Cronky

Just seen the Sky highlights. I was impressed with Huntingdon, who I thought did very well considering the opposition and his inexperience. He looked an intelligent and composed player. A good prospect.

Dead right. I didn't want to say it because I've made the point before. We handled the whole question of Shearer's retirement and replacement in an incredibly unprofessional manner, and Robson was the chief casualty.

An interesting point which I would like to counter. Since Roeder's been in charge there's been little news about problems in the dressing room. The rumours of various ructions have, effectively, died out. The only rumour I've heard, and this is a vague one, concerns Rossi and that's kept to a minimum. As the man himself; after the West Ham United game he, himself, has changed. Rather than being the Quiet Thin Man he's now making comments in the after-match interviews which seem to be out of character. He's had a go at Redknapp (one of the few good and great Premiership managers) which was a total surprise to me and he's not frightened to say what he, or something else thing that he, should say. It could be that he's growing into the job at StJP and he, like a guard dog, is defending his territory. But I have seen enough to think that this is a man who wants this job and he could well have the teeth and he could surprise us all. So far I have nothing but admiration for the man for what he's done for the club on and off the pitch and the way that he fought his own medical issues. I truly believe that we're starting to see that character which fought and won his cancer on the touchlines. Don't dismiss him just yet. Also do remember what they say about still waters.... As I said in my post, I've generally been surprised and impressed by Roeder's motivational skills. I think the players do respond to him and are working for him. That particular point I made only related to specific players. I think Roeder is respected and liked, but not feared. For most players, that's enough, but the odd one or two need a bit more. N'Zogbia and Luque are the two that spring to mind. I can remember Zoggy being subbed in a European game, and he wasn't that happy. Despite the fact that we were chasing a win, he walked off like there was all the time in the world. If a young player was foolish enough to do that with Ferguson, they wouldn't be doing it a second time. Despite the 'you should see me when I'm really angry'- type comments that he comes out with , I don't think Roeder is really a toughie. He motivates in a different way. But I only meant this as a relatively minor point that's separating him from being in the top bracket. Generally speaking, as you say, the players seem to respect him.

It would be the biggest shock in Premiership history. I can only see us being overrun in midfield, and dominated up front by Drogba. Martins is the sort of player that can nick a goal against any defence, but he's unlikely to see much of the ball. We'll have to hope for a sending off. Or maybe two.

Things changed after we became a PLC, but the days of Sir John Hall bankrolling the club couldn't last forever. Dalglish took over the club at a difficult time, when the team had already peaked, re-building was necessary, the money had been reduced, but expectations were still high. He didn't handle the pressure well, but the pressure was immense. In recent times, the turning point was surely in the close season after we finished 3rd. The dip was only to 5th place, but the momentum had gone.

I voted yes. I think there were better candidates (esp O'Neill), but in his overall period in charge he's done better than I expected. I honestly think it's difficult for any manager to work under the current regime, and not all the problems that have arisen with transfers can be put down to him. The players seem to play for him and despite the criticism, I think his tactics and team selections have been sound. He's also kept his cool under pressure in recent weeks and kept faith in his own judgement. As for his weak points, I'm still not sure about his ability to handle stroppy or undisciplined players.

I saw a bit of the Bolton game and West Ham were terrible. No spirit, no energy, nothing. Something has gone wrong behind the scenes, and I think they were right to make a change - unlike Charlton, who I think should have stuck with Dowie.

I'd agree with this. Although Martins is very much a front man, it looks to me like he's better than Owen at dropping off and creating things for other players, when the situation demands it. Owen is purely a finisher. He's only worth half the amount we've shelled out, in transfer fees and wages.

He looks slow and cumbersome. He just hasn't got used to the pace of the Premiership, and may not be able to.

I think the difference is we now carry some attacking threat. Martins has found his feet, and he's linking much better with the rest of the team. Dyer has been in and out but he's given everyone a bit of confidence. Butt and Emre compliment each other well, and we've finally got some attacking threat from the midfield, instead of Parker and Emre side by side. Solano's passing out of defence has been excellent. The back four still looks dodgy though.

I think Pearce's comments do him credit - not that there was a lot of choice because it was blatant mind. Related to the subject, I've just watched the Chelsea-Arsenal game. Absolutely brilliant game, but it was marred a little by some really childish behaviour from both sets of players - constantly whinging against decisions and niggling one another. Is it a coincidence that their two managers are the also the worst in the league for moaning about refs and winding up other managers.

