Cronky

He did well, as usual, but the MOTM was Rooney. Constantly involved, constantly causing problems.

There were glimpses of the old Steven Ireland there. It'll be interesting to see how it goes with him over the last few games. We were clinging on in the second half, but overall a good effort that'll keep the morale high.

We've no outlet at the moment. Bring on Ranger.

Well, everyone's doing their bit. They were starting to pull us around a bit in the last 15 minutes, and it doesn't bode well for the second half. We've had some good set piece situations but not taken advantage of any.

At least we won't be facing Paul bleeding Scholes.

We need Krul to play a blinder to have a chance, which he's capable of, despite his inexperience. I didn't think he deserved to be dropped, and it's good to see him get another chance.

If we're going to blow big money, then I'd rather it was on someone who was significantly better than what we've got, and who isn't still learning the game. On that basis, Bassong doesn't quite fit the bill. On a separate issue, a player we need to replace is Campbell - an experienced defender who can fill in whilst the likes of Kadar develop. Campbell hasn't worked out as I'd hoped, but there's got to be other candidates out there. I actually think that Kadar has the makings of a really class central defender, and I'd like to see him get his chance at some stage.

Shearer's Barred?

It was a mistake to name it after Shearer, but it'll also be a mistake to change it now. PR isn't this owner's strong point.

My word!

It's been a year where no-one's been outstanding all season, so while I was expecting Vidic, Bale isn't the worst choice. I'm a bit surprised at Nani getting in the Premiership XI. His decision-making needs to improve a lot.

Occasionally a player will come along who is in a different class to every other player of his generation. Messi is in that category. IMO the other examples would be Maradona, Cruyff and Pele.

Wenger is right in saying it wasn't a penalty, but Lucas was crafty, he stopped his run and let Eboue run into the back of him. Difficult for a ref to spot, and he just has to accept that bit of bad luck. However, he can do something about the attitude of his players. If you score, the first priority of your team has to be to get the ball back. Bendtner was just strolling and watching as the ball was boucing around the half way line, and he allowed Liverpool to get hold of it and build the attack which eventually led to the goal. Now the goal came 2 minutes later so he won't get the blame, but that's the sort of detail which can make the difference between winners and losers. Players have to give 100% the whole of the time they're on the pitch.

Do you need to be a psychologist? If you were thinking of moving to another club, would you give an interview like that - bigging yourself up, slagging off other players and saying that Dabo deserved a wacking? Who genuinely thinks he's off this summer though? Regardless of his reputation, no one would consider matching his wages. I've said this before and these "new" quotes convince me further - he's enjoying the freedom to say whatever he wants from a position of absolute security. He'll never get picked for England, so he can slag off Barry, Gerrard and Lampard with impunity. He knows he'll still be at the Toon come September, so he can voice his concerns regarding transfer policy without fearing his immediate prospects. What will be interesting is if he's saying the same thing in twelve months time... Well perhaps trying to get inside the mind of Joey Barton is a futile exercise, but there's something irrational about his behaviour here. People may say he's just being honest, and whilst he's certainly interesting I think there's more to it than 'honesty'. Deep down, I think he's much more insecure than all these outspoken comments would indicate. When he was first being considered for England quite a few years ago, he seemed to want to sabotage things then by saying how shit Gerrard and Lampard had been at the World Cup. He still got picked for the squad but he didn't make it easy for the manager to do that. It's hard to know whether he just likes the attention, or he likes to pick an argument, or he likes to court popularity with the fans, but there's a kind of recklessness about it that suggests he almost can't help himself. It's certainly unusual for a player to go to a public talk-in and start making comments about his employer and his team-mates like that. He must know that everyone at the club is bound to hear about it all. The extra dimension that I'm starting to wonder about is how he copes with major decisions. He's only made one move in his career, which suggests he may not be that confident about starting over in a new environment. If you remember, when he joined us, there was a last minute, public delay over a pay-off with Man City, which we ended up paying. After he had talks with us, he was going back to Manchester to think about it, and then actually did a U-turn on the motorway and signed that night. It's not exactly a confident way of making your mind up. He's now saying he'll sign if Kevin Nolan signs, like he's pushing the decision on to other people. He also seems intent on putting any other clubs off from signing him. Don't get me wrong. I really like him as a player and hope he signs. On the pitch, he's brave, physically and mentally. For all I know, he may be a thoroughly likeable guy in his personal life, providing you don't hit any raw nerves.

