midds

Was pleased with the game and it's heartening to see us trying to play good football. Can't remember Given making too many saves but they looked a really good team despite having a shit season last time out. We're not far away from being a good team and we've still got Enrique, Owen, Faye, Coloccini and Viduka to come back into the squad. Like the look of Guthrie and Gutierrez but a quality striker and a midfielder would make a shitload of difference. Reminded that we're actually pretty good and we're only going to get better. Fancy us to have a decent season.

Has that fucked things for you?

Our problem at the moment is that there doesn't seem to be any link up between midfield and attack and I don't think it's necessarily the responsibility of the midfield, but surely that role should be filled by a striker or someone playing in a withdrawn striker role? We've seen for ourselves how much a weak midfield can have on our ability to stop leaking goals, yet people are suggesting playing an attacking midfielder which wouldn't do anything to improve the problem. I didn't say we needed an attacking midfielder - we need someone to make things happen. If they play behind 2 strikers or in the hole is a different matter entirely. We should target the player rather than the position and build the attack around them. He'd never come but if we signed Arshavin then I'd play him just behind a single, mobile striker. If, however, we signed the next Fabregas, then I'd still play 2 up front and him just behind them with a diamond in midfield. We need the player to make Keggy's system work - whatever it may be. Get the player and take it from there because we seem pretty impotent atm. I agree with this too, for me Keegan needs to stick with the 4-3-1-2 formation that was so successful for us at the end of last season and I don't see why an attacking midfielder would be needed if that were the case, what he does need is a midfielder who can sit deep and spread the ball around. That would be very useful. If we're going to go without wingers then a lot of the play is going to be going through the middle of the park. This means shit teams can sit in front of the D and compress the space and close things up. We either need to spread things using wingers or buy someone who can thread a pass. At this moment in time, we've not got either. Ideally I'd like to see us play 4-2-3-1 but we've not got the squad for it. Our 2 would be nowhere near good enough to make it work.

Our problem at the moment is that there doesn't seem to be any link up between midfield and attack and I don't think it's necessarily the responsibility of the midfield, but surely that role should be filled by a striker or someone playing in a withdrawn striker role? We've seen for ourselves how much a weak midfield can have on our ability to stop leaking goals, yet people are suggesting playing an attacking midfielder which wouldn't do anything to improve the problem. I didn't say we needed an attacking midfielder - we need someone to make things happen. If they play behind 2 strikers or in the hole is a different matter entirely. We should target the player rather than the position and build the attack around them. He'd never come but if we signed Arshavin then I'd play him just behind a single, mobile striker. If, however, we signed the next Fabregas, then I'd still play 2 up front and him just behind them with a diamond in midfield. We need the player to make Keggy's system work - whatever it may be. Get the player and take it from there because we seem pretty impotent atm.

We need someone who can make things happen. Pull the strings and cause a bit of bother in the final third. We've not got anyone who frightens other teams. We're very much 'run-of-the-mill' going forward - nothing startling but not shit either. An extra 15 goals could be the difference between 13th and 7th.

Of all the thread titles I wouldn't want to read, this is it.

Personally I think it's shown the twats up to be the shit-slinging fucktards they actually are. They're shit at their job and have to make stuff up to sell their papers to retards. They haven't got a clue what is actually happening at the club and it's making them look stupid. Fantastic. I'd think the same if it wasn't for those who believe the papers. I rarely take any notice of the people who swallow the shite that the media pump out so it's not a problem.

Personally I think it's shown the twats up to be the shit-slinging fucktards they actually are. They're shit at their job and have to make stuff up to sell their papers to retards. They haven't got a clue what is actually happening at the club and it's making them look stupid. Fantastic.

Roeder didn't scout Kuyt for this length of time. Stop it, you're scaring me.

6.27/10

For the record, I think he'll sign no problem at all and he'll be a good player for us. He's just been 'on the brink' of signing for about a fortnight!

Has this fucker still not signed yet?

They've never made me prouder than walloping Leicester in the new kit in '93. 6-0 at half time and I was buzzing. We ripped them to shreds. The 5-0 Man U game was sweet but they'd broken my heart 6 months earlier. 15-0 wouldn't have made up for losing the League.

Wonder how Gordon Taylor at the PFA will react? He should, in theory, be up in arms about this...

You're clearly on the wind-up but I'd also say that the comments Keegan made after Chelsea (H) haven't helped us at all. So you don't agree with me, yet you do agree with me? Either his comments helped or they haven't made a difference on our summer recruitment. Which one is it? Keegan's comments haven't helped but I don't blame him 100% for us not landing players. There's lots of factors to take into account. To say 'it's Keegans's fault' is idiocy imo. Chomp btw.

I don't think anyone (apart from a few barmpots) is expecting him to be the one. But he's head and shoulders better than what we have back there. is he head and shoulders above anything else we can get for the original starting price. ie as someone mentioned above, i'd like to see us test rengers with a bid for cuellar who i was very imprerssed with on their uefa run last season. I've got no idea mate! I've got no idea how much Rangers would want for Cuellar. £7m? £10m? Who knows? I'm assuming Keegan has asked about several CB's and has picked Coloccini as the best one to go for. If he's Keegan's no.1 choice then we should do our utmost to get him. IMO obviously.

If the FA were unhappy with the incident, they should have charged him at the time. I'm not Barton's biggest fan by any stretch but this is taking the piss. How can they justify waiting until now to charge him for an offence? Smacks of jumping on the anti-Barton bandwagon to me. He's pleaded guilty in a court of law and had received a suspended sentence for it. What on earth is a 3 match ban going to prove?

I don't think anyone (apart from a few barmpots) is expecting him to be the one. But he's head and shoulders better than what we have back there.

Well obviously if Luque didn't work out then Coloccini must be shite. Same club = Same outcome. QED.

You're clearly on the wind-up but I'd also say that the comments Keegan made after Chelsea (H) haven't helped us at all.

Owen is a better footballer than Martins. He's not nearly as quick or as athletic but he's got a footballing brain and can pass the ball and link things up. Martins can't.

ITK's have to agree on that type of info. Otherwise it's just rumour...

How do you know they are Medicals as opposed to scans etc? "ITK's are agreed".

We've, supposedly, been after him for 3 months. Is it really worth losing the player for the sake of a million or two. I know it's still a lot of money but in the grand scheme of things, it's relatively little. If Keegan thinks Coloccini is the bloke we're going to build our defence around then we should cough up imo. If Ashley's ego takes a dent in the process - so be it. I just think it's unfortunate that the agent went public with this, since if it was done behind closed doors we could have upped the price without losing face. Having said that, this could be a masterstroke from the agent and enable the transfer. Time will tell. Couldn't agree more. In an ideal world, the transfer negotiations would have remained confidential. Unfortunately, Coloccini's agent has made things very public and is attempting to force the transfer through - which may, or may not, work in our favour.