Cronky

Well done lads. I had every confidence in you and your manager.

Defending isn't the strong point for either team, so we should see some goals. Unfortunately, going forward, I think they've got too much for us to cope with.

It would be nice to see us linked with one or two defenders as well.

Ronaldo's a very, very good player, but a tad over-rated. Most of the time, his team are much better than the opposition, and he gets time, space and opportunities to run at defences with the ball. In those situations, he's devastating. When the opposition is stronger and he's got someone right up against him the second he receives the ball, it's a different story. It gets said that he doesn't produce on the big occasions. I'd say he finds it hard to produce against the best teams. As a player who'll help you win the League, he's extremely valueable. If I had to pick one player to help win the Champions League Final, I'd go for Rooney. He'll do it whatever the opposition.

He isn't good enough. Then sell him. Just don't humiliate him and then expect him to play. Give over man. If he's professional enough he'll play whether he wears 9 or 19. And the only reason he won't wear 9 next season is if we sign a top-quality striker. So either way, we win. When I said 'play', I meant in the sense of play with the right commitment. We're dealing with a human being, not a machine. In these particular circumstances, there's no way that taking away the No 9 shirt is anything but a public demotion.

He isn't good enough. Then sell him. Just don't humiliate him and then expect him to play.

Like Les Ferdinand you mean ?? Well, three points there. 1) Keegan was somewhat making an exception for Shearer, as a Geordie hero, which he hoped would sugar the pill somewhat for Sir Les. 2) According to Keegan himself, Ferdinand still wasn't that happy. 3) The whole gesture was a statement - the first of many - that Shearer was a special case. As time went on, that special status he had within the club became more and more of a problem. So overall, not the best idea in hindsight.

Seeing that taking away his number 9 would be a public statement that he's not good enough, I reckon it'd be a very bad idea.

Really? I always thought he was afforded bit of extra respect because, despite being ridiculoulsy famous, he was always 100% committed on the pitch and continued to dig England out of holes throughout his career (apart from in France 98 obviously). Yep, that's how I see it too. I wasn't questioning his commitment, or his courage in the face of adversity. More the perception of his level of basic ability. I'd see him as a good player, but not a great one. The likes of Keane and Scholes were far better players, but haven't had the international reputation that Beckham seems to enjoy.

He looked far more suited to continental football. If Wenger couldn't get the best out of him, sure as hell we won't.

He produces some eye-catching moments, but I get the impression that he needs to mature a bit before he reaches his potential. And his potential is not quite as great as he and others might think. He's a very good athlete, but needs to work hard at his basic skills.

I've often wondered what his profile as a footballer would be if he hadn't married a Spice Girl. It gave him celebrity status all over the world, and I think it's influenced a lot of people's opinion about him as a footballer - ie he's famous, so he must be good.

This. Surprising, after his game on Saturday. Then again...throughout his career Owen has played better for managers who "believed in him" so to speak -- the ones who had confidence in him and in his ability. He's admitted as much himself and maybe that plays into Keegan's sudden lovefest for Owen. The last year or so of Sven's "reign" as England manager, Owen played like sh***, after a falling out with Sven. Played well under McClaren, who seemed to quite rate him. Played badly under Keegan for England, played well for Hoddle (if you read Owen's book, he explains the "not a natural goalscorer" comment). Not real impressive under Big Sam, playing like a different player under Keegan for Newcastle. Solid under Houllier until the last season when there were confidence issues between the two. A pattern seems to have emerged, that generally Owen plays better for the managers who pile on the positive pressure -- as Keegan has been (Owen can/will perform, he can/will make the difference, etc.) rather than the negative pressure (dropping him, making him "question" his place). Really hope Owen's confidence isn't shot, after that. Does a single player look excited or motivated under Capello? I thought both matches the players have looked mediocre at best, totally terrified to f*** up -- note for Mr. Capello, perhaps terrorising them isn't the best way to get a player to perform? Uncertainty isn't good for clubs, and it doesn't look to be good for an international set-up either. Then again, maybe it'll work like last England match, and Owen comes back with his scoring boots on just to make a point. Well, that's a dangerous road to go down - ie whenever Owen plays badly, it's the manager's fault. On a different subject, after the match, I did wonder - does David Beckham ever actually run with the ball these days? When he gets the ball, he just stands still and then either whacks out a long diagonal pass, or, if it's on, a cross. He looks more like a golfer than a footballer. (Okay, I'm exaggerating a little, but you get my point) Bentley offers a lot more variety and, as the younger player, should get preference from now on.

