Lake Palmer aka Monk wrote:
Come on Fred, one argument you can't deny is that he was our best player for say 12 games last season. . He scored 5 goals from central midfield and at the supporters evening Sam said he was our best player. But the issue isn't his ability, if you think that is just speculation then you're wrong. The crux of my argument is that I find it difficult to believe that he is lost cause. Yep it will be hard work, and take time but he has shown enough signs that he can be contribute to winning games of football. I don't think Allardyce or West Ham have done enough to sort him out considering the potential upside. And maybe he doesn't need sorting out he just needs to be accomodated so that he can win us games. I don't buy the if Fergie can't sort him out no one can argument. must have missed his qualifications in behavioural therapy. And I don't believe you can't have wrong uns in a team. it isnt a definite that a wrong un in the ranks is detrimental to performances on the pitch.
Monk.

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=2n_dCFuphUIC&pg=PA262&lpg=PA262&dq=alf+ramsey+quote+jack+charlton&source=bl&ots=-W8pu0yAw1&sig=myKN9Y5Q8YWNZ39DpPFLirBPOAc&hl=en&sa=X&ei=0YG7VI2LKcKsU7G1gkg&ved=0CDkQ6AEwBzgK#v=onepage&q=alf%20ramsey%20quote%20jack%20charlton&f=false

If there is one thing that I believe about football is that it is a team game and the important thing is the team, and that the best team is the best team and not the best 11 players.

"the issue isn't his ability" - obviously.

"The crux of my argument is that I find it difficult to believe that he is lost cause" - despite fergie believing it to be true, and BFS taking a chance on him and reluctantly coming to the same conclusion?  Not good enough for the QPR play off final side.  Told to fuck off out of Cardiff. 

"I don't think Allardyce or West Ham have done enough to sort him out considering the potential upside."  Pure speculation.  Do you really think WHUFC are sitting there thinking "he could be a £50m player, but we only paid £650k for him so we won't try everything, we've given it half a go to sort him out and we'll fuck him off just to piss monk off."

Predictions from me -

He'll never play for England.
He'll never play more than 10 PL games in a season for a team that finishes Top 10
He'll never play more than 30 PL games in a season full stop
He'll never be a £10m player
He'll not play a PL game after his 27th birthday

And it wouldn't surprise me if his career is a fuck of a lot worse than that.

If we are prepared to let him go for a nominal fee then I'd say keep him, loan him out abroad and hope that something clicks in his fucked up and fucking tiny brain.  But that is a spin of the wheel, not something I'd do with any expectation of return.