How do you feel about our two new signings?

Colback - Changing colours So we've signed two players, on permanent deals. Bring out the banners and stop the press! This kind of things doesn't happen often.

Ayoze Perez has joined us from Tenerife whilst Jack Colback has joined us from our bitter rivals on Wearside, with rather amusing reactions from those of a red and white persuasion as a result.

To be honest I can't really knock the Colback transfer. We picked him up for nowt and he's a tidy player. Nothing spectacular and certainly no replacement for Yohan Cabaye, but he'll do a job and despite his time spent at Sunderland, he is actually a United fan so he'll give his all for us and at least we'll have one player in our ranks who knows what it means to play in a Tyne-Wear derby!

Speaking of which, many fans have reservations about him purely because of his reaction after recent derby victories for Sunderland. I suggest people get over it and realise that he was just doing a job for the club who actually gave him a breakthrough in the Premier League. Alan Shearer celebrated enough goals against us before he joined us which is worth pointing out. He was just doing his job.

I can't really comment on Perez as I can't say my personal knowledge of the Spanish second division is up there with the best. He sounds like a decent enough prospect though but we don't exactly have a great record of developing prospects do we? Plus he is said to be small, technical and pacey, which isn't the kind of player that Pardew seems to like. He's not even a left-back for goodness sake!

So back to my original question. How do I feel about these two new signings. Uninspired I guess. Yes we need our squad building but that is through the neglect from the past few transfer windows, but we also need our first team strengthened and whilst Colback may strengthen it overall, I'd like to think we have our eyes on better players to plug those gaps in the first team.

I'm in danger of sounding like I'm clamouring for superstar signings. I'm not. But I do want the first team strengthened and for me neither of these should be doing that.

That is why I'm underwhelmed...