Useless evaluating transfer windows before the season has progressed a bit.
Which club has done the best business this transfer window?
- Thread starter AgentP
- Start date
Yeah people are really clueless if they're putting your window in good category. If you had signed one very good centerback then maybe there was a case but it's not the case right now. Bizarre to not even consider alternatives by Klopp.
Well I'm happy Arsenal didn't get Lemar and haven't strengthened.
I'm happy Liverpool never got VVD, Lemar or Keita for this season. Their signings, outside of Salah, seem typical Liverpool.
I'm glad City didn't get Sanchez.
I'm glad Conte will be tearing his wig out too.
I'm happy Liverpool never got VVD, Lemar or Keita for this season. Their signings, outside of Salah, seem typical Liverpool.
I'm glad City didn't get Sanchez.
I'm glad Conte will be tearing his wig out too.
Everything is all good and dandy cause your best players are still in their prime, things begin to change once that is no longer the case. Bayern have been trying to cheapskate their way to Robben/Ribery replacements for years to no avail. I could've a few years ago made a similar list for our club with all the youngsters we signed yet very few of them turned out to be worthy United players, some with bigger reputations than those you list(Nani, Anderson, the twins etc). If you could list for me a replacement list for Modric, Isco, Ronaldo and Benzema then i'd say you guys are geared for the future. The second choice striker being Mayoral is far from ideal. The spending will commence once those players are nearing the end of their peaks and rightfully so. Right now is obviously the perfect time to gamble on some young players, but that wont last forever and proper changing of the guard will have to take place. That is where transfer windows are going to be important for your club.
A few years ago Barca had a team that used to strike fear in everyone, now everyone sees them as being vulnerable. They also had very highly rated youngsters, yet most haven't gone on to show that they'll be stars. It's lead to them scrambling around with a desperation that leads to being taken advantage of. Filling the squad is one thing, replacing Iniesta, Xavi, Alves and now Neymar is proving to be an absolute pain even with all the money in the world.
I think people got sidetracked by the Lemar talk last night.
I personally think United had the best window of the top 6 contenders followed by City. We still have holes, but they aren't as big as some of the others. Tottenham did well to not lose anyone major outside of Walker, but I don't think they really improved. Liverpool still has a very flawed spine, especially at CB or G. Salah looks like a good purchase, but they were already quite strong up top. AOC has played like 12 games in his time at Arsenal in the position they are asking him to fix. Keita is a great purchase if how he played last year is what he will be. He gets dramatically overhyped on Rawk, but he's one of the best u-24 mid's in the world. The structure of the deal while understandable is frustrating and risky.
Chelsea did bad in my eyes, mainly because they turned Matic (while strengthening us) into Drinkwater. Costa was a ticking time bomb, so I can't blame them too much for that. Morata is good but riskier than Lukaku.
Arsenal clearly did the worst. They are in shambles. They tried selling guys who they had to keep (Mustafi), they are going to lose Sanchez for an extreme discount in Jan or for free. They almost panicked and dramatically overpaid for Lamar (which to an extent was understandable due to their position).
I think we have the best squad in theory in terms epl. Best transfer window.... good but maybe not the best, Lukaku and Matic are quality but Lindelof has a far way to go. We kept basically everyone but Rooney which is good but I think if we had signed a wing back / winger we would have been clearly the best in the window.
How is City no 1? All their signings have been players from other leagues... we'll have to wait and see if they can adjust to the EPL. They failed to sign a CB or a forward. I don't see any of their signings making an immediate impact.
Everton is a good call but they might have too many players... there is a fine balance. And I don't think they've replaced Lukaku.
I think it's between United and Spurs. Both clubs held on to important players and strengthened the squad.
Chelsea and Arsenal on the other hand have been woeful. At least with Arsenal, you can understand it with them being out of the CL but Conte has a weaker squad than last year when they were out of the CL. I don't see Chelsea keeping up with this squad unless they get knocked out of Europe.
Signing the equivalent of Rooney in today's terms is signing Mbappe. They haven't done that. Not to sure who's the most expensive teenager nowadays but that's what Ronaldo was when we got him. Fact is, we tried the same plan for years and it ended in us having to spend lots and lots of money in the market to replace big players(during the value years). Some which we're still struggling to replace today. The youth market is a fickle business, very hit and miss. When you replace key players, that's where a club, especially a very successful one's mettle is tested. Not now as the Madrid star players are in the prime of their careers but that wont Last forever.
