January transfer window...

[David Lee's Hair]

According to the press this morning we pulled out of the Vela deal due to his agent demanding a couple of hundred grand fixing fee...

[officer_dibble]

Bugger, cos that front line needs freshening up and can't see Klasnic being fit to do it this season.

Some teams below us making some on paper reasonable signings as well....time for a quick panic!

[seanworth]

According to the press this morning we pulled out of the Vela deal due to his agent demanding a couple of hundred grand fixing fee...

Here he is needing PL experience and his agent is cocking up deals because he wants a payoff for himself. Would be seriously concidering getting a new agent or maybe the agent knows that is the best payoff he is going to get.

[Hoboh]

According to the press this morning we pulled out of the Vela deal due to his agent demanding a couple of hundred grand fixing fee...

Here he is needing PL experience and his agent is cocking up deals because he wants a payoff for himself. Would be seriously concidering getting a new agent or maybe the agent knows that is the best payoff he is going to get.

Never quite figered out why clubs just dont as one refuse to deal with parasites, err sorry agents that would cure them

[Ianmooreslovechild]

Bugger, cos that front line needs freshening up and can't see Klasnic being fit to do it this season.

Some teams below us making some on paper reasonable signings as well....time for a quick panic!

Surely there is someone young quick and keen in the lower leagues for a reasonable price. To maintain an upper mid table spot we need someone nippy who can play upfront and a midfield allrounder. If we do the traditional go with what we've got perhaps we'll need to try Petrov and Rodrigo in more central positions, though not necessarily from the start of a game. We have two problems really. The squad is very small but probably a bigger problem is that so many of that squad don't look good enough to play in a starting 11.Blake, Klasnic,Petrov, Rodrigo,Cohen,Alonso,Ward,all useful coming off the bench but none of them instill confidence when starting. So no real pressure on those that do start and no real chance to rest anyone.Hence we look pretty jaded now.
We won't go down but the season seems likely to die on it's feet unless we can find a couple of players at the death. Seems pretty unlikely though at the moment.
Still, at least Wheater seems like a solid move.

[Bruce Rioja]

And given that the last time we won a major trophy was 50 odd years ago, it probably shouldn't come as a huge shock.

DON'T YOU DARE SAY THE SHERPA VAN TROPHY WAS NOT A MAJOR COMPETITION. DON'T YOU DARE!!!!

Yeah, Worthington. What about the Lancs / Manx trophy eh, pal?

[t_o_molloy]

Bugger, cos that front line needs freshening up and can't see Klasnic being fit to do it this season.

Some teams below us making some on paper reasonable signings as well....time for a quick panic!

Surely there is someone young quick and keen in the lower leagues for a reasonable price. To maintain an upper mid table spot we need someone nippy who can play upfront and a midfield allrounder. If we do the traditional go with what we've got perhaps we'll need to try Petrov and Rodrigo in more central positions, though not necessarily from the start of a game. We have two problems really. The squad is very small but probably a bigger problem is that so many of that squad don't look good enough to play in a starting 11.Blake, Klasnic,Petrov, Rodrigo,Cohen,Alonso,Ward,all useful coming off the bench but none of them instill confidence when starting. So no real pressure on those that do start and no real chance to rest anyone.Hence we look pretty jaded now.
We won't go down but the season seems likely to die on it's feet unless we can find a couple of players at the death. Seems pretty unlikely though at the moment.
Still, at least Wheater seems like a solid move.

Ward showed all the qualities in the 'lower leagues'

[Ianmooreslovechild]

And has had no opportunity as yet,largely due to injury and i assume the preseason belief that petrov would be a world beater and Klasnic wouldn't have his problems

[boltonboris]

According to the press this morning we pulled out of the Vela deal due to his agent demanding a couple of hundred grand fixing fee...

Here he is needing PL experience and his agent is cocking up deals because he wants a payoff for himself. Would be seriously concidering getting a new agent or maybe the agent knows that is the best payoff he is going to get.

