What the hell is going on with some Blues?!

[LEONARD]

Bacon and Eggs, Laurel and Hardy, Evertonian's and Pessimism.

 

[BrendanGOT]

On the plus side Arsenal and Chelsea might struggle this season, leaving a gap for us to potentially sneak in to

The first part of the season is going to be a slog I fear, but once the team gels and we hit our stride I think we'll be fine, even if it's just 6th fine

Was thinking we might have a slow start too, then steamroll it from Xmas. I just want a pot! The league cup gets us Europa and the Europa get us Champions league, both in less games than league positions.

 

[Soap]

On the plus side Arsenal and Chelsea might struggle this season, leaving a gap for us to potentially sneak in to

The first part of the season is going to be a slog I fear, but once the team gels and we hit our stride I think we'll be fine, even if it's just 6th fine

Why will Chelsea and Arsenal struggle?

 

[Tigger]

I think it boils down to the fact alot of people on here are not getting enough fresh air.

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

Was thinking we might have a slow start too, then steamroll it from Xmas. I just want a pot! The league cup gets us Europa and the Europa get us Champions league, both in less games than league positions.

We definitely need to take the Milk Cup seriously

So few sides do, so if we do then we've automatically given ourselves a chance

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

Why will Chelsea and Arsenal struggle?

Arsenal still have the issue with Sanchez and their defence has looked leaky in pre-season

Chelsea have sold Matic and missed out on Lukaku, and Conte can be prone to going off the handle at clubs when he doesn't have his way, which could happen this season potentially

If any of the Top 6 are going to potentially falter, I reckon it'll be one of them

Spurs playing at Wembley might make things tricky for them as well

I think if we slog through the early part of the season then we can really kick on as winter sets in

 

[eddy]

Lukaku wanted out. Simple. What would u do, force him to stay and have him play like a yard dog? The rest of the players we've sold were deadwood. Yeah it's pretty simple to understand that we'll get the fees unless he never plays football again which is a slim chance.

I would have tried to have kept him for another season. I do not think he would have downed tools for many reasons World Cup, increased wage etc
I would have allowed him to have a release clause at 70 mill applicable only next summer as the value of another year and his goals would far exceed a reduction in any sale fee.

I would also ask the question why do our best players want to leave? Does not add up really?

Barklay is not `deadwood` ......... Barry and Rooney are

We do not know if we will get more fees its an unknown, we dont know what the conditions of added fees are so how do you know we will get them?

 

[eddy]

Only the actual facts make it nonsense by definition

We spent nearly £100m before the Lukaku cash arrived, so to say that we can't spend anymore until we get the cash for Barkley is absolute plums

We've also bid £45m for Sigurdsson btw in case that slipped past you like.

I agree, but we were good for the money as we knew Lukaku was going, our asset was worth what we were spending, the deal according to the press and Lineker was allready done 3 months ago, therefore we were spending money due in, just a matter of timing, hope you can understand this

Yes 45 mil for Sigurdsson is foolish in my opinion, I hope we do not throw talent there way as well
Will be an interesting watch I wonder if we will sign him and delay the Barklay sale to muddy the waters, delay it somewhat,
make it look like he left after we signed a replacement, rather than spent the money we received for him

 

[Foot Long Hot Dog]

I would have tried to have kept him for another season. I do not think he would have downed tools for many reasons World Cup, increased wage etc
I would have allowed him to have a release clause at 70 mill applicable only next summer as the value of another year and his goals would far exceed a reduction in any sale fee.

I would also ask the question why do our best players want to leave? Does not add up really?

Barklay is not `deadwood` ......... Barry and Rooney are

We do not know if we will get more fees its an unknown, we dont know what the conditions of added fees are so how do you know we will get them?

Lukaku said openly to the press that staying at Goodison for this season was "not an option"

He wanted out, he gave us a further year last season. The reason he wanted out was that he knew he could join a bigger club who have CL football, it ain't complicated. As for the add ons in Lukaku's sale it was widely reported that they were easily attainable.