That's a fair point.
I will address the names you mentioned:
Modric - We have Kovacic (23) and Isco (25). In terms of Kroos, we also have a young player by the name of Valverde who just went on loan. look for him to have a similar impact to what Llorente did last season.
Ronaldo - We have a young player by the name of Asensio, you may have heard of him.
Isco - Not sure why we need a replacement, he is only 25.
Benzema - The is probably the biggest concern, also the reason why we tried so hard to sign Mbappe, but considering the rest of the squad I am not too worried as it is one player not a multitude of positions that need filling like Barcelona. I still think mayoral will surprise a lot of people, he is only 20, best position he can be in. At the end of the day we have spent nothing over the last few seasons, if we have to we can splash the cash if needed on a new CF signing.
The correct answer is probably (as always) Bayern. They've bought well yet again, gotten decent value for the players they've deemed surplus to requirements, and have weakened domestic rivals as per usual.
Kovacic seems to be used as a holding mid most of the time by Zidane and he's about a season away from asking for a transfer if his minutes don't go up.
Asensio isn't a forward like Ronaldo and won't be any time soon.
fair on isco, we'll see how that kid goes on about being a kroos level player.
Benzema still an issue.
The thing is you assume all these youngsters will mature into stars, I can promise you they wont.
Can't work out whether Spurs have reinforced sensibly or ruined the balance of their side. Like someone above said, this question is unanswerable for about a month.
Kovacic was only a holding mid because we had no one else, now that Marcos has joined he will be played mostly at CM, see our first leg away to Barcelona for an example of him playing in Modric's role and what he can do.
Asensio plays in the same LW/LF position Ronaldo does and switches like he does.
I don't assume anything, they for the most part don't need to be stars, just good enough.
On that topic though, no one thought Varane, Carvajal, Casemiro, Asensio, Lucas and Isco would be as good as they are now, contributing the way they are and yet here we are winning everything.
They need to be stars if they are ever to replace your star players. You don't go around winning title after title if your players are just good enough.
We'll agree to disagree on the Asensio point. He might be playing on the left and switch but he isnt playing like a forward imo, much more a playmaker, looks far more suited to that role anyways.
Isco was always seen as a huge prospect and we battled you guys for the transfer of Verane. Fill the squad with guys like lucas and you'll find yourselves in trouble. Heck, you guys have just lost 2 points due to not having convincing forwards outside of Ronaldo with Benzema having a mare. The contributions in the squad are solid but the team would be nothing without its stars. I don't see a window where no definite replacement for any star player can be classed as a the best window by any team.
Also didnt you guys have Casemiro at the back due to a lack of depth?
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As an Arsenal fan to me:
PL
1) United
2) Everton
3) Swansea
I also feel City, Chelsea and Arsenal all had disappointing windows with Arsenal being the most woeful.
PL
1) United
2) Everton
3) Swansea
I also feel City, Chelsea and Arsenal all had disappointing windows with Arsenal being the most woeful.
I would say that Chelsea have been more woeful than Arsenal considering they were champions and are in the CL. Chelsea replaced Costa with Morata but they needed further reinforcements up front which they didn't get. They also lost Matic and made United stronger. Their squad is thin and when injuries start piling up, they'll be in trouble. Arsenal only lost AOC but I don't think that will have that much impact because they're not in the CL.
Isco was and always has been a backup for us though until the last 6 months where he has forced his way into the starting 11 and made himself one of the best midfielders in the world.
Varane only had 6 months professional football experience when we bought him for 10m, did anyone really see him being the star he is today, starting in two UCL finals by the age of 24?
Lack of depth, no, we have four CB's for two positions, just bad luck that two were out injured and one was suspended. We didn't lose the game against Valencia because Benzema had a bad game we lost because we conceded two goals because we had only one fit CB. Shit happens.
The only star I am worried about that we can't replace right now is Ronaldo, but as it is he looks like he could play another 2-3 years at least, even in saying that we have still done fairly well when he hasn't played. Every other position we are in pretty good shape for.
Our squad is very good and imo, only got better over the summer, in very key areas. But we will see how the season plays out. PSG/Bayern/Juve also improved so it will be interesting to see what happens.