I think both players are at their best playing right up against the last defender, so it's far from ideal. Martins would have to drop back into the more withdrawn Bellamy-type role, but I'm not sure that's really his style. No doubt it will be tried, but I'm pretty sure that if they were both at one of the top sides, they'd be competing for the same place.

Interesting. I'd feel a bit happier about being taken over by a single businessman rather than some finance company. It feels more and more like if we don't accept one of these takeovers, we're liable to be left behind.

You could tell from Henchoz's expression when he was red-carded that the foul had been intentional. There wasn't a flicker of surprise. Accidentally fell on the player's legs my arse.

to be fair,emre does one or two of those himself!! My guess is that during the interval, Hughes told his side that we were pissing all over them in front of their own fans, and what were they going to do about it. Emre was dominating them, and they were keen to take him out.

He's not international class, but I'm pleased for him that he's doing well for us now, and is hopefully going to end his career on a good note, which he deserves. The Butt-Emre combination seems to work though, in that Emre is able to have the free role that he needs.

I feel a bit annoyed by Pedersen's tackle on Emre. He knew what he was doing. He knew he wasn't going to get the ball, but carried on with the challenge. There were a lot of tackles by Blackburn that were a bit (cough) over-enthusiastic. The ref should have been a bit stricter. I liked the look of Huntingdon. He looked very calm and composed considering he was being shoved on in a very difficult situation - defending a lead away from home against a team who were throwing the kitchen sink at us. Impossible to judge his ability, but he looked to have the mental strength. We did look weak in the air in defence though. When Pedersen can beat your centre backs in the air, you've got problems. No way should we be getting rid of Bramble. The spirit of the team looked very good, which Roeder has to take some credit for.

No question for me, it's Dyer's return. Love him or loathe him, he's restored the team's confidence.

Looking at some of the names put forward makes you realise how much more dainty the game has become. For the real hard men, you have to look back a bit, to times when refs were far less strict. Burridge Maguire Boam Kilcline Pearce Batty McCreery Carney Ferguson Shearer Whitehurst

It's been a growing problem for a while now that the top clubs have difficulty in giving their younger players any decent playing experience. The standard is now so high, that they can't afford to give youngsters a decent run in the side without it costing them too much in terms of results. They end up having to loan them out, or let them leave at the age of 23 or so, without having gained much first team experience. I think the B team idea sounds better than reserve games, and if the League was being formed now, it would probably be part of the set up. Trouble is, it's not a blank sheet and like you say, who's going to make way for all these B sides? Of course the glorious exception has been Arsenal, who have been able to bring so many youngsters through. Even there, you have to take into account that they take the best young players on an international rather than a national scale, and it's not something every club could do. There are also signs now that it's starting to put them at a bit of a disadvantage compared to Man U and Chelsea.

He was facing the East Stand, wasn't he? ie towards Mecca. Probably not intentionally though. Mind you, if there is a God, I hope he's got more important things to do than worry about who gets the winning goal in a Premiership match.

How does he know? bluewink.gif

What the Leeds example showed is the folly of pumping money on the assumption that you'll be able to recoup that investment through success on the field. Not everyone can end up winners. However, it now seems that there's a lot of money to be made just by remaining in the Premiership. I've got my concerns about clubs falling into corporate hands, but this is the new reality. The Premiership is becoming a global brand, and the most widely popular sporting entertainment on the planet. Naturally it's going to attract the interest of the wealthiest people on a world scale. It's happening regardless of what we think or want, and we only have the choice of joining in or being left out. If we want to stay competitive, we have to join in. The biggest problem is when you have someone like Abramovich who's investing money that hasn't been generated by the game and that can't possibly be recouped. That just inflates wages and transfer fees, and threatens to kill off proper competition. Hopefully this restriction on wages as a proportion of turnover will help even things out.

Quite a funny article, but seeing as the Belgravia Group have said they're in talks, and their interest has been officially confirmed by the Club to shareholders, it hardly counts as a wild rumour dreamt up by Geordies. The idea that foreign takeovers are mostly moonshine is also completely wrong. Villa and West Ham have fallen into foriegn hands this season, with Liverpool about to follow. Man U and Chelsea have also gone recently. There's a lot of interest in England's major clubs from abroad.

I think in practice all managers adapt tactically. The reason Chelsea do better than Arsenal at Bolton is because they can handle them physically. Nothing to do with tactics. It's just Mourinho having a little dig at Wenger and getting himself a bit of attention at the same time.