Barkley has refused a bumper new contract, for reasons only he knows.

Neither is a case of the club choosing to sell it's best players, both wanted out, and both were offered great money to stay.

 

[Foot Long Hot Dog]

I agree, but we were good for the money as we knew Lukaku was going, our asset was worth what we were spending, the deal according to the press and Lineker was allready done 3 months ago, therefore we were spending money due in, just a matter of timing, hope you can understand this

Yes 45 mil for Sigurdsson is foolish in my opinion, I hope we do not throw talent there way as well
Will be an interesting watch I wonder if we will sign him and delay the Barklay sale to muddy the waters, delay it somewhat,
make it look like he left after we signed a replacement, rather than spent the money we received for him

Lumping out nearly £100m before a penny was banked for Lukaku means the cash was there, irrespective.

If we'd have banked the cash and then gone a spending spree you'd have had a point.

Sigurdsson will join, and it'll be very shortly imo. I expect the Barkley saga to drag on until deadline day.

 

[eddy]

Lukaku said openly to the press that staying at Goodison for this season was "not an option"

He wanted out, he gave us a further year last season. The reason he wanted out was that he knew he could join a bigger club who have CL football, it ain't complicated. As for the add ons in Lukaku's sale it was widely reported that they were easily attainable.

Barkley has refused a bumper new contract, for reasons only he knows.

Neither is a case of the club choosing to sell it's best players, both wanted out, and both were offered great money to stay.

When he said that he was already gone, in my opinion United got a great deal, until the cash is in the bank it is an unknown, however I take you point.

Barklay is a strange one our `ambition` `stadium` seems odd he would want out

 

[Deckard2049]

Arsenal still have the issue with Sanchez and their defence has looked leaky in pre-season

Chelsea have sold Matic and missed out on Lukaku, and Conte can be prone to going off the handle at clubs when he doesn't have his way, which could happen this season potentially

If any of the Top 6 are going to potentially falter, I reckon it'll be one of them

Spurs playing at Wembley might make things tricky for them as well

I think if we slog through the early part of the season then we can really kick on as winter sets in

And we have Europa league to contend with. We're still behind those other teams, and you think one of our best chances to get in to the top 6 is the league champions struggling. We have a chance. But what about our weaknesses?

 

[Deckard2049]

Was thinking we might have a slow start too, then steamroll it from Xmas. I just want a pot! The league cup gets us Europa and the Europa get us Champions league, both in less games than league positions.

Would you take Europa league even if it meant a severe dip in league form? I see a lot of people talking about breaking the top 6- but what's the point? If you don't break the top 4, is 7th to 6th a big deal? Go for European gold blues.

 

[Foot Long Hot Dog]

Barklay is a strange one our `ambition` `stadium` seems odd he would want out

I think he's been extremely badly advised and the local issues he appears to have created for himself seem to have also swayed him.

Shame as I think he'll regret this decision for the rest of his life tbh. He's not going to go to a better placed club than us and play every week, and he's a player who needs to play every week as his confidence is delicate imho.

 

[eddy]

Lumping out nearly £100m before a penny was banked for Lukaku means the cash was there, irrespective.

If we'd have banked the cash and then gone a spending spree you'd have had a point.

Sigurdsson will join, and it'll be very shortly imo. I expect the Barkley saga to drag on until deadline day.

I dissagree, its called credit all footy clubs have a facility and in my opinion we used ours, went into the red then cleared it, which is fair enough
its how business operates

I hope Sigurdsson joins I hope we do not overpay, I expect Barklay to leave the day after, again pay down our facility and nothing wrong with that

Be interesting to see the figures in relation to who we buy/sell at the end of this window, confidence is not what it was after the last summer trading with the press declaring we had 100 mil to spend and we nearly got Sissoko (who Koeman wanted badly) and ended up with Valencia on loan
tad of an anti climax and understandable as to managed expectations this time around