Never quite figered out why clubs just dont as one refuse to deal with parasites, err sorry agents that would cure them

Isn't it obvious? The only reason clubs persist with agents, is because it's easier to launder money through an agent than a football club

[KeeeeeeeBaaaaaaab]

According to the press this morning we pulled out of the Vela deal due to his agent demanding a couple of hundred grand fixing fee...

Here he is needing PL experience and his agent is cocking up deals because he wants a payoff for himself. Would be seriously concidering getting a new agent or maybe the agent knows that is the best payoff he is going to get.

Never quite figered out why clubs just dont as one refuse to deal with parasites, err sorry agents that would cure them

Isn't it obvious? The only reason clubs persist with agents, is because it's easier to launder money through an agent than a football club

Plus it would put some of the families of players and managers out of a job. The Old Boys Network wouldn't stand for that.

[TKIZ!]

'Fatty' Michael Johnson is available for loan?

[Worthy4England]

And given that the last time we won a major trophy was 50 odd years ago, it probably shouldn't come as a huge shock.

DON'T YOU DARE SAY THE SHERPA VAN TROPHY WAS NOT A MAJOR COMPETITION. DON'T YOU DARE!!!!

Yeah, Worthington. What about the Lancs / Manx trophy eh, pal?

Either way.

Not won those two for a while neither.

[Tals-biggest-fan]

Skybet still has us down for getting Pav from Spurs

[Choppers]

Pavyluchenko???

Christ, I'd be over the moon with that!

[irie Cee Bee]

Does pairing Knight and Wheater today and not Cahill with Wheater suggest that Cahill will be on his way before Monday night ?

[hi there, i'm chris]

Wouldnt say so. Just a chance to rest Cahill and give Wheater his debut.

[Bruce Rioja]

Skybet still has us down for getting Pav from Spurs

Really? Us? Pavyluchenko?

[thebish]

Skybet still has us down for getting Pav from Spurs

Really? Us? Pavyluchenko?

skybet is the only place that this has surfaced, I believe....

[Tombwfc]

Basically a Spurs 'ITK' posted on their website Thursday morning that us and Sunderland had bid for Pavlyuchenko. Someone has obviously seen that, had a tenner on it, and the lack of money elsewhere in the market (seriously, how deep must your gambling addiction be if you're guessing where Pavlyuchenko will be playing next week?) has caused the price to fall.

Don't be shocked if you never hear of this rumour ever again.

Has Coyle spoken about bringing players in tonight? If Vela, SWP and Pratley are off the radar, we're fecked.

[thebish]

According to the press this morning we pulled out of the Vela deal due to his agent demanding a couple of hundred grand fixing fee...

seems this is the case...

Owen Coyle has slammed Carlos Vela’s agent after Bolton’s move for the Mexican striker collapsed.

Vela was widely expected to seal a loan switch to the Reebok Stadium this week but instead moved to West Brom.

But Coyle has revealed that a deal for Vela had been agreed between Arsenal and Bolton before the player’s agent got involved with separate financial demands.

And the Bolton boss revealed this led to him pulling the plug on the deal, saying: “It was my decision.

“We had permission from Arsenal regarding Carlos Vela. On Thursday night we agreed with Arsenal that we would pay the players salary, we also agreed to pay a loan fee to Arsenal.

“Subsequent to that I then had a chat with Carlos Vela’s agent who informed me that there was more finances to come on top of that in terms of another fee and player appearances.

“Anyway to cut a long story short it was out of the realms of possibility. We’re very upfront we have a fantastic relationship with Arsenal, we always have.

“We’d agreed a deal with the football club and then outside influences meant that the deal was going to be financially far too much.

“On Thursday night I said to the chairman ‘well that’s it we’ll leave that’, and I stepped away from it.

“I never spoke to the player himself so I stress there’s no fault at the player’s door or indeed Arsenal football club.

“It’s just it was getting far too much and I thought it was getting ridiculous and that’s why I stepped away from it.”