HanoiVillan

I don't hate QPR, never have and probably never will. It's Harry I hate.

Except he played 11 games for Fulham and he only joined them in January, he was excellent at villa park, he ran the game, I think he's an superb player It's a shame that we couldn't get him in January He only played eleven times because he was dropped towards the end of the season. Maybe he's amazing, but he certainly hasn't shown that in English football yet. Why would you sell Delph for a punt? If Levy were offering this move, it would be because he thinks Delph is far better. I concur. People get so smitten with youngsters with big reputations that they can't see how average they are. Remember how many people were gutted we didn't get Guidetti? Where are they now?

Yes, it's a difficult decision to make - our player of the season, or a guy who couldn't get into the Fulham team when they were bottom of the table? Hmm, what to do, what to do . . .

Well, I'm happy for him. Can't lie, think it's a sign of the problems we have, ie. he doesn't really deserve it on merit, but I'm sure he's a good guy so congratulations. If we actually want to make it work he needs to spend a season on loan somewhere.

I can't lie, the same thoughts had occurred to me as well. We could struggle to keep both him and Vlaar this summer, unless this contract business is sorted out quickly. I read in the paper that there's no current bidder for the team, so why do we have a ban on contract extensions?

Measured statistically, Tony Pulis is one of the most effective managers in PL history, and if you measure by finishes compared to wage bill, which seems the best way of measuring achievement, he's really in an elite group with Ferguson, Wenger, and Moyes over the last 20 years. The knock on him is pretty much never underachievement (last year at Stoke aside), it's always style of play. Bottom line is he's in a different league to Lambert. In hindsight, we'd probably have done better sacking Lambert and appointing Pulis last summer, but it would hardly have been a popular appointment.

I think it will be more than a change of manager that Kendrick needs. Whether he should have written what he did or not, we shouldn't be turning ourselves into the Democratic People's Republic of Newcastle United Mark II. Clubs that freeze out the local press are lame, and it never works in the long run.

Our new mobile forward line-up pictured in training:

You'd have to assume they'd score double figures.

I wish I could share your optimism. I just don't think N'Zogbia will ever be the player he was after that injury, and that's my fear for Okore and Benteke too. Even if they all came back without any obvious effects from these horrendous injuries, it'd still be a very weak team. Hutton hasn't played a competitive game for more than 6 months, it'll be nearly a year by the time the season starts. He will be very rusty I'm afraid. It's possible we might sign some players who are improvements, but I don't hold out much hope given the mess the club is in. I do admire your optimism, though, and I mean that sincerely, even if I think it's misplaced.

Actually 5 months, and before that he was injured, but who's splitting hairs here . . . On the broader point, nobody is saying that Lambert has suddenly rediscovered a love for Bent and Hutton, and it's clear they won't get offered new contracts when they expire. However, I think it is safe to say that Lambert has been told there's no money for replacements and that he needs to use all that's currently available first. Albrighton proves that the club are more than happy to use people frequently all the way up to their contract expiries and then just let them go, I expect to see the same for Bent and Hutton.

It's a hopeless squad. I know this, because it's in fact the same squad that nearly got relegated this year, but a little bit worse. In 2 of the key positions, you have players who have been out for at least half a season with very serious injuries. You have a RB who hasn't played competitive football for over a year and a LB who's really a CB and could never contribute anything going forwards, ever. None of the attacking players scored more than 5 goals this season, despite having more than 70 games between them. We have to get involved with bringing in players on a Bosman if we truly can't spend money, because there's nowhere enough quality in that team to avoid a relegation battle.

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aston-villa-transfers-everton-lining-7074755

An absolute embarrassment, I guess it's been coming for weeks. Let's take stock of our wide men shall we? This shouldn't take long. Tonev? Lambert won't play him, even after he looked decent at Man U he didn't get another look in. Erm . . . anybody else? Oh no wait, we don't actually have any other wingers at all, except under-18's who aren't ready to play. I wish him the best - he deserves better than to sink on this leaky ship anyway. He'll do well for Leicester, and he deserves it. We don't know how to treat our players properly.

