Kenny Dalglish Won't Be Delivering the Module: English Premiership 2011-12

I actually think Adebayor and Defoe could make a great strike pairing, Adebayor is exactly the player to play to Defoe's strengths, but we're apparently never playing 4-4-2 ever again despite the mountain of evidence it actually works best for us.

ffs

09.39: Peter Crouch might not fancy Sunderland but one man who does is Roman Pavlyuchenko.

"My agent is in London. He met the (Tottenham) chairman Daniel Levy to try to find a way out, but so far there is no solution," he told the Daily Mail.

"We gave the option of going out on loan for six months but Levy opposed it. The team have five forwards, and someone will not even get into the squad, so I should leave.

"We can find options. I know that Sunderland have been actively interested in me. In England, miracles can happen on the last day of the transfer window. So there is hope, but it is very small."

The team have 5 forwards?

why, as I hope Brian Clough would say, do they never score any GOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLS?

Crouch to QPR
Pav to Sunderland

we go on with a skeleton staff of Adebayor, Defoe, Kane

Someone commented about how players never develop to a plan under Redknapp, instead any changes are down to their own personal journeys of motivation, fitness or depression or whatever - I thought that was good. I see him a bit like a builder sticking bits on here and there according to present need, while simply forgetting about what he did yesterday or the structure underneath. Eventually you end up with a house made up entirely of extensions, and he loses interest in the people who have to live there and wanders off to tinker with a new house instead.

If Sunderland are in such financial trouble that they need to offload Gyan to appease their bankers then why would they be in for either Pavlyuchenko or Crouch? This doesn't make sense unless they're paying Gyan some insane heady post-World Cup wages.

Shame really as I thought Gyan and Sessegnon could turn into a dangerous strike partnership but probably not with Brucie in charge.

I see him a bit like a builder sticking bits on here and there according to present need, while simply forgetting about what he did yesterday or the structure underneath

I really like this analogy by the way.

unless they're paying Gyan some insane heady post-World Cup wages

I'd put money on it... but not as much as Gyan could

agree with Mr Klata's strong analysis.

BBC rumour mill is stoking Bellamy to QPR rumours, as if Warnock's great survival plan is to turn into Newcastle 2005. Next up at Loftus Road, Lee Bowyer.

Ismael, that was top stuff on Redknapp.

i'm getting more of a west ham 2006 stupid icelandic spending vibe

not feeling traore at all, fuck an anton ferdinand, and if we shell out ELEVEN MILL or whatever on crouch then i just... have no words

bellers is alright i suppose, we need pace everywhere (the thinking behind traore)

i want onuoha and scott dann, gettable imo.

where is it saying £11m Crouch? That does seem unwise

"#CFC will offer £30m plus Florent Malouda to #THFC in exchange for Luka Modric. #THFC have asked for Didier Drogba," reckons journalist Ian McGarry on Twitter.

lol no-one can tell me that this day doesn't bring the VFM entertainment-wise

Everyone wait up, I am about to abuse and debase the Drudge Siren.

QPR: Crouch at the reported £11m would be ridiculous. I like him as a player, but that would be silly money on someone who hasn't scored regularly at PL level for years. Bellamy I think is pie in the sky. SWP would be great. Central defence is what really needs strengthening.

Also, with Young and Barton on long contracts, at 32 and 29, I don't think QPR should be giving out more twilight home deals. A couple to get in players with the experience we need, and whom we can't attract without giving them long-term deals, fine. But we don't need four or five players all around 30, all on big wages, all with us into their dotage.

xp Proposing http://i47.tinypic.com/zjypt0.gif as temporary deadline day Drudge siren.

http://cache.dealbreaker.com/uploads/2011/03/drudge-siren.gif"Mario Ballotelli's player profile has been removed from the Man City website" - some knob on Twitterhttp://cache.dealbreaker.com/uploads/2011/03/drudge-siren.gif

Please tell me he's singing 'Here Comes The Mertesacker' while doing that dance...

Ballotelli and Adebayor playing in the same side would just be too hilarious to truly hate.

Cahill to Spurs seems like a thing too.

gahh why is scott dann going to BLACKBURN?

Cahill: sounds good?

