blueblood

Chaps, I realise that we're all getting a little stressed out by this, most frustrating of transfer windows, but really, insults are uncalled for. Let's just all sit here for the next 6 hours, refreshing our pages, opening multiple windows to Sky Sports, BBC, with SSN on in the background and count down the seconds until disappointment sets in for good and there's nothing more we can speculate about until January. Then we get to go through it all again!!!! From our most successful season in 20 years, I thought (hoped) the board would finally come good on their promises and for once get themselves in order and push this great club forward, establish ourselves as a top 5 club and European contenders. However, the abject failure to sign anyone until a week ago and the signings we have made have raised more than a few eyebrows, it seems that we have to accept that we will not be making the big signings (Mout, M'Bia) that we had hoped for. Whatever has happened to the finances is there for everyone to speculate, but at the end of the day the club is being mis-managed beyone comprehension and this will be reflected in what could well be not just a bad season, but an absolute disaster

Tell me wikipedia isn't your "source" for such optimism???

We'll have an offer for him accepted and then he'll fail to agree personal terms when we offer him £10k per week. This will be at 11:59pm and will be too late to bring anyone else in. Another player that is too injury prone and passed his best. Does DM think our physio isn't pulling his weight or something with the latest transfers?!?!?! Between Saha, Owen, Smith and Cahill he'll be working his nuts off!!!!!

Considering the history of Barton slapping 10 year old Everton fans in Thailand I'd have thought we'd have stayed well clear of him. DM seems to finally be looking at reinforcing in the right areas, just the wrong player

This kid has just signed for Rosenborg!!!!! Can't believe we've not been linked more strongly, and acted upon going for this kid. Maybe if we spent more time looking for players in positions we need to strengthen, rather than going for forwards...

I've heard that he's at the club now going through a medical/ completing the transfer. Where would he play?????? Midfield- I hope not as he's not a midfielder Forward- not as good as Vaughan or Cheebs (or Saha if we ever see him in a blue shirt) Can't understand the logic of this one after getting Saha who was free, Smith is reputedly costing £3m. Someone please tell me that I've failed to notice Smith turn into a world class defensive midfielder pre-season?!?!?!?!?!

I reckon 2 signings, both on free/ nominal fees and neither of which will be a central midfielder. Probably GK (as other post states) and right back!!!!

We've got £18m going spare as Moutinho isn't coming here Let's go in for this kid and Hunt. Hey, I also hear that Robbie Savage is available on a free- I think he's just what we need in the middle of the park!!!!!! (clearly the Robbie Savage remark was a joke, in case anyone misses the irony in that comment, although....!!! )

If Hull are managing to secure the services of players we're linked with above us then that is the scariest thing I've ever heard Why wouldn't he accept that £6 per hour we offered him, money grabbing b.....

I'd just like us to be in a situation where we have the option to put someone with as much quality and experience as Nolan on the bench!!!! The way things are going, now with Ozzie injured, we'll be taking kids out of school to put them on the bench in future games

Whoever is dealing with this transfer deserves to be taken out back and shot! We are in no bargaining position to be trying to mess Sporting about. They have made it clear they do not have to sell, do not need the money and would prefer to keep him. If it was the other way round and they were in financial dire straits like us, need to sell to balance the books/ buy new players to strengthen the squad etc then you act like a vulture and pick them off, but they don't Let's stop messing about, get him signed, get him training and get him on the pitch, it's clear for everyone to see just how much we need him. Had we sorted this out a month ago we might not have lost against 2 or our main rivals and been leaking goals for fun

BBC says Stoke bid £5m for him... surely we can beat them to players?!?!?!?

In order to build for the future you've got to take care of the present. We need to do well in the league every year to attract players to the squad. Finishing 5th we've struggled so if we have a nightmare this year and finish outside the top 10, no Europe then how will we attract anyone?!?!?! Owen has just signed a 3 year deal for Newcastle on £120k per week according to SSN, he was never an option anyway with his wage demands. £20k/ week for Larsson is worth a punt as Saha will spend most of the season with the physio, and as said elsewhere he's as fit as a fiddle and stinks of quality. He'll probably end up at the Hammers though if bbc is to be believed

I'd be pleased to take Nolan, think he'd do a job, but so would Hunt imo. de Jong to Arsenal in January

Jacobsen right back, Jags CB, Neville defensive midfielder, Lescott bench... works for me. If Moutinho turns up or Castillo is fit then even better. The sooner we play people in their correct positions the better. Jags is no defensive midfielder, but works fantastic with Yobo at CB.

