The Fish

(the plan was to drag you into the conversation and use you as meatshield)

I don't disagree with any of that. However, we are not the same. Even when we were 20th in the league without a win, I was still only 50/50. What was Gemmil, at that point? Silent, I'll bet.

Right, I was 50/50 in November, before the we'd signed anyone in the winter window and when the table looked like this; Rock bottom, no wins, worst defensive record in the league, 3pts off 19th, 7pts off safety. You were 70/30 in favour of relegation after we'd signed Trippier and Wood and had actually won a game and the table looked like this; 19th, 3 pts off safety.

No. I was still optimistic. Where we were to expect 45pts would have been wildly optimistic, but I was assured of our survival. I was chief willy waver until Gemmill usurped me with his bluster.

If you want credit, you have to do your homework. I was less optimistic because I thought 45pts might be beyond us. I wasn't pessimistic. Unlike some OTHER people, who shall remain nameless.

Prove it.

You said we should ignore the transfer window. Why, in the world, would we do that?

He has alopecia. He doesn't get to claim membership of the Bald Brigade. Just like a Billy Monger isn't short, or Edward the Confessor wasn't blond!

WHY DID YOU WANT US TO IGNORE THE TRANSFER WINDOW?!

You just earned a paddlin'

Nailed it.

Sure I've spoken about that before too, it's game management from Howe. Disrupt the play, don't let the other team settle into a rhythm, reduce the 90 into moments rather than passages of play. The work off the ball is exemplary, and Joelinton epitomises that change. We might not be able to control the game very well, but we make fucking sure that the other team have to work hard if they want to. Benitez used a similar approach, but in a different way. He'd make sure we camp in after the first 10 minutes until the last 10 minutes. Howe seems to prefer unsettling the opposition throughout.

I see what the fuss is about, 6 in a row is mint. I'm pretty sure I'll bang on about this for a long time too.

He's not bald, he's got a disease. That's like saying Tanni Grey-Thompson is short.

Excuse me what the fuck?

You're Irish, right? Gobble on these spuds!

£6-10m? I honestly think Shelvey has played pretty well this season, but this is the last window where we'll get anything for him. I think we can become a better team without him. Shift Hayden as well as Shelvey, fuck it make Isaac part of the package.

We're rich. Money opens many doors, and windows.

Sell him now.

You're right, Trippier was perfect. Higher caliber player for a weak position at a reasonable price. I think he and Bruno (plus our subsequent form) will undoubtedly attract higher caliber players. I'm just pessimistic about the likelihood of repeating that.

We definitely need a striker and someone who'll get 1 in 3 (ish) will set you back the majority of the reported £60m budget. I wouldn't be at all surprised if we spend comfortably more than £60m and that figure is simply being used to obfuscate our real limit. Like you say, in terms of FFP we've an enormous amount of wiggle room, we've also got sufficient saleable assets on the books that we could raise not insignificant funds that way too. But if we publicly claim anything but prudence we'll be bent over a barrel at every negotiation. Stating £60m is our budget, within and without the club, makes business sense. Nunez becomes available towards the end of the window for £50-60m and is keen, I'm convinced we'd stump up the cash but still have strengthened the other areas. It'll be passed off as an "unmissable opportunity" and "Not part of our plans initially", but something we had to do. However, if our first signing in the Summer window is Nunez for £60m, other clubs would sharp slap another couple of zeroes on their 23yr old reserve team left back. On the saleable assets side of things, realistically everyone but the January signings are available, right?

£60m + whatever we get from selling our existing stock.