** Summer Transfer Window 2011/12 Season Rumours/Signings **

[J-FRO]

League 38 games, Europa, group stage to final 15 games, if you play a mostly unfit reserves team whose not match fit and rarely play, they won't get to the final and most players will miss the odd game. So Defoe/Seb will be happy if they play 10 Europa games instead of 30-35 league games, while also playing a distinctly reserve side with a manager who has said he doesn't care if they are still in it or not?

Somehow I don't think thats going to solve the problem, even slightly.

Well I disagree. We've got a big squad and like everyone else in the league have a preferred starting 11. If the manager is going to play them week in week out leave a load of good players on the bench all the time then of course they're going to want to leave. And if they do and we have several injuries then we're screwed. What we want to do is have them playing at least in the Europa league so they're match fit incase we do need to use them in the league as well. The league is again going to be the main priority, not the Europa league. But I think we have enough fringe players to field that could do really well in the Europa league. And they're good players as well being wasted if they're not playing. That's not to say we can't use some of our EPL starting 11 as well. But the main priority should be to try and please everyone. And again, if those players who usually sit on the bench get a chance to prove themselves once again but in the Europa league, it will help so show Harry what a diverse squad he has so he may be able to change things around a bit on the weekends and give key players a rest.

I'm not saying just play them in the Europa league, but if they never get to play at all then they're just going to be expensive bench warmers consistantly not match fit and annoyed at their lack of opportunity. I for one would rather be playing at least once a week in the Europa league than not at all and I'd use that opportunity to prove a point. That being that I am good enough for the PL.

So Spurs had a taste of the Champions League and now they're too good for the Europa League all of a sudden?

It's a chance for another trophy at least.

No not at all. And if we're going to take that attitude to other teams and trophies, lets start analysing Arsenal and the Carling cup for all the seasons before this one. It's only because it was their only real hope of silverwear this season that Wenger actually put any effort into it in a bid to end the drought.

 

[drunkenmaster]

I'm not saying just play them in the Europa league, but if they never get to play at all then they're just going to be expensive bench warmers consistantly not match fit and annoyed at their lack of opportunity. I for one would rather be playing at least once a week in the Europa league than not at all and I'd use that opportunity to prove a point. That being that I am good enough for the PL.

.

I don't disagree with that, just with the idea that seb/defoe would be happy to play in a team designated as the reserve team for Europa league that we don't care about, and a dozen starts a year.

Wenger and Redknapp are retarded for different reasons. RVP got fit, Chamakh has barely played 300 minutes since then. Diaby/Nasri get fit, bye bye Eboue and Rosicky.

Fabregas is fit, 90 mins x till he's injured. He doesn't rotate and causes injuries with no rotation and absolute benches someone the second someone else is fit. He'll bench Bendtner/Chamakh till RVP gets injured again, which he will they like you say, we'll have a guy who hasn't started in 6-8 months trying to be at his best in the league, it doesn't work.

Redknapp, just wants to buy everyone available at any given time but never wants to sell, simple as that. Pienaar is incredibly average, offered nothing, 3-4mil a year, 3mil to buy, probably 1mil signing bonus, for a guy whose significantly below Niko's level is a joke. He won't play Niko because he has other players, but he wouldn't sell him either.

He won't play Pav, showed a clear dislike for him since he joined but hasn't let him leave.

Redknapp if he won't sell Defoe needs to sell him and buy someone he will play, Redknapp just wants to buy another striker and have yet another option by keeping Defoe.

Theres a reason Spurs are very very likely to make a pretty hefty loss next season, wages on a massive squad he won't get rid of.

 

[atpbx]

Its Harry all over, if he likes you, you play, if he doesnt like you you are literally dead to him.

Pav and Kranjkar, Bently, Bassong, Defoe and god knows who else could all be having a lovely time playing middling standard football somewhere else instead of sitting on the bench, or half the time sitting in the stands.

