c1982

It’s not the summer. Ambition is surely signing top quality players who improve us. There’s a bigger picture you’re failing to see and it seems you’ve forgotten the recent accounts that are dangerously close to breaching FFP.

I’d love to hear your suggestions for this role.

No assumptions here. Thankfully those in charge haven’t gone into panic mode and signed someone for the sake of signing.

Obviously not. Settling for someone who would just improve us has got us into the mess we’re in. Tosun and Walcott improved us at the time we signed them - we’ve been stuck with them since in big wages and offering very little. We need to strengthen 100% but ultimately we need to act smarter in the transfer market and a massive part of that will be reducing the wage bill before adding quality.

This is nonsense. Lack of ambition? No, sensible with a long term plan under a world class manager. The right players clearly aren’t available. What should we do? I know let’s sign more substandard players so we can be stuck with them on high wages. We’ve already got Tosun, Sandro, Bolasie, Besic taking up valuable wages and doing nothing - thankfully Niasse and Martina’s time is almost up - but we’ve got the likes Schneiderlin, Walcott, Sigurdsson and Keane who are on huge wages but aren’t likely to take us forward - I’m glad we’re not adding to the squad for the sake of it as we’ve made that mistake before!

Maybe Sporting could use some of the Fernandes money to turn Bolasie’s loan into a permanent deal...

I’m actually more bothered about getting players out than getting players in during this window. Martina and Niasse obviously but I’d happily see the back of the likes of Schneiderlin and Walcott, even Keane and Sigurdsson without us replacing them (unless the right priority players are available at a sensible price) and I’d see that as a good window.

More evidence to support that he needs to be in the box - he’s a striker and a very good one at that - wasted on the wing!

With his daughter on the flight too. So sad. Obviously a sporting legend but seemed such a great man too.

50 games over not even 2 seasons for one of the biggest clubs in the world at 19 years old isn’t bad at all... I wouldn’t say it’s been a bad move for the lad.

Born blue with 2 older blue brothers and blue dad (1 of 6 brothers - 4/6 blue, 1/6 red, 1/6 doesn’t care) so the path was already set out. Went to my first game as a 6 year old in 1988 - Everton vs Luton Town for mine and my granddad’s birthday (both shared with Big Nev) - I got the 1988 away kit (Beautiful top!) off my grandparents who lived in Crosby (which remained a big part of my prematch ritual throughout their lifetime)... and off we went. We lost 0-2 and things haven’t got much better since!!!

Phillips? Looks very good - he’s a massive Leeds boy but imagine he’ll be in the Prem next season regardless of whether they go up. He’d probably cost about £30m though - younger but probably not as good... yet. Let’s not forget about Gbamin.

Here’s what PSG were reported to have been quoted when interested in November... ’ The player, for his part, would be tempted by an experience in the French capital but Napoli are asking for a lot of money for the player, around 120 million euros. PSG, instead, would be willing to offer 80 million plus bonuses.‘

He cost Napoli £10m. He would cost us far more. If he came, he’d be the 1st name on the team sheet.

Signed for Real Madrid!

If he wants to play in the Premier League so much - go to Leeds or Forest (who are the rumoured clubs interested) and actually earn a right to play there by helping them to get promotion. He’d no doubt earn himself a contract if his goals helped them achieve promotion.

Holgate - he’s looking like Carlo’s first choice CB and deservingly so.

If he’s the best finisher we have in the box then why put him on the wing where he’ll get in the box less?! Bonkers! He tracks back well as the 2nd striker regardless. What we need is a better wing option so Richarlison doesn’t need to cover that position and he can stay where he’s most dangerous - in the box.

https://www.carlisleunited.co.uk/news/2020/january/transfer-young-defender-joins-everton/

I personally think Richarlison is much better as a striker when he’s got a partner. If we’re after another striker, I’d like it to be a partner for him. I’d prefer we get a winger to replace Walcott.

We need more players with a first touch like Bernard. So many attacks die and end up back at the feet of Pickford due to our players needing too many touches or passes behind rather than into their path. Gomes fits the bill and hopefully Gbamin will too but more quality is needed.

A bloke near where I sit called another bloke out on giving Davies stick - he’s constantly doing it but it almost came to blows today. Richarlison for me for his overall effort and class. His attitude and work rate is spot on - yes, he annoys me when he flings himself, but the fact he plays every game and gets stuck in all the time - we need more like him. Bernard as a close second - the ball was like a magnet to him today - his decision making seemed much better and was a constant threat.

Easy to say now but surely Davies and Delph would have offered more ‘bite’ and Sidibe as a right winger?! Wing-back yes but he stunk the place out against rookie opposition in a position where we had many other options!

That midfield today... Yuck!

He’s been woeful since I posted this. He, like so many of our players, is mentally weak. A player of his ability should have played at the very top. Look at him for Swansea and Iceland - incredible player at times when he single handedly took them beyond reasonable expectations but completely different player at Spurs and now looking the same at us - despite the odd decent performance. I put this down to mentality in some parts. Henderson at that lot is a good example - limited footballer but his drive and determination makes him an important part of winning teams. I don’t see this in many of our ‘nice guys’.