Cronky

It's sad for the fans, but I don't think a 10 point deduction is enough. A club that goes into administration has gained an unfair advantage in the past over clubs who have kept within their means. There has to be a real deterrent.

Even if he only comes back for the last 12 or so games, I can see that giving the team a significant lift. The pressure on the team will be immense in the final run in, and one thing I'll say for Joey is he's never afraid to take responsibility and try to make things happen. He won't go into his shell. In that sense, he's a real leader and we'll need that kind of character.

I would have agreed with that last week, but with Taylor out we need a big commanding CB in as a matter of urgency. Colo and Kadar are very good defenders but neither is exactly a beast in the air. We need a big hard bastard in to keep the balance right. Well if he's offering us something we've not already got, then fair enough. If he's going to be displacing Kadar as the third choice CB, then I'm more bothered. There's a lot of pressure to secure promotion, and I appreciate that Hughton would rather pitch in someone with experience, but if we were promoted I'd like to feel that we had a Premiership quality centre back in Williamson. Otherwise sacrificing the chance to give Kadar more experience makes no sense. We had a similar situation with Harewood pushing Ranger down the pecking order. Looking to the longer term, we have to pitch Ranger in at some time. With the huge financial consequences of relegation / not getting promotion, it's difficult for managers to take the step backward to take two steps forward that is the usual consequence of blooding youngsters. It's particularly difficult at our club, where the expectations are high. I just hope that Williamson really is a good addition and not just another body in the squad.

I'm not too fussed, because it doesn't sound like Williamson is much better than the players we've got. He'd be here as cover. We may as well give Kadar a chance.

Did he know something we don't?

I'm a bit concerned that our best young players aren't getting as much experience as they should, and Kadar looks the part. However, I'd be a lot more confident if he was going to be partnered by a strong CB with leadership qualities. Coloccini looks like he needs help himself.

The more important question is in all these cases is who is going to take over. If there's no better alternative, then the 'get out' brigades aren't being constructive and are more likely to be doing harm. So it depends on if the current owners are blocking better alternatives for their own ends. There are as many opportunists as saviours out there, and it's not always easy to tell the difference.

Skilful, but a bit on the small side and struggled to assert himself physically IIRC. Not quite cut out for the Premiership.

From the Screws Buy! Buy!

Didn't Cole have on-off injury problems with his shins at the time? I think Keegan may have reckoned that £6 million was a good price for a player whose fitness seemed dubious. Plus he really rated Keith Gillespie. If he hadn't come in part exchange, I doubt whether the deal would have gone through. You have to say it was a good move. Ferdinand replaced Cole and the team moved forward.

'Failed to make the grade at Villa' is the real story here.

Andy Gray would be a good pundit, if he'd only put a lid on his incessant ranting about referees and stick to talking about the football. Of the old commentators, Brian Moore was the best IMO. The current crop talk too much. I end up getting irritated and watch a lot of games with the sound turned off.

Great news if he's fit and we can get him. He's a class above our other defenders.

I think he's made his position clear. He's prepared to subsidise the club to the tune of £20 million a year. Beyond that, the club has to balance its own books. How much of that £20 million would be available for transfers is anyone's guess. Obviously it all depends on how much is swallowed up by wages etc. But I suspect the transfer budget at this point is small - £2 or 3 million tops.

I'm not confident at all with any of our back four. If I were manager, I'd be on the look out for replacements. Enrique is good going forward, and is athletic enough at Championship level for his poor positioning not to matter. At Premiership level, he's been vulnerable and I don't think anything's changed. Colo is too slow and not strong enough for a Premiership CB. He's far better suited to Continental football. Taylor is a good athlete but clumsy. Simpson has looked okay, but it was worrying how vulnerable he looked when he finally came up against a wide player of Premiership standard. Kadar looks to have the most innate ability, but needs experience and we're not giving him much at the moment.

Certainly. But, as I'm sure you agree, calling him corrupt is baseless. I thought Defoe fouled the keeper tbh. He gave him a tug across the shoulders and I assumed at the time that it was the reason the goal was disallowed. Aye, like Jermaine Defore muscled Reina to the ground. Anyway, I don't think Webb's corrupt but he's been shocking tonight and is generally a poor ref. Indeed, usually most accusations of referee bias and corruption are more easily explained by simple ineptitude. Or the fact that it's a difficult job and no-one's going to do it perfectly and to everyone's satisfaction.

Certainly. But, as I'm sure you agree, calling him corrupt is baseless. I thought Defoe fouled the keeper tbh. He gave him a tug across the shoulders and I assumed at the time that it was the reason the goal was disallowed.

I thought you could only sign pre-contract deals with foreign clubs. Surely the Sun hasn't got it wrong?

Local journos rely on players for interviews and titbits of gossip, so it's in their interests to maintain good relationships. Having said that, Lee Ryder's comments are exceptionally grovelly there.

Aye. He's in a completely different class to Man Utd's other attacking players. For most of the game, he was playing as a target man, which he can manage okay, but in the last 15 minutes, after Owen came on and he had a freer role, he was absolutely brilliant. To get the most out of him, you have to let him drop deep and run at defences.

I can only think that Colo opted to try for an interception, rather than attempt to win an aerial duel - which admittedly he's not very good at. He seemed to deliberately stick himself a yard in front of the striker in the hope that the cross wouldn't be accurate enough to reach Bednar and he could knock it away himself. Unorthodox, and it can't be the best way of defending, but it's the only explanation I can come up with.

Well he set Lovenkrands up with a very good pass in the first 10 minutes, and got the free kick which led to our goal. Those were his best moments, but in general he got himself involved and battled hard with his marker - won some, lost some, gave some frees away, got some. He did tire in the second half, yes. He was playing in a difficult position, and got very little support. We were being overrun for a lot of the game, and he was our only outlet. We were having to resort to long balls, and it's difficult for a player to shine in that situation. He did a decent enough job. By comparison, Lovenkrands barely got involved at all, despite his well taken goal. Carroll, when he came on, was ineffective. We were really up against it. Shola can look extremely clumsy at times, and many people get angry at him as a result. But all this stuff about 'he did nothing' and 'he's completely useless' is ridiculous.

He did well on the ball. Most footballers get paid a lot at that level, many of them cant control that well atall. He got us the freekick, he did badly down the other end. Theres no use only seeing one side of it, he had good moments and a few more bad moments. You're wasting your time. Christ knows how many times this kind of conversation has cropped up about Shola. All the attention seems to go on what he can't do, rather than what he can.

Harper 7 - Did okay. Not at fault for the goals. Simpson 4 - Couldn't cope with Thomas. Taylor 6 - Okay but not commanding. Coloccini 5 - Bad lapse for their 2nd goal. Enrique 6 - He's a vital attacking weapon for us, but often gives the ball away in dangerous situations. Jonas 7 - a very important player tonight, despite his poor final ball. Easily our best attacking threat from midfield. Smith 5 - Outpaced by the opposition, but kept going. Nolan 5 - See Smith Guthrie 6 - Showed the occasional flash of skill. Struggled physically as per. Ameobi 7 - Until he tired, kept our attacking effort together almost single-handed. Will get no credit for it. Lovenkrands 6 - Would have got a 4 if it wasn't for a very important goal.

Skilful but not very strong. Tends to dither on the ball. But now and then will put out a moment of real class, like tonight. I don't think that's enough to make him a Premiership player though.