KevieG

Jesus christ lad, you just said the aforementioned players wouldn't make our squad. My point, if you can follow, was that with Kuyt possibly reaching his maximum potential transfer fee during these championships, and considering that IMO he isn't what we need for that position, and also considering that we are skint and selling the likes of Xabi to fund transfers, that maybe we should cash in on him and put it towards a top class winger. Do you want me to write all that with crayons?

Everyone one of them would be in our squad

So I take it by the neg fest that i just recieved that most people are happy for Dirk to be our man on the right this year? Is anything actually open for real discussion here?

Here are a few players that fetched more than what they are worth based on a good major championship preformance. El Hadji Diouf Karol Poborsky John Jensen You'd do well to wake up and think before you post.

Its ok, just got about 15 of the things. I'll be bumping this when the forum have decided to destroy him for not being good enough as soon as he hits a run of bad form. He was chief scapegoat for loads of his now biggest fans 6 months back. I stand by the view, I think if we could get our money back and put it towards some serious quality then it would be worth doing.

With Dirk playing pretty well, and hoping that he continues this form through the euros, would anyone agree with me that if the opportunity came up that we could get our money back our better that we should cash in while his stock is so high? Anything around the 12 million mark would be great business IMO and should be seriously considered to fund purchases for the wings.

Deco was rolling back the years there yesterday, superb display of how to control a game. The game itself wasn't great by any stretch of the imagination. As for Quaresma, I thought he looked sharp and was willing to try things, from a purely playing perspective I'd welcome him here along with any other top class wide man. I think he could bring a lot to us in the areas that we are lacking.

Gerrard on the right would be the logical move if he was to be moved from his current spot. He could be as effective as Ronaldo in that position.

Probably should have put a smiley in there.:smile:

Yup, I agree with most of this.

Enriching a career is a very subjective term and one which a lot of our fans have decided includes playing in the champions league but not winning league titles. I'm going to leave it off now as from my point of view this is merely the way the modern game works, I have no problem with it, we are doing to Barry, what United did for Ferdinand and Saha and what Real are doing now. Everyone acts the cunt all the way up to Real Madrid who appear to sit at the top of the tree, its the circle of life.

I think you're splitting hairs there. He's their club captain, been there for over 10 years and got his break there. He's about as homegrown as you can get these days.

By that rationale you'd agree then that Gerrard and Torres should either head to Chelsea or United to get that elusive premiership gong? Especially if the ownership debacle continues.

Short memories lads, if this was happening the other way round, the very same people saying we have behaved ok here would be up in arms. My take on it is that this is the way of football these days, loyalty to a club doesn't come into it. Its not right but morals don't come into modern day football, if you accept this, then this behaviour is the fine, its what bigger clubs do to smaller ones. Its probably going to happen to Torres in a couple of years too. But when the shoe is on the other foot I expect the moral high ground brigade to have convieniently forgotten that we also do it when it suits us

Maybe, but the dutch play a very different game to us. For one they try to keep possesion and I think they have enough creativity around the rest of the team for Dirk to be a neat and tidy workhourse, we don't. We need someone to create. TBH, if people are happy with Dirk for our right hand side this year, I despair, he isn't good enough, no matter what people saw last night. We've seen him play that role in our own side for half a season and he doesn't have the quality. I'm going to sign off on this now as people as my point is made and I don't want to get into a personal slagging match over him. Great attitude but not what we need for the position he plays for us.

He did play very well last night, wouldn't argue that at all. But I'm thinking of his role for us. If Rafa sees Dirk as the ideal man for that right sided position then I think its time to worry. His touch and ability aren't up to playing it, too many times late last season even when he was bang in form did attacks slow up when the ball came to him due to poor control or the split second it took him to think of his next move . That said his attitute and workrate are above and beyond dispute and he seems like the nicest guy in the world. I'd be well pissed off if Rafa sees Dirk are the solution to our inside right position.

No offence but thats a load of bollocks. He's got a great great attitude but we need better if we are to move up to the next level.

For those looking for the Apres Matches from Euro2008, link is on the left, they are throwing them up every day, some not so good, some very good. RTÉ Sport: Irish and International Sport News, Fixtures and Results

What happens the net spend game if Ronaldo goes for 100 million?:whistle:

Alonso for Barry if it happens cancels the other out. Dossena and Degen for 7 million may be a master stroke yet, lets wait and see. Next up is at least one top quality attacker. Crouch, Carson and Riise would all appear to be certain sales and that 20 million could buy that player. Its down to Rafa

I think Rafa has been relatively astute in getting in Agger, Skrtle, Arebola, but lets call a spade a spade here, defensive players are cheaper and easier to find. For example Vidic, Evra, Sagna, Eboue and Ivanovic off the top of my head have all come into the top sides for reasonable money and are as good as what we have. He has fallen down badly in picking up attacking players, be they the 20 million variety which he has chosen to ignore or even the 10 million ones. Someone pulled up a list of players for that money that have moved recently that would be good for us and there were quite a few. For example for the 17 million that we spent on Kuyt and Pennant could have gotten us Berbatov and Petrov. I'm just not sure Rafa has it when it comes to unearthing a bargain attacking talent in this market.

Lets hope Rafa doesn't spend 25 million on 3 players then

Is it time for a minimum expectations for the transfer window thread assuming for arguments sake that after all horse trading we have our standard 20 mill net spend? Similar to the expectations for the season one which everyone reneged on in the end?

is the right answer. then another next season and so on.

Its a game of opinions, for me the jury is out on both of them. I don't think Babel can control the ball, and thats just something you have or you don't. I think he does look better as a straight up centre forward. Maybe they will both blossom into top class players but personally I'd rather have one world class winger in a position where we are desparetly short.