we seem to have money to burn

[redgunamo]

Do you drink/smoke/consumer more drugs than the glw? If so, it proves my theory. If not, I may have to rethink.

But if I'm right, I could sell my malaria repellent to the middle classes for shedloads. {Four pack of Spesh, gram of K, and your big, fat cigar.} I'd be minted and might win a prize from the WHO. They should give it to African kiddies. Surely dying of liver cirrhosis or lung cancer in old age is better than dying of malaria as a baby, no?

Right. I agree with you. It could even be nicotine, mosquitos don't seem to like smokers.

Malaria though is a fact of life in places where it's extent; in its season, if you get it, you get it and nobody worries too much about it. The trick is to prevent deaths from malaria, which we've pretty much done with a few cheap meds and the availability of clean drinking water.

[redgunamo]

Kiwior off to Porto on loan with a ?23.5m obligation to buy.....still think that's cheap

Having studied the Bayer Leverkusen fellow for many moments, he'll do.

[Rich]

Having studied the Bayer Leverkusen fellow for many moments, he'll do.

Is he more of a CB or a left back, r? He looks quite big and I'm not sure how comfortable I am with all these big full backs.

Timber is the perfect stature.

[Peter]

Is he more of a CB or a left back, r? He looks quite big and I'm not sure how comfortable I am with all these big full backs.

Timber is the perfect stature.

The clips I saw were mostly him running with the ball from what looked like a full back position.

I am guessing he is probably more comfortable at left back than Kiwior and that is part of Arteta's thinking. I don't think he ever fully trusted Kiwior.

[Rich]

The clips I saw were mostly him running with the ball from what looked like a full back position.

I am guessing he is probably more comfortable at left back than Kiwior and that is part of Arteta's thinking. I don't think he ever fully trusted Kiwior.

It seemed that way to me too (re: Kiwior). I personally never understood why but Super MA knows better than me.

We surely won't spend 60m on a backup LB, though. I guess with Calafiori's injury record we anticipate him getting plenty of games in. Perhaps he could even displace Calafiori who could in future become one of the high profile sales we need to start making (Anelka is still our second record sale).

I also suspect it'll mean that MLS gets more minutes in his preferred central positions.

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

The clips I saw were mostly him running with the ball from what looked like a full back position.

I am guessing he is probably more comfortable at left back than Kiwior and that is part of Arteta's thinking. I don't think he ever fully trusted Kiwior.

I thought Kiwior was fine at LB when we stopped trying to invert him. I remember one no look cut back 1-2 assist for Gabby which was stunning.

He also played in the CL semis against the eventual winners and didn't look out of place. We bought him as a 22 yr old from Spezia, he's now 25 and proven at the business end of the CL and PL. He has to be worth more. He'd improve many PL sides. Why are we letting him go cheap?

[Rich]

I thought Kiwior was fine at LB when we stopped trying to invert him. I remember one no look cut back 1-2 assist for Gabby which was stunning.

He also played in the CL semis against the eventual winners and didn't look out of place. We bought him as a 22 yr old from Spezia, he's now 25 and proven at the business end of the CL and PL. He has to be worth more. He'd improve many PL sides. Why are we letting him go cheap?

Because quite simply; nobody wants to pay more.

[Peter]

I thought Kiwior was fine at LB when we stopped trying to invert him. I remember one no look cut back 1-2 assist for Gabby which was stunning.

He also played in the CL semis against the eventual winners and didn't look out of place. We bought him as a 22 yr old from Spezia, he's now 25 and proven at the business end of the CL and PL. He has to be worth more. He'd improve many PL sides. Why are we letting him go cheap?

We just don't seem to be able to sell at the sort of price others do. I guess the drop in wages is part of it.

Maybe some of our players aren't as good as we think they are.

[Pat Vegas]

We just don't seem to be able to sell at the sort of price others do. I guess the drop in wages is part of it.

Maybe some of our players aren't as good as we think they are.

Trossard's payrise now means he's another won who will run his deal down.

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

Trossard's payrise now means he's another won who will run his deal down.

