ohmelads

I sit somewhere in the middle but agree more with Mick. I think there's some truth that young English players don't get a chance quite as early as they would but at the same time if we had a young English version of Iniesta, Pirlo, Messi or Ronaldo sitting in Newcastle's reserves they'd get a run in our team sooner or later! Carroll, Taylor and Shola all got their chance, Sammy Ameobi is getting a chance too and so is Ferguson. Hell even Ramage and Huntington got games. If we thought Forster was better than Krul he'd be in the team week in week out. Fact is this generation of England players aren't so good, that's why teams like Newcastle turn abroad for young players like Vuckic and Krul. We're trying to blood our local youngsters where we can but generally they're not good enough.

Thing Hodgson and England made the most of an extremely messy buildup to the tournament. Whatever people say about Lampard, and a lot of bollocks has been said down the years by tabloid journos, he's a massive danger in the right areas, he can play people in and his presence was missed. Gerrard did his best but we needed someone else in midfield, a cool head capable of a defence splitting pass, switching the play quickly or striking from distance and Lampard ticks those boxes. Parker is a pretty limited player but he does what he's told and gives his all. It typified England's performance here and throughout the tournament - disciplined but lacking skill or flair. Hodgson will come out of it with credit and he deserves to. Looking at the England squad we had to play the way we did, we're in a period of transition with a weaker generation of players than the previous one and injuries throughout the team. We were a penalty shootout away from the semis. I think the Germans have been overhyped this time around and struggled against Portugal but they will have a major advantage with 2 days' extra rest, not to mention the extra time the Italians played. Credit to Italy, the better team went through. At least England leave with their heads held high and have something to build upon for 2014. By then, new players will come through and we should be able to attack it with a stronger squad.

Pirlo is right but Italy won the world cup in much the same way. Defending, taking their chances and a good deal of luck. So it's a bit rich coming from Pirlo to say we are 'very lucky' to get this far when we haven't lost a game yet. Gerrard and Hodgson sound confident enough and are saying the right things. It's just a case of whether we can hit form at the right time, but I've seen nothing from Italy to suggest we'll take a pasting here. It'll be a tight game and Hodgson's experience in Italy might work to our advantage because he knows their tactical mindset. If we can play at a quick tempo we may last the distance better than they do. When Croatia upped the tempo Italy looked tired in the latter stages of the game. And we do have some serious pace on our bench. Goes without saying we need to be tight on Pirlo every time he gets the ball. What odds on an early clattering tackle and yellow card from Parker?

Pointing to a few isolated games where Messi didn't score isn't evidence of anything, because in those games he was a constant threat and you might recall the other team was resorting to last ditch defending. Both Chelsea and Inter were backs to the wall in those games and relied on a good slice of luck to make it through, you have to against Barca. You can look at any striker in history and find plenty games where he didn't score. He probably wouldn't score as many goals in the Premier League as he does in La Liga but neither did Ronaldo. He still scores plenty more than Ronaldo in Spain and his assists record is incredible. He hasn't won a world cup but I always see this argument as irrelevant because football is a team game and no one player wins a world cup. Pele didn't win it singlehandedly for Brazil, he had a world class team around him. Messi went to the world cup with a divided team and a mentalist of a coach. Are people suggesting that Pele would have dragged them to the final?

He needs to nail his colours to the mast soon because we don't need another Enrique situation. My gut feeling is we'll lose him and are already lining up a potential replacement. I'd be sad to see him go but I also think he could be easier to replace than the likes of Tiote or Ben Arfa. His potential for injury and his involvement in the ACoN count against him really. I'm sure he's holding out for a better contract and also keeping his options open for a bigger move but the club will be reluctant to throw big money at him given fears over his knee and his ACoN involvement. They might see it as a lot easier to just replace a player who they see as messing them about. I hope he agrees to sign a new deal and commits but if he's intent on leaving just let him go and bring in a versatile forward who complements Cisse and can play during the ACoN.

