Cronky

Unless he says no, I want to go to that club over there on loan. Ya?

If true then that is much the same way as Brian Clough went about his job. What a surprise. Yeah, as with Clough, O’Neill isn’t a coach. He stands back and concentrates on the bigger picture, in terms of the players’ states of mind, team selection and player recruitment. What has always been said is that although he doesn’t say much to the players, what he does say carries some impact, almost because of the distance that he keeps. It looks like he may have lost that connection at Villa. Like Clough did at Leeds, of course.

I'd assumed that you were joking until I saw the website. We're surely not going to loan a player to one of our rivals, are we?

It's sad if it's true. O'Neill has had a good managerial career, and man management is supposed to be one of his strengths. I suspect he lost heart at Villa as he couldn't see himself taking the club any further forward, and if he loses confidence himself, he's not going to be able to motivate the players. He's never been one to hide his feelings.

I just don't see what other clubs would see in him. He has good footwork, but is not particularly creative doesn't work for the team and is a right moody fucker. YouTube and FM agree with me on this. If Jonas was a moody so-and-so who didn't track back but could do the FIFA skill moves then you have Ben Arfa. Not many clubs do want him, for the reasons that you state. We seem to be going ahead on the belief that he can change. Nothing's going to happen until the player returns from the international squad. In the meantime, Marseilles might well be hoping to persuade him out of the move. It's pretty clear they're not happy with it, and it's the player who's digging his heels in.

Sounds like a bad do for both Villa and O'Neill. I can't see a bigger club opting for O'Neill now, so it's either a sideways move or retirement. Villa look like a club and a side that have peaked, and they don't look an attractive proposition for anyone who wants to preserve their reputation.

There may be a particular complication with his wages. I assume that Ben Arfa's current salary is being protected during the loan spell, and probably being paid entirely by us. That still leaves the question of what we pay him should we decide to take up the right to buy at the end of the season. There'd be no point in agreeing a transfer fee in advance with Marseilles if there wasn't also a salary agreement. The figures that are bandied about indicate that Ben Arfa is currently being paid in excess of our new wage ceiling. So some arrangement, perhaps to do with a signing on fee, needs to be worked out.

I think the Nicky Butt - type midfielder is becoming increasingly redundant at the top level. You can't have someone who is purely a ball-winner because a player in that anchor role actually gets a lot of possession and you can't afford to see them waste it, or slow every attack down.

'Son of a whore', I believe. I've been called worse down the local by my mates tbh. It's something that the French find particularly hurtful. It comes down to a cultural convention. Unless Diaby's mother really was a prostitute, of course.

I'm pleased that Hughton seems to have the courage to play Barton and Guthrie down the centre, but yes that does leave us a bit light defensively. It's a difficult problem to address, because if you bring in a defensive player who can't pass, you've only swapped one problem for another. Playing three in the middle might work, but then we'd be sacrificing at least one of Jonas and Routledge, and at the moment our wide players are an important part of our attacking threat. I was hoping that there was something in the Arevalo story - not that I know the player, but on the assumption that he's a good enough all rounder to meet both the defensive and the constructive parts of the anchor role. So at the moment, I share your concern.

'Son of a whore', I believe.

1. Man U 2. Arsenal 3. Chelsea 4. Liverpool 5. Man City 6. Everton Relegation - Blackpool, West Brom, Bolton I think it'll be a close title race, with Arsenal being let down, yet again, by injuries and their small squad size.

If Campbell was playing, I'd feel a bit more optimistic. I can only envisage another rabbit-in-headlights performance from Colo at the moment.

QFT. Yeah, the timing is good, but it still looks bleak. It's possible to get something from Old Trafford with a good counter-attacking game, but we don't have that. Our best hope is Carroll getting something from a set piece.

A fit Joey Barton is the main plus. Watching him yesterday also made me optimistic about his frame of mind. He was on the receiving end of a few late tackles, but didn't react.

He's so far up himself he's invisible. But seeing as it looks like it's going to happen, let's hope Hughton can bring the best out of that rampant ego.

Yes. Just. The right addition to the squad would make it a lot easier though.

He hinted at the lack of quality in delivery and the need for a top quality finisher which was interesting. Other than that he said we created a lot of chances. It was the closest I've heard Hughton come to putting pressure on the Board. It's not like we're bad, but Hughton can see that the right player in that position can make a real difference to us.

For a friendly game, it was a bit unnecessary - risk of injury and that. There was also a fair bit of arm following in.

Yeeeesssss........

It's the first time I've seen them this season, and there's definitely been some improvements. With Guthrie and Barton we look a lot more confident about playing the ball through the midfield. Nolan also looks fitter than he's been since he's joined us. To join the chorus, we could do with a mobile secondary striker to partner Carroll / Shola. Lovenkrands isn't good enough. We looked weak in the air defensively, but Campbell should be a big help there. To be picky about the midfield, we don't have a goalscoring CM, and at times we could do with breaking a bit quicker. Sometimes we seemed to play one pass too many.

Nolan's fault. Giving the ball away in a very dangerous position.

I think we'll see a lot of that this season. Stamina is a bit of a problem for both players. And may I say, for the first time this season, Shola is better than he's given credit for.

There seems to be an unnatural level of agreement here!

Waddle is going on about the final ball, but I think the problem is that both Carroll and Nolan are a bit slow. We don't have a striker or an advanced midfield player that's going to nip in ahead of a defender and be first to that half chance. We're wasting some good situations. Perch doesn't look like he's settled in yet. He's not imposing himself. Apart from that, we're unlucky to be behind.