Not sure if you need a sub (I get mine through Apple News) but a very touching piece from Maureen Armstrong (his wife) on David https://apple.news/AYAZpjNKmTsy7OwO2cgk_ng
Sunday 16 October SOU please log in to view this image 14:00 please log in to view this image WHU Referee: Peter Bankes. Assistants: Eddie Smart, Nick Greenhalgh. Fourth official: Tony Harrington. VAR: Simon Hooper. Assistant VAR: Adrian Holmes.
Wednesday 19 October BOU please log in to view this image 19:30 please log in to view this image SOU please log in to view this image Referee: John Brooks. Assistants: Lee Betts, Matthew Wilkes. Fourth official: Thomas Bramall. VAR: Peter Bankes. Assistant VAR: Stuart Burt.
I can only assume they've thrown an absolute ton of money at us which we couldn't say no to. And TBF, they will be more Joe Shields out there. He's done his job in getting us Lavia, Bazunu and Larios! Next up, Arsenal.
Finally get someone who looks like they know what they're doing with recruitment and he is gone is 4 months. ****ing joke. Quite funny I have already seen some twats on twitter somehow blaming Ralph for this as they apparently don't see eye to eye
Don’t like this one bit - need some stability and a plan but we’ve got our recruitment chiefs leaving a few months after joining as well as the set-piece coach. Semmens, Steele and Blackmore will probably blame the Itchen North.
People completely losing their **** on Twitter but I don't see it as a disaster at all. It's not ideal but we'll find a good replacement for him.
Nah it is pretty ****. Haven't had good recruitment in years and we finally get someone, who we pretty much build our entire strategy around and we lose him after 4 months. You'd also think all the players lined up for future windows would prefer Chelsea over us so there is that too. Not a complete disaster but it is pretty bad news.
I’m not too fussed by this. There’s plenty of good talent spotters and I’m not entirely convinced that many of the young players we signed - bar Lavia and ABK - are actually up to the mark and ready to contribute. It speaks more to how disorganised Chelsea are behind the scenes.
Same strategy that signed those kids for City in the first place - he just took the low hanging fruit that he had scouted, signed and seen first hand. No doubt he would have done that for us and will now be doing it for Chelsea.
Bet he also had a good look at our academy lads too. Chelsea already got one of ours, who then came back, wonder if they'll be back for Doyle/Ballard now. Pure speculation of course but we've seen Shields has no issue of poaching from former employers
This. Chelsea's new American owner is doing what all the Yanks do and throw money at the obvious target. I'm not sure how much Shields contributed to ABK - arguably our best signing of the summer - anyway. He was signed in June, very early on in the window. Makes me think we had him on our wish list way before Shields came along.
