Cronky

Another centre back should be the priority. It's the most signficant weakness in the side at the moment.

By the way, I thought the substitutions were poor decisions. I know Ranger, Guthrie and Barton were knackered, but it's asking a lot for youngsters to come on at that late stage and in that situation of defending a slender lead.

In which case, we're really going to piss this league. I thought they were very limited where it really counts in the final third. Smith was MOM for me. He really held the team together. You could see Ranger growing in confidence as the game went on. Presumably he's still going to fill out, and once he's a bit stronger we'll have a very good player on our hands.

We've had plenty of chances to kill this game off. Come on, just one decent shot.

Leicester look far more likely to score at the moment. We've got to make a change. I'd bring on Lua Lua for Geremi or possibly Guthrie. Those two haven't threatened at all and just keep losing possession. Ranger is a threat. His inexperience is showing, but he's doing better than I was expecting.

Geremi and Guthrie don't look comfortable out wide. They're losing the ball a lot and we can't get any momentum.

Vaughan would be a far better signing than Chopra. Yes please.

Nonsense: should be judged on the same criteria used on the rest of the pitch. No reason why goalies should be shafted like that, tbh. I wasn't meaning that the goalie should be penalised regardless of whether he touches the ball. Just that if he dives at the forward's feet, he can't really complain about the ref's decision if he misses the ball. It's very difficult to tell what's happened in that split second.

I think there are too many grey areas here to make punishment viable. It's often a matter of very fine judgement whether the contact has been sufficient to bring the player down, and/ or whether the striker has deliberately gone out of his way to make the contact happen. I've found all this sanctimonious crap from the Celtic officials and players a lot more irritating than what Eduardo did. My main feeling is that if a keeper dives at the player's feet, he's got to get the ball. If he doesn't, he's always going to be at risk of a pen. He can't expect the ref to be infallible in that situation. That's the reality.

Now that Man City are doing the same thing, he is. It's like kicking the ladder away once you've reached the top.

This is the article on the subject from the Beeb. It sounds like the chief targets are the 'sugardaddy' clubs like Chelsea and Man City. Good news for us though, in the long term - Uefa plans to curb clubs' debts Uefa president Michel Platini has vowed to bring in regulations that ensure football clubs manage their finances so they "live within their means". The key to Platini's vision of what he has called "financial fair play" is for all clubs to be made to only spend what they earn in football revenues. And he claims he has the backing of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and other rich club owners. The rules are still being formulated and would not be in place before 2012. Platini said: "We have everyone on board with this, the owners, the players, the leagues, the national associations. "If a club can get loans from a bank to buy players and is able to pay back bank loans then it is not a problem. But if a club gets a lot of money or subsidies from a big backer and is still in deficit in two years then it is a problem and we don't want that." It would mean owners such as Manchester City's Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan would not be able to make huge gifts of cash to their clubs. Platini added that an independent panel would be set up to judge whether clubs had broken the rules. "The panel will refer any matter to the disciplinary committee and sanctions will be taken from a reminder to a fine to expulsion from the Champions League," he said. Many of Europe's top clubs have huge debts, with Real Madrid's an estimated debt of £500m up to the end of the 2007-08 season. Financial experts have estimated Real's current debt could run to about £800m following their summer spending spree. Premier League club Chelsea reported losses of £65.7m up to June last year while Red Football, Manchester United's parent company owned by the Glazer family, recorded a £21m loss last year and has a total debt of £575m. Platini added: "It's mainly the owners that asked us to do something - Roman Abramovich, (AC Milan's) Silvio Berlusconi, (Inter Milan's) Massimo Moratti, They do not want to fork out from their pockets any more. "I have told Mr Abramovich about this and he said nothing against it." Uefa would also look at losses incurred by clubs' parent companies who have to service loans, said Platini. Sanctions - if implemented - would depend on the size of a club's losses, said Uefa deputy general secretary Gianni Infantino, who is in charge of the detailed planning process. He said around 20 clubs had been sanctioned in the past few seasons and not given a Uefa licence because their finances were not in order. But Infantino insists the new rules would not stop clubs like Manchester City breaking up the domination of the 'big four' in the Premier League - as long as they were run on the right lines. "We think that the opposite will happen because if you have a rich sugar daddy coming in and throwing money around this is unhealthy in the medium and long-term," he said. "For the club to be healthy it has to live on its own means and generate income and this is not impossible. "Clubs have generated revenues by investing in stadiums otherwise it is an artificial bubble which inflates the system and is unhealthy and unsustainable."

It looks like one way or the other, this sale will happen. Ashley and Moat seem to be working together to thrash out a deal that will allow it to go through. I don't think we should be expecting too much of the outcome though. Moat's financial muscle isn't that great. Many on here seem to have drifted into the mentality that it's all been Ashley's fault and therefore once he's replaced we'll get back to where we were.

