they'll miss those 3. I still rate them though. Neither Portugal or France have impressed me yet, I think Spain could still be better than either of those even minus 3 players.

for £2.5-3m, you cannot really complain about it. Is he going to be better than Lyanco? I'd be utterly flabbergasted if he isn't. That's all that matters really, he adds depth to the squad. Another young English player too - a really strong British core through the side. THB, Edwards, Wood, Taylor, KWP, Downes (hopefully), Smallbone, Armstrong - and then a sprinkling of young English talent in Edozie, Charles etc. I think we've sorted out the back 4 area - now need to see some focus on the attack, that's what will keep us up at the end of the day. We'll concede goals whoever plays at the back for us, so we just need to make sure we're potent enough down the flanks and up top (We're nowhere near good enough at the mo). Excited to see who is up next, we seem to be moving rapidly.

Spain just about edged that I think, Germany had their moments but Spain had more prolonged periods of control. Their name is all over it already IMO. Cannot see past Spain. They're a very tidy team, lots of experienced winners in that side. I hope Pedri isn't too badly injured, really rate him.

I look at it as Perraud failed miserably at this level for a few seasons with us, awful LB. We've now got a proper PL proven left back in the door for £0. Lyanco and DCC were horrendous for us. Lyanco was just a pointless hot head, could not defend for toffee as he was too wound up 110% of the time. Not a PL player by any stretch. DCC's attitude stunk. He could have been decent, lots and lots of experience behind him, but he was another almighty dropped bollock for us. We're not going to miss any of those 3, we've just sold them all combined for £12m and the replacements leave us £6m net. I cannot argue with that all, the club seem to have their head screwed on this window. I like the fact that we're building a really strong British core. Just need to make a decent return on Mara and Sulemana, replace those with better and we're laughing.

Huh? You've seemingly looked at that pic with Downes, JWP and Ings in the same picture (day 1 of pre-season training) and have come to the conclusion that it means he's settled there. Whereas the pictures of KWP back in training, day 1, is a totally different situation. Ok then.

I want to say I agree with you............but I have a horrible nagging feeling that new contracts for McCarthy and Adams would equal ''we've got our ST and GK positions sorted'' internally at the club. Just nagging in my mind, because they've done it before. Losing Che will at least force us to get a striker.

Diamond Edwards was highly regarded, I remember he featured in pre-season under Ralph a few years back. Got a nasty injury in that pre-season though which was probably the end of it for him here. Shame really, I think he could make a career at the lower levels though.

I guess it's now a case of just how many points they'll get deducted. 10-15 was the feeling a few months back. They're down before a ball is kicked if we're honest. Makes it a little easier for us, one less place to worry about.