James

I said we'd struggle to get him fit and in form this season and would have to sign someone else and got shot down for it. Look who turned out right unfortunately for us. At least Tiote turned out to be the someone else and Barton and Nolan have done enough to keep their places too. Would have been nice to have gosling as backup to those two, but there is always next season, which was when I hoped to see the real Dan Gosling.

I knew we wouldn't be getting much of Gosling this season and anyone expecting otherwise would be mistaken. I'm sure Hughton had the future in mind when he signed him, not just this season. We already had Colo, Williamson and Taylor, we'd just been promoted, Campbell has been a sufficient fourth choice for a promoted side. Perch is dogshite but Hughton and Calderwood had been tracking him for months. Ben Arfa is pure bad luck but shows why we should put our hopes into the team and not individuals. Ireland signed after other deals like Larsson didn't materialise. Was a difficult window for making signings and perhaps we panicked. This so called Championship squad has defied people this season and it is only an injury crisis now crippling us. This is to be expected for a promoted team and while we are in a bad run we will turn it around. The next job is to make some balanced signings in the summer and to develop better squad depth.

Here we go, putting words into my mouth that I haven't said. I don't want to limit the quality coming into the club. I want to ensure that while good players like Ben Arfa and others come in from abroad, we sign Premier League players too of the standard of Samba or Hangeland. People have forgotten the number of players who in the past have come from abroad with big reputations and yet failed to settle at this club. We need to get the balance right and should be paying that extra premium for good Premier League players where possible. We have a limited budget and buying Premier League based players just equates to being ripped off. The price reflects that the players are ready made for the division. All very well signing players like Coloccini but we aren't at a stage where we can afford to be wait the three seasons it took him to settle in. Sign proven Premier League players for our first team then litter the squad with young talent from wherever with the hope that some will push their way into the first team.

For me next season something like this would be class and (potentially) realistic: GK Simpson Samba Coloccini Enrique Barton Tiote Nolan Gervinho Ben Arfa Sturridge Subs: GK2 Williamson O'Shea Larrson Sygurdsson Best Ameobi

It is a shame what has happenned to Cole as before the later Chelsea years he was one of the better performers for England. If a player goes to Chelsea, they seem to leave a much worse player.

Here we go, putting words into my mouth that I haven't said. I don't want to limit the quality coming into the club. I want to ensure that while good players like Ben Arfa and others come in from abroad, we sign Premier League players too of the standard of Samba or Hangeland. People have forgotten the number of players who in the past have come from abroad with big reputations and yet failed to settle at this club. We need to get the balance right and should be paying that extra premium for good Premier League players where possible.

Balotelli does have talent but he lets his club down and doesn't give the performances you'd expect for the amount of money that has been spent on him.

The difference between Allardyce and Kinnear is that Allardyce does not hear voices.

He is right, we don't give him enough credit. All of our success is down to him. Had he not been manager Joey Barton would not have realised what he could become if he didn't stop drinking.

What a steaming pile of shite you talk. You were the person who said we were going to get relegated with this group of lads if we didn't sign a load of players. I told you not to underestimate what could be done on team spirit. Who turned out to be right eh? I reckon if someone bothered to read all your posts, they'd see loads recommending players that went on to sign for West Ham. Look what happenned there. Yet you don't seem to have learned from the last five years. Build a team. Don't expect tgo force a load of good foreign players from other leagues together as it just won't work You seem to forget that having really good players, foreign or not, and having team spirit are not mutually exclusive. As long as we're careful about which players we bring in and don't just buy any old player without proper scouting and getting a good price etc, we can easily have both. I'm not really just thinking team spirit, more just about gelling in and adapting to the Premier League. Sign too many first team players who haven't played in the Premier League before and I think we'd have problems. That is why for example we should be looking at signing Samba or Hangeland for central defence, or why we should have signed Sturridge permanently when we held all off the cards with Carroll.

What a steaming pile of shite you talk. You were the person who said we were going to get relegated with this group of lads if we didn't sign a load of players. I told you not to underestimate what could be done on team spirit. Who turned out to be right eh? I reckon if someone bothered to read all your posts, they'd see loads recommending players that went on to sign for West Ham. Look what happenned there. Yet you don't seem to have learned from the last five years. Build a team. Don't expect tgo force a load of good foreign players from other leagues together as it just won't work

Ben Arfa doesn't count and is still unproven, we have to consider him as a new signing for next season. Therefore Ben Arfa, Gervinho and Gameiro would be one too many in my opinion. Utter pigshit. He has played two full games for us. He proved enough for us to buy him at a low price, but he hasn't done enough to show that he has settled into this team. Change too many players too quickly and we suffer.

Ben Arfa doesn't count and is still unproven, we have to consider him as a new signing for next season. Therefore Ben Arfa, Gervinho and Gameiro would be one too many in my opinion.

It is very easy to pick out all of these foreign players and expect them to slot in and do perfectly but I think we should be careful as we have paid in the past for making that mistake. We should be looking to get Gervinho or Gameiro not both, and fill out the other gaps with either proven premier league talent, or some squad places with younger unproven foreign players.

Indisputable proof that Taylor is shite:

Taylor looks shit scared of Derek Wright.

HBA's gash on FM, like. Player of the season in his first year here on mine. You are clearly not using him properly!

Bernard has retired you fucking nut. Hypothetically speaking dimwit.

What about Bernard in Midfield and Enrique Left Back?

We are winning games because of our central midfield though. Its all about the basics. Good defence. Possession. Assists. Goals. A good team spirit. Nolan scores goals that win us games. He has been an outstanding captain, and he has helped the improvement of several younger players. He doesn't let us down in possession. He will lead by example when we try to defend. His presence in the box makes it easier for assists because he offers a goalscoring threat which gives space for other attackers to operate. He does have his limitations but for as long as we have Tiote they are not an issue. Taking out Nolan will weaken a side that needs strenghtening in other areas. Ignoring Ben Arfa, Gosling and Ireland who would all practically be new signings next season, we can improve significantly in the goalkeeper centre back, left wing, striker and second striker positions. We also need better depth at full back, right wing, and central midfield.

Don't see that I'm doing anything that needs stopping.

Of the players currently in the squad, Nolan would deserve the number 9 most.

Are people still trying to create teams without Nolan in the team?

He did something similar to that against Man City too. I vaguely remember him sliding to keep in an overhit pass, before standing up and whipping in this cross which Shearer burried with his head. Was the day England won the world cup iirc. He did something similar to that against Man City too. Stopped the ball going out of play then whipped it in to Shearer, who netted with his head.

Only the stupid or accidental would get caught by an FA test. Meanwhile the clever dopers remain two steps ahead of the testers throughout world sport. Especially the Spanish.