The College Dropout

tell you what though. Backs against the wall Tiote is invaluable.

Tiote is actually shit isn't he?

they've highlighted Colo as the weak man in the air.

Both are total #9's tbf. The Cisse back-heel lives long in the memory.

Fucking Demba still picking the team!

Can't say anything against that. Money aside he should have shown more respect to his teamates, manager and the fans. I think we will be better without him, as long as the penny pinchers do their job for once. He's played well and is leaving for a more successful club. Nowt wrong with what he's done.

I think he enjoys the responsibility of being the main man. same with Demba.

We shouldn't really be asking him to be too involved with build up play though. You have to in this day and age. Even Defoe has been improving that side of the game and Bent isn't getting a game partly because of it. Ba is hardly Bergkamp but he's better in that regard and Cissse needs to develop that part of his game. That's a fair point. I do think he's equal to Ba in terms of hold up though, even better on some occasions. He can't really do the brute force backing in type stuff but his ball control is often much better and he releases the ball quicker. There's a bit of unfair stuff being said about him in the Ba thread as well with regards to him playing in a 2. I don't see any reason why he wouldn't flourish in a 2 if we found him the right partner and created some chances from wide, Debuchy should help massively with this. IMO he always goes for the difficult finish. It doesn't help. You can't just be a poacher in this division. Link-up and/or bully defences. If Hernandez had the link-up play of Welbeck, he'd be really fighting for a first XI place.

He was benched. Unfairly too. Then he just kept on scoring. You tend to pander to the in-form players.

Got to wonder what some of the bigger pros are going to think- the likes of Krul, Colo, Ben Arfa, Cabaye. Well, we are losing a brilliant striker and definitely one of the best in the league That's my biggest worry about him leaving tbh. Indeed - from what I've read he's a popular player in the dressing room. Just need to bring in a quality replacement - someone who can compliment Cisse. I think we should follow the Spurs route and not the Arsenal route. They've lost key players, nearly every year. Carrick, Berbatov & Modric off the top of my head. But they've replaced them straight away and are stronger than they've ever been. We sell Demba and bring in Remy & Debuchy and the players' think we are a serious outfit. It would be a problem if he was sold to QPR though. Any team not in the top 3, can have their pick of the PL players' pretty much and everyone accepts that. It's sad but the fact that if you play well for N'castle and go to Chelsea is probably a benefit to prospective transfer targets.

Can't begrudge a move to Chelsea. Good luck kid.

hopefully he just defends properly. Been worse than Simpson in recent weeks.

Tim Krul.

Just as much as Bobby was a masterstroke, Souness was the beginning of the end. The Souness era culminated in relegation and that's the direct link. Not only did we sign shit players, we sold good ones. Michael Owen for me is the worst because he embodied everything wrong with that era. Over paid, over hyped, always injured, mercenary and worst of all - lack of heart.

Including wages the Owen deal was close to £40m. In that time we got relegated.

Sounds daft but i'm a little concerned that 90% of his goals are great goals/finishes. IMO a top striker needs those scruffy ones. Not the hit on the arse and go in but tap-ins. Maybe his and Ba's strike partnership is better than I realise but for a few of Ba's goals this season (Wigan, Man C, Arsenal 2nd) Cisse's been in the box but not in the best position to score a goal. Hopefully, that's just Ba getting into positions earlier. Nothing to do with "playing RW" as Ba was widest for the Arsenal goal.

It's the knee and subsequent demands.

We shouldn't really be asking him to be too involved with build up play though. You have to in this day and age. Even Defoe has been improving that side of the game and Bent isn't getting a game partly because of it. Ba is hardly Bergkamp but he's better in that regard and Cissse needs to develop that part of his game.

I agree with Manure/L'pool always treating us like a top side. Fergie always puts out his best side possible against us. Sometimes Chelsea play a weakened side.

Paul fucking Scholes Gus fucking Poyet Damien fucking Duff Steven fucking Gerrard Matthew le fucking Tissier Massive fucking cunts the lot of them. Particularly, Duff and Poyet

He seems a more natural AM than either Cabaye or HBA. He can carry the ball unlike Cabs but seems more open for the pass unlike HBA.

I know he looks like Tiote but he really isn't a similar player. If he was Italian he wouldn't get the constant comparisons. The lads a passer. He can put a foot in but he's not a holding player at all. Of all the players' he's played alongside/against he's more similar to Carrick than anyone else. Calmly, stroking the ball around. When he's in deep positions he'll often switch play and instigate attacks. When he gets a bit further forward he often chooses the wrong pass but that should improve with experience. In practice he's more Anita than Tiote. You worry a bit about size and power but they won't be outfought and are technically very good.

Everybody fit atm i'd go.. HBA-Marv-Obertan (can't believe I said that) Ba

We where always going to feel it in the last 20 tbf

That's what I thought tbh. Fucking hell