Signing all these canny players and showing me up to be a right tit!!! Lol Westwood, Larsson, Gardener, Wickham, Won and now Brown? Looks like O Shea next and then who? Vaughan? N'Zogbia? Another top Striker? Left back/right back? Seems to me that we have made some of the best signings of the close season so far, out of the chasing pack of clubs behind that top 5 and our squad is really taking shape? We were caught out big time last season from a lack of numbers when the 2nd half of the season came round and with a young squad, we suffered. Larsson, Gardener, Brown, O Shea are all experienced lads and especially the Man Utd ones. Only one complaint though. When is Bruce going to sign a player good enough to get into the craas team? If only we could get players that would go straight into their team, we too could finish below Sunderland next season? Lol
If we get Brown and O'Shea think we only need a creative midfielder (Kranjcar or N'Zog idealy) and Danny boy back onloan things are looking up, was so many people over-reacting after the sale of Henderson to Liverpool thats football I dont think we'll miss the lad
Poolie - the Daily Mirror (I know) had Kranjcar at £12m and said he had complained that Spurs were pricing him out of a move. I like the lad but not at that price. Maybe £5m or £6m max? I still think that N'Zog is our top priority and will be a Sunderland player come kick off for pre-season tour in Germany?
Well Horswell was talking about N'Zogbia tonight yes I know he talks rubbish 99% of the time but he was saying that he had been in a golfing event down Coventry last week and is pals with someone high up at Wigan not sure if he said the name I wasn't realy paying attention but then he went on to say that four clubs are in for him, us, newcastle, villa IF they sell Downing to Liverpool and the Spuds but they need to make money from selling players to create the funds for Harry. I personally think he will end up at Villa but with the signings we are making of established premier league players then he has got a hard choice to make
Poolie, unless Villa offer Judas style money (£70k per week) then why would he go to a club that could easily implode in another 2 months? McLeish will be hung, drawn and quartered if results go awry in the opening 4 or 5 games? Spurs need to sell before they buy and no-one is taking their players for the daft money they are asking and Levey has just been on SSN to say Modric wont be sold for ANY price this summer. He cant go back on that one. The mags are in the same boat as us. We wont get drawn into paying daft wages for a player that is good but not at £65k+ a week. If he want to move for football reasons then its only us and the craas that will have a chance and then as I have said, Bruce will be our ace in the pack in negotiations?
Villa playing hardball with Downing. They want 20M and no way Liverpool is paying that (he ain't Henderson after all!). Already rejected at least one fair offer. If Downing stays, don't see Villa putting in a serious bid for N'Zogbia, even with Young already gone. Best case scenario: Downing stays at Villa, N'zog comes to us...Cahill goes to the Gooners, Samba comes to us. Then sell Turner and Anton. Back four of O'Shea, Brown, Samba and Bardsley. Titus for cover. Nice. Hey, we're all allowed to dream!
Your post actually aroused me a wee bit.... Selling Tina is a wee bit controversial, but if it's for Samba.....SOOOOOOOOLD!
Would be incredible for us to have that team, considering the fact that 5 years ago we were a yo-yo club with no money, and less direction. Thing is, it's realistic we could have that team, i'm not saying we will, but it's well within the realms of possibility. These are great days mate!
I have to say I keep bricking it about the amount of money being spent, but I keep forgetting just how much we got for Henderson, and still have a wodge of the Bent money. Hopefully, this years activity will mean in January and next summer we won't need many additions at all. Guess its about sorting the wage bill now.
The game at Beilefeld, looks better all the time, but hearing rumours of Gyan not going, hope thats just tosh.
With O'shea and Brown, we can sell Ferdinand. Bardsley and Richardson are both good at LB - and I think Richardson will be played there a lot more this season with the arrivals of Gardner and Larrson (covering Bardo, competing for a place with him etc). Bardo, Ricco, Turner, Bramble, O'shea, Brown + Blair Adams (attcking LB) and Laing (CB) who could make it in the 1st team we have a decent looking defence. One more wouldnt hurt though. Our strikers: Gyan, Campbell, Wickham, Dong, Lynch and Noble - need one more tried and tested striker imo. Midfield looks ok to me, though I wouldnt say no to Zog if we can get him.
Squad is the name of the game really isn't it! I'm really impressed with how Bruce has gone about things with the club backing him. Looking forward to the new season (Nice to see some positive comments on our boards too!!)
Marcus, as I have said before the club dictate the mood of the fans. 3 or 4 weeks ago I really felt depressed when Jordan was sold and then inside 3 weeks, they have delivered big time. I cant wait for the season to start but still want to see a proven goalscorer at the club before we take on Liverpool.
Turner and Bramble were our best centre half pairing last season bar none - had they stayed fit I believe we'd have been at least 6 points better off at the end of the season if not more. 13 Clean sheets is the best this club has had for as long as I can remember (and only 5 teams had more and Arsenal had the same) - and, including Arsenal, the only teams that equalled or bettered that total were the top 6