yep - even to have a good chance of top six and a trophy we need a bit more

LB/LM & possibly a striker for example

A couple of quality signings will do!

I think the majority are agreed - quality not quantity.

Personally I would love a world class striker in the mold of Berbatov, Klinsmann etc..... quite who that would be (and would realistically be willing to join us) is another matter.

This statement gives me Deja vu?

Me too.
Why would 'top class' players come to us at the moment, although things are looking up.We might attract one or two very experienced players, ie older ,possibly over the hill, last pay day types.
Lets see where we finish before we start talking Champions League again
Lets build up a little more slowly and hold on to what we've got for a start and make the most of what we've got on the books already.
This squad could take us further next season. Trying to take too big a step has undone in the past.
Ardiles; great player but otherwise not convinced by his managership or punditry quality.

No, no, no. Why do we need a creative midfielder? We cannot better Modric. Maybe ONE world-class striker but that would be hard to find. Keep the balance, keep the unity.

I think he means a creative midfeilder in the form of Lampard or Gerrard or Fabregas; a CM that can partner WILLLLSOOOONNNNN and has the physical presence to run the midfield and can really pass and create and is not hot and cold like Jenas.

I really hope we dont have a mass of player turn around again this summer, i dont think we need to add much at all.
Not 100% convinced by BAE but hes having to do a lot of work covering modric but then i wouldnt drop Modric.
As for the forwards i cannot see Defoe or Keane not being first choice that leaves Pav and Bent, what world class forward is going to come into a set up like that?
Any player we buy has to be better than we already have other wise its pointless.

Defoe partnered with Keano up front would give us a front line of (l-R) Modric Keano Defoe Lennon. What league are we playing in? The Lilliputin League? Someone is having a laugh at our expense.

Cheeky £400m bid for Kaka anyone?

We need 5/6 players to make this squad top class.

just a good deep lying striker. I havent been impressed with bent or pav. Ill give Pav some more time before I pass judgement but Bent can go. He'd do well in a promoted team (more space in behind)

Make that 8! People here talking about wanting the new Fabregas, Berbatov, etc. Where from? Can we stay with our feet on the ground for once???

Harry spent a fortune in the winter.. and he still needs to spend more and more and more? That is just insain! Do we actually have a clue what we are doing?

It seems we are just buying players for the sake of it.. there is no logic in it.. How much did we spent in the last couple of years? Exactly.. Where did it get us? Exactly.. relegation zone.

We need a clear long term vision with someone guarding that vision. Now everytime a new manager comes on board we hang on to the new messias and his vision.. we buy new players, fantastic, we get high, we dream.. and than it ends in a nightmare.

We do not have a professional structure nor football vision. MEANING we can spend spend spend zillions and get nowhere. Sorry!

What is the difference between us and Liverpool, ManU and Arsenal?

A. Continuity (we sack and sack and sack)
B. Football vision (we lack one)
C. Scouting (Bent, Bendtner, case closed)
D. We are a "selling" club, whereas we should keep our best players (Spend 16 million
on salary Berbatov rather than a player like Bent).

Just buying and hoping it will come together like a puzzle isn´t the solution you know.. there is no structure at all at our club.

It's kind of a catch 22 situation. Top players wont come to a club that cannot consistently hussle at the top. Yet you cant consistently hussle at the top without top players.

There is also the train of thought that we should just keep the squad we've got and so that everyone really understands each others play style. Look at Modric and lennon, they have come on leaps and bounds since the beginning of the season.

There's also the issue with the wage cap. Whilst i ultimately agree with a cap, it does prevent (greedy) top class players from signing. Although why anyone cannot survive on £50k a week is beyond me.

Personally i think we have a sqaud right now, who is more than capable of a consistent high finish (ie European qaulification). We must do this for the next two/three years AND progress well in Uefa, then we stand a chance of moving to the next phase. We also need a few cup wins in that time as well ;-)

Welcome to the campaign brother. Agree with all of this.
100 players in ten years.9 managers in twelve. Did it work? Nope.

the point is, for me at least, and I suspect many others, this squad isn't good enough to win trophies and consistent top six placings

we need some additions, left side cover, particularly LB, and a striker that's good in the air

maybe more, but that's a start

But its good enough to make progress and thats what we should be aiming for. Buying in players to bridge that top four gap,which man.City seem about to do is a step too far in my opinion.
The new players may not settle whatever their price, Robinho a very gifted player has not really repaid the £35 million fee.
It disrupts the existing squad and if it doesn't pay off pretty quick the manager gets the sack with all that that involves.
The patient is sitting up and taking nourishment, a few faltering steps have been taken. Lets not try to run just yet.We may fall flat on our arses again.

hi jg - i'm not talking about top 4 - I'm talking about top 6 - and I don't think this squad has enough for that plus good cup runs/trophies

to me that's our realistic aim, a cup or a final every so often and tilts at the top 6

we need more for that

incidentally in the last ten years we've been the 5th most successful club in the country, so whatever we've done has worked better than the 95 or so other pro clubs and the hundred or so other decent semi-pro/amateur clubs aiming for pro status

by the end of this season we may not still hold that 5th place, though I think we will (basically everton need to win the FA Cup or Villa get CL to certainly/possibly take it away from us)

the big 4 like colossi stand on each corner of the magic city - no team has come close to breaking into there for at least 7 years, maybe more

but we are right up there with the best of the rest - only relegation would have changed that status this season and thanks to Harry (mainly) that ain't happening