Pez1974

First day back off holiday and in work. The thought that Baz could be off, and we get some money in The Swansea thread

Will Hughes would be a great shout. I am currently on holiday and a Derby player is also at the hotel (top bloke by the way) and he reckons that Hughes is going to be unbelievable, better than anyone he has played with.

I agree with the recent posts. If he wants to play the last couple of years of his career, he can have a free transfer and good luck to him. I wouldn't give him more than a notional amount (although a footballers notional amount is vastly different to ours or mine!) If he wants his contract paid up to leave, he can sit and be our back-up keeper for the next 3 years. If he goes, we would have to get someone else in, and with fees, etc, it ain't worth paying Shay off. Plus, it's not like he's acting like a tool about it - he is being kept out by one of the best keepers in the league.

I think there will be tons of bollocks about Bent over the next few weeks, as he is clearly a player with value who isn't playing and will want to - perfect fodder for agents and journos alike. I think we need to ship him out quickly both to stop the circus, and because he is probably our most (unwanted) saleable asset and earning the most wages; shipping him out will give Lambert a lot of certainty over his transfer kitty and wage bill. I also think we will have a number of options - I can see both Cardiff and Hull being in the hunt, and maybe Watford or Palace, as he is a London lad and may be prepared to take a pay-cut to move back there. I also think a few other PL teams will fancy him - Fulham are an easy one, and maybe WBA if they don't get Lukaku back again. In fact, most of the teams around us last season need to score more goals, and this guy give them options. I also think going abroad to somewhere like Russia or Turkey, where they don't mind paying silly wages, could be possible. We must have a few options, and I hope that the club and exploring them with haste.

Spot on - good post

Interesting and balanced. Thanks for that. Couldn't resist scrolling down at first to check out the Bannan comments

We survived! Given the surgery required on the squad following 2 seasons of going nowhere (or backwards), I feel that we have a squad which will be better next year even if we add no-one to it, which I haven't felt for years. I think is is a massive step forward for the club. However, we are already going to lose some people of next years wage bill who contributed nothing this season - Dunne, Makoun (done already I heard), Petrov (sadly), and with possibility of a few other non-contributors moving a on (Hutton? Ireland? Given? Bent (he did contribute, but no much)?) any additions would inevitably make e squad stronger. In my opinion, Lambert has proved to be very shrewd in the transfer market, and the 'truth' coming out about some of the fees paid for he likes of Lowton, Westwood, and Sylla should make Randy not only willing to back him further, but desperate to do so. Next season we should be looking at a top 10 finish with a couple of defensive additions, plus replacements for those other departures. If we can really nail the defence, perhaps a little higher. However, keep the team together after next season, and we could easily become the 'new Everton'. Maybe even the 'new Spurs'!

The problem with ex-pros is that they rarely slag off other pros. If Savage had come out and said that we have too much shite in the squad, but have replaced them with too little experience - fair play. He didn't, he just said that too little experiece = not good enough. Which is (and was proved) bollocks. A squad of Guzan, Benteke, Lowton, Wiltshire, Sterling, MacManaman, Michu, Rickie Lambert, Luke Shaw (I could go on) would have little PL experience, but would be bloody good. Whereas a squad of Rob Green, Bosingwa, Chris Samba, Nedum Onuoha, Ji-sung Park, Wright-Phillips, Jenas, Hoilet, Zamora, Remy, Andy Johnson will finish bottom. Shit loads of experience there! In fact, if you look at Lawrensen's predictions, I think he has QPR in the top half. These guys know next to **** all.

**** me, did we only have to pay them £0.5m

QPR - like most, perhaps Hoillet, but I do think there will be better available for less money. I like M'bia too, but I think wages will be an issue. Reading - McCarthy looks a great young keeper, but we need to shift Shay first. Not convinced about Le Fondre; he is a sub for a reason! Robson-Kanu has a lot of bad days for me, although I think Kebe could be a useful squad player, but suspect that better and cheaper is out there. Wigan - I know I am wrong, but I have never seen anything in McCarthy or McArthur to say that they are good players. MacManaman I really like, although he needs a lot of coaching and again will cost a premium price. I've never been convinced about Kone. Some good stuff but a lot of dross. Positionally he's terrible. I think Sharner could be a useful addition and he covers CB and CM, but only as a squad player. Di Santo is shit - the Argie Emile Heskey!

