Dr Gloom

so smith's been bought in to play centre mid has he?

shuddup man we always had a chance of getting him

There is plenty of money, he has just yet to find a good left back to come in! is there though? we haven't been the biggest spenders so far and it seems the smith move had to wait until the dyer sale was agreed.

he played a fair bit on the right under o'leary the season they had fowler and viduka but are you sure it was half the games he's played? i'm pretty sure he's played more games than not up front (his prefered position). but anyway, that's not the point. the chances are that if we sign him he'll be playing in midfield because we have three better strikers already at the club. would you fancy smith as our new right winger? I think BS might look at Smith on the right side of a 4-3-3 with Viduka in the middle and Martins or Luque on the left and Owen in his preferred position on the treatment table lol. you're probably right. dunno why i'm complaining. we need bodies asap. £6m seems expensive and he's not a player i would have gone for personally but i hope i'm proven wrong and he does well for us.

he played a fair bit on the right under o'leary the season they had fowler and viduka but are you sure it was half the games he's played? i'm pretty sure he's played more games than not up front (his prefered position). but anyway, that's not the point. the chances are that if we sign him he'll be playing in midfield because we have three better strikers already at the club. would you fancy smith as our new right winger?

gujohnsesn can play in midfield so he is just as versitile as smith. plus he's a far better player.

I think he has more of a football brain than Dyer and id definitely a better finisher, however as has been argued elsewhere I don't see this as "simply" a replacement situation. I'd look to Charlie to fulfill the Dyer role (though with more skill) and Smith to offer other qualities. I very much disagree tbh. Imho Dyer has a quite a good football brain with a good positional sense that too often was ridiculed as "just running around". And looking at Smith's goal record I don't know where the bit about his alleged finishing skills is coming from. Smith isn't a bad player but far too much a grafter for my liking. As I said one for the charvers who like their players being dumb, agressive and running around with flying into tackles. As a replacement for Dyer I'd hoped for someone with more football skills and a more creative type of player. agree. now dyer's gone, we should be looking at bringing someone with pace and skill that can play on the wings. suddenly our wide options are looking a bit shit with duff injured, nobby not getting any younger and n'zogbia looking crap for most of last season.

I always was when he was Leeds. I have doubts as I would on any player who comes back from a really bad injury but this is balanced by the Man U factor - I think Ferguson generally improves players who sign for him. I think he has more of a football brain than Dyer and id definitely a better finisher, however as has been argued elsewhere I don't see this as "simply" a replacement situation. I'd look to Charlie to fulfill the Dyer role (though with more skill) and Smith to offer other qualities. his goal record is almost as poor as dyer's even though he's played the majority of his career up front. plus he has no pace, he's got a dodgy temprement, he looks average in midfield and he won't start up front ahead of viduka, owen or martins. apart from that he's great though. There are situations where I can see him starting ahead of those three. Looks like Allardyce favours 4-3-3, and there'll need to be rotation. i've no problem with 4-3-3 but can't see owen fitting in if that's the lineup we're using

I always was when he was Leeds. I have doubts as I would on any player who comes back from a really bad injury but this is balanced by the Man U factor - I think Ferguson generally improves players who sign for him. I think he has more of a football brain than Dyer and id definitely a better finisher, however as has been argued elsewhere I don't see this as "simply" a replacement situation. I'd look to Charlie to fulfill the Dyer role (though with more skill) and Smith to offer other qualities. his goal record is almost as poor as dyer's even though he's played the majority of his career up front. plus he has no pace, he's got a dodgy temprement, he looks average in midfield and he won't start up front ahead of viduka, owen or martins. apart from that he's great though.

ie not smudger smith

i'm not a fan of smith at all

i think he's better when he's the underdog too. no one expected him to beat kostya tszyu. he'll go down as a legend if he beats mayweather. he's up there with roy jones junior and mike tyson as the best fighters of the last 10-20 years.

i'm not sure we're that strong in midfield tbh

You know you've reached rock bottom when you crave links in the BBC gossip column. i'm craving them as much as the bagel with cream cheese i'm about to chalk up

smith is not a replacement for dyer like.

where's all the links with full backs? howay sam, please tell me you aren't entertaining the idea of starting the season with carr and babayaro???

gudjohnsen by a country mile

gudjohnsen would be class like, and would cushion the blow a bit if dyer or martins goes. plus he can do a job in midfield too.

True like. i reckon we need a squad of at least 50 players.

fucking same old shite with injuries every bastard season.

Aye, but aren't their rumours created in the same way as Family Guy storylines? Selected by manatees? i thought they were just a round up of the red tops so it's probably rubbish, but for once we're being linked with the kind of player we actually need which is encouraging.

i hope you're right. a few shrewd investments and we could look forward to the new season for once.

the guardian rumour mill has us making a bid for lillian thuram. he's exactly the sort of experienced old pro that sam would probably get at least another 4 years out of. hope it's true.

Because he's a fucking businessman and despite the fact that he's got more cash than there is water at Kielder, he'll still want to make sure things are done right - it's all part and parcel of being a successful businessman. Dan, your comment about consolidating since Bobby left is right - but that's totally indicative of the shit way we were being run! Actually I'd go so far as to say we were declining, not consolidating. It's not like flicking a switch, the whole bloody mess needs sorting!! So presumably, Abramovich ISN’T a “fucking” businessman? :icon_lol: He just waded in there and started buying players…showing his intentions. The team starts succeeding, revenue goes up and now they have a squad that is capable of winning things for years to come. Chelsea aren't a business though. They are making ENORMOUS losses and are just a plaything to Abramovich. I don't think we're going to see that sort of spending at NUFC. I understand that they aren't expecting to show a profit for a few years..but that's my point. Why should we all be delighted if Ashley's first goal is to be overly cautious rather than splashing the cash Abramovich style and getting us back up the league? We've splashed plenty cash over the years and it's got us nowhere. I trust Allardyce to make careful considered signings on a budget this window, and I trust Ashley to come up with the goods once he has a better idea of the business he's in. I don't blame him too much for not splashing daft money straight away. me too but going on sam's recent comments, it doesn't sound like he is happy with the budget he has been given.