toontownman

Apparently Deschamps played him there to accomodate Remy through the middle. Ironic as I would expect it to be the opposite if they both come here. Interesting read here.. we have been missing the pie eating type since Nolan and Campbell eclipsed the Viduka and Kluivert days. http://blogs.thescore.com/counterattack/2011/12/15/lyttleton-chunky-marseille-striker-andre-pierre-gignac-on-the-market/

Peter Reid and kinnear splashing 8m on catts as our only summer signing.

Good to have some new local knowledge. Knows the area... Fuck me.

Might as well never sign anyone just in case theres competition. Joe is that you? Or are you just stuck in a time warp where you think we can compete with interested top 4 clubs around the world for highly rated players? We know our (unfortunate and soul destroying) place and make our moves wisely.. The better players we do get come when we steal march and sign players before other clubs become aware of them or their situation. There is a big difference between realistic signings and what we see linked in the press everyday. We should start a thread about it..

...well at least upson signed with Brighton already.. At least we can stop worrying about cabaye leaving..Messi is coming as we speak..

He was horrendous. The most worrying thing however was that he was just strolling round looking like he was hardly trying. He should be busting a gut and trying impress, not just going through the motions. Obertan was s*** too, but he looked interested at least. But thats impossible.. he clearly said he had to make the most of his opportunity and actually even try hard in these games..

Scared of what Saylor is doing to Cabaye more than the kit.

I mean.. obviously its worth our time being in for him when he has already turned us down once and now Arsenal and Man City are after him. In fact I might go down to the bookies and stick my inheritance on him coming here..

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/416300/Wigan-s-new-boy-James-Perch-has-a-case-of-the-blues?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+daily-express-football-news+%28Daily+Express+%3A%3A+Football+Feed%29 Journalism at its absolute finest.

Makes total sense.. Gomis Williamson Colo Jonas Tiote Cabs Cisse Bent Obertan Shola

Still looks like we might be getting both. Quoted 10m for Gignac seems a lot though, can't see us shelling out that much for him.

Not a chance we are getting him for 4m pounds let alone euros. Think it will be 6m pounds.

Back to blaming the midweek fixtures...

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Sport/Pix/pictures/2010/12/9/1291907658776/Alan-Pardew-faces-the-pre-006.jpg " I will not... contemplate... change..."

Good run out, won't harm Shola and Obertans chance at claiming a starting spot for the Man City game... http://oddstuffmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/u8BFJ.gif

No, Im not an aficionado of French football.. I should have phrased it more of a question than a statement. I have read he plays wide left in several places. That said it was my fear he would be an alternative to Remy.. and I could see Pardew wanting a more physical approach to the skills of Remy. Having bids in for both Gignac and Gomis seemed to hint at that. Could also be a replacement for Cisse though.

or.... http://www.obsessedwithwrestling.com/pictures/b/beverlybrothers/01.jpg

Totally pointless stats when you've took out his substitute appearances - 10 of them. Didn't Sissoko end on three assists? Meaningless. He's not the best passer of the ball in the team or the most creative either, Cabaye & Ben Arfa much better at both & Marv is far too inconsistent. Nope. Ben Arfa lacks vision and Cabaye is great at long passing but doesn't have the quick feet for the great short passing. Marv is the best at the intricate passing imo. Best through balls at the club, head is always up and he knows exactly when to release the ball. He has a natural calmness when in possession and doesn't panic, which the majority of our squad lack. Coupled with his mainly effective use of passing, vision and turn of pace he should be a key player for us. Pardew puts too much focus on strength and power, which is needed for sure. Thats why I would worry about having Moussa playing exactly where Sylvain would be most effective.

I think the quiet games have mainly been the ones where he's been played as a winger in the Premiership. Games have just passed him by completely when he's been played there. As an attacking central midfielder though, the guy is a class act. Easily our best player over the Christmas period before getting injured/inexplicably dropped and then never making it back into the team (except for the odd occasion, usually out wide). His ability to drive forward with the ball in the middle of the park is his biggest attribute imo - he's very smart, has good bursts of pace, and is technically sound, all of which means he's great at exploiting space in the middle. All of these traits are wasted by playing him on the wing because it requires a different type of dribbling/directness than through the middle. As Cheik the Room says, Marveaux (down the middle) and Ben Arfa in the same team could be a great combination. They could interchange during games if they wanted to try something different/mix it up a bit/Hatem isn't having any joy on the wing, and Hatem's natural game on the right flank involves him opening opposition teams up by beating 1-2 players near the touchline/half-way line and passing it infield, so it'd be great to have a technical runner like Marveaux down the middle to compliment and build on the opportunities Hatem provides for the team as a whole. Unfortunately, I don't ever see Marveaux getting much of a chance whilst Pardew is here, as we'd have to: 1) Play 4-3-3, when Pardew clearly only has faith in 4-4-2 (2 strikers in the box is better than one when it comes to percentage hoofball); 2) Have Marveaux starting (Pardew clearly views him as a cameo player - Marveaux probably isn't good enough in the tackle); 3) Have Marveaux as the most attacking of the central midfield trio (Pardew would probably opt for Sissoko to play that role, or as he did last season, would rather play someone more defensive like Jonas or Perch ahead of Marveaux); and 4) Have the team playing some sort of passing game to make use of a player who's pretty slick with the ball at feet (it's pretty obvious by now that we only "switch" to a passing style of play when Pardew wants it, which is rarely, and the rest of the time we play a "get the ball into the box as quickly as possible" game). Ultimately, £5m for a crock we picked up on a free (iirc) would represent good business, especially if our useless plank of a manager is going to have us playing 4-4-2 percentage football. But selling this type of player would kill a little bit of me on the inside, as firstly there's always the hope that he gets over his injury problems, and secondly the goal should be to get more players of this type capable of getting the team to play good quality "penetrative" football on the deck (i.e. progress), rather than getting rid of our more talented and underused players to pander to a manager who's vision and tactics are no better than what you get at schoolboy levels up and down the country. Great post that sums up the Marv situation perfectly. Going to be really gutted to see him sold but he is a casualty of the dire situation and style of football we are immersed in.

SAVED!

Nice.

He is a totally different player but he does also plays out wide left. We have a bid in, reported in several places that hasn't been denied yet either right? Depends on Pardews idea of what we need upfront. He seems to value strength, Power, Pace.. tricks and skills are secondary.

MUST NOT LEAVE.

Worried Gignac is the Remy alternative tbh.

Thought he would have gone to a better club. Not unduly upset by this, would have been nice to have a decent upgrade on Williamson which Douglas would have been. Still plenty more Tompkins in the C.