ratio_decidendi

Depending upon injuries and suspensions between now and January it might very well be a mistake, but barring those I'm more than happy with Fonte and Gardos with Yoshida as backup. The latter seems to get so much stick despite his role in 2012/13. I think he's more than capable as a squad CB with another youngster (is is Stephens?) developing in the background. If Koeman is content then so am I!

Fantastic play by Gomis there!

Just noticed that Dean Hammond is on the bench for Leicester today. Would I be right in saying that this could be his first Premier League appearance if he plays? Great achievement for him if so!

I take back what I said!

United are making Swansea look a better side than they are actually are. My guess is that this year the Swans will struggle, flirt with relegation, but ultimately stay up. They're in very poor shape, though don't think they'll stay like this all season!

Liverpool, because it would be a fantastic morale booster for the team if they were to win their first game with Koeman. The whole emotive side of Liverpool nicking our players would be an added bonus too.

Isn't it great to have such commercially savvy navigators at our helm? Without them, we would be lost and cast away on stormy seas!

You could say that the only reason Crystal Palace managed to stay up last season was because of the appointment of Pulis. I wouldn't be surprised for him to soon land some lucrative contract halfway through the season at a struggling club like Leicester or WBA, and for that club to do well out of it. He might not play attractive football, but it gets points. For now, however, it looks like lights out for Palace before a ball's even been kicked.

Scott Sinclair on the basis that to help him rediscover his talent and form we can provide him with the incentive of a more permanent stay. It seems that's never going to happen with Gnabry who might be better short term, but is very unlikely to stay past one season.

On paper, yes. But it's a different story when it comes to the reality on the pitch. Give it some time, perhaps another signing or two next year and we could be looking at an extremely decent squad. That is, just before we experience another exodus.

I'm interested to know why the interest in Byram cooled down. Perhaps the asking fee just didn't make a purchase economically viable for the club, or maybe they'd rather wait till next transfer window? A lack of dedicated and adequate support for right back does leave us somewhat exposed.

Soldado wouldn't be the worst purchase in the world. He was prolific for Valencia a few years back and I suppose would be easier to swallow than the 'underwhelming Shane Long' for some users here.

Ah, I guess that makes sense then.

It's interesting that we haven't been linked with him. He didn't really feature for Everton last season and sure he's thirty, but considering the position we're in...

Their partners must be out of shot

Looks like the OP wasn't lying - look at this that's just been posted on Twitter. Original Tweet

Although I disagree with you about Yosh, this made me laugh a lot! I'll never forget Hooiveld's face as he netted an own goal for the umpteenth time!

Precisely - throw in the fact that the market is inflated anyway (11m for McCormack etc.) and Long's fee is a bit more palatable. If we assume that he'll stay for an extended period of time, it could actually be quite the shrewd signing.

So many underwhelming names turn out to be fan favourites (S.Davis, Rodriguez) and then so many big names flop (Osvaldo, De Ridder, Ramirez to an extent). But there's no guarantee that players will turn out a certain way until we watch them play and judge for ourselves over the course of a season. My guess is that Shane Long will turn into an asset - importantly, he wants to be here to play and score. However, I may be proven wrong because my guess is exactly that - a guess or an unsubstantiated gut feeling. Either way let's not be too hasty in judging him, and welcome to the club SL.

Edit: By the way, I think Long would be a decent signing. Sure, he's not going to challenge for top scorer any time soon, but it's an improvement over Isgrove and he'll give 100% every match. Can we guarantee that someone like Hernandez would do the same?

I think I would take into consideration who's paying my weekly wages and then come to a conclusion other whether I valued them or my own current-state emotions more. Of course, that's easier said then done. I'm aware of the Legia situation; the question mark is particularly telling. But I think you're right, it's too early to jump to conclusions, especially based on so little evidence.

Boruc's behaviour is a bit disappointing because without him, we're sort of back at square one. I hope the club retain him because it's impossible to see Gazzaniga and Davis as suitable back up goalies, and it's vital to give Forster decent competition in order to develop his game. If he were to go, it would really take the shine of signing Forster.

Just raising a point here, but perhaps one of the reasons the board haven't offered Cork a new contract is because they want him to earn it. Incentivise his play with a potential new contract and, if he doesn't perform to the standard required, let him go on a free because he clearly isn't good enough. Yes, I get he's a work horse (I'm not sure there isn't one member on here who hasn't described him as an unsung hero) but successive managers have consistently used him as a fringe player. I like him and I hope he improves, but certainly not in place of a better player who can bring more to the team.

Football? Morals?

Have just noticed that Leroy Fer is missing from Norwich's team facing Wolves today. We've been linked with him recently, and I guess he's not a bad player but I'd much rather Redmond be absent instead.