Cronky

Did he? The view they showed on MOTD2 was with a zoom lens which foreshortened the distance. In practice, the lino would have been standing in the other half of the field, more than 30 yards away. What's more, at the point of contact Haidara was between McManaman and the linesman and it would have been difficult to see with the right degree of confidence where the contact was made. We're all angry about a tackle which has put a young lad's career in jeopardy, but we have to be realistic about what we can expect from officials. They can't give what they don't see. People saying that Halsey could have sussed out what happened by what was going on before and after his view was blocked are in cloud-cuckoo land. No-body can say how long his view was blocked for, and in any case he can't send a player off based on supposition. That's basic. Fuck me. Absolutely incredible. Say something constructive, Dave. Surprise me.

Did he? The view they showed on MOTD2 was with a zoom lens which foreshortened the distance. In practice, the lino would have been standing in the other half of the field, more than 30 yards away. What's more, at the point of contact Haidara was between McManaman and the linesman and it would have been difficult to see with the right degree of confidence where the contact was made. We're all angry about a tackle which has put a young lad's career in jeopardy, but we have to be realistic about what we can expect from officials. They can't give what they don't see. People saying that Halsey could have sussed out what happened by what was going on before and after his view was blocked are in cloud-cuckoo land. No-body can say how long his view was blocked for, and in any case he can't send a player off based on supposition. That's basic.

Well, one lino was on the other side of the pitch on the offside line, and the other one would have been in the other half of the field, so probably neither of them got a good enough view. The fourth official was on the wrong side of the pitch too. The tackle was a shocker but the person to blame is the player.

I'm a bit surprised at this reaction. The TV replays clearly show a player directly between Halsey and the tackle.

Halsey clearly had a player blocking his view of the tackle so we can't blame him for not having x-ray vision.

Incredible shit. a) I'm very surprised that a magistrate has the discretion to waive a ban. b) There has to be other ways round the 'chauffeur confidentiality' problem. c) If this decision makes it less likely that Stoke will get relegated, than it naturally follows that it's more likely that another club will get relegated, with the same kind of consequences for the businesses and residents of that town. Is it really part of a magistrate's job to promote the interests of their home town, in competition with another's? Some seriously flawed reasoning here. d) Driving at nearly 100mph is dangerous. Making these sorts of 'allowances' is irresponsible.

There is this debate about whether defensive walls should jump up at free kicks, and Ricky Lambert's goal gives food for thought. The defenders jumped up, they became very loose and the ball went through them, which I think we're seeing more of than we used to. Shearer blamed Sturridge for turning his back, but if the defenders stay hunched together and on the ground, that sort of instinctive gesture is less inclined to happen.

I share your concerns. It's a worry that dying is a more likely prospect than us winning another trophy. Maybe this year, eh?

1968. Old Trafford. 0-6. We left early.

When all's said and done, he's shown that he's still an exceptional manager. The decision to leave out Rooney was very brave, but his formation and tactics looked to be doing the job until the sending off. And really, player for player, Real are far superior and it should have been a breeze for them.

It wasn't a red. Perhaps not an easy call for the ref in real time, but you'd think on an occasion like that, he'd really have to be sure before sending someone off.

Think he has been good. Don´t know what chances you talk about. Wasn´t easy chances if you ask me. I'd agree. He's been able to create something from very unpromising situations. And Giggs has been amazing, considering the pace of the game. Man U have done very well, considering on paper the opposition is far superior.

I think there are some managers who have a certain individual quality about them that puts them above the rest and gives their team that bit extra. In the Premiership, I'd put only 3 in that category - Fergie, Wenger and Moyes. Martinez and Laudrup may prove themselves that way if they get a chance with a bigger club. Pardew I'd say is one of the better managers amongst the rest. I think he's sometimes slow to recognise when something's not working, but generally he holds things together pretty well.

It's interesting. The side they put out against Soton looked pretty good on paper, and despite what gets said a lot on here, Redknapp does have his qualities as a manager. A couple of games can change the whole picture. It's a matter of getting the players motivated for a battle, because if Redknapp can do that, they should be okay. Last time I saw them, the fight wasn't there.

Saw a fair bit of the Villa game. City didn't look committed at all. It's a shame to see what should be an excellent side playing like they don't care.

For me, the main issue is that in a 4-3-3, the central striker can't just hang around between the centre backs, waiting for chances to come his way. At that level, there needs to be more flexibility about the movement of the team as a whole. If the striker is static, he ends up isolated and the team looks predictable. It's like playing with 10 men. He also needs to be able to hold the ball up. In fairness to Cisse, in recent weeks we have seen him occasionally move around deeper and wider to link with his team-mates. His work rate is fine. The trouble is, he's not very good at it. He has a poor first touch and the ball often bounces off him towards an opponent, or he mis-places a pass. As for his finishing, we could discuss all day whether his conversion rate is better than this, that or the other striker, but it's apparent that last year he was on a good streak (as can happen) and what we see now is what we can expect. Another weakness that he shows in his all round game is a lack of appetite for competing physically in the penalty area. He looks for gaps between defenders rather than make a challenge (esp at the near post). Obviously that's not always the right decision.

Most of these strategies consist of building the team around Cisse, but imo he's not good enough to make that worthwhile.

http://news.sky.com/story/1059397/world-cup-2022-could-be-moved-to-winter-fifa Da-daaa! Platini actually voted for Qatar, even though its presentation was for a summer tournament. Then he changed his tune. I'm sure it's a complete coincidence that shortly afterwards the Qataris bought PSG, started pumping money in, and Platini began softening his stance on Financial Fair Play. Likewise his son getting a job as a Legal Adviser for Qatar Sports Investments, who bought the club.

I thought Taylor was the best out of the defenders yesterday tbh. He's okay. But for me, CB is an important position that I think we can improve on. My beef with Taylor is he's too cautious, and seems too worried about making a mistake. He often doesn't get close enough to his opponent, preferring to stand off and concentrate on staying goalside rather than intercepting or putting in an early tackle. He gets lots of blocks in, but overall there's something very reactive about his defending. It also leads to him stepping back out of the defensive line and taking the risk of playing opponents onside. Going forward, I think his distribution is poor and he often plays people into trouble. For sure, he has his moments at both ends of the pitch, but I think we can look to do better.

A striker's the priority. At the moment, we've got a target man whose movement is poor, and a finisher who can't hold the ball up. A centre back to partner Mbiwa would do nicely. Colo is off, Taylor doesn't impose himself enough and Willo lacks pace.

Attempt number 2 http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSIN0Xgd2gCMQ2CbCtuK7rPJ30fAH-xmGEtZkLxwQyIQbBEA30R Xabi Alonso http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSLkT5XSlBvSTWde1BJXLKsPpsRdTdxEDTPyCr4U7FFe1LQeTvO Diego (probably been done)

http://www.sundayeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Biggus.jpg Welease Wanger!

A string of first-team starts should do him the power of good. I still think Pardew was harsh on Sammy and Shane when he talked about the youngsters not stepping up to the plate, but maybe it was all part of a cunning plan to get Ashley to fork out in the transfer market. Sammy has great potential and that goal was no flash in the pan.

Like most games, he was isolated for large parts. Was decent in possesion. I don't agree at all. He looked clumsy in possession and couldn't link with his team-mates.

Yeah, his distribution is way too slow and he's getting caught. Trouble is, as you'd expect in that anchor role, he's seeing quite a lot of the ball. The ball isn't sticking with Cisse. Familiar problem, but still a frustrating one. Still, we're creating chances.