No worries, we all make mistakes, we're none of us professional researchers! And apologies for misstating your position. I have considered that he was playing for his future, but I don't really find that a good reason not to offer him a contract. A 2 or 3 year deal instead of 4, for sure, but players who are capable of playing well when motivated are worth keeping. WhoScored has him with the 8th highest match rating in the squad, 2 under-18's with 6 minutes of PL experience between them, one of whom plays on the opposite flank, aren't going to adequately cover that next season. 35k is expensive, but obviously to replace him we'll need to pay for a player, pay a contract signing bonus, and pay a significant wage anyway, so if this is being done for money-saving reasons, I'm pretty sure it's a false economy.

Graham does right, though would love to see Grealish given a run as the No10. Think he'd thrive on it. Honestly think Lambert doesn't have much choice but hope one of these kids really does offer us something. Grealish has played, what, 6 minutes of Prem football, on the other wing? Graham - has he ever appeared for the first team? It's going to take them more than a year of gradual easing in to even be close to ready, at best. Meanwhile our most potent attacking threat - note again, this is a statistical fact - is leaving for free without us picking up a fee. Our most potent attacking threat, do me a sodding favour, he got one assist. Grealish and Graham for me have more ability than Marc Albrighton at the age he came through. Marc is now 25 and people are still waiting for him to come good, he played a few games well, but for me he's never hit those levels he shown against West Ham when he first broke through. I have done you a sodding favour, and recalled that he in fact got 4 assists (in the Chelsea, Fulham, Swansea and Hull games, though I accept that the latter doesn't really count). Look back two pages and note that he makes more key passes, more passes into the final third, etc etc blah blah blah. It's all irrelevant, obviously, because compared to your feeling that he's s***, no amount of data could possibly be persuasive. I have no idea how you can make that assertion about Grealish and Graham, especially about the latter. Simply stating that youngsters are ready to start doesn't make it so.

Graham does right, though would love to see Grealish given a run as the No10. Think he'd thrive on it. Honestly think Lambert doesn't have much choice but hope one of these kids really does offer us something. Grealish has played, what, 6 minutes of Prem football, on the other wing? Graham - has he ever appeared for the first team? It's going to take them more than a year of gradual easing in to even be close to ready, at best. Meanwhile our most potent attacking threat - note again, this is a statistical fact - is leaving for free without us picking up a fee.

£35 per week for a one trick pony with no pace and the crossing ability of a blind chimpanzee with a wooden leg. My god Leicester must be out of their minds pmsl Give your head a wobble. I suppose Roberto Martinez is interested in him for the lolz? You can lead a fan to stats but you can't make them think.

Good god, is that the big announcement? *insert anticlimax gif here* It's OK, he's apparently going to roll up his sleeves and prepare for the battle ahead. Zzzzzzzzzz Finally got round to trimming his forearm hairs has he?

Good god, is that the big announcement? *insert anticlimax gif here*

Don't think he'll be sold, suspect he'll be released on a free. Not ITK, but seems like that's a sensible interpretation of "not relying on him for next season", ie. we're gonna get rid no matter what.

I know this was brought up only a couple of pages back, but he was given the number 9 shirt less than twelve months ago . . . we are an absolute mess as a football club. I say that not just because of the way this signing has worked out - or hasn't - but to be honest it's a pretty damning indicator.

He owns my Seahawks. Do you have to rent them back when you want to go fishing?

Not wishing to drag up very old posts, but I couldn't let this go when all available statistical evidence suggests this is the exact opposite of the truth.

Feel like I'm partly responsible for this, so I'd like to address it. In the first place, I was answering an imagined question like 'given the choice, would you sign Bertrand on a permanent deal'? Now the question has changed to something like 'without any choice anyway, do you think that Bertrand leaving will be an irreplaceable loss'? I don't think it's inconsistent to answer 'yes' to the first question and 'no' to the second - it's how I feel - but I suppose your mileage may vary.