Cronky

Superb cross. Not much we could do about that.

We look comfortably the better side. Barton and Guthrie look good in the middle.

I'm beginning to think that, for better or worse, this loan deal is going to go through. The player wants to showcase himself in the Premiership and is stonewalling every other possible move. He does seem to have a very stubborn streak. This may be fanciful, but my only hope is that the lad might respond better to Hughton than previous managers, with them both being of mixed race. It shouldn't make a difference to the player, but you never know. Still seems more likely than not to fail though, given what we've heard about the player.

No. He sounds like he's got a realistic grasp of the situation. Not many Chairman are able to express themselves as well as that. It was an interesting interview.

Man City seem to have a policy of paying huge amounts for players who aren't much better than the ones they've got. Their transfer policy seems a bit unfocused to me, which suggests that it's not really in the hands of the manager.

If Steven Taylor had stayed fit, I'd have been happy to sell him or Coloccini. As it is, we can't afford to lose another CB.

quality players win you games, simple as, or would you rather want us to spend 6 million on 2 potential nicky butt's This is the second time you have said this - the truth is that quality players WITH GOOD ATTITUDE win you games ; those with temperament problems cost at least as many points as they help to win by causing dissention within the squad and by not pulling their weight in ALL matches and not just those in which they feel like it that day. Why do you think we are scrapping around after players like this when other clubs are buying proven quality ? The answer is that we CAN'T AFFORD players with skill AND good attitude. It will take YEARS to build a good set-up at NUFC because it will have to be done by using an expert scouting system to spot players before they get snapped up at a young age and by developing the Academy talent - there is no other way because NUFC cannot compete with clubs like Man U, Liverpool, Man C and the London clubs on a glamour basis. I say again - I would rather have taken Cleverley on loan than this guy for 5m because Cleverley has a proven record at Watford and whilst playing for Man U in pre-season, and is rated by SAF. It is a racing certainty that he would have given 100% whilst with us and that is something no French player has consistently done at SJP. Comments such as the one you made about Butt are simply not worth talking about. I'd basically agree with that. This debate about the value of the maverick individual is probably the oldest one in football. There's a subtle but significant difference between the talented but inconsistent player, and the selfish player. Players at all levels need to react well to the situation in front of them and that can mean a quick pass to a man in a better position. Obviously a talented player is going to have a wider range of possibilities, and may choose to go past an opponent. Fair enough, but you do get immature or selfish players who will always try to do the spectacular rather than the simple, regardless of the situation, because they're wrapped up in their own agendas on the pitch. I worry that Ben Arfa is still stuck in that phase. If that player is equally selfish off the pitch, then that can create a bad atmosphere around the team, which needs to relax and concentrate on other things. Again, this lad seems to carry that danger with him.

It doesn't surprise me at all. I reckon he could easily be good enough to challenge for a place in their first team.

quality players win you games, simple as, or would you rather want us to spend 6 million on 2 potential nicky butt's Teams win you games. The quality player is only effective in the context of the team.

If Ben Arfa wants to come here, I think it suits him, as well as the club, to make it a loan deal. That way, he can showcase himself in the Premiership and get a move at the end of the season to one of the bigger clubs (he thinks). We get the use of a talented but risky player without any commitment. Obviously, OM want to sell, with him coming to the end of his contract - hence the stand off. This sort of unholy alliance doesn't smell right. A young and seemingly immature player is exercising a lot of power in this situation. What happens if he comes here and is on the bench? Will he accept that or make trouble?

The lad is clearly a toxic risk, despite his talent. I'd also have doubts about how well he'd settle in the city, as well as the club. If we're interested at all, a loan is far more sensible, because it could easily go belly-up even quicker than it did at his previous clubs. No other Premiership club seems interested at all, and there's not much demand for him anywhere else as far as I can see. OM seem desperate to see the back of him. I know it's natural to get excited about this sort of flair player, but a lot of people on here don't seem to be paying enough attention to all that.

I saw him play for Watford v QPR last season. I hadn't heard of him before, and he just had me thinking - who are you and what are you doing at Watford. He had energy, a good touch on the ball, a nice change of direction that got him past opponents - he was a class and a half above everyone else on the pitch. He definitely looked a Premiership player, and it doesn't surprise me that so many clubs in the lower half of the table want him.

At the same time?

If Cleverley goes to Wigan we should be damn sure to get Ben Arfa. I was hoping we went for both, excellent prospects. Of the two, Cleverley seems to be the one who's more in demand. I'm not so optimistic now, because it seems that all the Lancashire clubs are after him, and that will have its advantages for him. I just hope that the thought of playing in front of 50,000 crowds tips the lad into favouring us. Not that he'd have the last word. I'm worried that we're a bit out of favour with Ferguson after we borrowed Rossi and then didn't play him .

Going to Wigan according to Mail http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1300418/Tom-Cleverley-join-Wigan-loan.html

Basically if Niang goes to Fenerbache then he'd consider staying at Marseille. And so the pantomime continues. No wonder the bigger clubs are steering well clear.

That's not as crazy an idea as you might think.

What was it over? I found this vid but can't speak a word of french... Ben Arfa called him 'son of a whore'. As with Cantona at Crystal Palace all those years ago, it's an insult that the French find very wounding. Results could be interesting if he did that to Barton.

Give him time.

That sounds like quite a CV of trouble, and would explain why none of the bigger clubs seem interested, despite his talent. This season is going to be a bit of a struggle. This lad seems quite immature, as a person and as a footballer, and we really need players who can contribute right away. I feel confident that Cleverley could do that, whereas Ben Arfa needs a lot of work, which in the end could come to nothing. I'm still not convinced that we want him, or that he really wants to come, in any case.

I don't want this over-hyped French tart. I want Cleverley.

Sorry, but it still sounds like we're only being used to attract other clubs.

I'm sure that Carroll will be first choice, because of his power in the air, which will get us a few goals against any defence. The problem with Carroll though is his pace and movement - inevitably with a player that size. He needs a more mobile player around him, and at the moment we've only got Lovenkrands, who has his limitations. Nolan did well in the Championship, but he won't be quick enough to cause problems in the Premiership. If Hughton could sort that problem, it would considerably improve our chances of getting wins.

Yeah, Cleverley could be a key signing. (I don't think there's anything in the Ben Arfa story) Whatever, he needs to avoid playing two big centre-forward types together, because the lack of pace and movement would kill us.

I guess we don't know how much those bids are. Potential buyers may be reckoning that the owners and the banks are sitting on an asset of declining value and they may have to bail out for an amount that is far less than they were hoping for. The Chinese businessman has been very crafty in going public. He's putting a lot of pressure on the owners, by giving the fans the impression that he's just waiting to pump a lot of money in, if only those nasty Americans would get out of the way. We've seen the same trick going on with our club.