 

[BaZ87]

Dalglish has been talking up the possibility of Aquilani returning to Liverpool in his press-conference earlier today. I suspect however it's just brinkmanship on our part to get as much as possible for him. I've also read that suggestions that Pirlo has signed for Juve are wide of the mark and they're pushing these rumours to drive and drive Aquilani's price down.

One way or another, I think he'll be off in the summer though.

 

[Bucket]

I'd be pretty sure Obertan will be off out on loan this season, make or break. Hopefully it's to an English side.

I can't see Macheda staying at the club this summer also. I think Diouf will last another season and possibly pop back out on loan.

 

[J-FRO]

I don't disagree with that, just with the idea that seb/defoe would be happy to play in a team designated as the reserve team for Europa league that we don't care about, and a dozen starts a year.

Ahh right i see what you mean. I didnt intend for my opinion to come accross like that. I meant that its better to be playing at least sometimes than not at all. But with some of the younger players like Rose, Bostock, Walker, Naughton, Townsend should all be playing in the Europa league for sure, but other players who are in the first team but get less opportunity to play in the premier league because they're not 'Arry's favourite should look to use it as a way of proving themselves and staying match fit for when they do get called into the gaffers favourite 11.

I agree as well that the whole buying players he wants and then not selling others is a bad policy. And Levy's reluctance to make a loss on some of them could become more costly in the long run. We need a major clear out before we buy anyone else. Or if we do buy anyone else it should be on the basis that we'll make the money back buy selling a few.

And I agree with you about Nike and Pienaar too. Why on earth did we sign him? Out of all the everton players we could have signed it should have been Coleman to compete with Corluka for RB. I'd say leighton Baines as well, but reall weve got three quality players who can play there in Rose, Bale and BAE. Just unfortunate that only Rose is fit atm.

 

[HangTime]

Wouldn't mind seeing Arsenal pick up the following on Bosman deals:

Friedel (very old but IMO the best Prem keeper of the noughties along with Given - if we can get 1-2 years out of him then hopefully Chesney ready to take up the reins. Almunia is out of contract so a worthy replacement IMO)
Upson (English CB to replace Squillacci, Wenger has iirc gone on record as saying it's one of the few sales he regrets)
Reo-Coker (combative midfielder would give an alternative to Song who is guarenteed to miss a few games a season due to suspension anyway. Don't forget he was captain of Wimbledon as a teenager, many another voice in the dressing room wouldn't be such a bad thing. Denilson wants to leave so he can replace him.)
Owen or Carew (Bendtner isn't good enough, lets ship him out and sign of these nemesis' to stop them scoring against us. Owen makes good runs in the box and Carew offers more of a physical threat.)

In terms of wages we shouldn't lose out massively here, the cash from the sale of Squillacci, Denilson and Bendtner should easily cover any shortfall.

Obviously in an ideal world we would just buy quality players like De Gea, Jagielka etc but I don't see the value in spending £6m on foreign muck like Squillacci, might as well get some free transfers of experienced players giving us more wages to play with.

 

[Weebull]

Owen? Michael "Oops there goes my hamstring. Again" Owen? Michael "one game in two hundred minutes of league football" Owen? Really?

 

[Bucket]

Owen? Michael "Oops there goes my hamstring. Again" Owen? Michael "one game in two hundred minutes of league football" Owen? Really?

The three seasons before this one (where he has fallen out of favour with us because Chico has settled so fast mainly) he has made 30+ appes each season, so it's not quite that bad.

It would be like just having RvP Mark 2, just with a lack of the skills that he once had.

 

[Weebull]

Aye, just like RvP, only minus the skill, the assists, the physical presence, the link play, and the goal scoring.

I see what you mean, practically identical.

 

[Bucket]

The three seasons before this one (where he has fallen out of favour with us because Chico has settled so fast mainly) he has made 30+ appes each season, so it's not quite that bad.