Perhaps the NUFC bias coming through here but I'm surprised he wasn't brought on at the end. France clearly needed someone not afraid to lose the ball and try a risky dribble, jink, pass or shot that would fox the Spanish defence, and Ben Arfa's your man for that. They had to gamble at 1-0 down and they never did. As the commentator said they went out with a whimper and you have to say got what they deserved. Spain by their own standards were poor and it's not often you get the chance to play them in sloppy form. France missed a big chance to knock them out today.

Why? He's a decent defensive midfielder no doubt, but his disciplinary record, his recent injury record and his lesser performances against 'weaker' opposition mean we could probably pick up a decent replacement for a fraction of the fee he'd command. I'd be more concerned about the worrying signal it would send to our better player as opposed to a lack of faith in being able to replace him. I have the same doubts over his disciplinary an fitness record and if a massive bid of say 20M came in it would be tempting. But on his day he's a beast and was part of the reason our defence held firm in many games. If he can sort his disciplinary record and stay injury free I wouldn't want to lose him at any price. Top defensive midfielders aren't easy to find and we should remember the years of Amdy Faye, Butt, and Smith as a reminder of what happens when you just throw in a substandard player to protect the back four. I'd say his form dipped a bit compared to the previous season but we'd have a very hard time finding someone as good. We might put the money to squad strengthening but it could leave a big hole in the first team.

Can't stand Redknapp so no sympathy. Could be the excuse a few of their players needed to leave, and hopefully the start of a decline because, arrogant as it might sound, if we're on the way up then they're a potential rival. They're probably gonna bring in a good replacement manager and hand him some decent wedge to spend so I don't think they'll slip that much. I do see a period of transition though with their slightly ageing squad.

Far more concerned about losing (and replacing) Ba and Tiote. Be very surprised if Hatem leaves, he's found a club that loves him, been patient and worked hard to get in the team and has earned a France recall. I don't see a Champions League coming in on the back of half a good season. IF a massive club was willing to take the gamble it could happen but I'd be bloody disappointed to lose him given our squad lacks a bit creativity.

We might lose him but come on what are the chances of him leaving to be in the Turkish league? We need to keep him and sign another forward who is versatile and can cover during the ACON. If we lose him I'd say we need to sign two. Chances are slim but we've offloaded quite a lot in wages. Whether the board see that as wages that needed to go as part of 'balancing the books' we'll have to wait and see, but with Lovenkrands and Rangers gone we need another forward regardless of whether or not Ba leaves.

Decent lineup, young players who will work their socks off and have pace to counter attack France, old heads in the middle who will battle hard. Like the fact we've gone with 2 up front. At least it's a change from the old guard although there's no denying which team looks stronger man for man, not a lot of players there that will really scare French fans but a decent lineup all the same. Still think France will take full advantage of our weakened team and chaotic buildup, but we just might perform better when our backs are to the wall. He needs to instill that siege mentality into the players before kickoff, if we work harder and get the breaks we can win. Like most I would easily take a draw. I expect we'll sit deep, concede possession but make them play through us and look to break on the counter as soon as we get the ball.

Pele scored hundreds of goals against limited opposition yet they're accepted as evidence of his ability. I'm not sure what more Messi has to do, he's broken all sorts of records and shows no signs of slowing down. The day he retires he'll be accepted as one of the greatest of all time. It's hard to compare players of different eras but with fitness, training and tactics now more studied and refined than ever it's hard to deny Messi is already one of the best ever footballers. For me, possibly the greatest. Fact is hardly any teams can deal with him. Some people seem to have a hard time accepting that a current player can be as good or better than a past player. Those retired or passed away have a mystique about them and nobody can point to a poor recent performance as evidence. In fact once they become legends poor performances become forgotten. Who recalls poor games by Pele, Maradona, Best or Cruff? You have to admit looking at Messi's career there are few poor performances you could even point to. He's up there with the best ever for me, and in a couple of decades will be recognised by many as the greatest.

