The College Dropout

Footballers of the past were trained to play in all kinds of positions, street football dictated that. Today players are giving a position in their youth and usually stick to that one position for life. Platini & Hoddle played in CM didn't they? imo those powder puffs would need to play elsewhere for most teams... certainly the Premiership. I need some examples of these forever adapting players of the past you described above.

Charlie loses the ball far too much to be play in the middle.

btw any successful player in the past would succeed today, they'd be trained to be that much more stronger, fitter, faster & might have to be played in a different position.

Preach.

With all this talk of grafters you'd think we where keeping clean-sheets on the regular.

Agreed. But we'd be paying something like £12million to bring himin and he isn't worth that much.

1-0 Toon.

I'm not sure if Zog will look as threatening if he's playing ion a more advanced role. Although I am certain that he's shit at defending. Maybe he'll get better....

Yep what do these players think they are doing!? f****** cheek going out and having a good time after such a performance. Whenever I have a bad day at work I always go home and reflect on my inability to get the job done that day, sometimes ground myself for a week if I have been very poor.

We wouldn't be moaning if we were winning consistently like Man Utd. and Arsenal.. And anyway Giggs only ever plays on the left, sometimes in the middle or just off the striker (which he did alot a few seasons back) through injuries. Injuries are the reason why Essien got moved about alot. Rooney is never taken to far from his comfort zone.... he might play in a forward 3 but the style of Manure's play is so slick it doesn't really matter. O'Shea is simply a utility player for Manure. Arsene obviously planned to move Eboue into midfield because he bough another right back. Eboue's greatest strength has always been his offensive play. Charles is very suspect defensively and positionally and i'm not sure if he's improving in that aspect. Not to mention we signed a LB in the summer.

This bit has got to be a wind up Nope. He drops fewer crosses and is beaten to the ball fewer times than any other Premiership keeper IMO. And I don't personally see any other keepers coming out for crosses than Given routinely ignores. Apart from those who charge out and get beaten to the ball of course. Given routinely ignores almost all crosses. At least 3 times on Boxing Day he should have been out and claimed the ball, easing the pressure on our defence, but he never, ever does. His command of his area is dreadful. He's still a decent keeper though, but to suggest that's not one of his faults is shocking. He lets the ball bounce in the middle of the 6 yard box frequently.

It's no myth.

I never said he should play in the centre, stop putting words in my mouth. I was getting at how despite looking poor in numerous games Roz is never far from a recall to first team activities.. it seems like Jose had one bad game and hasn't seen the pitch since... I reckon Sam just doesn't rate him.... Rozehnal's not a player for the future though is he? The lad turns 22 in less than a month. (Enrique) Kaboul is of a similar age and he's played far more first team football than Jose. Look at the way Wenger is treating Eduardo, he doesn't feel he's ready and won't be for 6 months so he prefers to drift him in for a taste of the action and bring him back out again, the difference between us and Arsenal is that they have other players to cover where as we don't, however if we didn't get turned down by Dragotinovic in the last week of the transfer window then perhaps the fans wouldn't be in such a panic to throw him in. Allardyce knows the situation better than anyone and I trust him to do whats right with the situation, even if I don't agree with decisions he's made on the pitch. BSA seems like an over-protective parent if this is true. I understand wanting to protect the lad but how much footie has he played in the last half dozen games?

I never said he should play in the centre, stop putting words in my mouth. I was getting at how despite looking poor in numerous games Roz is never far from a recall to first team activities.. it seems like Jose had one bad game and hasn't seen the pitch since... I reckon Sam just doesn't rate him.... Rozehnal's not a player for the future though is he? The lad turns 22 in less than a month. (Enrique) Kaboul is of a similar age and he's played far more first team football than Jose.

I never said he should play in the centre, stop putting words in my mouth. I was getting at how despite looking poor in numerous games Roz is never far from a recall to first team activities.. it seems like Jose had one bad game and hasn't seen the pitch since... I reckon Sam just doesn't rate him....

Looked better than Roze who is never far from a first team recall.

Happy New Years Joey Barton!! Can't be arsed with the lad..... no homo

Newcastle United = Billy Mitchell

Bullet or Dolphin?

Thats a good point. Sacking SA and his team of staff will cost a fortune, so soon into their contracts. At some point he will have to decide what will cost him more - sacking Sam or not getting Sky money for not being in the Premiership We are not going to get relegated.

Shay never drops absolute clangers but he does other things wrong which often lead to goals.

What are we talking about here lads? A good old fat Fred/SBR thread?

Newcastle 1 Chelsea 0 Mark my words.

Net Spend is a convenient way of papering over poor signings. Barton & Smith are straight swaps (in terms of price) with the under achieving Parker and Dyer... Barton & Smith have been poor. But their fees aren't included when we talk this net spend bollocks.