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So VI currently won't even commit to a date for Baradji. I'm not sure we'll see him on the pitch for a good while.

Go Ahead Eagles reporter says nothing in the rumour and the striker is needed for the season.

Another £250k for Rovers if he plays.

In regards to the academy perhaps the new remit is sell anyone with any value in them right now with add on's and sell on's attached instead of carrying them here and paying them. Then replace with more promoted youth and a few freebie signings costing even less in wages and try and develop them at that level quicker than normal. They seem to want to create a conveyor belt right throughout the club where every single player on the books is a saleable and potential value increasing asset rather than a depreciating one or stagnant non value item.

Leonard is as good as gone. I reckon VI has refused to admit it because they won’t rubber stamp that deal until they get the one they want. Elliots source probably closer to the player.

Nixon.

They might as well go for Paul Ince, Tony Mowbray or Owen Coyle. The whole club stinks, the players are unmanageable so you might as well go for the cheapest option that'll break the club.

It would have to go some to be as bad as the Murphy/Etuhu window! Or Hodgson's spending spree in 98/99 for that matter (at least we got Matty Jansen alongside the rest of the dross). But yes, whilst I get there's an optimistic way of looking at this summer's dealings, I'd say there's only McLoughlin that you can hang your hat on as a reliable Championship level player (and even he could end up being a downgrade on what what we had last year). I don't say that as a criticism of any of the players or of Gestede even, but we've clearly gambled and it could easily backfire.

Stella Artois

If you believe that title is fitting of that completion that’s on you the facts multiple league winners of their own domestic leagues weren’t involved says it all really

Really. I thought he was/is a Jack Vale tribute act.

Would love to know his source

Chelsea have just become world club champions so how can he look any higher ?

It’s football it’s how all clubs now operate look at Newcastle having to part ways with Isak brentford Mbuemo and wissa when the bigger clubs come calling there’s not much can be done

Elliott Jackson has seemingly managed to shut down his own exclusive story. Ismael said nothing is agreed with Leonard.

It looks like the players have given up on him and are just treading water until the new mug comes in. A great time to play them ! When we used to play them in the “ Fergietime “ era you had to win there to get a draw !

Maybe. Palace will end up doing a Southampton if they keep selling their best players.

Good comparison. The scale of the clear out is very Furphylike. The distinctions Id make are a) Furphy was a young up and coming "tracksuit" manager which was still a bit of a departure in those days. Ismael is a seasoned manager who's been round the block a few times without any particular success. b) Many of the players we've lost this summer were our best performers last season not players who'd been worn down and needed shipping out. Incidentally didn't we get off to a bad start under Furphy in his first half season? I seem to remember us hovering around the bottom 2 (two up and two down in those days) until just before Christmas. He might have been lucky to survive in these more trigger happy/ social media/ Internet days.

3 million definitely doesn't pay for the Academy for the next 3 years, if you meant the JRC, Buckley and Leonard sales. If you're adding Travis too, it's (possibly, up to) 6 million, which also doesn't pay for it for 3 years. Last I recall, the Academy cost 3.5 million a year to run, but we get a grant of 1 million by being Category 1, so it costs 7.5 million to run it for 3 years. The number is probably higher now as those figures are a good few years old. It absolutely pays for itself, especially with the Wharton and Raya money, and the savings from no fees and cheap wages for squad players over the years, but I just wanted to correct that point. That's before considering that Travis especially is a seasoned first teamer who absolutely needs to be replaced, at cost.

For what? League position? (We let it go that 3 of those named aren't here yet)

Joe South - Walk A Mile In My Shoes

I mean, you really have taken stuff out of context and twisted it to continue to be able to suggest that I am just being overly negative and miserable. The Swansea stuff was about the timing of their deals, making signings early and also that they had paid £7m for a player I didnt pass comment on. The one signing I did say was a good one was Burgess. Overall, I certainly havent said that our business has been rubbish either. Some of our signings I have been encouraged with. I like the look of Morishita and I not only liked the signing of McLoughlin but went out of my way to question 1 or 2 who did call him a bad signing. Of none of our signings did I instantly write off as not good enough. Most of the new players have shown signs of being useful additions to the squad. Regarding these 2 links, my first point was that I am skeptical about either coming, certainly not both. Neither does have an overly encouraging record on paper, one scored quite a lot in a very weak Dutch second division (including quite a few penalties) and hasnt really scored in the top league. The other is a player who wasnt prolific even before he went to Belgium where he has rarely scored. They both are young, might potentially push on, I dont know. I am not saying that they are shit if they sign. But I will say that all of our signings are really shit if it helps to conform to your narrative. You seem keen to create an environment whereby you cant question any of the new signings.

Are you sure? It’s the first I’ve heard of established players not counting. At what point does a player become established? I thought it was any player who had come through our academy or even another English academy??

I think that underplays his pace a bit. He's not lightning, but he's sharp and clever enough to get into scoring positions. Thinking back to the Boro cup game last year, he missed a couple of sitters but the thing I took away was that he was getting in the right areas. In fact over the course of his time here the ball seems to find him in good areas, and plenty of strikers with decent careers obviously never develop that knack. I'm in two minds about letting him go. He's not that young anymore, so a million quid for an unproven player with a shocking injury record isn't bad business. At the same time, once he's given a run I can see him banging them in at that level (*if* he stays fit). All of a sudden a seven figure sum doesn't seem that great for his position and age. I agree that his all round game is unlikely to ever be that impressive. He's a poacher or nothing, off what I've seen. But then again teams pay the big money for goal scorers.

WillyNilly TimmyJimmy