Agreed about Riise - shame he went off the boil, but Richardson is adequate back up if he goes. I'd like to see us sign a replacement, but not another whose best days are behind them (Warnock is 31). We should either trust in Richardson for now or look for a younger man who can step into the first team and stay there for several years. Probably someone in the 22-26 age range. Any suggestions?
As for Stecklenburg (Bidley can correct my spelling at his leisure) and Stockdale, if the two really are likely to cost the same as each other, it's a no-brainer. At 31 Stecklenburg is likely to be at the top of his game for the next 5 years or more and is a much more reliable prospect than Stockdale. Stockdale could be just as good, but could be much much worse. Promoting the reserve keeper and finding that he's not as good as you hoped is a classic route to relegation (it's what Middlesborough did when we took Schwarzer). The only argument for playing Stockdale rather than Stecklenburg is that his wages will be much lower, which shouldn't be our main consideration at this point.
Right back? Selling Kelly possibly leaves us exposed, but it may be that Jol has confidence in one or other of the youngsters to fill the gap if needed. The only way we'll find that out is if something happens to player-of-the-season Reither. Let's hope we don't find out!
And finally, as for the lack of anything happening: as ever, we don't know what's going on behind the scenes because the club (quite rightly) doesn't advertise its business until everything is done and dusted.
As for Stecklenburg (Bidley can correct my spelling at his leisure) and Stockdale, if the two really are likely to cost the same as each other, it's a no-brainer. At 31 Stecklenburg is likely to be at the top of his game for the next 5 years or more and is a much more reliable prospect than Stockdale. Stockdale could be just as good, but could be much much worse. Promoting the reserve keeper and finding that he's not as good as you hoped is a classic route to relegation (it's what Middlesborough did when we took Schwarzer). The only argument for playing Stockdale rather than Stecklenburg is that his wages will be much lower, which shouldn't be our main consideration at this point.
Right back? Selling Kelly possibly leaves us exposed, but it may be that Jol has confidence in one or other of the youngsters to fill the gap if needed. The only way we'll find that out is if something happens to player-of-the-season Reither. Let's hope we don't find out!
And finally, as for the lack of anything happening: as ever, we don't know what's going on behind the scenes because the club (quite rightly) doesn't advertise its business until everything is done and dusted.