I'm not as down on Chelsea's window as many people it seems. I feel Morata fits Conte's system better than Costa so even though Costa had some unique qualities Morata offers something else. Also Conte seemed to just not rate Matic as much as Mourinho. I might be overrating Bakayoko based on his Monaco performances but I think thats a wash as well. Chelsea as champions don't need to strengthen as much as Arsenal who missed top 4 for the first time in decades.
Arsenal failed to get rid of ridiculous deadweight on our wages - Debuchy at all Jenkinson, Campbell, Lucas just on loan, signed a player that should have been signed in 2015 (Laca) and the mess involving players like Mustafi, Sanchez, etc. Us Arsenal fans were sold another lie for years about this alleged "rainy day fund" as the reason we kept 200 mil in the bank every year and now we finally miss CL that is looking like a very shady lie. We turned a fecking €15M profit this window ffs. After missing CL. That's worse than the champs just treading water imo
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Liverpool, and Klopp, had a shocker. The Keita transfer is as nonsensical as it is misdirection. RAWKies fell for it hook, line and sinker, as per usual. No alternatives to van Dijk and Keita really is a bizarre position for a supposed big club to find themselves in.
As champions they might not need to reinforce but let's not forget that they were champions who weren't in Europe. Chelsea needed to strengthen because now they're competing in Europe and the EPL. Morata was a good signing but if he gets injured, who do they have? Same with Matic. Conte might not have rated him as highly as Mourinho but letting him go weakens their squad at a time when they need a strong squad.
Yes, Arsenal missed out on top 4. They should have strengthened their squad last season. But as it is, they're not in the CL and I think this squad is good enough to compete for top 4 without the burden of playing in the CL. Look at the market, it's weak. Arsenal could have got rid of a lot of players but there aren't really many quality replacements on the market at the moment. The real test will come if and when they get back to the CL.
Mahrez would have been 100/ 100 for man united in the window.
A lot depends upon Mkh's form and the likes of lingard and Rahsford and martial stepping up. But when the level of football gets higher i think we lack that creativity on the right hand side which would provide the right balance to go long long way for the UCL latter stages. Defense and midfeild is super strong but the attack has one blunt edge remaining to be sharp.
City are attack heavy but their defense and def mid is still their soft spot from which they will conceed goals.
Liv lack that defenders to push on for title challenges and trophies.
Tottenham did very well in the end. Very screwed buisness.
CHelsea are a bit underrated here , yes they lost matic but they are still pretty solid if you ask me. Morata will fit on just fine depth may be their concern but when they get going they'll be hard to stop again. They have got that balance and creativity in them. Ucl will be a test for them to see how they react.
Arsenal Worst of the lot.. Europa league lack of depth, lack of quality, uncommitted players , stubborn manager. I see their only hopes of getting ucl next year is europa league which also might be a very tough competiton for them and the effect it will have on their epl campaign is huge.
A lot depends upon Mkh's form and the likes of lingard and Rahsford and martial stepping up. But when the level of football gets higher i think we lack that creativity on the right hand side which would provide the right balance to go long long way for the UCL latter stages. Defense and midfeild is super strong but the attack has one blunt edge remaining to be sharp.
City are attack heavy but their defense and def mid is still their soft spot from which they will conceed goals.
Liv lack that defenders to push on for title challenges and trophies.
Tottenham did very well in the end. Very screwed buisness.
CHelsea are a bit underrated here , yes they lost matic but they are still pretty solid if you ask me. Morata will fit on just fine depth may be their concern but when they get going they'll be hard to stop again. They have got that balance and creativity in them. Ucl will be a test for them to see how they react.
Arsenal Worst of the lot.. Europa league lack of depth, lack of quality, uncommitted players , stubborn manager. I see their only hopes of getting ucl next year is europa league which also might be a very tough competiton for them and the effect it will have on their epl campaign is huge.