It would be like just having RvP Mark 2, just with a lack of the skills that he once had.

Aye, just like RvP, only minus the skill, the assists, the physical presence, the link play, and the goal scoring.

I see what you mean, practically identical.

Just like I said then. Skills encompassing all of those, perhaps ability would have been a better word.

 

[DBT85]

I couldn't find any virgins round here, I asked Carol in the shop and she's only been fingered, does that count?

actually laughed out loud.

 

[MarcLister]

We can only hope, pray and sacrifice virgins to what ever gods are watching that someone, somewhere, is stupid enough to take Obertan off our hands.

Man City? I think we're still laughing about Tevez. Fergie most probably is.

 

[Caseh]

Man City? I think we're still laughing about Tevez. Fergie most probably is.

Why? He lost out on one of the best strikers in the league?

I have a feeling my sarcasm detector is failing me, but I don't care.

 

[DanH84]

We can only hope, pray and sacrifice virgins to what ever gods are watching that someone, somewhere, is stupid enough to take Obertan off our hands.

I don't think the mods would let you do that to all the City and Liverpool fans tbh :/

 

[dannyjo22]

Man City? I think we're still laughing about Tevez. Fergie most probably is.

Him and his agent are getting on my bits. All this family balls then talking about going to Spain or Italy. The biggest mercenary in the league. He's earnt enough if he really cared and was upset about his kids he would go home on a pay cut. I thought fergie messed up not signing him but he's nothing but trouble.

 

[MarcLister]

Why? He lost out on one of the best strikers in the league?

I have a feeling my sarcasm detector is failing me, but I don't care.

I think both Fergie and Gill have said that Utd could afford the £25 or whatever it was to buy Tevez, they just felt that he wasn't worth it. Whether they meant he wasn't worth £25m and would have bought him for £18-20m or he was worth £25m but his demands for money, as seen at City, were what made him a no-go for us.

Him and his agent are getting on my bits. All this family balls then talking about going to Spain or Italy. The biggest mercenary in the league. He's earnt enough if he really cared and was upset about his kids he would go home on a pay cut. I thought fergie messed up not signing him but he's nothing but trouble.

This is what I meant by my statement Cas, I wasn't being sarcastic but whilst Tevez is an excellent player he is just way too much trouble. Utd didn't want him and it seems that City either don't know how to handle him or don't handle him the way he wants to be handled and he's off for another club.

 

[BaZ87]

I think both Fergie and Gill have said that Utd could afford the £25 or whatever it was to buy Tevez, they just felt that he wasn't worth it. Whether they meant he wasn't worth £25m and would have bought him for £18-20m or he was worth £25m but his demands for money, as seen at City, were what made him a no-go for us.

This is what I meant by my statement Cas, I wasn't being sarcastic but whilst Tevez is an excellent player he is just way too much trouble. Utd didn't want him and it seems that City either don't know how to handle him or don't handle him the way he wants to be handled and he's off for another club.

You might have had a point had Utd not admitted to offering the £25m to buy Tevez.

 

[MarcLister]

You might have had a point had Utd not admitted to offering the £25m to buy Tevez.

I thought we only ever offered £25m when we agreed the two year loan deal? Whatever actually happened I think we can see that Tevez is quite a difficult player to manage.

 

[placeholder]

You might have had a point had Utd not admitted to offering the £25m to buy Tevez.

I dont believe they ever did. If they did i think it was only after it was clear he was leaving or it was part of a package he would never accept.

If they had wanted him there was ample time for "Fergie Fergie" to "sign him up" and he chose not to. Its not a coincidence that we let him go despite the idea being we couldnt afford him.

I hated Tevez in his second season. He was angling for a move in the press in the exact same way he is doing now with City. Some of his statements (not in English obviously) were pish. I was chuffed when he left, tbh in the long run City will be better off without him. He was a symbol of of point they needed to make at the time to Utd. It didnt work.