I thought we looked half-decent in the first half. The new formation looked quite promising. Then we took our best players off (Rooney, Gerrard, Joe Cole) and reverted to a traditional 4-4-2. We looked as predictable and dull as any of the old England teams of the past. Hopefully some good will come of this ie never to do that again.

The problems that Keegan had with Owen, when he was England manager, arose when he was trying to persuade him to drop deeper. From Owen's own comments in the World Cup, Eriksson also had a problem in trying to peruade Owen out of a purely poacher's role. Owen at last now seems prepared to give it a try, but I've begun to wonder whether that is anything to do with the change in style that Capello is bringing to the England team. He made it very clear by his actions in the last game that he was only going to play with one out and out striker, and it wasn't going to be Owen. The message was - you have to adapt to this system, or you're not getting in. I know I'm a miserable old cynic, and ultimately if it benefits us, then fine. But Owen's new found enthusiasm to try something different may not be down to KK alone.

Drogba misses a few, but I'd say the other two were fairly clinical. More to the point, all three are capable of making their own chances, and of creating things for team mates, to a far higher degree than Owen. If a striker is gaining his place up front as a specialist finisher, then his conversion rate is more important. Isn't that argument redundant now seeing as Owen is playing deeper and playing as a link man? I take your point, but the exchange was about his worth as a striker, as compared to other strikers. As I said earlier, if his future worth now needs to be decided on his performances in a more withdrawn role in a 4-3-3, then we need to see a fair bit more of him in that position. Everyone seems to be getting carried away, on the basis of one and a half decent-but-not-outstanding performances against teams in the relegation zone.

Drogba misses a few, but I'd say the other two were fairly clinical. More to the point, all three are capable of making their own chances, and of creating things for team mates, to a far higher degree than Owen. If a striker is gaining his place up front as a specialist finisher, then his conversion rate is more important.

Firstly, it seems very premature to talk about renewing his contract when we're not yet safe from relegation. He's also being tried out in a different position, so it makes sense to assess him over the rest of the season. There's a tacit admission in this switch that he's no longer at the very top as a striker. A major problem is his inflated wages, and presumably there's no way he'd re-sign at this stage for less. On the other hand, he's not worth £120 K a week, and I can't see anyone else offering him that amount either. Ashley and Mort are naturally going to ask - why should we pay well above the market rate?

I agree. Keegan obviously wants to bounce the Board into a decision, but the reality is that none of the big four want him, and clubs outside the big four will have trouble in both matching his wages and convincing him to sign.

Billy McScot. Ginger Tartan. Haggis McThistle. Scott Bagpipery. hehe. Cheers Jock McHaggis Apologies to the Scotch mags You mean Scottish, Scotch is a Whiskey. You mean Whisky. Whiskey is Irish.

Keegan obviously feels that he's found a way forward with Owen, who in the past I think has always been reluctant to try any other role than striker. He's got some of the attributes of a midfield player, in that he's a good athlete (even though he's lost a lot of pace), he's very aware of what's going on around him, and he's able to change direction quite quickly to change the point of the attack. On the debit side, his first touch isn't that great and there's not much variety to his passing. The test for the longer term will come when we're up against a side that are equal or better than us.

Somebody is feeding the press with negative stories about Ashley. Scarcely a month goes by without some rumour emerging about him trying / needing to sell. Presumably it's someone with a grudge, but I can't think who that could be.

I wouldn't change the team for Spurs. I don't think this is the best possible team, but today we saw the benefit of a (slightly) settled side. There's been too many changes this season from game to game, in terms of personnel, as well as formation.

Sorry but that's just rubbish. It wasn't erratic at all. More often than not, his passes were 'unlocking doors' more than the likes of Barton/Emre/Milner/Duff, and whoever the hell else our 'door unlockers' are, ever do for us. Nope. He gave the ball away a few times. And I can't remember any killer passes that put anyone through. But he was very aware of everything that was going on around him, and he kept the attack moving well most of the time.

Long term, I don't think so. It worked well today, but I don't think it would work against better sides than Fulham. Owen's ability to be where the ball is was just as apparent in midfield, but his passing was erratic - some good, some poor. I like 4-3-3 as a formation. It adds a bit of flexibility, and you sensed a bit of liberation among the players today. Keegan needs to bring in some players who can make it work that bit better, if we're going to move forward from this.