Saint Victor!

[Clem Fandango]

Ok I edited

 

[Clem Fandango]

Jesus, site playingup with anyone else? Or just my diseased pc

 

[Dan]

If we signed Banega too, Barcelona wouldn't have a chance against us.

 

[TheSecondStain]

talkSPORT just said they hope he doesn't come here as "Wanyama is better than Southampton".

How exactly does Talksport think teams can get better if they are not allowed to sign any better players? Idiots.

Great, all we need now is Lawro to say he'll never join Southampton and we are laughing.

Usual blinkered thinking of the so-called experts who pin the usual top 6 in their top 6 places every year and then spend 5 minutes pinning the rest in order of disinterest. This is why I would love to see the so-called glamour clubs relegated for some particularly shocking business misdemeanour. It would knock those smug smiles off knowing pundits faces and restore some proper competition at the same time. There is plenty I dislike about football hierarchy, the Premier League, pundits etc.., but lazy pundits merely suggesting that a club should limit its ambition really grinds my gears. They should be praising a club for its ambition to break the stranglehold of the top 6. This is what makes competition interesting, after all.

 

[Puck]

To expand a bit on what I said in the other thread, I don't totally agree with TSS but I can see his point. Wanyama looks fantastic but it's a big step up from the SPL. Barry Ferguson, Stilian Petrov and Neil Lennon were all top players up there and average down here (maybe a bit harsh on Petrov, but still). Neil McCann won titles with Rangers but struggled to get into our team at times.

I think Wanyama would probably be a great signing but it's certainly true that playing against tough teams every week in the Premier League is a very different thing to playing out of your skin against Barcelona and then being able to cruise through a couple of games against the likes of Kilmarnock and Ross County before you have to raise your game again.

 

[Dan]

To expand a bit on what I said in the other thread, I don't totally agree with TSS but I can see his point. Wanyama looks fantastic but it's a big step up from the SPL. Barry Ferguson, Stilian Petrov and Neil Lennon were all top players up there and average down here (maybe a bit harsh on Petrov, but still). Neil McCann won titles with Rangers but struggled to get into our team at times.

I think Wanyama would probably be a great signing but it's certainly true that playing against tough teams every week in the Premier League is a very different thing to playing out of your skin against Barcelona and then being able to cruise through a couple of games against the likes of Kilmarnock and Ross County before you have to raise your game again.

Have you watched him play in the SPL? I don't mean that disrespectfully, but it's a valid point. The likes of Barry Ferguson and Petrov were impressive against SPL opposition, but you couldn't clearly see they had all the materials to transfer successfully to bigger leagues (as it happens, Ferguson didn't really, but Petrov did and you're being very harsh on him). Wanyama is one of the players who, like Mikel Arteta and Henrik Larsson, are clearly too good for the league and have transferable skills.

EDIT: I should add, this isn't to say he's a surefire success because, well, nobody is, there's a good chance any transfer will bust. I just can't see how he falls under the normal "yeah but SPL is crap" excuse.

 

[Tony Montana]

He's be fine down here, he has all the attributes a modern day PL CM needs strength, power, stamina and height I mean what's not to like? Petrol was a very solid player for villa would've slotted into a fair few teams if it wasn't for his cancer. Of course there is only one way to find out..... Sign him!

 

[Joe!]

Have you watched him play in the SPL? I don't mean that disrespectfully, but it's a valid point. The likes of Barry Ferguson and Petrov were impressive against SPL opposition, but you couldn't clearly see they had all the materials to transfer successfully to bigger leagues (as it happens, Ferguson didn't really, but Petrov did and you're being very harsh on him). Wanyama is one of the players who, like Mikel Arteta and Henrik Larsson, are clearly too good for the league and have transferable skills.

EDIT: I should add, this isn't to say he's a surefire success because, well, nobody is, there's a good chance any transfer will bust. I just can't see how he falls under the normal "yeah but SPL is crap" excuse.

It's never a good excuse really. It might be a ****e league, but you can still get a decent idea of how good a player is if you actually pay enough attention.

 

[Beef]

It's never a good excuse really. It might be a ****e league, but you can still get a decent idea of how good a player is if you actually pay enough attention.