He's obviously a big name, but he's not the most articulate of people, and I don't think he's got much experience as a TV pundit. The previous time he disappeared from management, he didn't watch a Premiership game for 3 years, which doesn't suggest a lot of enthusiasm for spectating or research. Not the ideal candidate, I'd say.

so not only does he have to score the best goal of the game it also has to be the winner? the last line is bollocks too. tough crowd. My point was that if you're going to get the headlines, you should earn them. It wasn't that great a goal and it came against a side that was already well beaten. What's more, the defender (guess who) made it much easier for him by not staying on his feet like he should have done. If it had been any other striker, no-one would be taking any notice. The whole circus surrounding Owen is liable to affect the focus not only of the players, but the manager as well. If you're 3-0 up with 20 minutes to go, surely that's the time to pitch in a youngster to give him some experience. If Owen's worth having, you should either start him, or bring him on when you're in trouble. It's interesting that the only league game that Owen has started, Man U have lost. To Burnley.

Earnshaw would be a good addition. We don't have that type of striker at the moment.

There's a logic behind making the decision one way or the other tomorrow. With only a week to go till the end of the transfer window, it's the last chance for either the old or new regime to bring anyone in. Assuming of course that will be any incomers.

Owen's goal was by no means the most impressive of the five. He also came on when Wigan were already well beaten. Yet he's the one who's getting the headlines. That kind of thing is going to become a serious irritant to his team mates.

Just back from holiday so missed a lot. I've just seen the goals and I'm a bit narked that some in the media are putting them down to defensive errors. I'm not saying the defending was brilliant but both goals were created, not handed on a plate.

Listen to yourself, mate. The club is bigger than any one individual, and no-one should be beyond criticism. Over the last few years, I've seen first Shearer and then Keegan being set up as idols whose ability and motivation can't be questioned. It's been entirely destructive in its effect. Look guys, I would like to see Shearer in the job, because I think he has some ability. But the point I was making - and amidst the abuse no-one seemed to want to address it - was that he only seems to want the job under certain favourable conditions which I don't think Ashley or any other owner is going to be able to provide. In which case, let's move on. The favourable conditions are to spend some of the money we have raked in on some much needed players to get us promoted. You don't agree with that? Yeah, I'd want the manager to have money to spend, same as everyone else. But is the money there? We were living beyond our means before, and we're in a worse position now. If there's some sugardaddy waiting in the wings, then great, but I see no sign of that. With only two exceptions, every manager has to work within a budget set by the owner. You can call that being a 'yes man' if you like. I'd call it reality. If he's doesn't like what's in front of him, then fine, but I don't see anything particularly heroic about it. That's what happens when you get relegated. The players who are wanted by other clubs move on. The rest stay.

Listen to yourself, mate. The club is bigger than any one individual, and no-one should be beyond criticism. Over the last few years, I've seen first Shearer and then Keegan being set up as idols whose ability and motivation can't be questioned. It's been entirely destructive in its effect. Look guys, I would like to see Shearer in the job, because I think he has some ability. But the point I was making - and amidst the abuse no-one seemed to want to address it - was that he only seems to want the job under certain favourable conditions which I don't think Ashley or any other owner is going to be able to provide. In which case, let's move on.

I'm probably the only one who's irritated by this, but here goes. 'Finish what you started?' - Sorry Al, you didn't start anything, we were relegated. You've still got something to prove, mate. The bit about 'everything is right and they want to get back into the Premier League' sounds like he's only prepared to take the job if there's money to spend. It doesn't sound to me like either Ashley or even any buyer is going to be able to blow much on signings. We need someone who sees the job as an opportunity and who's going to make the best of limited resources. That's the reality. I didn't like the way he was sat in the studio, talking about the limitations of the players out there. No doubt it'll get him a round of applause with most fans, but I did wonder what the players would have felt.

The back four played badly as a unit and as individuals. Krul saved their bacon. It's tough on Harper but Krul looks like a major talent and seems mentally strong enough to take his chance. We can't hold him back any more. It was very important we didn't lose, so I'm quite relieved.

A big problem is our defenders having no faith in one another. You often see two players going for the same ball, or covering the player who's going for the ball instead of holding their position. It then opens up a big gap elsewhere.

We don't have anyone who can produce a little bit of magic to open things up. Either Barton or Lua Lua needs to come on. Nolan just looks like he's running through treacle. Very nervy, indecisive defending, as usual. Despite our possession, they've always looked more likely to actually score.

He has to play Carroll. We look very weak at set pieces at both ends, and Carroll can make a difference there. The team I'm expecting - Harper R Taylor Colo S Taylor Enrique Guti Smith Barton Duff Nolan Carroll