Saying your squad got better is really wishful thinking. It got younger, but saying better is stretch, the clubs accounts got better though. isco was always a huge talent hence you guys paid so much to sign him, anyone that saw him play will tell you his ability was never in doubt. Verane had United and Madrid chasing him and he's a heavily capped youth international. You guys lost Morata, Pepe and Rodriguez and replaced them with lots of kids. Benzema did cost you the match, he missed 4 clear cut chances. Last season Morata could come of the bench to seal the deal, not anymore. Your CB's are Ramos, Verane, a mediocre defender in Nacho and an injury prone kid whom no one can be sure how he's going to do at the highest level. That's not good depth no matter how it's dressed. where you guy's squad is strong is in midfield. Any team that a player like Kovacic can't get into on a week to week basis is very strong there.
Dortmund also did well on paper: Toprak, Toljan, Zagadou, Dahoud, Yarmolenko, Philipp.
Best: PSG by a mile
Best in England: Hard to say so early but Utd look most settled so far although i think its between us and City.
Worst in England: Press would tell you Arsenal but for me its Newcastle.
Best in England: Hard to say so early but Utd look most settled so far although i think its between us and City.
Worst in England: Press would tell you Arsenal but for me its Newcastle.
In epl
1- shitty
2- united
3 - chelsea
1- shitty
2- united
3 - chelsea
City have made the most impressive signings but I don't think you can say they had the best window since they still have gaping holes in their defence and the jury is out on their keeper(s).
United on the other hand may not have signed the most glamorous players but have improved markedly on last year.
Overall I'd say United and City from the PL, with not much between them.
United on the other hand may not have signed the most glamorous players but have improved markedly on last year.
Overall I'd say United and City from the PL, with not much between them.
So...
LFC:
- Broke their net spend twice (Selah, Keita), matched it (AOC). Wanted to do so again, but couldn't get VVD + Lemar.
- No pedigreed CB added.
-Retained Coutinho
Tottenham:
- Strenthened defense by bringning Sanchez and Aurier (for very good value); lost Kyle Walker. Also added Foyth (no idea how good/bad he is).
-Strengthened attack with Llorente.
City:
- Considerably strengthened fullback options with Mendy, Walker and Danilo.
- Added Ederson.
- Added a class midfielder in Silva.
- Not adding Sanchez may hurt them.
Chelsea:
- Added Morata, who's currently a downgrade on D. Costa
- Added Bakayoko, Drinkwater, lost Matic.
- Added Zappacosta, Ruddiger in defense.
I think all our rivals strengthened, but none had a stellar window.
LFC:
- Broke their net spend twice (Selah, Keita), matched it (AOC). Wanted to do so again, but couldn't get VVD + Lemar.
- No pedigreed CB added.
-Retained Coutinho
Tottenham:
- Strenthened defense by bringning Sanchez and Aurier (for very good value); lost Kyle Walker. Also added Foyth (no idea how good/bad he is).
-Strengthened attack with Llorente.
City:
- Considerably strengthened fullback options with Mendy, Walker and Danilo.
- Added Ederson.
- Added a class midfielder in Silva.
- Not adding Sanchez may hurt them.
Chelsea:
- Added Morata, who's currently a downgrade on D. Costa
- Added Bakayoko, Drinkwater, lost Matic.
- Added Zappacosta, Ruddiger in defense.
I think all our rivals strengthened, but none had a stellar window.
I don't know why people still keep going on about City not signing a CB. On his day, Kompany is easily the best CB in the league, and yes the only caveat is if he remains fit. Isn't that the same for our Jones. Unless we want to be biased, Kompany, Otamendi, Stones and Mangala are not championship level CBs, they are probably just good enough for Pep who isn't big on defence.
They failed to sign a forward? Do they not have Aguero and Jesus, probably two of the deadliest finishers in the league. They replaced their FBs with way better ones, Silva is an upgrade on Navas, Ederson is a promising GK and looks a better prospect than Bravo.
However Pep wants to fit all these players is not our problem, as opposed to all the United fans who constantly yap in about it. The fact is that, he has all these players at his disposal. So without being unbiased, where have they not strengthened?
Whether it all comes together come June, that is the test for all, including United.
Yes they have lost Lukaku but were they really going to be able to replace a player of his calibre just like that? The singings of Pickford, Keane, Sigurdsson are definite upgrades. Sandro is a promising prospect as is Klasnic (sp) for the forward positions. Klassen is also a player the manager knows well. So all in all, that is more than a pretty decent window for a club of their level.
