Cronky

This was the performance I've been waiting to see from Sammy. The skill has always been there, but this time there was composure and good decision-making. He was releasing the ball early and not trying to do too much.

That is Brett lads :lol: If Cabaye sees that, he'll be getting out of town right away.

The talent's been there. It's just a question of applying it. I've not seen him for while, so I'm looking forward to seeing how he does. It's often the pattern with young players that after the initial breakthrough, things stall a bit before kicking on again. Let's hope that happens with Sammy.

I'm a bit surprised to see him starting, considering he rarely gets on even as a sub. Together with Benny it's a bold but risky strategy. Sod it, let's see some real flair for a change.

Now that's glass half-empty. Maybe we should be excited that we've got a 16 year old that's good enough to make the bench. Who knows.

I hope it's just a loan. I'm not convinced about this player and I'd prefer it if we tested the goods first.

'Happy' is the wrong word, but I think some of us are accepting that, given all the circumstances, the right decision is to accept PSG's offer. It's not like any football club is completely in control of everything that can go on. He's a good player, but as Tmonkey has pointed out, he has his flaws, and £20m is a good price. If it's true that he could leave for far less in the summer, then really there's no choice. I do get tired of hearing that it's all down to Dr Evil and his mad schemes to fleece the club. There's a far simpler explanation, and one that would affect every club in our position.

£20m would be a good price for the player, particularly if it's true that he can buy himself out of his contract at the end of the season. Obviously it depends on how we fill the gap, but it needs to be the right player. It's better to wait until the summer than panic buy just to pacify the press and the supporters. Yeah, Ashley only cares about money and de-da, de-da, but let's wait and see.

This resentment is probably to do with our predatory style of recruitment. We target players who are nearing the end of their contract, and offer a modest transfer fee in the knowledge that the selling club is holding on to an asset of declining value. If the player wants to come and won't listen to offers from other clubs who might want to pay a larger transfer fee, then the selling club is in a difficult position. That's what seemed to happen with Ben Arfa. The club owner, embarassed at being put in such a powerless position, then tries to act as if they're far more powerful than they really are. This guy seems to think that he can tell Cabella where he should want to go.

What's that based on? The moment we finally gave him a loan he jumped at the chance and played most games for Blackpool. I agree. There's no reason to fault Gosling's attitude. He's tried his best and he's taken the opportunity to perform well at Blackpool. It looks like his injuries have robbed him of that bit of pace that's needed at the very top level. Having said that, I wouldn't mind another look at Gosling, see if he's improved with getting playing time. Unlike our other CMs, he really attacks the box.

Well it kind of is isn't it? We had a great window last January but the last couple of summer windows have been horrific. We always seem to be a couple of players away from a massive improvement to the squad and there always seems to be the sort of players we need available for very little expenditure but we seem desperate to shoot ourselves in the foot every time. It's a standing joke between managers that at every club, there's a widespread belief among supporters that the team is only two or three good players away from success and if only the Board could see that etc etc Finding those players who really will improve the team, and signing them in the face of competition from other clubs is a different matter.

Reading this thread, you'd have thought we never sign any players. We know that Ashley won't pay over the odds, but this relentless pessimism isn't justified.

They certainly don't look worth breaking the bank for.

I wouldn't blame Moyes. Looking at the players out there tonight, they didn't look up to it as a unit. De Gea, Rafael, Smalling, Januzaj, Welbeck – Talented, but works in progress Carrick, Evra – past their best Valencia, Jones, Evans – decent enough, but nowt special Kagawa – struggling to adapt to the Premiership. Fletcher – still in recovery Hernandez – not good enough. Buttner – inexperienced

They looked like a mid-table team tonight, nothing more. And with the extra pressure, they cracked at crucial moments. Hernandes in particular is not good enough. He tries hard, but can't link play.

I seem to remember a similar situation developing with Marseilles and Ben Arfa, where the Chairman seemed to think it was part of his job to look after what was supposedly best for the player, and not just the club.

They come out with some utter guff these days, like. I haven't read the article, but I do think at least part of the problem with Hatem lies between his ears. He made a good start to the season, then started talking about becoming an NUFC all-time great (as I recall), and straight after that he lost his way. It was like self-sabotage. I've been accused of peddling amateur psychology, so I'll leave it at that. But I do think the lad has issues and a sports psychologist could probably help.

His reputation does seem to have been fatally damaged by that game, but the whole team were over-committing forwards in search of an equaliser, and Barry was left in a situation where his lack of pace did get exposed. Trouble is, you could pick holes in all the alternatives. Henderson is perhaps the only candidate with pace, but that anchor position is one that demands experience and he still looks a bit raw to me. And in any case - not that I've seen every Liverpool game, mind - I don't think that's his role at his club, unlike Barry. My other point is that Barry does actually pass the ball well. He's an ex-centre back, and looks it a bit, and I think as a result his technique on the ball is under-appreciated.

