Cronky

Financial doping does artificially inflate transfer fees and wages in general, and there's a lot of pressure on clubs to spend big just to keep up. If there was a rule for everyone that you don't go into the red or be subsidised then that pressure is eased. Effectively, clubs have no choice but to balance the books. It's not about having a completely level playing field. It's about imposing some discipline.

It's very disappointing, but if a player is offered enough money then eventually that will tip the scales in most cases. I don't particularly blame the player. I don't know that QPR are acting that wisely though. Throwing money at a player who doesn't want to come isn't a good long-term strategy. Let's hope there are other options.

I can see why some people are worried that there would be no-one to challenge Man U if Man City and Chelsea are reeled in, but it's only when Ferguson retires that we'll get a true measure of Man U's strength. Let's not forget that they are having to service a huge debt. Fergie's ability is worth a sizeable number of points to them each season. I think extending FFP to the Premiership is a step in the right direction. The next step is a more even distribution of TV money. The revenue gaps between the CL and the Premiership, and between the Premiership and the Championship, are way too large.

The bloke obviously has an agenda, and the idea that Colo is so desperate to escape from a poor season that he's willing to take a massive pay cut to return to Argentina, months after he's signed a new contract, is just stupid. Given that the reason appears to be personal and to do with his family, Mr Liddle needs to be more careful. He actually puts forward the idea of Pardew 'losing the dressing room' as a rumour that appears on message boards, not as inside knowledge on his own part, so let's not panic on that. In fact, he seems to be targeting the fans as much as the club, for some reason. There's always going to be certain players who fall out with the manager at any one time, so I hope it's no more than that. I think Pardew badly mishandled the Ba / Cisse issue and hasn't been fair on the younger players when he singled them out. Unwarranted favouritism can be very corrosive to team spirit, and all this talk about how he can't wait to get this, that or the other player back isn't going to inspire the ones who are supposed to step up to the mark in the meantime.

On a different subject, I wasn't impressed by the way he criticised the younger players. The senior ones have been below par, but they're not so easy a target.

Accidental double negative, I assume. It's a good point about Marveaux not linking with Cisse, but he often had to drop deep to get the ball because we have two DMs in the centre who lack the confidence or skill to make a forward run themselves or find him in a forward position with a good enough pass. That would help.

This is what I've started to think. I know he's a good finisher, but you need a bit more from your main striker than that. He doesn't have to be great at holding the ball up or running the flanks - just not completely hopeless. Pardew needs to think outside the box a bit. Cisse had such a good spell last season that it's tempting to try and reproduce it. But he needs to look at building the most effective attacking unit, not just try to load the bullets for Cisse.

It was very important that we got a point, but there's a lot needs addressing. We didn't look remotely like scoring in the second half. Cisse had clearly been told to stay in the centre and wait for chances. All very well, but we could really do with a striker who's a bit more versatile. I still don't like us playing with two DMs in midfield. We are so slow and deliberate in getting the ball forward, particularly after turnovers that should afford us good opportunities.

Fairly even. Usual problems, but we look capable of scoring. Just need that bit of luck. We don't really have a counter-attacking game. The build up is very slow and deliberate.

Snap.

Isn't scared of the ball. That alone makes a difference.

The details may not be but the implications are, let's not forget, Colo is a multi-million pound investment for this club, his future, our future (certainly in the immediate term) and very much interlinked. That's true, but my point is similar to colinmk's above. He's a human being, and we have to do right by him as a human being. For me, there's a practical dimension to it, as well as a moral one. Pleading and pressuring him to stay gives the message all round that we're weak and scared and can't do without him. If we let him go and face up to the uncertain future quickly, that feels like a braver and more positive move. That's apart from the assessment of whether he as an individual is going to be able to play at his best.

If he's facing a serious personal crisis, we have to face the fact that he won't perform particularly well on the football field anyway. Some characters can block these things out of their minds for periods, but others find it very difficult. I suspect Colo is in the latter group. As for the idea of the club or whoever putting out a statement, that's not feasible. The details aren't any of our business, and a vague statement would do more harm than good.

The ultimate in scapegoating. It does look like there's a personal issue which is separate from the club. If all he wanted was to get away, you wouldn't have to go to Argentina. It does look like it's affected his form and probably his captaincy as well, in which case we'd be better off biting the bullet and replacing him.

That's a relief. I haven't seen a lot of him, but I've not been impressed but what I have seen. I'm hoping we can do better.

Reports in Italy suggest Santon's agent is meeting with us to try and sort out a deal to Milan. Seems to be coming from this guy, not sure how reputable he is, works for Sky Sports in Italy http://www.gianlucadimarzio.com/calciomercato/santon-milan-gli-aggiornamenti/ Might explain Santon's poor form. Like his mind's not fully on the job.

I don't think that's the way things work, with any football club. The minute a manager is struggling, all past achievements go out the window. Ask Arsene.

This is all getting a bit what-have-the-Romans-ever-done-for-us. He won us a League Cup tie last season, when he beat a couple of defenders and fired in a shot from outside the area. And really that's far from being the only time when he's caused defenders problems. Scepticism is okay, but he seems to have inherited the Ameobi syndrome, where only his mistakes get recognised.

I think he's willing to sign for us. He's just waiting to see if any better offers come along.

I am. But then again, we've got nothing else to be excited about I'm a bit wary about his so-called bad form and what might lie behind it BUT....... I saw him play for France not that long ago, and he looked really classy. Not just a speed merchant but actually quite skilful. He looked like a player that we shouldn't dream of signing. I wouldn't say I saw a lot of him, but what I saw was impressive. So it's a bit of a chance, but a chance we have to take.

I'd agree on point two. The whole team has to be prepared to press or its pointless. Our pressing game looks very half-hearted. We may be getting caught between two stools. Last year we concentrated more on just getting men behind the ball.

The lad does have talent and it does bother me that, if this generally negative reaction is typical, he'll start to lose confidence. Like many young players, he was trying to do too much himself, but he wasn't helped by the fact that not much was going on around him. He didn't really have much choice. The players that I would criticise are the ones who were running backwards to collect 10 yard passes from the back four and then just prodding it back. Sammy was always trying to turn and face the opposition and either run himself or play a forward pass into someone. Yes, you're going to lose the ball more often that way but the big problem of that team yesterday was a lack of confidence and initiative. Until the last 20 minutes, we were far too cautious and conservative and we shouldn't be laying into a player who showed some ambition.

Poor in the same manner as all our recent performances. We can't pass the ball through the midfield, and the build-up is very laboured. With Meidi, Anita and Bigi in the centre is it any wonder.

Couldn't disagree more with the general tone of this thread. He was the only player out there that looked remotely capable of making something happen. He showed an appetite for the ball and didn't shirk anything. His team-mates weren't nearly positive enough. Yes, he made some mistakes, but they happened through trying to achieve something. He'll come good.

It's an amazing reflection of his reputation and the power that he had built up at Forest that they couldn't get rid of him even when he was clearly in no fit state to do his job. It was rather sad that it had to end in relegation. Still, he has a unique position in the history of the game. There was a time when every fan would dream that he would one day manage their club.