Yep even **** teams can have good players.

 

[- Doing The Lambert Walk]

I asked Nixon where we stand with Wanyama, his reply:

Need to get fee agreement sorted. Then player. Think u r on with both and heading right way.

 

[Puck]

Have you watched him play in the SPL? I don't mean that disrespectfully, but it's a valid point. The likes of Barry Ferguson and Petrov were impressive against SPL opposition, but you couldn't clearly see they had all the materials to transfer successfully to bigger leagues (as it happens, Ferguson didn't really, but Petrov did and you're being very harsh on him). Wanyama is one of the players who, like Mikel Arteta and Henrik Larsson, are clearly too good for the league and have transferable skills.

EDIT: I should add, this isn't to say he's a surefire success because, well, nobody is, there's a good chance any transfer will bust. I just can't see how he falls under the normal "yeah but SPL is crap" excuse.

Petrov is a borderline example. He ended up pretty good but he wasn't at first, it did take a while to adjust, which is why I included him.

I also said I think Wanyama will be a great signing. I haven't seen him play in the SPL that I recall but I have seen some SPL fairly recently and I know the standard is poor. From what I've seen he could probably dominate SPL games even when he's not on top of his game and he won't be able to do that in the Premier League.

He clearly has the ability to perform very well (for me, there's more than a hint of Vieira about him) I'm just saying he'll need to play at, or close to, his best every week and that might take some getting used to. Another difference is that Celtic will have dominated most games he played for them and realistically we're not likely to do the same, although of course the games against Barcelona suggest that's an adjustment he can definitely make.

 

[CBK]

I won't believe it until I see a photo of him sat in West Quay Costa Coffee next to Danny Fox

 

[- Doing The Lambert Walk]

We'd have a little Celtic contingent if he joined.

Boruc, Fox, Hooiveld and Wanyama.

Feeder club...

 

[Pelletron]

Usual blinkered thinking of the so-called experts who pin the usual top 6 in their top 6 places every year and then spend 5 minutes pinning the rest in order of disinterest. This is why I would love to see the so-called glamour clubs relegated for some particularly shocking business misdemeanour. It would knock those smug smiles off knowing pundits faces and restore some proper competition at the same time. There is plenty I dislike about football hierarchy, the Premier League, pundits etc.., but lazy pundits merely suggesting that a club should limit its ambition really grinds my gears. They should be praising a club for its ambition to break the stranglehold of the top 6. This is what makes competition interesting, after all.

Unfortunately the smug smiles wouldn't get knocked of their faces. I liken it to trying to race against your GPS. It sets a time to destination whcih you think you can easily beat, but as the journey goes on and you're pelting down the motorway, off course the GPS is adjusting itself according to your speed and the traffic, up until the point where it gets its destination time spot on. The same is true of all those muppet pundits, who gradually adjust their viewpoints incrementally throughout the season until by the end, there are still smug grins, as what the likes of Savage and Lawro predicted in the final two weeks of the season comes true, and nary a word is said about their blinkered pre-season predictions.

Those who set their wristwatch against the GPS, however, are like us punters, who remember all the pre-season predictions made by pundits, and are left screaming at the TV!

 

[Qwerty]

We'd have a little Celtic contingent if he joined.

Boruc, Fox, Hooiveld and Wanyama.

Feeder club...

It's better than Burnley.

 

[Osvaldorama]

Just flicked on News Now, a lot of websites reporting that a deal is close to completion.
The problem is, I have learned after that Sharp to Reading rumour that the media have absolutely no idea. All it takes is one paper/website/radio station to report something, and then the rumour snowballs massively! I'm still not getting my hopes up.

 

[Rich]

This rumour is definitely gathering some pace. Come on, this would be a fantastic signing!

 

[IMO Im ITK]

The prospect of a midfield duo of Morgan and Wanyama is mouth watering. Genuinely believe thats a top 4 quality CM pairing.

 

[CBK]

Just flicked on News Now, a lot of websites reporting that a deal is close to completion.

Amazing thing called "cut & paste"

 

[Saintjoey]

Amazing thing called "cut & paste"

Doesn't change the fact that different (respected) British reporters from different papers with various different "ins" are reporting it as close though, does it?