The Daily ITK Discussion Thread 11th July 2013

codspur said:

Reading this thread I am reminded of the life of Brian and the what have the Romans ever done for us scene. Except replace the people's front of Judea with us and Levy/Baldini/Board with the Romans.

Click to expand...

Fuck off! We're the Judean People's Front!

codspur said:

Yeah but but that's 11 days and what have we got to show for it apart from a fucking Brazilian international...and unfortunate rejections from players who don't want to move to England...I mean FFS 11 days some of us could overhaul a squad in 11 minutes on Championship manager

Click to expand...

Not on my pc, so slow that its going to be a month before the season starts

pablo73 said:

Fuck off! We're the Judean People's Front!

Click to expand...

Splitter !

KILLA_SIN said:

But there not wing forwards and we have never played with wing forwards. I agree with you we need players not just competition but better players, but I think this window will be as infuriating as every other window we just don't have that sort of money.

Click to expand...

When you look at the amount Swansea and Southampton are chucking about and then compare the prize money from league position, ticket prices and ground capacity, I can't help wondering why there hasn't been any money to spend.

Personally I don't get this one season wonder thing. He's shown enough to convince AVB that he has what it takes to improve our side already. He scored 16 goals the previous season for his old team and has 6 in 14 for his country. People talk about buying a big centre forward in the Drogba mould but seem to forget that Drogba only scored over 12 league goals twice in his eight years at Chelsea. If we get Benteke and use him correctly we could have a hell of a good player on our hands.

Harry_Snatch said:

When you look at the amount Swansea and Southampton are chucking about and then compare the prize money from league position, ticket prices and ground capacity, I can't help wondering why there hasn't been any money to spend.

Click to expand...

Havn't we just spent 17 million - and havn't we a new stadium to plan and budget for? I'm not saying I think we have no money to spend, I just wouldn't have a clue how much we are prepared to spend this window. Levy will do deals if they're needed and make business sense to do so. Just don't know what the parameters are.

nailsy said:

Personally I don't get this one season wonder thing. He's shown enough to convince AVB that he has what it takes to improve our side already. He scored 16 goals the previous season for his old team and has 6 in 14 for his country. People talk about buying a big centre forward in the Drogba mould but seem to forget that Drogba only scored over 12 league goals twice in his eight years at Chelsea. If we get Benteke and use him correctly we could have a hell of a good player on our hands.

Click to expand...

I agree that he has shown nothing to suggest he can't be good again next season but is he a 25m player?

I like him as a player but 15m is about right surely?
Bent scored 20 for Charlton 2 seasons in a row and was English and still only cost 15/18m

Misfit said:

Feeling kind of mellow. I'm actually expecting us to sign a nice player in the next week or so (maybe Chadli) and think we'll get a Baldini/AVB special. When the ITK is a bit gloomy or quiet I actually tend to relax. I soak up every scrap of ITK like a hobo pouncing on a half-eaten donut but not knowing what the club is up to is actually quite relaxing.

Click to expand...

Remember last year we signed Vertonghen and Siggurdson quite early. And we still spent the summer driving ourselves crazy. That was a summer in which we bought six really good players or for the vast majority - 5 really good players and a lump of shit. The great thing about the secondary statement is that everybody has their own opinion on who the lump of shit is.

And we spent over 50m GPB (as always such numbers are best guess. I typically use My Football Facts and I realize it isn't always right but if I always use it, at least it provides consistency).

Sure I realize we sold Modric and that maybe everybody anxious. But most of that anxiety wasn't about him. I think we had come to terms with Modric's move in the previous summer, so that it was a bit easier on us. So much like Paulinho, we forgot we signed Vertonghen and moved quickly into negativity. One of the 50 best players in the world and we were happier to focus on Das Bost going to Wolfsburg or some other non-story.

And trust me, neither of us were innocent. The Elite Swimmers Parents Support Group were pretty heavy handed with machinations about a certain Turk

I guess it's the nature of all sports that if a team isn't seen to be moving it worries the people that love it. It's not a bad thing. I think the people complaining are doing so from a good place.....they truly care about this club. And I think the people admonishing them care equally as much.

But much like you, I think I am quite calm about everything. And I love the club. Not as much as spoon bread though.

