Trumpingtonvale

Clarke-Harris and Alfie May - hopefully transfer doesn’t happen until after Jan 6th.

Blackpool have Jordan Rhodes (on loan ‘til end of the season) who’s already scoring pretty regularly in their formation so not sure what Clarke-Harris would give them unless they’re looking to change tactics or concerned Huddersfield will want Rhodes back next month.

What’s a goal scoring L1 midfielder (on trajectory to score double figures), with 18 months left on their contract, worth? > £0.5 mil? Or do we slap a £1mil+ price tag on him to ward off interest/give us cash to buy a replacement or three?

Have I missed the outcome of Jesse Debrah’s compensation tribunal, if not, anyone know when it’s due? That could potentially put a dent in our striker, LWB, any other position, budget.

Both DC previously and recently Rudgie have said, regards recruitment, a club does well to get 70% of new signings right (am assuming that means quality over availability ie a player would be considered when available/not injured). Of our signings at the moment Ryan Loft and Uche are arguably not in the 70% who else would we say was in the 30%, remembering some players are signed in the context as back-up/squad players not 100% first team started?

Though a striker he may still be relatively cheap for Reading having been signed from Cambridge, with some of his teammates possibly still on Championship wages and the likes of Savage coming in from United. However, have read their head coach/manager and DoF equivalent have recently deferred their wages so others can get paid so guess they may be that desperate they may be happy just to have their academy players (some of whom are very good as well as cheap) as the core of the team and let players like him go.

Phil are you trying to say he should be dropped (to the bench/out of the team)? I thought he was only starting because he’s currently better/fitter than other players in that position. I agree he’s not a ‘first name on the team sheet’ player (at the moment few are) but he’s been used as either a replacement for Chizzy when Chizzy starts and vice versa. I suspect he’s starting more more recently because Chislett’s form has dipped since his return from injury.

Why sell the only regular scorer we have ? Only a few months into a 2 year deal, under 30 (27?) and if he does score double figures in L1 from midfield would think £0.5 mil is a minimum (would Blackpool have had a sell on or did we get Ben as free agent?) Of the few positives there are in this poor run, one is Crozzer finding a position/formation/way of playing that suits Ben, he’s still the ratting/competitive, box to box midfielder he’s always been but he’s now getting in positions to score more often compared to last season and more importantly actually scoring when he’s there. It’s ironic that he is not the most technically gifted of our midfielders but currently has the most impact on the goals front at least.

Sam Smith could be added to both lists too ie a name bandied about but out injured. Just goes to show what a gamble, and an expensive gamble at that, it can be signing any striker at this level.

Didn’t know that but my friend’s son hardly ever comes ‘home’ so guess doesn’t have to worry about that caveat. He’s single (well at least not married yet) and no kids so imagine the lifestyle suits those early in their working life. I think he spends a lot of his downtime in various eastern Med destinations and seems to only come back to the UK for Christmas, sometimes for birthday celebrations and in the Summer to go watch the cricket (internationals) with his mates from school/Uni.

If you rent you have to live there 6 months or if you own a property just live there for 30 days per tax year to be exempt from income tax (20% if you have to pay). I’ve a friend whose son got a job there not long after he graduated 3/4 years ago and says his employer pays >5x the going rate he’d get in the UK and he’s planning to ‘retire’ by the time he’s 30.

I wouldn’t be a happy Sunderland fan - what is Neil’s motivation- what do Stoke really offer (apart from ££££££s) that Sunderland don’t? I wouldn’t say Stoke were a bigger club nor more ambitious - would have thought both teams would have equal ambitions of returning to the PL and both would have similar challenges to do so (a bigger driver for Sunderland perhaps being not to get left behind their megabucks arch rivals up the A19).