We do need a player in the Kalou mould, someone capable of running at defenders with the ball and pace off it to launch counter attacks, plus another option with our European campaign ahead. As a replacement for Ba I'd want a striker but we also need this kind of player to add to the squad. Obertan may come good but doesn't look like it at the moment and there are major question marks over the fitness of Marveaux. Looking at the youngsters to step up only Ferguson stands out for this role. We haven't had the best success buying cast-offs from bigger PL clubs. Simpson has done alright but Smith and Duff were major flops. Kalou never really got a chance at Chelsea so could arrive looking to prove a point but we've done better in recent years signing players from Europe such as Tiote, Cabaye, Cisse, or the likes of Williamson and Ba from smaller clubs, so I reckon we'll go down this route again. You could argue the likes of Luque, Boumson and Xisco failed in that regard but our scouting seems to have improved a lot since then. Kalou may be free but such a high wage player who would not be in the starting XI would probably put the club off.

Good luck to him, except against us. I reckon he'll do well there and it's a smart move by Norwich.

I also think we'll be signing replacements for those who leave and will maybe see 1 addition coming in if we're lucky. We ought to because Smith will be off the wagebill and hopefully Xisco too. I'll be surprised and disappointed if we're not in the bidding for Lee Chung-yong from Bolton because he ticks every box. He's a hard-working player with end product, he has assists and goals in him and he's good enough for our first XI in my view. He was one of the best players at Bolton the season before relegation when they weren't a bad team either. He'll be available at a discount because Bolton have been relegated, all tying in with the club's buying policy. He has also played out wide comfortably in a 4-3-3 at Bolton I believe. One final bonus would be raising the club's profile in Asia. Like Marveaux, Ba etc there'll be questions over his recovery from a broken leg but the club can also use this to drag the price down and take the gamble he makes a full recovery. For me I'd bring him in as an addition but if a player must make way I'd sacrifice Obertan though I'd be surprised to see that happen. I think the club will expect players like Abeid, Ferguson, Vuckic and Tavernier to have a bigger role next season with the added fixtures, as well as Marveaux and Gosling, rather than signing more players the gamble will be that these players step up. The bulk of the money spent therefore would be on trying to get quality replacements for Simpson and maybe Ba.

It looks highly likely Maiga deal was dropped when the opportunity of signing Cisse became a real one. Yeah that's what I mean. I reckon he was used in a game of brinkmanship between us and Freiburg, we pulled out at the last minute with the sneaky excuse he had failed the medical. Maiga and his agent are left bemused and fuming and we get our man. why would we need an excuse ? If it was a game of brinkmanship then we needed to get Freiburg to cave in and agree on a deal. It's like when you haggle for a price and pretend you're not that interested anyway but they're not believing you and think you'll meet their asking price. Eventually you walk out the shop and they say 'OK'. Maiga may have been our second choice but we had to be willing to go all the way with Maiga in case the Cisse deal was beyond our means. I don't believe it was as simple as having a list with Maiga at the top and Cisse second and that we failed and moved onto the next target. I reckon we're probably more sneaky than that. But who knows, anything is possible. I just think the failed medical is a bit suspicious. i don't see it as a game of brinkmanship, we wanted to get a forward in, had a first choice and a second choice, makes sense given thats apparently what happened when getting tiote. it's just a case of not putting all the eggs in one basket so to speak. then if the cisse deal is on you just call off the maiga deal, no need for lieing about failed medicals etc. no need for the cloak and dagger when it's probably a lot more straightforward. Wasn't the Cisse deal a few days after the collapsed Maiga transfer? It's also possible we put bids in/haggled for both, one accepted earlier than the other, and when the second accepted we pulled the plug. Either way, I reckon Cisse was our first choice. Maiga a backup used to get a better price on Cisse.

