Cronky

It just sounds like there's been plenty of contact from other clubs, but they've all been put off from bidding by this ridiculous valuation of £15m. Tony Fernandez over-playing his hand, who would have thought it.

He's done well in any attacking role - wide or central, forward or withdrawn. Difficult to know what the best 'fit' would be for him. Maybe put him with a similar striker and watch them pull defenders all over the place.

At times last season he looked to have it all. Pace, power, strength, long range strikes, placed finishes etc. Pace? Nah. All he did in three games is hit constant hit and hope attempts at goal. On the ball, he tends to play with his head down. Often he succeeds in driving past or through defenders, but at the same time he misses opportunities to play his team-mates in. We saw the best and worst of it last night. Second season coming up, so it'll be interesting to see how he adapts.

One of the first things I heard Southgate come out with at the start of the tournament, was the importance of 'controlling' the game, which seems to have become a bit of a buzz word recently in this country. Well we saw the result of that tonight - 60% possession, nearly twice as many shots, but still beaten comfortably by a technically superior side. He then says tonight that we played well between the penalty boxes, but not at the ends of the pitch. Well if your build up is slow, you will make a lot of passes, which you may find impressive, but by the time you reach the far end of the pitch, the defence will be ready. And with a slow build-up, players can end up going backwards, losing the ball under pressure and conceding chances. Our two best technical midfielders - Hughes and Loftus-Cheek - both started on the bench, and that says it all.

It seems that we've left our two best players - Hughes and Loftus-Cheek - on the bench.

Not funny.

Yeah, I quite like the look of him. He and Ayoze could be quite a nippy combination.

It's not gender specific whinging. Time wasting in general = whinging, man. Crowds in the mens game rarely, if ever, react to taking the ball into the corners with boos though. It's just generally accepted as legitimate tactic of the game. It would've been the same if roles were reserved I'm sure. Fair enough, it's within the rules at the moment, but I'd like to see it defined as unsporting behaviour and a free kick given. It's okay when your own side is doing it, but it shouldn't be part of the game.

Talk about goals changing games. Norway were far superior, but that equalising goal seemed to drain all the spirit out of them, and our lot came out of their shells. Interesting that our women seem to suffer from the same technical deficiencies as the men.

Now you know what it's like I saw that one coming but thought I'd take the risk.

I wish the commentators would shut up for one second. They're doing my head in.

What reason is that? and no they don't To avoid injuries or burn-out that might affect results in the league and yes they do.

Hernandez and Cisse are both specialist finishers. Of the two, I'd prefer Hernandez, because he plays with a bit more spirit. But we still need to look for a striker who can offer us more in the build-up.

There's a reason why every club in the Premiership fields weakened sides in the Cups, and unless we reach the latter stages of a competition and we're secure in the league, McClaren is going to do precisely that. In practice, I don't think we're going to see any changes in team selection.

Based on what? Charlie Austin's WAG not fancying it up north? Or the £20m price tag slapped on Troy Deeney? We could always lay down the £30m asking price for Berahino I suppose but somehow I doubt any club is going to meet these valuations. I can't see us buying British if this is what the market is like. Yeah, if true, those valuations are ridiculous. With the TV money about to balloon, we may be in one of those phases where no-one quite knows how much players are worth. It may take a while for the market to settle down again.

I get the impression that he's being badly advised by a doting Dad who thinks his boy is an unheralded Messi. Was it Paul that told him to go to Hull instead of Inter? He always was a bit of a moron. As I understand it, it was Paul who used his connections with Inter to get Tom a trial, which was always going to be a waste of time. I don't think Inter ever made an offer. This decision to shun the Under 21s has Paul's hallmark on it. As a player, he was very chippy and prone to striking these self-important attitudes.

I get the impression that he's being badly advised by a doting Dad who thinks his boy is an unheralded Messi.

Despite the talk about buying British, I can see us going continental again, if these quoted prices are accurate. £15m for Austin, £20m for Berahino? Surely for that money we can get better players from overseas.

Haidara has potential but he hasnt really shown enough and Dummett is not a left back, he has been marked as one as he is a defender and left footed but hes clearly a better cb. If we got a decent one in we would have a quality pair of fullbacks. Mings isn`t better than what we have. He has potential to be good but we have ruined plenty with potential. Haidara is better. Maybe we're looking to develop him as a centre back. At 6'5", that ought to be his better position. Looks like a very good athlete, with some potential.

Anyone with any social difficulties can be labelled autistic now. It's ridiculous.

Very skilful player, and from what I've seen, quite dominant at Championship and England U21 level. Lots of clubs seem unsure whether he'd make the step-up to the Premiership. If we went for him, I think we'd need to practically build the midfield around him, because he might struggle physically. Sooner or later, someone's going to take the chance.

I don't know Dost, but Crouch would be a useful option to have. He's done us a couple of times. I wouldn't like to see us build a team around a player like that, but realistically they do have their uses.

Good point. You need players who are on his wavelength to get the best out of him, like at Arsenal. That flick by Lallana into the space that Wilshere was drifting into for the second goal was a case in point.

We're playing some good stuff going forward, although Rooney's hold up play isn't great. Defence still needs improving, but we're a bit short of talent at CB.

I'd say it's the spine of the team that needs most attention. I'm not confident about any of our CBs, although if he can get his head together and he has a strong partner, Colo can still raise his game. Big 'if' though. We need a decent anchor man in central midfield. Anita isn't strong enough and Tiote isn't technically good enough. And up front, two more strikers please. Cisse doesn't offer enough. Riviere might improve, but if I had to make a call now, I'd say he's just too clumsy. Ayoze has been a revelation, but you need three decent options.