Cronky

I don't get that logic at all. If a player you want is available, go for it. You never know if the opportunity is still going to be there in a few months' time. Barnes's arrival being dependent on other arrivals doesn't make any sense. If we're short of players, all the more reason to bring him in. I know he's the Messiah, but this is a bit of a bullshit statement. I wonder if, with his self-imposed exile from football, he hasn't actually seen Barnes play, and wants a bit of time to make his mind up. The new DOF may have already reached a conclusion and wants to move more quickly.

Owen.

Barton looked much fitter and sharper than previous, and was a bright spot in the evening. Carr also seems to have recovered his form. Butt and Rozenhal are a bit of a joke as a central midfield combination. We're never going to be able to keep possession with those two. There's a bit of a problem at the moment with Milner. Despite what many have said, he's better on the left, but I wouldn't drop Duff.

Good question. I wonder if he's fallen out with the new manager and wants to go.

Derby have more or less said, up the offer and he's yours. So I think he's coming. This could be as significant as the arrival of Gavin Peacock, Beardsley or Bellamy before. We need someone who can add a bit of zip and unpredicatability to the attack. From what I've seen, the only potential problem with the lad is his attitude. There's no question of his ability.

I can't remember my exact personal view at the time, but he went to Blackburn for what was a British record transfer fee. He'd already established himself.

If the bid really was £2 million, then it was bound to be rejected. I reckon it'll take about £6 million to shift him.

As with Owen, Shearer's physique changed after his injury. Looking at the old displays for Blackburn, he looks at least half a stone lighter and therefore significantly quicker. Shearer was the better overall package, but you can't say that his touch on the ball was better than Berbatov's. Berbatov is absolutely brilliant in that department.

I had the feeling that this season was going to be difficult for him. Last season, he was probably the best player on the pitch in every game, and his attitude reflected that. It's different this season, and he's playing with a team who are inferior to the opposition all the time. Down to earth with a bump. But as with Bellamy, let's buy a player when their career has stalled a bit, rather than waiting till he's hitting the headlines.

As I recall, we'd been doing okay in the league, until we reached the cup final. Our focus then went and the players strolled their way through the remaining matches, thinking they'd be able to raise their game again at Wembley. It didn't happen, of course. Bit of a lesson to keep giving 100%. You can't always turn it on exactly when you want to.

He's just what we need - a quick, skilful player who can operate in a free role between striker and midfield. Whether he's ready or not is a different matter. Personally, I'd take the gamble.

This whole idea of Shearer being the King in Waiting produces some very strange thinking within the club. The manager hadn't spoken to him for over 2 years after a falling out. Why would they suddenly be able to work together as a number 1 and number 2?

I can't believe for a second that this has been done behind Keegan's back. No way. What confuses me is that Wise very much came across as a hands-on manager type, rather than a backroom DOF type. It would be interesting to know how he and Butt get on. A few seasons ago, Wise managed to get Butt sent off. He tackled him and then pulled a hair out of his leg as he was lying on the ground, adding a few provocative words in the process. Butt reacted and got a red card. We can only hope that Wise's off-field personality is hugely different from the on-field one.

Do you think the failure to push on is due to the change of manager? Newcastle had Allardyce, a confirmed 4-5-1 man, boring tactically, long ball, solid defensively. So SA started to buy the type of players he needed for his system. Allardyce gets sacked, KK comes in, a manager who couldn't be more at the opposite of the managerial spectrum, 4-4-2, attacking football, we'll score more than you will. KK's problem is that he hasn't got many of the type of player he needs to play the style he wants to. I agree survival this season is assured but there will have to be (imho) wholesale changes to the squad in the summer to get the players KK needs to get the style of play he'll be looking for. I'm not saying the current squad consists of poor players, just not suited to KK's style. If Benitez asked his squad to play in the Man Utd style Liverpool would very quickly look more ordinary than they do right now. Bit more complicated than that. Allardyce brought in some of the players that he wanted, but he was still left with strikers who were more suited to a 4-4-2, when what he wanted was 4-3-3. He ended up batting between the two. Allardyce only had a limited amount of time, and wasn't the manager that the new owner wanted, so I think there was a lot of indecision in the transfer market which came to a head when the window opened again. The squad suits Keegan's 4-4-2 more, but there's a lack of pace going forward so we find it difficult to break teams down.

I haven't really noticed a problem with fitness levels tbh. If we're talking about yesterday, Arsenal must be the most exhausting team to play against, the way they move the ball around. There's a shortage of pace throughout the side, that's clear. I'd put that down to the particular players, though, not the training.

I think the situation is the same as for the last three seasons - relegation is a possibility but not likely because there are worse teams below us. We'd all hoped that things would push on this season, but it looks like it's not to be. I'd agree though, that we should be trying hard to bring in one or two players now in order to be safe.

I'm a bit suspicious that KK's policy of looking at ready-made Premiership stars is down to the fact that he's been away from the game for a long while, and those are the only players he knows. I imagine that he's simply not had the time or opportunity to do any research into foreign talent.

Owen is finished as a top-class striker. Anyone who thinks that the problem is 'the service' is kidding themselves.

I bet he's failed his medical.

I'd agree that there's a problem with the strikers. I'd play Smith as a target man. He's not ideal, but he's better in that role than Viduka, who's very slow and can get completely dominated by a good centre back. For the more withdrawn striker, I'd have Duff. Martins and Owen are finishers and aren't creative enough for the rest of the team to play away from the front line.

I just get the feeling it would be a good time to buy Barnes. He's had a taste of the Premiership, so some of that cockiness will have been knocked away and he'll know what standard he needs to reach for. Good talent, though.

Shearer is a TV pundit now, and he should be left to build his own career in the same way as everyone else. The club needs to move on.

I'd plump for experience and go with Barton.

Wot he says.

I didn't think we're playing too many long balls at all. We seemed to be trying quite hard to keep it on the deck. It was too slow to be effective, but the intention was there. It didn't look like Keegan wants Owen to be hanging around the penalty area, waiting for 'the service' to deliver chances. It wasn't the way Keegan played, and I can't see him wanting it from Owen. Owen's clearly lost a lot of his pace, and isn't the same player. He has to adapt, but I'm not sure that he wants to. Keegan's a big enough personality to confront this problem, in a way that I think other managers, at club and national level, have failed to do up till now. With Keegan, it's my way or the highway.