It looks highly likely Maiga deal was dropped when the opportunity of signing Cisse became a real one. Yeah that's what I mean. I reckon he was used in a game of brinkmanship between us and Freiburg, we pulled out at the last minute with the sneaky excuse he had failed the medical. Maiga and his agent are left bemused and fuming and we get our man. why would we need an excuse ? If it was a game of brinkmanship then we needed to get Freiburg to cave in and agree on a deal. It's like when you haggle for a price and pretend you're not that interested anyway or you can get a better deal elsewhere but they're not believing you and think you'll meet their asking price. Eventually you walk out the shop and they say 'OK'. Maiga may have been our second choice but we had to be willing to go all the way with Maiga in case the Cisse deal was beyond our means. I don't believe it was as simple as having a list with Maiga at the top and Cisse second and that we failed and moved onto the next target. I reckon we're probably more sneaky than that. But who knows, anything is possible. I just think the failed medical is a bit suspicious.

It looks highly likely Maiga deal was dropped when the opportunity of signing Cisse became a real one. Yeah that's what I mean. I reckon he was used in a game of brinkmanship between us and Freiburg, we pulled out at the last minute with the sneaky excuse he had failed the medical. Maiga and his agent are left bemused and fuming and we get our man.

The thing with the Maiga signing was the player and his agent insisted he was medically fine (I know they would say that). But maybe he was used to get a deal for Cisse, perhaps to bring the price down, and if Freiburg didn't accept we'd have pushed through with it. Once Freiburg said 'alright' we may have pulled out and got our main man. Who knows. The way the Cisse deal came out of the blue and none of the media got it suggests we operate more that way. We've had it like that with previous signings under Ashley. So I'm sceptical Pieters is our main target.

Oh aye. That one turned out well!

The Pieters thing smells like another Maiga situation to me. I reckon we may still use him as a smokescreen but we'll go for someone else.

Said it a year ago that Chung-Young Lee of Bolton would be a great signing. At the time others agreed but believed our status at that time couldn't attract such a promising up and coming talent from a rival Premier League club. A lot has changed since then. He then suffered a broken leg, missed the whole season and Bolton got relegated. We could easily attract him now as they're in the Championship and we're in the Europa. He'd also be available on the cheap and is still relatively young, both of which tie in with the club's recruitment policy of trying to get value for money and resale value. Despite the addition of Marveaux next season, another exciting wide player with end product would be more than welcome, and let's not forget that with the Europa League we need a bigger squad. I think he's a hardworking player with lots of end product who would fit in with our squad nicely.

Think we're still lacking options in natural wide players. Obertan and Marveaux may or may not do the business, but Obertan looks limited at best and Marveaux looks like a crock at this stage. Neither are a safe bet and I wouldn't want to rely on them for a whole season. We're just getting both back now after long spells out. Gutierrez and Ben Arfa offer width but if anything happens to them we're in trouble. Santon playing further forward on the wing looks an option if need be. Everywhere else, assuming we keep what we've got, looks fine. We need cover at centre back, and there is a great debate about the full backs. I think we could do better than Simpson but Pardew seems to rate him.

I'd stick with him and write off today as a poor team performance. He was poor today but despite the lack of goals he has played well recently and been part of a system that won us 6 games in a row. I'd rather stick with that system and show faith in the player than panic and change everything at this stage. Ameobi seems to offer more fresh from the bench and Best hasn't played in ages so I'd rather keep faith in Ba. He needs to do more running both to find space and to chase down defenders than he did today, though. We do need the ability to switch things up otherwise teams will figure out how to stop us, but when you look at our bench and consider we only have 3 games left, I'd prefer to stick with a system that has worked. With Ameobi and Obertan now coming back we at least have height and pace options to bring off the bench even if both are limited players.

We switched off for a good 30 minutes and got punished severely, much like the games against Spurs and Fulham. Considering what's at stake it's unbelievable how lethargic we looked. We looked tired, sluggish. No movement into space when we had the ball which results in backwards passes and a lack of tempo, and not enough chasing when we lost it. Let's hope it's just an off day and gives the players a kick up the arse. Only positive is we responded well in the second half and should have scored at least a couple. Ben Arfa was at the centre of everything we created until he was subbed off, he was about the only good performance we had today. All eyes on Spurs v Blackburn now to assess the damage.