steve_69

Is there really no end to this man's cuntishness?!

What a guy! Looking at him you'd never think he was so humble. Can't think of the last time i wanted us to sign a player as much as him.

The only problem with Shelvey getting called up is I might have to give a passing interest to watching England games again. Not sure i can be arsed with that hassle

Probably our next MD

Different positions though. Alli is more of a number 10 whereas Shelvey would probably compete for Henderson/Wilshere's position. You also have to bear in mind the players Alli has around him at Tottenham. I doubt he'd be quite so outstanding with Dwight Gayle in front of him and Ritchie & Atsu on the wings

Rooney was an absolute liability for years but apparently his 'edge' was an asset that made him the player he was. Different story for Jonjo though. The double standards from the FA, former players, pundits and commentators is sickening

If he gets an opportunity to move to one of the big CL clubs then fair play to the guy. It's probably a once in a lifetime opportunity and you couldn't blame him for going for it. As a footballer he has to back himself to succeed wherever he goes. If it just paper talk though, I think we'd be in pole position to sign him. He's absolutely thriving under Rafa and he's loved by the fans. It would be great to see a banner for him at the last home game of the season thanking him for what he's done. Might just tug on the heartstrings a bit.

I think Southgate has had a proper brain fart with his decision not to include Shelvey. With the amount of pace he'd have around him, his vision and passing would be lethal. . When you consider Jake Livermore has been getting a game lately, it's a real kick in the chuff for Shelvey. I guess England's loss is our gain

He is a crock and has never quite lived up to the hype. He plays well about one in four games... Not for me! He just needs a bit of Rafa love. It worked for Mo

Injuries mainly. 2 ACL ruptures. I saw him play at the Olympics at SJP and he ran the show. He's still only 25 as well apparently

Munain would be perfect! Spanish connection as well.

Ben Arfa under Keegan/Bobby would've been a thing of beauty

No, continually tell Mitro that he isn't being picked because of his lack of effort in training and needs to step it up, and then play him anyway because the fans are kicking off.

It's a shame for him and his career here. Not every manager he plays under will be as discerning and demanding as Rafa though, so he'll still be able to forge a good career for himself without changing his ways. Personally I love the way Rafa has his standards and sticks to them regardless. I'd have lost a lot of respect for him if he'd caved under fan pressure and started Mitro. It's the kind of shit Pardew would do, the gutless simpleton!

I wasn't suggesting there was a correlation really. It's just interesting that there are so many complaints about him leaving and doing well, and yet we've only lost once since he's gone. I could understand it more if we'd lost every game while Mitro was banging them in for Fulham

Am i right in thinking we've only lost once since Mitro left? And that was to Liverpool?

He wasn't known for it though was he. He was known for being a very good, ultra-commited no-nonsense defender. I dare say more CBs have had excellent distribution than they were given credit for, because ultimately they were judged on their defensive capabilities, and rightly so IMO. I'm not interested in the defensive capabilities of a striker, i'm interested in whether he can score goals. Anything beyond that is a bonus. John Stones is hailed as some sort of CB of the future despite being a bit of a liability. I'd far rather have a defender that can be relied upon to defend well and if he happens to have good distribution as well, that's just a bonus.

I agree with you that defenders who defend first and attack later shouldn't be overlooked or scoffed at, not at all. As I said, I think he's a quality defender. Secondly, I don't think it's utter f***ing tripe. You can't go to the World Cup with the aim of looking to dominate possession and having to break down teams with one quality (on the ball) Center Back and another OK (on the ball) Center Back. Especially against the better teams, they'll figure you out. Personally I would take him if I were manager, but I also wouldn't place so much emphasis on England dominating possession as we're not good enough to win like that. He doesn't yet suit the way England want to play, that's unfortunately the way it is for Jamaal. But I agree with people that if some other mid-table fodder can get the nod then you'd have to wonder why wouldn't he get a chance in the friendlies at least. Leicester won the Premier League very recently with two of them. This idea that a central defender should be more John Stones than John Terry is utter bullshit

I just don't get why the FA have to fuck about with simple rules. Deliberate handball = freekick, and harsher punishment if it denies a clear goal. Not deliberate = carry on with the game. Why change it to 'if the hand is in an unnatural position'?! I'd say someone trying to defend with their hands behind their back is about as unnatural as it gets.

I'd love a 4-3 defeat. I'm sure we'd all prefer that than a 0-1 win for us.

It's a situation that's easily rectified - if the players would stop fucking throwing themselves to the ground at every opportunity VAR would only be needed for offside decisions. I think it's great that it's proving to be such a mess and taking ages because its frustrating the very players whose cheating has created the need for it. Fuck em!

Merino has given away a fair few free kicks in his performances since injury, and that seems to be something Rafa really objects to. One of the reasons cited for Mitro not getting a game is how much of a liability he was. There were also strong rumours about Shelvey leaving in January and I wonder if that was to do with his rashness as well (could just as easily have been bollocks though).

"Hey asswhole" I lost it reading that!

Sondico ones - 75% off

It really does. Let's just have a feature where a former ref. agrees with every decision his mate made and refuses to criticise his blatant errors. Fucking class! They either need to be told to stop being so fucking biased or get binned permanently.