Villa might have been something that has put many on edge and it's understandable. But I shirked that off way better than I ever would have in the past.

And it's not maturity, because we all know that when God was handing out maturity, I was too busy goggling the name of infamous cons just for the sake of being a jackass.

But I think, I've just learned that Levy is pretty good at getting it right. Perfect? Hell no! But the trend has been continually up since he took over. And I have a lot more faith in AVB this year too. So I trust them. Doesn't mean they won't do something wrong.....but it's unlikely.

So for me, the ITK forum is good fun. And a way to suffer the the space between swim meets/practice/organization

Harry_Snatch said:

I agree that he has shown nothing to suggest he can't be good again next season but is he a 25m player?

I like him as a player but 15m is about right surely?
Bent scored 20 for Charlton 2 seasons in a row and was English and still only cost 15/18m

Click to expand...

That was also 6/7 years ago. Since then Liverpool/City changed everything by paying way over the odds for average players and increased prices in the market.

Mr Pink said:

Havn't we just spent 17 million - and havn't we a new stadium to plan and budget for? I'm not saying I think we have no money to spend, I just wouldn't have a clue how much we are prepared to spend this window. Levy will do deals if they're needed and make business sense to do so. Just don't know what the parameters are.

Click to expand...

Lets not digress onto this subject anyway. We've all stated our opinion a million times and its not ITK related.
I will say this though, the ItK s following a familiar pattern already this transfer window ad it's just frustrating as a fan that so many f the targets that ITK tell us we are advanced with, always seem to go somewhere else because of the way the club does its transfer business.

Harry_Snatch said:

I agree that he has shown nothing to suggest he can't be good again next season but is he a 25m player?

I like him as a player but 15m is about right surely?
Bent scored 20 for Charlton 2 seasons in a row and was English and still only cost 15/18m

Click to expand...

15 million, or a little over 17/18 etc, would be about right for him IMO but Villa really don't want to sell. He's three years left on his contract so they're in a healthy position and setting a larger fee is done to serve as a deterrent, that's the whole point really.

In other words Villa are like we don't want to sell (which means we don't want to sell for a reasonable price)...either pay over the odds or do one.

Mr Pink said:

15 million, or a little over 17/18 etc, would be about right for him IMO but Villa really don't want to sell. He's three years left on his contract so they're in a healthy position and setting a larger fee is done to serve as a deterrent, that's the whole point really.

In other words Villa are like we don't want to sell (which means we don't want to sell for a reasonable price)...either pay over the odds or do one.

Click to expand...

To me that means we do one!

Harry_Snatch said:

To me that means we do one!

Click to expand...

To Levy it just raises the bar a little...its what that little baldy bugger lives for

Harry_Snatch said:

When you look at the amount Swansea and Southampton are chucking about and then compare the prize money from league position, ticket prices and ground capacity, I can't help wondering why there hasn't been any money to spend.

Click to expand...

Not a valid comparison as their squads are much weaker than ours so there is a vast array of players who will improve them, a bit like us when Arnesen joined. We need to recognise that with the progress we've made in the last few years players who can improve our first team are much more limited and crucially much more expensive. Add to that the fact that the priciest area of the team is strikers and you get to our current situation of not being able to afford players who are an upgrade and players we can afford, like Dempsey, not being an upgrade. The only solution is to pull something out of left field in a Porto style but our scouting network seems to have failed there except for Sandro. I think that is why Baldini is the key, he is our only hope of bridging the gap between our requirements and our wallet, well our only hope if the club refuse to use Snarf and Dinpomp as scouts

Mr Pink said:

To Levy it just raises the bar a little...its what that little baldy bugger lives for

Click to expand...

Usually means he fails and we have to sign Dempsey!

Harry_Snatch said:

I agree that he has shown nothing to suggest he can't be good again next season but is he a 25m player?

I like him as a player but 15m is about right surely?
Bent scored 20 for Charlton 2 seasons in a row and was English and still only cost 15/18m

Click to expand...

Is he a 25m player? I honestly don't know, but if he has another season like this one he'll be a 40m player. If he has a bad season his value will drop but I doubt it will drop by that much. I don't see him going for 25m anyway - not with him putting in a transfer request.