The squad balance is still a problem. There are still too many players with too few games under their belts, and in defence this is most keenly felt - we need a CB with more experience, even if he is just a reserve for Vlaar. Having said that, the players have the experience of this past season and that is a massive plus for next year. We are fine at GK, but hugely over budget. Hopefully we can sort this out in the summer. As said earlier, we need more experience at CB, and PL will need to decide on LB. Will Bennett come good next year? Is Stevens a good enough back-up? Personally I would resign Lichaj to cover for Lowton. Midfielder is a mess. Our first choice 3 are looking OK, but we should try and improve upon these and this will mean at least one of these being relegated to the bench, which is a good thing. We have far too many CMs on the books; Westwood, Delph, Sylla, Bannan, Ireland, Herd, KEA, Gardner, plus those stepping up fro the youth team competing for 2 or 3 slots is crazy on our budget. This area needs emptying, and for me KEA, Herd, Bannan and Ireland can go, and be replaced by new starter and those from the u21s. The front 3 are fine, and presumably the plan is to keep these. Bent is way too expensive for the bench, so we need to get rid and replace - whether internally or buy I just don't know! Plan B would seem to be to bring on an ACM for a CM - if this is N'Zog, fine - he can stay! So can Bowery, who will be inexpensive and an option out wide. However, I cannot see a place for the Fonz, Albrighton or Holman in the squad, and presumably Dawkins will be packed off but I believe there are a couple of youngsters in the u21s who would fancy a chance, so perhaps again we could see 4 out and maybe only 1 in upfront.

Gone for 6. A new, more experienced, CB and maybe the same for CM. Otherwise, a few up and comers to replace the ones we ship out, with the U21s having a few step up as well. Reckon we will give a new contract to Lichaj too.

Tough one. Heart says yes, head says "where would this end". Certainly don't have a #19 for a few seasons and take it from there

I can see the merits of starting him, but he has been very disappointing over the season, so to start him against Sunderland on the back of a decent half is a huge shout. Personally I would go with the formation which has stood us in good stead over recent weeks; a bad 30 minutes against the champions shouldn't change all that good work. For me this guy could be the next Petrov, or the next Berson. Lambert has a big decision in the summer about whether to keep him or move him on, but he see's him in training, and knows why he bought him in the first place. We have way too many 'ordinary' central midfielders and some need to be moved on to make a place (and free up some funds) for a new one or two. Personally, I see KEA being on his way.

Yes and yes. Westwood, Ireland, Delph, KEA, Bannan, Gardner, Herd, Sylla, Holman, plus the kids coming through, and that's not counting Stan who we knew wouldn't play this year, makes about 12 central midfielders on the books at the moment. Keep the kids who look like they can make it, plus Westwood, Delph, Sylla and Gardner, and replace them with one or 2 players who are better than we already have. Save a fortune and improve the team. To stop the rows - If you want to keep Herd because he provides cover at RB, fine. If you want to keep KEA to give him a second season, I am not sure we can afford to. If you want to keep Holman as a winger, you're mad! If you want to keep Bannan, you're Con!

I love stats, I am an accountant, fairly good with numbers and often look such things up for information. But that is it. You simply cannot base football analysis, and in particular player analysis on statistics alone. Didn't Liverpool try it under Camoli, and so they signed Downing, Carroll and Henderson for a massive whack? The problem for me is two-fold - There is always too small a sample size to weed out the anomolies in football (in baseball where they play 200 games a season, it works better; in american football it doesn't). And second, there are too many external factors in that small sample size. In baseball, a fairly stat used is how many times a guy got on base (that rare yes or no question in stats) and it is only the batter against the pitcher (assuming fielding ****-ups even out). In football, you rely on your teammates very heavily (Benteke doesn't score if his team mates don't provide the service, but that don't make him shit). As So, stats are fine to demonstrate an opinion on a player or team, but can and will always be challenged as to whether the stat in question is a reliable one on which to judge the matter.

About right for me. WIgan will get a maximum of 4 points from their next 4 games, taking them to 35 points. Even assuming a win against us last game of the season, they max out at 38 points. That means we need 5 points tops to be 'safe'. I would expect 4 points minimum from the Sunderland and Norwich games. Point against Chelsea at home is certainly possible, and I wouldn't rule us out tonight just yet! Wigan's goal difference is +1 better than ours. I would hope this would turn around a little over the next couple of games too, hence it is critical that we don't get smashed tonight. I really think we will be safe, but it is too close for comfort.