Hopefully the signing of Castillo and/ or any other proper midfielder before the window will allow us to get back to the formula that worked last season. Get Lescott out of central defence, he is quite simply not good enough. The partnership of Yobo and Jags worked last season with Joloen as LB, we need to get back to that immediately. Lescott has spent all summer saying how he wants to play CB, well 3 games in it's time to say enough is enough. Two homes games, 6 goals against, whatever happened to fortress Goodison?!?!?! We have played three games, lost (at home) to 2 of our main competitors for a European place and struggled, and was very lucky to beat relegation fodder in West Brom. Injuries or no injuries, this is no excuse for a terrible start to the season. Moyes is walking around as if he's ready to explode with the transfer chaos we're encountering and we need to get back to basics and what has proven to worl asap

As long as Jags gets out of midfield and back in defence to stop us giving goals away for fun then any 'proper' midfielder will do for me.

Let's just get Lescott out of centre back and revert to Jags and Yobo there. Lescott has stated how he sees CB as his best positiion. Three games into the season I think he's having a laugh. Moyes needs to get Jags out of midfield and into central defence asap.

Reports are that he's off to Arsenal in January

Seeing as our bench consists of 5 kids, he'd definitely make our bench! Would add experience and numbers to the squad, I'd take him

Did anyone else read this as though Moyes hasn't really seen anything of Castillo other than on tapes and he'll see him play for the first time when us fans do.... that is a little worrying. Almost as if he didn't bring the player in, he just came available, ticked a few of the boxes and a deal was done

I think quite a lot of fans will be pleasantly surprised by this one if we sign this lad and see him play in a Blue shirt. You can't hide from the stupid hair cut but that aside, this lad can play. He was massively influential last year at Reading, tried and tested in the Prem, we know what we're getting with this one. He plays on the right, isn't a flying winger but gets forward, works hard and always gives 100% Reading have just sold Sonko to Stoke though, so unless they're after a full clear out, or we make an offer they can't refuse, they might close the sale before we can get there.

I disagree that Zenit will be desperate to let him go. The Russian league is awash with cash, Arshavin is already on £50k per week and even a deadline day bid would need to be, I'd say, above £16m to get him. And that's Zenit dropping the price by a third. We have looked at him after the nice things he supposedly said after we beat them in the UEFA Cup last year but to be honest, I think he's a luxury we can ill afford on the pitch. At 27 he has risen to prominence very late in his career, had a very good season last year but prior to that, had anyone on here heard of him/ touted him as a useful addition to the squad? I think we only have room for one luxury in our team and that's Arteta. As good a player as he has looked form what I've seen of him, I don't think it's only his agent and Zenit that have priced him out of a move. He will have some responsibility in this somewhere. This summer he has gone from only wanting to move to Barcelona, to almost joining Spurs, to now only having Valencia interested, and that is dependent on them selling Villa. Maybe there's a little life's lesson in all of this for him?! Regardless of this, he can still pick up his £50k a week at Zenit, and that's not the sort of place you don't pull your weight!!!!

Is Ledley left footed? If we got him another left peg would improve the balanced of the side even further. If Cardiff are refusing £5m bids for him though I'm not sure if I'd go much higher. We were quoted £8m at the start of the window when originally linked with him and Ramsey who went to Arsenal. If we were splashing that kind of money on players I think I'd rather go another extra £2m and get M'Bia for £10m. I know we have a defensive midfielder in Castillo now but I'd prefer back up him as back up to M'Bia than risk having to play Neville or Jags there. We seem to be building a squad around the already strong fully fit starting XI though so all is looking a lot rosier than a week or so back. Saying that, why we couldn't have done all of this pre-season is beyond me!

I liked Hunt when I saw him for Reading. Think he could be s good signing based on the level of players we are aiming ast presently. Not a Moutinho box office signing by any means but I think he could prove a useful addition to the squad. Certainly will improve the poor squad we have at the moment, may not play every game when everyone is fit but nevertheless a decent acquisition in my opinion