Cronky

His form has been this season's big bonus.

Ermm... actually it wasn't all of us.

The Mirror also have this quote from Rafa, which people seem to be ignoring - 'It's not an easy window. We had our targets but when you start talking to clubs it’s almost impossible because they ask for big money or don’t want to sell. We tried and clubs were telling us, ‘No, he’s not for sale,’ or ‘he’s £20m'. That doesn't indicate a major breach of trust between owner and manager. The rewards and penalties for promotion to and relegation from the Premiership are so huge now that the price for players who can make a difference is bound to inflate more and more. I suspect if Ashley has become more involved recently it's because in order to buy such players we need to go over-budget.

Interesting. Or maybe they don't want him cup-tied, with a view to shipping him out. Just possible.

He's a good player, and it brings home that it's virtually impossible for a young player to establish themselves in the first team at that kind of club solely by coming through the ranks. He needs first team experience somewhere.

I'm glad that Rafa is going to take a look at him. He's always had potential, but maybe hasn't had the firm handling that he's needed, on and off the pitch.

We never looked good enough to break down their defence by passing through the midfield. I lost count of the number of times a player lost control of the ball in their half when put under pressure. They ended up hitting us on the break and we could have conceded more. As you say, the different strategy that Atsu and Mitrovic offered to us might have worked, and we looked a bit more positive when they came on, but by then Wednesday looked very confident about holding out. Shelvey's presence could have made a difference with his long range shooting in particular, and his long passing, but even with him around, our build up tends to be a bit slow and deliberate, and we needed more urgency. Darlow was brilliant - he really is a find - and the other player I'd exempt from criticism is Gayle, who struggled in a difficult situation with no protection from the ref, but who never got discouraged. If only that attitude would rub off on Ayoze.

Agreed.

Merry Christmas to all. Even the ones I don't like.

Apparently Tottenham are after him in Jan. The rumour is that Tottenham are hoping to swap him for Sissoko. In which case, Koeman would need sectioning.

My dream would be getting promotion, and then splashing out for Ross Barkley. He seems to be slipping out of favour with both Everton and England, and if we show him enough ambition at the time, there's always a chance. Okay, okay just a slim one.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/man-city-news-delph-newcastle-12338407 Good player yes please.

Shelvey did lash out. Not with any force and I don't think he actually connected. But you're going to put yourself at risk with that kind of gesture. The second pen was technically right under the rules, but I've thought for a long time that the rules need changing. The better punishment for any foul in a goalscoring position is a pen and a yellow. It was tough on Dummett, because he tried to slow up, and the opponent deliberately positioned himself to take the foul.

The fee really took me by surprise. With every minute of every game on video, it's never been easier to scout and assess a player at that level. Whatever his strengths, the limitations in his technique were never hard to spot.

From a YT scouting mission, he didn't look that great to me. It's sensible to aim for a club which is still going to give you experience. But no-one's going to offer a guarantee as such.

Considering he was playing for one of the poorer teams, and he seemed to be a sub half the time, his scoring record in the Premiership isn't too shabby. He shows great composure when a chance comes his way. He never seems to get flustered or over-excited, and reads the game well. He's a late developer so who knows what more there is to come. He never looked fazed at playing in the Premiership and caused problems for the opposition every time I saw him.

Sturridge never looks like a player who would sweat blood for the cause. Even if the opportunity came up (which it won't), he wouldn't the right buy for us.

Lallana apart, there was very little technical ability in the front six. We looked very laboured in possession. Sterling doesn't play with much imagination or awareness of what's around him. He would be the most frustrating player in the team to watch if it wasn't for Sturridge, who plays like he's scared of getting hurt. He doesn't chase defenders down or challenge with any real intent.

mcgrath was quick? i was a bit young for early mcgrath but always thought of him having great positioning rather than pace (not that they're mutually exclusive i suppose) largely due to his f***ed knees Man U and early Villa McGrath was rapid. I haven't seen many better defenders in my time. Lawrenson was another who could motor. And Kevin Ratcliffe at Everton Agree with McGrath and Ratcliffe. Lawrenson not so much but had this great knack of when it looked like someone was away from him he could slide and his leg seemed to extend an extra foot to reach the ball! I once saw Lawro go past Cyrille Regis at his peak after giving him a five yard start in a chase for the ball. Deceptively quick because of the smoothness of his running style. Lawrenson was another who found defending remarkably easy, or his manner portrayed that. Lawrenson was a class act. He ended up covering all sorts of different positions for Liverpool, and playing for Ireland didn't give him the same international exposure, so his reputation isn't as great as is merited. But as a defender, he often looked like a man against boys.

Our squad looks good, with more than adequate cover for every position. We should be able to get through any bad luck with injuries or late season tiredness. In his usual way, Rafa has looked at the challenge sensibly and come up with the right answers.

You are kidding. It looked pretty clear to me that he was out to do him, but he was too far away from Colback to make it look anything but blatant.

That's what I was wondering. It was such a bad challenge that there had to be something personal behind it. But Colback isn't a dirty player, so you wouldn't expect that.

I thought he looked very promising when he was with us. Quite classy on the ball. If the years have added a bit of steel to his game, I'd like to see him come back.

I have doubts about whether there really was a masterplan behind his signing. I suspect it was a product of the lack of co-ordination between Sir Bob and Freddie Shepherd, who was getting far too involved in the selection of players to target for transfer. Viana had a good Under 21 tournament, was being talked about as the best young midfield player in Europe, and Freddie got over excited. I think it was him who gave the lead to it, rather than Sir Bob. I'm not saying that he was signed without Sir Bob's agreement, but it was presented to him as a 'yes or no' option.