Congrats to him, a worthy nomination. Also nominated for young player of the year are Bale, Hazard, Lukaku, Welbeck and Wiltshire. I can't see anyone but Bale winning, and the fact that Hazard is also up for player of the year suggests he will be ahead of Benteke too (but I don't think he should be). Benteke for me is head and shoulders above the other 3 based upon this season. For me though, this award is a bit odd, as don't the players vote in January? It's the football writers award that matters more.

These forum topics tend to become a little bonkers, and despite there still being plenty of time ( ), I think our expectations are about right. Spurs over recent seasons have broadly set up the model for us to follow: Get in good young players who can develop and either be sold at a profit or become first team regulars (Walker, Naughton, Huddlestone, Andy Reid, Defoe, Carrick, Bale, Dawson, Lennon). This is what Lambert is trying to do. Look abroad for players with potential and lower fees/salaries (Modric, Gomes, Berbatov; ). Lambert is doing this too. Have a youth team which can supplement the first team (Andros Townsend, Caulker, Livermore, Danny Rose, Ledley King). He inherited this. Take advantage of others where appropriate (Parker from WHam; Defoe, Crouch and Kaboul from Portsmouth; Friedel from us; Gallas from Arsenal; Dempsey from Fulham; Lewis Holtby from whichever German club he was out of contract at). When finances permit, start to look at picking up a few big name signing - Van der Vaart; Adebayor; Lloris; Vertonghen) All of this can be done with a fairly low risk to the clubs finances; the key is having continuity at the top, which we have sorely lacked, a scouting network which supports this approach (which Houllier saw was crap and Lambert is clearly still working on) and the balls to accept that picking up a load of kids and unproven players from 'inferior' leagues comes with the risk that some will fail. Our problem this year is that we had to throw the kids in because our established players were sold/shit/injured/hated. Next season we should continue to pick up the Westwood's, Lowton's and Bennett's; we should look for the next Benteke, and even if he turns out to be the next Bosko Balaban we still have Benteke for less than we paid for Darren Bent. We should consider raiding QPR, Reading and Stoke/Wigan/Sunderland* for a player or 2 (not getting into names) And once that list of names we all know need's shifting is sorted, we can take a punt on a couple of more proven players to take us to the next level. I really don't know why I didn't think of this earlier.

So, if it stays 0-0, that'd be the 80th minute then?

Exactly this - it's what I come on this thread to post. Their midfield looked poor against WHam, and although they have the attackers we need to try and nullify the service. Oh, and Vlaar to hit RVP like a train and not get booked, but Baker breaths down his neck gently in the 80 minute and get a second yellow.

Can you get insurance for being fat and unfit? If so, I could rich!

I think most people can agree the principles here; it just the degrees of cutting that were required and the speed that causes debate, and who's to blame. Certainly having so many managers over recent seasons has resulted in any change process being stuttering at best as Lambert is not only getting rid of MON's, Houllier's and MacLeish's shite, but 1 bloke we signed between managers as well! I 100% agree with your last point. So many 'overpaid' players will have gone by the end of the season that the wage bill must have come down to managable levels now. We will need to give payrises to the deserving - Benteke, Weiman, and maybe one or two others, but those costs will be covered by the loss of Stan, Dunne and Warnock who added nothing this year (although I promise never to mention Stan in the same breath as the other 2 again!). Shifting on just a few of Hutton, Bent, Ireland, Given, Makoun, plus a couple of the squad players who won't make it (Stevens? Lichaj? Delfouneso? Bannan (easy Con)? Albrighton? KEA? Herd? etc) will free up another load of salaries. In fact, looking at the 15 players I have mentioned in the last 2 sentances, there must be over £25m a year in salaries, for a very limited return this season. If we can peform the mircale of shifting that lot and only reinvest £10m of that in salaries we can add £200k per week in salaries on new players next season - 10 Benteke's according to reports! Also, we have the best youth team in Europe, so some of them must come through starting next season to take the place of the fringe players in the squad from the previous generation. As I have said before, I don't think transfer fees are the problem, it's the wages; if things don't change this summer - we've all been had!

He is registered this season, but seems nowhere near to being able to get on the field. My point was that is would be great to get him on for a few minutes when his health allows. If this means registering him in August 2014 for the first home game, chuck him on for a few minutes, then don't include him in the final squad for the season that we submit at the end of August, great. Sorry if my comment confused - I would really love to see him back in the shirt for just a few minutes; the details don't matter!

Keep him on as a coach / ambassador / anything. When he is healthier, register him for a week and bring him on for 5 minutes. Oh and get the stadium roof insured, as it would be 'raised'!