I was talking to the Rangers reserve team fitness coach (who's a proud Liverpool supporter) at a family birthday party last weekend, and he said he wouldn't be surprised if Gerrard announced himself injured during a training session. Said he reckons Gerrard has lost a lot of fight and bottle, he also mentioned he finds it odd that Gerrard never seems to get injured in a match and its always an injury in training or away from cameras. I think he's very prone to muscle injuries. I can remember in the early part of his career, he had a back problem that meant that after every game he had to undergo quite a complex bit of physio to get his muscles relaxed and ready to play again. It could have been something to do with over-use at an early age. Owen may have been a victim of the same syndrome.

Didn't we bid a similar sum for Modric? According to Mort, we outbid Spurs but Modric preferred to move to London. I don't think it's the amount that's the problem for Ashley. It's the lack of any resale value that puts him off certain transfers.

Do you need to be a psychologist? If you were thinking of moving to another club, would you give an interview like that - bigging yourself up, slagging off other players and saying that Dabo deserved a wacking?

For 17, he looks amazing and well worth a massive bid. You're probably right, but we would be able to offer him regular first-team football, because already he looks miles better than anyone else we've got. In four years' time, he'd be able to get his move to the likes of Real. Trouble is, the likes of Spurs would be able to offer the same, plus European football and the advantages of London. Still, I'm not sure if it's quite as hopeless a chase as you're saying. The other thought in my head is it would probably do Ranger some good if he was playing with someone of around his age who's actually better than him. I think he's lazy and has been doing just enough to get by, and this might give him the kick he needs. Well, I can dream, can't I.

Actually, it may all work out well for us, thinking about it. All those comments about England midfielders seemed to be designed to ensure that he'd never get picked for England again. Similarly, all this other rambling - particularly about Dabo - is bound to put other clubs off from coming in for him. As I said in another post, I think he struggles with decisions and subconsciously this may be his way of putting the decision in the hands of other people.

I don't know the relevance of the interview being weeks old. He shouldn't be saying these things at all. Beneath the big talk, he sounds very unsure of himself. He doesn't know whether he wants to play for us, whether he wants to play for England, and who's to blame for the Dabo fight. It's all coming out in a big ramble. Someone needs to have a quiet word with him because he's just making a fool of himself.

Just checked him out on a well-known video-clip site. Bloody hell.

Where's that come from? Maybe there's no hidden masterplan in Joey's mind, and I'm doing him an injustice on that point. But I do think he finds decisions difficult, and all this public parading of his dilemma is part of it. When it came to leaving Man City, there were all kinds of histrionics before it all went through. A lot of his statements - and I'm talking about what he was quoted as saying in his talk in as well - are lacking in any consistency or coherence. He's presenting as confident and in control over his own destiny, and then he's saying things that completely run against that. (eg saying you want to play for England and then saying things that will ensure that that doesn't happen) 'I'll sign if Kevin signs' - a complete relinquishing of responsibility for the decision.

It's all complete crap. He doesn't want to play for England and is making sure that he doesn't get picked for any future squads. He'd much rather be a big fish in a small pool and I don't think he'd find it easy to fit into an England squad and handle those relationships. As for the club, he'd rather see out his contract on his current huge wage and then see what his options are. As with Owen in the last year of his contract, he sees no advantage in signing up now to a lower contract. He has every right to make that stand but why the accompanying BS. The problem seems to be changing all the time - now he's not going to sign unless his mate Kevin gets a new contract as well. Ridiculous.

Either he doesn't want to play for England, or he's given up hope. Publicly slagging off your potential team-mates isn't very sensible if you really expect to be part of the squad. So Gareth Barry is slow, is he? You're not exactly a greyhound yourself, mate. I'm not impressed with the 'I'll only sign when I see whether everyone else is signing' attitude. Just make your own mind up, Joey. Presumably Man U and Chelsea will be battling for the signature of England's leading midfield player, so the decision should be a simple one anyway.

Good to see that confidence returning to Rooney's game.