United have done well no doubt but when compared to last season, Matic is the only significant upgrade. We have a bigger squad in terms of quantity but not so much in quality IMO. The offensive and defensive wife areas are still suspect as they have been for the last 2-3 seasons. It was an obvious need before the window and still is. A good window nonetheless.
Spurs is a different one. Where do you go from strengthening the best XI in the league? They sold Walker and replaced him a younger FB that's potentially better than him. All they need was strengthening their depth; Davidson over Simmer, Llorente over Jansen and Foyth who is highly rated. Their window is just as good as United IMO.
My argument for Chelsea is similar to Spurs. The Matic deal is our gain but was it real that of a loss to Conte? There is talk that Matic did not fit the profile of the perfect partner to Kante. He probably won't be first pick under Conte or second even as the Bakayoko deal has been in the pipeline for a while, apparently. Chelsea like Spurs had the most balanced XI and now they are in the CL, what they needed was cover more than anything else. I'll argue that though they have a slightly thinner squad than United, they have a fitting direct replacement for key areas. Batshuayi for the forward position, Willian for the wide forward position, Bakayoko and Drinkwater for the CM, Zappacosta for WB, Rudiger and Christensen for CBs.
Arsenal? They have strengthened massively. Strengthened my resolve to watch more Arsenal Fan TV.
Agree with the first two, don't think Liverpool have done that well tbh. Still didn't address the defense problem. No upgrades in midfield - Keita comes in next year.
I liked this post, balanced.
Spurs is an interesting one, the unpredictable yet talented Aurier and the rated forward Llorente who will give them more attacking options. I can already see Eriksen crossing for him to score.
Don't know much about Sanchez yet at least he will strengthen their squad defensively.
You're talking about the strength of their current squad not about how effectively they've improved it.
Yes Kompany is a great defender (wouldn't say he's easily the best defender anymore) but the fact is that his injury record hasn't been great and City always falter when he's out. They need a back up for that. It's not comparable to Jones. He's not our best CB and if he gets injured, we have Rojo, Smalling and even Blind. Where are those options for Pep? Just because the CB position needs reinforcements doesn't mean that anyone is saying that their current CBs are championship level - that's a stretch. But they're obviously lacking something.
Yes they have Aguero and Jesus. But Aguero's injury record is getting worse as he gets older. Yes, Silva maybe an upgrade but it's too soon to tell. New GK - may look like a better prospect than Bravo but he's still from a different league and has already looked suspect.
He had all these players at his disposal last season and didn't win the league. That points to weaknesses that need to be addressed which he hasn't done unless he's planning on changing his system which is unlikely.
They're still a very strong team with a strong squad but that doesn't necessarily mean that he's strengthened more than last season which isthe point here.
Yeah Everton have definitely bought some promising players. Definitely a good window in terms of talent but I have doubts whether such a large and sudden influx will gel immediately. I think we can only judge come October.
I actually think we've done better than last season. Matic definitely. Lukaku may not be an upgrade per se but he works better in this system. We didn't need to get a new CB, just reinforce the position for the injuries and we did that with Lindelof. Yes, a RW would have been ideal but defensively, it's hard to find someone better than Valencia. And I think Shaw will come through. We actually have the same sized squad as last year and I think our quality has improved. When we have players like Herrera, Rojo, Martial on the bench, we can't say that our depth lacks quality.
As for Spurs, yeah they've added depth but with players unproven in the PL. Time will tell if they add to the depth of the squad effectively. The best thing Spurs have done this window is keeping their best players which is a very good window for them. Is Aurier an improvement on Walker? We don't know yet. That's the reality with signing players from other league - they might have good reputations but that counts for nothing.
I think whenever a team strengthens a direct rival, it's a loss for them. When was the last time we sell a player to a direct rival in the league that significantly improve them? Matic might not have been first pick but losing a player of his quality weakens the squad especially when you're in the CL when you need that kind of quality depth. Chelsea might have a balanced first XI but not a balanced squad in terms of quality. They might have direct replacements in terms of position but not in terms of quality.
Arsenal aren't in the CL. They don't need to strengthen. Their squad is strong enough to get them back in the CL and then they need to strengthen.
Don't understand the why City is rated so highly.
Added to this they have no real holding midfielder, aside from possibly Gundogan who is a crock. And Pep's relationship with Aguero won't have been helped by his failed pursuit of Alexis.
