Howay

Aye buying a rivals best striker to come in as cover is a nice feeling. While I don't rate Murphy in the PL I'm fairly comfortable with having him in this division and if he gets 10 goals or so and helps get us up we could probably offload him to a championship side for 1-2m

Would be nice to see Armstrong come on for 20 mins

We are prolific from set pieces I'm not too worried about the lack of threat over all this game since we are missing our forwards. Just chuffed we have dominated a game against one of the better sides from start to finish.

I thought the championship was meant to be more physical with refs giving a bit more leniency, this ref seems to be fucking whistling for every touch. Very soft red card there imo.

Good first half that, controlled the game and scored a canny goal. Couple of near chances as well, we are missing our forwards but this has been very positive so far against one of the higher rates championship sides.

I suppose the difference is we're winning games, under McClaren we struggled to complete passes. I do agree that for all the money spent it's worrying that we're seeing mostly a team of players who could have started last season but it seems he's spent most of it trying to build some depth in the defence.

Nigh on 20m worth of signings on it.

Bit surprised we're not seeing at least one of Gamez or Yedlin start (particularly Gamez), other than that it's pretty much as expected.

I agree with Quiff saying it's to ensure continuity in the system Rafa wants to play, he's not a reserve at Ipswich is he? he's their number 9 iirc. The worry is the bloke is a complete Championship striker and doesn't do well in the PL (and he's 33), I suppose if he does fire in a bunch of goals for us and we get promoted he's worth the money. As I said just before I don't imagine it's the easiest sell to try and bring someone in as back up striker for a Championship side so I suppose this is a half decent one to bring in.

Hopefully it's a short term deal and a short term fix, it must be hard to bring in someone willing to be a back up for a Championship side to be fair. I've got a feeling that if Murphy comes in he'll be our lot for up top, until January anyway. Hopefully we get the deal for this left back wrapped up as well.

Aye in fact I'd say for the most part it would help, as he'd be a back up at a side like that and they'd want to know he could just carry on grafting while not getting his own way.

Aye the lad's doing it the right way really, we all know full well if a club like Barca seriously come in for him he'd be off like a shot (not that he's at that level mind), but what does him sulking and kicking up a fuss to try and make a move happen do? You just end up getting grief off the fans and possibly end up in the reserves.

Calls the players arrogant and then proceeds to call the opposition useless cunts, peasants, Romanian farmers, a fucking rabble etc . Fat wanker, exactly how I see that true Geordie cunt as well.

Is the Atsu deal still rumored to be a loan? No idea on the lad tbh, hopefully he's decent as it would seem it would be Chelsea that don't want the deal to be permanent going off the way we've done business so far. CT must be over the moon, loan deal from a top side.

I don't think the price tag made much difference, teams would have bid if they were interested. Spurs bid 15m for Zaha the other day knowing full well that would get rejected because of the Bolasie deals price tag and "we won't sell Zaha at any price" schtick. The issue with Sissoko is he's a rubbish player and teams definitely know it, all the supposed interest was clearly his agent drumming him up/paper talk. He'll play a few games before Rafa drops him and then he'll make his drop into obscurity and end up playing for WBA in a year or two.

Good to see Rafa clearly recognizing the full back problems we have had and has went about addressing it.

It makes you question if Ashley was making Pardew tout players the way he touted Bolasie about seemingly without any desire from upstairs or reason too. Ashley is still a cunt either way, just makes Pardew even lower in my estimation if all that touting of players is just his way. I love that it's all turning into a nightmare for the Palace fans btw.

If he doesn't get on the pitch on Saturday I've no idea when he'll get a go.

Aye going to really struggle without them two.

Need to buy a winger now, we needed one before this tbh.

It doesn't take much for me to dislike a team to be fair. I'd never really thought of why I didn't like Wolves but now I do it's probably mostly to do with Henry. There were like 2 or 3 games where he was a right prick and he may have even got sent off for booting our lot up a height.

I just remember them being cockends when I was younger, think it was around Karl Henry being there. To be fair he's probably the main reason for the dislike but it's stuck. The Brummy accent also bothers me so Wolves, Villa and Birmingham city can all whistle.

The mackems squeaked past the mighty Shrewsbury tonight courtesy of a goal from yet another loan player. What a bunch of fucking tramps they are Hope we hammer Wolves, another club I can't stand.

We're going to be stuck with him tbh, surely any side thinking about paying upwards of £30m for a player would scout him first. If they did that at all last season there's no way the scout would have left impressed by what he saw. Mane went for that sort of money and while he's not worth it either he has on a number of occasions ripped teams apart. Same cannot be said for Moussa.

The utter coward.