ZoomVT

I know its wiki and all but: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tranquillo_Barnetta

Pardew and O'Neill calla truce... http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/football/sunderland/9718272.O_Neill_and_Pardew_call_a_truce/ what benefits is he talking about? if anything, it is more beneficial for just 1 club in an area to be the strongest as they would be able to attract all the young talent in the area and also less competition for the fan base. Not that it matters to us as we have a strong following but for scouting and youth academy.

Would it be possible to insert some kind of clause that in say 5 years we could get him for a set fee, say 3M? I hate to let players with potentiall go but i understand we cant give him the games he needs...

that basically does it. Fulham with Dempsey out is toothless. They'd be lucky to manage a draw. Any word on why he is out?

My take on this game is that Bayern should win it, only if they had a quality striker. I know Gomez can put them in but overall i think the was probably the worst striker in the later stages of the champions league. As far as them playing at home? I disagree; i hope it never changes. What a great motivational factor and achievement to get to play at home for the final. When the field is picked there is no guarantee that the home team will ever make it; it is actually extremely difficult. How often has this happened? The atmosphere is going to be something else...

Oh please make it so: Simpson to Chelsea http://www.mirror.co...er-danny-819689 I would snap their hand so fast...

why is Jonas already looking exhausted? the whole left side is super sloppy. Ba, and Cisse sitting too far back as well.

hahaha they have been relegated: http://www.readytogo.net/smb/showthread.php?t=697506

too bad norwich sat back for that 15 minute spell and let arsenal get back in. If they had kept the pressure and pushing men forward they could have actually taken this game out of reach. Whenever they turned the pressure on they were able to cause trouble in the arsenal back line. Still the draw is a great result for us.

aye, true, but big difference between shoestring and spending billions on transfers. IMO there is a sensible middle ground where a team can challenge for the title.

and the point is? its not how much you spent but the quality of the players. How much of that money is spent on bench warmers and players like balotelli, dzeko, etc? I wouldnt take any of them. Not too mention their crap fan base. with the squad they have, they should have wrapped the title 2 months ago

well, if you agree that cover is important and you still think that replacing Jonas should be a priority then I would have to agree with others and say that it sounds more like a personal agenda than an objective view of our transfer priorities. Yes, our scouting team could do wonders, but should they be focusing their energy on finding the right striker to fill in for the dembas or looking for a jonas replacement that might even get beat to the starting 11? I think their time is better spent addressing NEEDS instead of WANTS.

yeah thats what i meant. i thought i had quoted the post.

I can see both arguments. Simpson and Willo need to be improved upon. Fact. Jonas has been mint for us, hard worker, loves the club, team player, and probably an ace in the dressing room. Fact. Is he a world beater and the best in his position? well thats not quite a fact. He fits great in our system and allows other players to do well; are there better players out there that could do the job? yes, that we can afford or get? well probably not. Or at least not now and not one that can walk into the starting 11, but we could get a young one to learn and put a little pressure on the position. Should finding a young replacement for Jonas be a priority? I dont think so. I think it would be a good bit of business but not a priority; i think we need to address depth to cover for the 2/3 spots that go to the ACN. We cant afford to not have a striker while the dembas are out so I would say thats our 3rd priority. After that, a midfielder that could pressure Jonas and/or get a start when Tiote is unavailable would be fantastic. I know its not the same player but Pardiola would have to adjust the system as that is the most likely scenario. We dont have the funds to find depth for Tiote and a replacement-in-training for Jonas.