Added to this they have no real holding midfielder, aside from possibly Gundogan who is a crock. And Pep's relationship with Aguero won't have been helped by his failed pursuit of Alexis.
PL aggregate transfer spending in the summer window has nearly trebled in five years. £490m in 2012, £1.4bn this summer. Might be too soon to assess which club has done best in the market at this stage, but no question it's getting harder to keep up with the inflation.
I like what Spurs did in the end. Selling a starter to a rival is never ideal, but £45m + £5m for Walker was a good deal, and with Aurier coming in at £23m, they might even have upgraded if Pochettino can curb his attitude and he takes to the PL well. With the rest of that money, they've brought in better back-up for Kane in Llorente and a highly-rated CB prospect in Foyth.
Sanchez was a lot of money, but one of the most promising young CB's in world football and they probably had to make a move and get somebody in now with a year to adjust in case Alderweireld doesn't sign a new deal.
They've probably upgraded their squad overall whilst breaking-even which is no easy task. They maybe could have done more to strengthen, but overall solid business especially as they left it all late. In the wake of Rose's comments and probably growing discontent amongst their supporters at the lack of signings, they stayed strong and didn't panic buy and got some very good deals.
Sanchez was a lot of money, but one of the most promising young CB's in world football and they probably had to make a move and get somebody in now with a year to adjust in case Alderweireld doesn't sign a new deal.
They've probably upgraded their squad overall whilst breaking-even which is no easy task. They maybe could have done more to strengthen, but overall solid business especially as they left it all late. In the wake of Rose's comments and probably growing discontent amongst their supporters at the lack of signings, they stayed strong and didn't panic buy and got some very good deals.
In the Premier League. United and West Brom.
In the EPL: M.City 8, M. United/Liverpool: 7,5, Spurs 7, Chelsea 6.5, Arsenal 5
In Europe: Zenit 8, Paris SG 8, AC Milan 8.. Borussia 7.5, Real Madrid 7, Bayern 7, Juventus 6.5, Barcelona 4.5
In Europe: Zenit 8, Paris SG 8, AC Milan 8.. Borussia 7.5, Real Madrid 7, Bayern 7, Juventus 6.5, Barcelona 4.5
I agree Matic & Lukaku have been really good signings, & you can see their effect on the team in the first few games. We also signed a defender, who in my opinion wasn't needed. My concern if either of these players or both get injured long term we will be back where we were, which will not be good & any league title will certainly say goodbye. Please don't mention we will have Ibrahimovic in the new year as although he scored loads of goals, the team suffered, & we came a distant 6th.
As for the best transfer business, if City overcome their defensive frailties it will be them. I think whoever gets above them in the league will win it. The worst in the Premiership of the top clubs has to be Arsenal, whilst Brighton & Newcastle say hello for the also rans. As for abroad, Real Madrid are the best side & it certainly hasn't weakened. PSG look like they had the best on paper, but we will see. The worst has to be Barcelona, even signing a Spurs flop.
As for the best transfer business, if City overcome their defensive frailties it will be them. I think whoever gets above them in the league will win it. The worst in the Premiership of the top clubs has to be Arsenal, whilst Brighton & Newcastle say hello for the also rans. As for abroad, Real Madrid are the best side & it certainly hasn't weakened. PSG look like they had the best on paper, but we will see. The worst has to be Barcelona, even signing a Spurs flop.
I thought Leicester had one of the best windows. Keeping Mahrez and bringing in Maguire, Iborra, Iheanacho and Dragovic while selling Drinkwater and Tom Lawrance, two former United players they signed for less than 3m, managing to make a 40m profit..
West Brom's, also was very good.
West Brom's, also was very good.
To say we've had a shocker is far fetched. The same Liverpool squad (minus the four new signings) finished 4th with 76 points last season.
It's a big gamble to take with the CB situation but if we end up in the top four and win a trophy I don't think any Liverpool fan will mind. The Keita situation was fairly straightforward. RBL wouldn't sell him in this window to anyone, so instead of waiting and risking a bigger club signing him next year Liverpool signed him first.
I would have liked us to sign another CB but to say we've had a terrible window is ridiculous. I'd give us 6/10.
I think there's an argument to say that any of last seasons top six is an injury or two away (in certain positions) from being in a bit of bother.