All the wrong headlines - Worrying times...

Last updated : 30 June 2011 By Chris Parry

We all recall the worrying summers of the past when the media did nothing but speculate about our top players wanting away - Henry and Vieira were the two most high profile subjects.

It's 2011 and nothing has changed, except that as of now I'd say that Cesc and Samir are genuinely looking for a way out of the door.

This is sad - it's a sign of the lack of ambition which seems to pervade the club at all levels at the moment.

I know you'll all tell me to stop reading the papers and sit tight, but frankly I just don't hear anything encouraging coming from the club. We seem to have placed ourselves firmly in 'selling club' mode as a result of our restrictive wage structure and apparent lack of any desire to strengthen a side that I feel isn't far short of being able to challenge at the highest level.

If the pair do leave the club, we simply won't replace them with players of equal ability or stature, so once again we'll be trying to maintain our 'top four' status as opposed to pushing onwards and upwards.

I hope I'm proved wrong and that positive steps are taken this summer, but I remain pessemistic - we'll see.