Utter lunacy. The transfer values of our squad players individually blows that ludicrous theory out of the water. I'd say we were the 8th best side in the division and we're in our rightful place. Of the 11 who started yesterday, I'd say only one - Cabaye - had real technical ability. We are a well organised, athletic team rather than a skilful one, and that limits how far we can progress from this point. The usual complaint is he doesn't start Ben Arfa, but given Ben Arfa's erratic play and poor defensive work, it's not exactly a clear cut decision. We need to strike gold by unearthing one or two uncut diamonds, either through the youth development side, or by signing an underdeveloped talent from abroad. We can't compete with the bigger clubs for the top players of proven ability. Not yet anyway. The two players you picked out as a problem, Tiote and Ben Arfa, would fetch at least £15m between them if we sold them now, probably closer to £40m if we'd sold them two years ago after we finished 5th. If these are our flop players then all I can say is well done Carr and fuck off Pards. Well would either player get in the first team of any of the teams above us? Tiote definitely not. As for Ben Arfa - Everton and Spurs possibly, but even then I could only see him being used in the same way as we do - as an impact sub. We're not the first club where he's failed to really establish himself, despite the obvious talent. You seem to be over-simplifying the point I made about Tiote. You couldn't call him a flop. He's a very good defensive player and he's played his part in getting us where we are. But having him in that anchor role also limits us. A player in that position sees a lot of the ball and if he can shift it forward swiftly and accurately that's a big asset, particularly when we have a turnover. Tiote's distribution is slow, and his passing is very conservative. The question here is - is Pardew under-achieving? I think it was Icke who earlier posed the correct question - of the teams above us, who should we rightly be ahead of? Over to you.

I made a point of watching it, to check on Barry. He was constantly involved and passed the ball forward very accurately. I think Hodgson feels that his lack of pace will get found out at international level, but I'd put him in the squad. And Anelka surely has to be one of the worst examples of a squandered talent. When he could be bothered, he was brilliant. Most of the time, he played at 50%, and whilst he still looked half-decent, it's only a fraction of the player he should be.

£20m+ for Cabaye is a decent amount, so providing the money gets re-invested wisely in the squad, then it's fine by me. Cabella looks like an attacking midfielder rather than a playmaker, so it wouldn't be an exact swap. But that's no bad thing.

Utter lunacy. The transfer values of our squad players individually blows that ludicrous theory out of the water. I'd say we were the 8th best side in the division and we're in our rightful place. Of the 11 who started yesterday, I'd say only one - Cabaye - had real technical ability. We are a well organised, athletic team rather than a skilful one, and that limits how far we can progress from this point. The usual complaint is he doesn't start Ben Arfa, but given Ben Arfa's erratic play and poor defensive work, it's not exactly a clear cut decision. We need to strike gold by unearthing one or two uncut diamonds, either through the youth development side, or by signing an underdeveloped talent from abroad. We can't compete with the bigger clubs for the top players of proven ability. Not yet anyway.

I think a major factor behind our failure to kill teams off is our lack of ability to hit teams on the break, and that comes down to poor technical ability amongst too many players. Quite often, we win possession on a turnover and then waste precious seconds with passes that are designed to keep the ball rather than move it forward into threatening positions. As a result, players don't really charge forward with confidence in that situation because they've no confidence that they'll get the ball. The chief culprit here is Tiote. The guy always seems to need two or three extra touches before he's able to release the ball, and his passes are rarely of a defence-splitting nature. I just feel his presence plays its part in ensuring a comfortable mid-table position, but he also limits how much this team can progress. I don't agree with the view that the squad is under-achieving because of Pardew's tactics. If anything, he's making the most out of what he's got. Whether he should share responsibility for the state of the squad is another point - a lot of people at our club have a finger in that particular pie.

The Ox is a class above Sterling, and I can see him, Barkley and Wilshere forming the axis of a very good midfield in years to come. To me, he has the lot - strength, pace and skill - and he's developing with experience. Barry's lack of pace is a worry, but half the job of the midfield is to defend and at the moment, the balance doesn't look right and teams are going right through us down the centre. Barry can also pass the ball reasonably well so from the creative point of view, he can still support attacks. I've always been a fan of Gerrard, but I watched the Villa game and there were one or two signs of him being off the pace. Hopefully it was just a bad day at the office, because we'll need his experience.

He's a good asset for a team that's hoping to stay in the Premiership, but his movement isn't good enough for any club that's aiming for the European places.