The key bit in your post here Joe, is that you can be wrong - either way. I have no problem with people like you who pay a lot of attention to global football and form your opinion on players. My issue is with those 'sheep' who take what you say as gospel without forming their own opinion. There was a time when I knew a lot about global football, reading things like World Soccer and watching any game I could find.... then I got married, then I had kids. I remember one specific person on Not606, who in one post recently said they hadn't heard of one of these rumoured loan signings and then just a page or two later, was slagging of the board and why we were signing these **** players on loan.
I used to wonder about this. then I had an epiphany; many of those with an encyclopeadic knowledge of European football play a lot of FIFA and Football Manager on PC.
In fairness, he was horrendous for Lyon! But yeah as Joe said, European football is very much accessible these days - I watched a whole lot of European football on BT Sport this season, and before that it was easy to watch a load of foreign games through streams on Betting websites. That's a pretty stupid epiphany.
That's fair. You don't need to be 100% sure on a player before jumping off the fence though. Even the scouts and the managers can't be sure; that's why they often get these things wrong. And no, Archers, I don't get this stuff from FM. If I did I'd be pretty thrilled about Pelle for starters.
And as I said above Dan, I respect that because I have been there in the past and through watching a lot of European football and reading about it a lot, I picked up a lot of knowledge. Now I hardly know anything. I do have a 13 year old son though and he knows way more than me and is just entering the watch any football stage (When Dance Moms allows)
I'm on the fence about Taider and Tadic. I know very little about them. Pelle I've known about since he was a young lad at Lecce, Schelotto I've known as a Serie A player who has been on a lot of different benches, and Bertrand is obvious.
Here goes.......wait for it but here's MY opinion, personally I think MS & JR before it gets toxic and damn right unhealthy should be sold for best possible figure out there...(wait for the outcry) As for incomings as a few have said we don't know how far down that process we have got,as it does take time,obviously our first targets may have been missed but others will be sort,we will not go into the season with an under strength squad, come 31st August I'm sure we would have replaced those who have gone and some. IMO those who have left have been replaced by better,as there is cases for all that have gone to suggest Saints have come out of those deals superbly. Many have said lallana only managed ex amount of mins on the pitch,lambert was needing to be replaced asap anyway(love the bloke tbh) Lovren had become toxic and troublesome,Chambers as dissapointing it is to lose him wanted to go,and he only played 18 or so games and the money we got for him is cracking.Shaw was going anyway and I think he can easily be replaced so he's no loss as far as I'm concerned. MS I think we will get a better replacement, and we don't know if JRod will come back the same player as a lot who have had the injury have not come back the same. RK will have a list of players he wants to secure,and I'm sure the powers that be will try and can them,but it isn't easy as money talks,and players know where they can get the best deal. But overall we need to be positive,it's all good and come August we will come out of the better......just my opinion.
I think the decision to keep Schneiderlin and Rodriguez was primarily for footballing reasons, but there was also an element of a symbolic gesture. The club considered themselves to be in control because of the good prices they were getting for unsettled players, but the perception was different. They had to settle the remaining players and the fans...before a snowball became an avalanche.
May be tinfoil hat stuff but I also think it is worth noting the only sales we dug our heels in over were to Poch at Spurs.
It will be interesting to see who the better replacement for Morgan will be. He is some player. No-one knows whether Jayrod will come back the same player; my guess is he'll come back fitter and stronger than before as the modern sports science is top drawer. If the knee is fixed, he'll be a stronger specimen and that could be a sight to see. I hope that neither player become poisonous. I think James G's latter post about selling to Poch has some bearing too. I wouldn't be too upset if we cut our nose off to spite ourselves on that situation. Poch played a big part in what has happened, so **** him! I'd even tell the players if they started to play up, "want to go, find a different club to Spurs - we ain't selling there" PS. on the last bit in bold of your post.... don't tell the bed wetters, but we're in August
Well we're not going to sign anyone better than Morgan, it just won't happen. Same with Lallana and Lambert, we got players of a similar style but obviously not as good.
Dan I appriecate your comment,but as the season unfolds we will find out just how good these players are.? Someone like Jordy Clasie not as good as Morgan??
Yeah but I'm willing to bet he won't be a PFA player of the year contender. I like him and all, but there's almost no way he'll have a better season than Lallana did.
