[retired_cmartin281]

If we finish 24th now i'm going to have such egg on my face...

[retired_reptilian72]

Canaries sign Otsemobor

Norwich City boss Peter Grant confirmed his first signing of the summer with Jon Otsemobor set to join the Canaries on July 1 on a Bosman deal.

The 24-year-old has passed a medical and agreed personal terms whilst also putting pen-to-paper on a three-year deal at Carrow Road.

The former Liverpool trainee is set to join up with his new team-mates when pre-season training starts early next month.

Grant said he is delighted to have secured the 24-year-old's signature: “I'm very pleased to get this one sorted as he is one that we have been watching for some time.

“He is strong, athletic and quick and is a very good, young defender. He still has a lot to learn of course but it's no surprise to me he was in the League One team of the year.”

Otsemobor, who is a former England Under-21 international, started his career as a trainee with Liverpool and it is this football education, which was continued at Crewe under Dario Gradi, that has convinced Grant to make a move for the player.

“He is comfortable on the ball as you'd expect from a player who learned his trade at Liverpool and played a lot of games at Crewe, where Dario Gradi always encourages attractive football.

“He is versatile and as well as full-back can play as centre-back or as part of a defensive three. Of course he knows he's still got some learning to do and he's going to be in there competing for a first team place with everyone else, but I'm delighted to add a player of his quality to the squad.

“I'm sure the fans will like him when they see him play, and hopefully he will be a major asset to the club for many years to come.”

Otsemobor had loan spells at Hull City and Bolton in his Anfield days before making a permanent move to Rotherham in July 2005.

He then joined Crewe in the January 2006 transfer window where he caught Grant's eye and earned a slot in the League One team of the year.

The right side of defence was a problematic position for Grant last season with midfielder Andy Hughes finishing the season there. However, Otsemobor's signing should give the City boss the regular right-back that he didn't have the luxury to call upon last season.

[retired_jdupont]

C'mon Douglas Rinaldi!!!!

[retired_knitter82]

I've had a look around to see what kind of odds the bookies are offering.

It seems that practically everyone has the following as the top six (in alphabetical order):

Charlton
Sheffield Utd
Southampton
Watford
West Brom
Wolves

The rest of the teams can roughly be divided into two groups. The mid-table sides are:

Cardiff
Coventry
Crystal Palace
Ipswich
Leicester
Norwich
Preston
Sheffield Wed
Stoke

And the clubs expected to fight against relegation are:

Barnsley
Blackpool
Bristol City
Burnley
Colchester
Hull
Plymouth
QPR
Scunthorpe

Barnsley and Scunthorpe are considered the teams most likely to drop down to League 1.

[Ventil]

cnp from BBC Sport

QPR chairman Gianni Paladini says the club's Italian owners are ready to sell up for about £4m.

Paladini says he will sell his stake for the £650,000 he paid for it when he joined the board in 2004.

Fellow investors Antonio Caliendo and Franco Zanotti are also believed to be prepared to accept the price they paid for their larger stakes.

Paladini said: "We've taken the club as far as we can and don't have the money to take it further."

Between them, Paladini, Caliendo and Zanotti own about 62% of the Championship club.

Paladini added: "We need new investment and new people to take QPR forward. We just want the club to succeed.

"If the right people are there and can show they would be good for QPR, then there is no way we would try to stop them."

Rangers have been plagued by problems on and off the pitch since Paladini and Caliendo took control in 2005 following a bitter power struggle.

Caliendo has loaned the club a substantial amount in order to prevent it from going into administration.

Paladini insists this money will only be repayable should QPR make a profit by reaching the Premiership, and should not be a barrier to a takeover.

But any new owner would have to deal with ongoing losses and 11.59% interest repayments on a £10m loan a previous regime at Loftus Road arranged to take the club out of administration in 2002.

"When we came here the club was in a very bad position," Paladini added.

"Things are better now but we've done all we can and someone else is needed to take things forward.

"As long as they can show they have the money to improve QPR for the future, then I won't be looking for anything more from them than what I paid for my shares. Anything more should go into the club."

Oh great!!!
What are the chances of us doing a Leeds?

*mysteriously wipes off £15m of debt in one go*

[trotamundos]

I want them to fo so badly it's unreal. But on the other hand, who the hell would want anything to do with us?

Trouble.

[Ventil]

Originally posted by Herman Bloom:
I want them to fo so badly it's unreal. But on the other hand, who the hell would want anything to do with us?

Trouble.

It comes back again to the value of the ground without a stadium on it.....

Can't see any other way of generating cash.
Flogging Cookie and Dexter may bring in some cash, but would do far more harm in the long run.

[retired_aliciabh2000]

cant believe the lack of research bookies do before offering odds. obviously not picked up on the the fact that burnley have got new investment and have already signed gabor kiraly and besart berisha who ripped england b apart for albania. add to that bids for saganowski and cureton, and just missing out on parnaby.
still, makes it more worthwhile me betting on us for the playoffs.

[retired_zulemasancheztrevino]

Hopefully we shock a few sides this year with out investment. Our chairmen said he wants top 10 (new chairmen) so who am I to disagree with him. They reckon our wage bill might be doubled as well as our transfer budget, but we will have to see.

So all in all it will be another relegation fight with Windass keeping us up on the last day.

[retired_gitfresh]

FAO - Gino, and any other Burnleh fans.

Tell me about this lad Lafferty.

I've heard a whisper