Red Bird

maybe, but English journalists are amazingly defensive when it come to Hodgson, almost to the point of disinformation. I don't know why, but they just are.

You see, there are situations where players such as Allen (he played against Southampton) and Henderson should be thriving. You can't have the opposition completely nullifying three players without creating gaps and opportunities for others.

Hopefully past de Gea.

Good point about the pedestrian midfield but some of the goals were from pure keystone cops defending.

Am excited about the defensive reinforcements as it was not the lack of goals but the failure to defend leads which cost us dear last season.

Couldn't care about Spurs except, maybe a some admiration of how judiciously to make use of a windfall.

Me too. I count about 7 matches where where we lost points, either by drawing or losing matches where we had been leading. The two matches against Man City, and the away matches against Arsenal and Stoke were particularly painful.

Without necessarily disagreeing with your main point about getting our primary targets, Spurs has been selling players at profits over the last 3 or so seasons; look at how Levy did us on Robbie Keane and even turned a profit on Steven Pienaar after one season. Levy has been banking all that money, and now he has pounced.

... with add-ons, if I understand it at all well.

Sakho reputedly has a poor attitude. I suspect that is why, despite his undoubted talent, both Ancelotti and Blanc have not been too keen on him.

I think PSG has mishandled this one. It now has a player who will leave for zilch next season unless he can be persuaded to sign an extension with a clause to let him go on loan. Or he leaves permanently for a ridiculously low fee this term.

Prefer footballers to [gormless] giants.

I think that will be it. He clearly said that he over-played Sterling last year.

As will the quality of the first team so no worries there.

I would also have vetoed the deal at that fee were I FSG. Coutinho cost us £8.5 million and, in half a season, has done more than Willian has done in two seasons wherever he was.