Modric has always seemed decent to me, but I also think all this transfer talk has massively inflated his reputation. I was just trying to think of Spurs players who have impressed me more than Modric, and the best comparison I could find was -- Chris Waddle, c.1988-9. Goals from all angles, dribbles, passing, a playmaker reborn in mid-career after Glenn left.

I've never seen Modric do all that; most I could say would be 'unlike Wads, he puts in his share, puts his foot in, tackles back' etc - which sounds fine but not inspiring.

If Arsenal end up getting Keisuke Honda as well as Park Chu-Young I will be very happy that their indie hair quotient will be back to the high standards displayed when the midfield was Hleb, Flamini and Rosicky. Rosicky's hair has really dropped off since those guys left, so hopefully these guys can give him some good tips and maybe recommend a good volumizing shampoo to give him a more luxurious bounce.

The little things are important to the mentally weak.

Modric is never going to look like a great player in the Hoddle or Waddle fashion - he'll never be a great goalscorer or even set up that many but at his best he gels the midfield together. Without him our players can run with the ball pretty much in straight lines up and down the field, we're less predictable with him in the team, he brings in other players and helps them play better. He's the hub of the team, Chelsea desperately need a player who can do that which is why they've pursued him to such an extent.

gahh why is scott dann going to BLACKBURN?

Fancies himself as the new Matthew Upson.

Bassong to QPR with Cahill to Spurs for 15m might be good business all round.

yep, that'd do me

talk on crouch now is loan for rest of the season, us taking on full wages. won't go elsewhere cos he loves us soooo much the missus won't leave london.

Any talk on Jenas?

Can see us loaning you guys half of our reserve team at this rate.

McGarry's track record this summer is 1 million per cent wrong, to quote Harry.

Joe Cole now talking to Villa according to the Nult.

Bet Hazard doesn't go anywhere after all this.

jenas has indeed unfortunately been mentioned by a messageboard itk. for what little that's hopefully worth.

can't wait for cole's predictably depressing villa interview where he exclusively reveals lille seemed a bit foreign.

1154: As mooted by Phil McNulty earlier, we can confirm that Liverpool's Joe Cole - who was thought to be on the verge of joining French side Lille - is now in talks with Aston Villa.

...eh?

Talking of Upson, he was a free agent right? Did he sign for anyone?

It's more entertaining than thrilling last minute swoops for Alan Hutton and former Aston Villa star Steven Davis, I guess

Apparently he signed for Stoke without anyone noticing? Getting Upson and Woodgate for free was pretty astute on Pulis's part.

VICENTE TO BRIGHTON!

Shaun Maloney to Wigan is a bit of a weird one, he was OK at Villa but visibly hated not being in Scotland with every fibre of his being - not sure if Wigan is better in virtue of being farther north or worse in virtue of being Wigan

He can't stay for fit for more than 20 minutes at a time too

Most inane Tweet of the day comes courtesy of Mark Bright:

"I understand several Premier League Clubs are keen on Shaun Wright-Philips, but nothing will happen until Owen Hargreaves signs for #mcfc"

Why? Have they previously been relying on SWP to provide emergency cover in defensive midfield?

They've got to balance their finances

Yeah, I can see Maloney being a poignant "Apps: 5 (10 as sub) goals: 0" footnote on Wikipedia

I'm kind of amazed that such a shy, mumbling sadsack could ever be motivated or confident enough to be a top level footballer, but the boy can hit a free kick

Someone on the radio this morning said "Shaun Maloney has unfinished business in England" which is a bit odd considering he came back to us because he had unfinished business in Scotland.

Using Ismael's builder analogy - I think Shaun will finish his career with three sets of foundations dug and random piles of bricks lying around while he argues with the wrong council about planning permission.

Cracking wee player when he's fit and interested though. Which is about 6 games a season.

The SWP/Owen Hargreaves thing will be to do with meeting the CL squad rules, won't it?

Cole to Lille is confirmed. Good luck to him.

That won't last

I'm always pleased to see Brits trying their luck abroad, but another malign consequence of The Best League In The World is that it almost always has the air of tragedy about it.

he can commute from London if he so chooses

It's only a half season loan

Danny Murphy phoned him up and confirmed there's a go-karting track in Lille.