HappySpur said:

Remember last year we signed Vertonghen and Siggurdson quite early. And we still spent the summer driving ourselves crazy. That was a summer in which we bought six really good players or for the vast majority - 5 really good players and a lump of shit. The great thing about the secondary statement is that everybody has their own opinion on who the lump of shit is.

And we spent over 50m GPB (as always such numbers are best guess. I typically use My Football Facts and I realize it isn't always right but if I always use it, at least it provides consistency).

Sure I realize we sold Modric and that maybe everybody anxious. But most of that anxiety wasn't about him. I think we had come to terms with Modric's move in the previous summer, so that it was a bit easier on us. So much like Paulinho, we forgot we signed Vertonghen and moved quickly into negativity. One of the 50 best players in the world and we were happier to focus on Das Bost going to Wolfsburg or some other non-story.

And trust me, neither of us were innocent. The Elite Swimmers Parents Support Group were pretty heavy handed with machinations about a certain Turk

I guess it's the nature of all sports that if a team isn't seen to be moving it worries the people that love it. It's not a bad thing. I think the people complaining are doing so from a good place.....they truly care about this club. And I think the people admonishing them care equally as much.

But much like you, I think I am quite calm about everything. And I love the club. Not as much as spoon bread though.

Villa might have been something that has put many on edge and it's understandable. But I shirked that off way better than I ever would have in the past.

And it's not maturity, because we all know that when God was handing out maturity, I was too busy goggling the name of infamous cons just for the sake of being a jackass.

But I think, I've just learned that Levy is pretty good at getting it right. Perfect? Hell no! But the trend has been continually up since he took over. And I have a lot more faith in AVB this year too. So I trust them. Doesn't mean they won't do something wrong.....but it's unlikely.

So for me, the ITK forum is good fun. And a way to suffer the the space between swim meets/practice/organization

Click to expand...

Exactly right mi hermano.

We also have one of the best DoFs in world football now installed as well. It'll only make us better, and as you say we're pretty damn good as it is, in the transfer market.

Also, just on Dempsey - I have to defend him. I'll make no attempts to defends his technical ability or skills. That would be suicide. Dude knows where to be to get a goal more often than not. That is a very valuable talent in itself. Obviously he's not a first XI player going forward but I'd be delighted if he was still here as part of the squad going forward.

The good news is we're likely to make our money if he does get offers so those who vomit at the mere sight of him can relax. Chances are that he won't be, imo.

Mullers said:

Modric put in a transfer request too
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/jul/14/luka-modric-transfer-request-chelsea
Son Benetke put it in writing, he's still leaving after only one season, if he comes to us and does the same thing people won't like it.

Click to expand...

I'm not sure that's true, that he did, but if he did then fair play to him.

Batal79 said:

I'm dying for a line or two from 'looklikemodric' to shed some light on the shape of things to come.... his mere mention of Higuain at Spurs had me salivating for days !

I'd love to know if the ITKs place any faith in Levy to back AVB for the PSG snub, and get him at least one player he has targeted, surely AVB can be trusted to pick a player,....... and maybe just maybe we are talking to a few people apart from 'Ben-not-really-unbelievable-tekkkeers'!

Just not a fan of Benteke, and certainly not at the prices that are suggested as 18m + ,I can't shake the 'one season wonder' feeling with him, and the fact that he put in a transfer request makes me question this kids attitude, he'd do well to listen to Lambert and not believe his own hype, we've already got Ade and Defoe that reckon they're the 2nd Coming... but hey what do I know, I never want Pav to go!

Though my disapproval of stocking piling midfielders is well known, the only 'Christian' I want to rock up at the Lane for coming season has a surname of Eriksson, - though Siggy had a couple of decent through balls (particularly to Lennon Vs Scum) I reckon Eriksson could unlock many a Prem defences,.... now that Dortmund have take 'Henrik M-unspellable' we might have chance to land him from Ajax.

I'm absolutely on board with a big push for Bernard, but as ITK suggests, probably Porto got best shout - given they're cash rich from sales of James Rodriguez and Moutinho to Monaco.

Click to expand...

And they probably just got paid most of the Falcao money from AM