TicTacWoe

I realise a lot of scandanavians are shit, but in general they would at least be less expensive flops, less risk if you get my meaning. In any case that was just an example. With most central/northern european signings we've had at least mixed success, take France we've had our share of disasters (Boumsong, Domi, Guivarch etc) but we've also pulled off some crackers (Ginola, Robert, Bernard, Bassong), but with Spanish based players it's been virtually a catastrophe every time. As for Torres and Fabregas, the former is managed by a Spaniard who plays a Spanish system with several other Spaniards in the team and as Stevie said certain players are of a high enough standard to have a high chance to succeed everywhere (and thus be out of our potential signing reach). Fabregas came to England when he was 15 and was developed with a bunch of French/Dutch etc players.

When he talks or writes about actual serious matters or sports he is quite decent and usually a lot funnier than when he specifically 'tries' to be funny.

True enough but there have been many British based players that have worked out well for us over the years unlike the Spanish based players. Most players (excepting the likes of Solano) that we have signed from the warmest climates have not worked out, or at least not as well as those from cooler.

fixed it just for you

It is harsh to put Xisco on in terms of his playing record (as he almost has none), but he has obviously had some difficulty settling for his continued lack of first team action. Enrique is the pick of the bunch I'll give you that and he is improving, but he's still a regular defender in a team quite likely to be relegated so I wouldn't say he's setting the world alight.

It did say based, I'm fully aware of their nationalities, I edited it for typos.

Marcelino, Luque, Collocini, Xisco and to a lesser extent Jonas and Enrique....None of these were/are bad players but they are not in general suited to English football or in some cases find it more difficult to settle in the area than players from other countries. We'd have been much better off signing players from countries more accustomed to the English weather. I'd rather we had signed a few reliable, inexpensive scandanavians than highly payed over-priced Spanish based players. Futile rant over.

Even if we stay up, there is very little chance of us signing anyone even half as good as Lavezzi

He's had fitness issues for a while now, didn't he fall out with Sammy Lee over this issue? I can only see him going down the Damian Duff route now, unfit with the stamina of a pensioner by the age of 28.

Which is typical of the last few years at this club, Favoring a more experienced (and usually more expensive/higher earner) player over potentially good players like Guthrie. Nolan will be played as much to justify his signing as anything else. I used to rate Nolan but he never had the right mentality to go beyond the promising Bolton midfielder he once was and as usual, it is only when it has become blatantly apparent that he will never reach his potential we come in and snap him up, rather than coming in for him when he was young and attempting to develop him.

I doubt Owen would be getting into the team fit or unfit, Capello simply doesn't seem to rate him, or at least doesn't favor his type of player. If it was just about fitness why did he call up Ledley King or Heskey for the previous squad?

Same here, he isn't the player he was at Man City, he isn't anything special by any means but I'd prefer him to Nolan and certainly to Butt. Guthrie's fit/nearly fit now isn't he? I think I'd rather Guthrie and Barton if fit. Bad bunch of central midfielder nonetheless and Nolan is already looking like yet another poor, spent force style signing to go with the likes of Smith, Duff, Geremi, Butt, Cacapa, Viduka etc etc

He'd fall to pieces if he ever played for a big club, I mean a lot of his errors are so bad, it makes you wonder if he's actually part of a betting syndicate. Unbelievably Milan were sniffing last year, it really baffles me who does the scouting for some of these so called top clubs. Anyway I want Krul to make the step up next year, he's the same age as Shay was when he was playing CL football for us. Agreed, he should at least be given a few games so that Harper has some competition and for the experience. Keepers need games more than any other position imo to develop properly, who knows how good Harper could have been if he hadn't been sitting around twiddling his thumbs for the last ten years.

Both of Boro's keepers are pretty awful bet they'd love to take Boruc, don't get me wrong, I think Harper is much better, I just don't think Boruc is the worst by any means. EDIT- having lived in Holland for a while I can tell you most of the keepers in the league are worse than Boruc also.

although I don't think Harper is half the keeper Given was, he's still better than a lot of the first choice keepers in the league and would stay with us if we went down. If we have 4 million to spend than I would rather it be spent on any aspect of the team apart from the goalkeeper!

Very disrespectful to Finland and Johansson though, who at his peak wasn't too bad anyway, I suppose Bellemy was just pissed off but stil

The only one of the big four he'd have even the slightest hope of ever joining is obviously Man U thanks to the history but he's still be miles down their list with the likes of Moyes way ahead of him.

I'm not a fan of Bruce myself, I think his success at Wigan looks better on paper than it has been in reality and is as much to do with the continued failure of the likes of Spurs, Man City and ourselves as well as a decent scouting network rather than any exceptional managerial ability. Nonetheless, he'd obviously be a big improvement on the current setup and in the circumstances I think a lot of people would accept him as manager in a shot (Another example of how far we've fallen in the last year).

Dave Whelan's on 5live at the moment and said "there's no way Steve Bruce will join Newcastle while Mike Ashley is in charge" followed this by saying he has no doubt Bruce will leave to join one of the big four eventually....... No doubt motivated by his rivalry with MA as much as anything although I still don't see why on earth Bruce would want to join anyway, Ashley or no Ashley.

I suggested bellemy in my first post, think ashely ward was the missing one

I think thats the missing one

This is almost certainly wrong but what about Keith Gillespie?

what about dion dublin?

I already added Heskey

nah crouch only scored for 4, southampton, portsmouth, liverpool and villa How about Dion Dublin?