Rich

Get fucked, Captain Negative

As posted in the other thread, it's worth checking out the videos on Dailymotion ahead of those on YouTube. There's at least two on there (vs. Auxerre and PSG) where it shows you his every touch from the game, ala "Ben Arfa vs. Everton". Doesn't just show his best bits, but he still manages to look very good in both games. Lively.

There's a couple of "Ben Arfa vs. Everton"-esque videos of Roux on Dailymotion (every touch in a couple of games from last season). He looks exciting, if nothing else. Ridiculously two-footed and seems to have top technique in addition to good pace and strength. I really need to start watching Ligue 1.

Cabaye has been too far advanced, if anything.

I'll leave it with Nut, he's been the standard this summer for transfer stuff

Arsenal linked as well. Interesting.

Worth a thread, this Roux stuff?

He surely *could* be tried there though? At some point? Would be amazed if he started on Sunday, after playing 120 minutes. Back to Obertan methinks.

Much of a muchness really last night, but that was Simpson at his worst for a good while.

We played 4-2-3-1 a fair bit didn't we? No doubt 4-4-2 is very much in the mind as well though. A lot depends on the quality of this striker we get. If people do stay fit and perform to their level then Barton won't be missed too much. Still sad to lose yet another favourite though. Only Colo and Tiote remain. Playing one up front and still looking for a good striker doesn't really stack up with Ba being our top striker and Carroll's replacement. Unless we're going to play him in the three? You asked why we hadn't been trying other formations in pre-season, I pointed out that we had done. In terms of this, though, surely any new striker bought for good money is technically "Carroll's replacement"? They'll become our "best striker" by default, basically. Currently it's Ba because he's all we've brought in up there. I can't honestly say I know what Pardew's plans are though. Ben Arfa's injury has knacked things again. No doubt he was a shoe-in playing a VDV role off a striker. Aye, I guess the farcical pre-season events didn't help. My point is I'm far from convinced about this change in formation/game plan business. Seems to me that people are just trying to justify the sales by fannying around with our 'best side' to suit who's still here. You're probably not far wrong. He was certainly in my first XI currently. There is now absolutely no buffer for one of Marveaux or Obertan not being really good from here on. Pace on both flanks sounds good in theory, but only Jonas has proven his quality here and I'm far from convinced he'll improve if played further forward in a legitimate 4-2-3-1. 4-4-1-1 will probably better describe it, but then you're back to having Barton on the right really.

This place takes the saying "you're only as good as your last game" far too literally like. Simpson is a decent RB, probably good enough for us at the moment, whereas Ryan Taylor is a great freekick taker who is otherwise appalling. Think these posts are spot-on really. Taylor has come up trumps last two games, but he's piss poor in open play. Second choice RB behind Simpson is still fair enough. Would love a quality RB purchase at some point in the next year though.

We played 4-2-3-1 a fair bit didn't we? No doubt 4-4-2 is very much in the mind as well though. A lot depends on the quality of this striker we get. If people do stay fit and perform to their level then Barton won't be missed too much. Still sad to lose yet another favourite though. Only Colo and Tiote remain. Playing one up front and still looking for a good striker doesn't really stack up with Ba being our top striker and Carroll's replacement. Unless we're going to play him in the three? You asked why we hadn't been trying other formations in pre-season, I pointed out that we had done. In terms of this, though, surely any new striker bought for good money is technically "Carroll's replacement"? They'll become our "best striker" by default, basically. Currently it's Ba because he's all we've brought in up there. I can't honestly say I know what Pardew's plans are though. Ben Arfa's injury has knacked things again. No doubt he was a shoe-in playing a VDV role off a striker.

We played 4-2-3-1 a fair bit didn't we? No doubt 4-4-2 is very much in the mind as well though. A lot depends on the quality of this striker we get. If people do stay fit and perform to their level then Barton won't be missed too much. Still sad to lose yet another favourite though. Only Colo and Tiote remain.

Eh? Could you explain please? If we change to a 4-3-3 (for example) who will play the most advanced midfield role? Not Barton, even if he was still here. The first post makes sense to me, but it only works if everyone else is fit.

I'd like a centre back please, we're well-stocked in midfield. I can't see him leaving freeing enough wedge to get a permanent player in, unfortunately, no matter what position. Hope to be proven wrong.

I'm just jealous of them if anything, and I'm not a fan of Mancini's overly-cautious/tinkering nature, but they have pretty decent supporters, a fantastic stadium, come from a good city and, at the end of the day, are lucky enough to have a fantastic chief executive/owner/board who want to be the biggest club in the world. If those fuckers had bought us, dear me...

I don't see how anybody can like them as an entity. Like some of their players maybe, hell I like Mancini tbh. However Manchester City as a football club symbolise everything I hate about football. When you go below the signings they're a terrific club. Helped by the money, undoubtedly, but the stuff they are doing is fantastic. I certainly prefer them to the other "big clubs".

I like them.

I think Ashley and Llambias are cunts. But, I wonder if they act this way because they view everybody in the entire business as cunts? We all know the owners, agents, journalists and the majority of players in this business are absolute pricks - so I wonder if these 2 don't feel the need to give anybody any form of respect or class but just crash around being cunts to everybody? I'd love to be a fly on the wall and see the way some of the people involved in the game go on behind close doors. Of course they do man. The majority of people in the business are cunts. You've nailed it mate. Include supporters in that as well though.

My existence is similar to this.

You'd have thought we'd have checked that bit out first. Overly negative for me mate, sorry. I can't buy into this "smokescreen" shite, it gets aired every year and it's always the same. If those players (or one of them, at least) had not received better offers they'd have been here. Fair enough if it's someone remotely questionable in terms of opposition/stature, but oil-rich PSG (who Gameiro supported) and Arsenal are both out of our league. We've been reported to the authorities for contacting players this summer and I'll stick my neck out and say there's a fair chance we've been in contact with both Gameiro and Gervinho prior to making these bids. It doesn't tally with the way we've operated with other players. I am very cynical of these cunts though. Small fees I can understand but when it comes to any significant transfers, Mike Ashley's got deep pockets and short arms. I think the pre-contact goes without saying, happens at every level. Sound out the agent first and foremost, gauge the interest. I can see where you're coming from but I can't allow myself to start thinking that negatively, just can't happen. I do think we'll spend a fair bit by August 31st, although still not as much as we "should" have.

He's a bit of a maverick (cunt) is he really what we need? Seems temperamental to say the least. Undoubted quality though and surely only going to improve. It would be replacing one with another. Is French his first language, as well?

You'd have thought we'd have checked that bit out first. Overly negative for me mate, sorry. I can't buy into this "smokescreen" shite, it gets aired every year and it's always the same. If those players (or one of them, at least) had not received better offers they'd have been here. Fair enough if it's someone remotely questionable in terms of opposition/stature, but oil-rich PSG (who Gameiro supported) and Arsenal are both out of our league.

We need one of those D(LRC) you get on FM, they do exist in real life apparently. I'd have been happy with Boyata on loan, personally. He's a bit of a utility man at the back.