Mowen

I think it's a decent foundation. I'd have preferred more progress, but we now have a decent squad which will be dependable in the main and the players are getting to know each other. Slotting in a couple of class players will be much easier within a stable regime, as they will be afforded the support they need. Hopefully we won't take too long to buy them though, as we really need some true quality.

I agree, thought he was very poor again. Rozehnal looked distinctly less assured the moment he had to start playing alongside Taylor rather than Faye imo.

I agree, but as a Newcastle fan I'd be very surprised if he did.

Fuck me, they were difficult. Got there after about 15 minutes. Didn't help that the full backs were on the wrong sides.

Agree, especially on the final point. Aside from the obvious Cole, Lee, Given etc. I always rated Clarence, tidy little player who chipped in with the odd goal. Very cheap and excellent VFM imo.

Try going through F365 http://www.football365.com/fun/games/missingmen/0,21276,13272,00.html

Someone give me a clue for the right back and left winger then...

You could be right there. I honestly don't think the crowd were too bad - certainly not under the circumstances. And I stayed until the end. To beat the rush. The crowd was OK, there was a lot of noise after we scored - more out of hope than expectation. Second half when everyone realised we didn't have the necessary quality to break them down it was all a bit subdued though. Used the same trick to beat the rush myself.

I'll go with... Sam 6 Beye 5.5 Roz 7 Faye 6.5 Cacapa 6.5 (would have been higher but for Sat, if he shows the mental strength to go back to the level he was at before it'll be a lot higher) Enrique 7 Smith 2 Viduka 7 Too few minutes on the pitch to assess JB imo.

Is this a retard thread? How has Owen been a good purchase? he cost 17m and has played about 17 games in 2 years. aye. also not mentioning cacapa on a free "regardless of value"

I reckon Diarra could.

Where were we when SBR got sacked? Did that mean we were shit and a DoF was to blame?

Imagine those two together in the middle. Aside from the obvious jokes that Parky couldn't quite bring himself to stay above... that would be an unreal partnership.

blueyes.gif Class above Butt imo.

This season Fabregas has been the best, but I still went for Essien. He's absolutely brilliant.

Someone we should definitely be looking at in January, imo. He was snubbed for the captaincy in favour of Fabiansky last night, and once Wenger's had enough he doesn't sell them for much. A fantastic central midfielder, who I though was every bit as good as Fabregas last season, and is a class above anything we've got to offer in the same position. Good passer of the ball and would hold the team together nicely.

Lassana Diarra!

Wrong answer. Sorry. He's that really good player isn't he? I just don't see how you could class him as a failure even if you don't particularly rate him. He only cost about 3 or 4m didn't he? I do rate him however. Exactly. He's (imo, obviously) a fantastic player who cost noticibly less than Michael Chopra did this summer.

I was, as it happens, having a chat in the pub last night about why no club will (probably..) do in the next ten years what we did in our first season back in the top flight and genuinely take the league by storm playing fantastic football - one of the main reasons (along with CL expansion and money derived from it) was the systematic hoovering up of the best [very] young players these days that wasn't so omnipresent when KK was around. In some ways it's a good thing, and I certainly wouldn't blame Wenger for doing it, but I often think it's a bit of a shame, and Michelle makes a decent point, despite not quite looking at the full picture.

He might do better alongside an Essien. But then, so would nearly all players.

I live with a Pompey fan and, although he tells me that Primus is one of the most underrated players in the prem, he would never say he's as good as Campbell. Or Distin, for that matter.

All their play used to go through Carrick. They haven't been as good since he departed.

I'd say maybe Cesc Fabregas. He's brilliant, but the way he's been talked about this season you'd think the sun shone out of his arse. Every time he does something good it's wanked over so much you wouldn't believe. You can bet your life that had a certain young Spaniard scored Nicky Butt's goal against Everton it would have got a hell of a lot more coverage. Basically, anyone in form is over-rated in this country, and most out of form players are under-rated, bearing in mind that form can count as little as 3-4 games. Nobody looks at the long term anymore.

I'd say Ryan Nelson. No-one thinks he's shit, but no-one really knows who he is. Excellent centre-back.