He was always going to. If we'd wanted to keep him for longer we'd have died and extension or option to the pay rise.

I think the pay rise was form him to be happy to be a squad player as opposed to nailed on starter. We know he's our best banker from the bench.

[redgunamo]

Is he more of a CB or a left back, r? He looks quite big and I'm not sure how comfortable I am with all these big full backs.

Timber is the perfect stature.

Imagine a racing centre half; very mobile and dynamic and all that sort of thing. Decent long and short passing. Enjoys an, admittedly, well-timed two-footed tackle which is probably just as well because otherwise one might simply conclude that young Piero seems to always be on his arse

And they do say a good big 'un is better than a good little 'un, don't they. Just the fashion, I suppose.

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

Imagine a racing centre half; very mobile and dynamic and all that sort of thing. Decent long and short passing. Enjoys an, admittedly, well-timed two-footed tackle which is probably just as well because otherwise one might simply conclude that young Piero seems to always be on his arse

And they do say a good big 'un is better than a good little 'un, don't they. Just the fashion, I suppose.

That youtube guy from 4-4-2 who now has his own ACFC channel reckons that the plan with Eze wlll be to play him off the left wing, so he can get into the inside left channel when we attack which will require a LB to overlap.

So our 3-2-5 in attack formation goes back to the pre-Zinny years, when KT was high up on the left and Gabby shifted inside. We can do this cos we have the Zubi-Dec double pivot.

For the last 3 years, we had a LB inverting next to the DM, and then 2 no.10s and a front 3, the inside left {the fabled L8} being GX, then Kai then Dec.

It does sort of make sense.

In which case a LCH cover who can also play a better attacking, overlapping LB than young Yakob would make sense. Though given Cala's ball carrying ability, he could do it as well.

MLS probably has the skill set to do it as well, but his ability to invert so well gives MA more of his unpredictability.

We really do seem to be going all or nothing this summer.

[redgunamo]

That youtube guy from 4-4-2 who now has his own ACFC channel reckons that the plan with Eze wlll be to play him off the left wing, so he can get into the inside left channel when we attack which will require a LB to overlap.

So our 3-2-5 in attack formation goes back to the pre-Zinny years, when KT was high up on the left and Gabby shifted inside. We can do this cos we have the Zubi-Dec double pivot.

For the last 3 years, we had a LB inverting next to the DM, and then 2 no.10s and a front 3, the inside left {the fabled L8} being GX, then Kai then Dec.

It does sort of make sense.

In which case a LCH cover who can also play a better attacking, overlapping LB than young Yakob would make sense. Though given Cala's ball carrying ability, he could do it as well.

MLS probably has the skill set to do it as well, but his ability to invert so well gives MA more of his unpredictability.

We really do seem to be going all or nothing this summer.

I hope now we move the ball forward so quickly that there's no time for overlapping full backs.

With all the new possibilities; hardly know what to expect. Normally you'd only make so many major additions when you were rubbish before. I'm surprised. At the end of the season, all we wanted was another striker.

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

I hope now we move the ball forward so quickly that there's no time for overlapping full backs.

With all the new possibilities; hardly know what to expect. Normally you'd only make so many major additions when you were rubbish before. I'm surprised. At the end of the season, all we wanted was another striker.

In no particular order:

1. Are the Jocks throwing this for Asian bookies? Just missed the first pen.

2. We did just want a new striker, but we knew we were getting Zubi to replace Wigwam. And given our injuries, we needed a cover for B {if Ethan is cover from Odin and both are out} and replacement for Tommy, and for Kai once he was injured, and a new cheap 'keeper so it makes sense.

3. Yeah I want us to play it forward fast but for so many reasons {clearances, fouls etc} that doesn't always happen. When we've got possession against a set defence in their half, Eze cutting into left 8 and a LB overlapping is what we'll want with Vik making runs.

[redgunamo]

When we've got possession against a set defence in their half, Eze cutting into left 8 and a LB overlapping is what we'll want with Vik making runs.

Yes, you may recall we actually played against this chap at the Emirates for an hour or so, in pre season.