TRon

It's a reached a new low when we are signing low quality back up players for back up players who weren't good enough in the first place.

Maybe he's been brought in so Nolan can pick ups some knock downs from set pieces. I can't think of any other fucking reason.

Said the same earlier. I always regarded him as a quick clever forward who had some ability but didn't get enough goals. He would be Nolan's twin opposite if there could be such a thing.

where's that from then?

Roger Kint :tiote: rogered k*nt (soz Rog, couldn't resist)

I never said I did.

So is everyone agreed that we should sign no one as the free transfer options are all over-priced or crap?

Who is biting? and on what?

So does anybody endorse signing this fella on a contract beyond this season?

Porky/Parry and Hawksby /Jacob show are the ones I always end up turning off because they aren't usually about football. If Talksport want to boost their ratings by hiring knowledgeable though sexist football commentators I'll probably tune in if I'm in the car. I only ever listen to Talksport in the car anyway.

I just hope Carroll fucks Liverpool about for a year to make up for this.

Exactly. So why everyone assumes he's a realistic alternative is hard to fathom. Any player who we are going to put on a longer contract has to be good enough to be worth paying in 12 months time.

We are interested in Ewerthon according to his agent so the first hurdle (knowing who he is) is out of the way. If his fitness record is good then the only major stumbling block would be length of contract. Is he good enough to hold a place in our first team beyond this season? bear in mind we'll have HBA back and will be looking to sign at least one striker in the summer.

He's a damn site more matchfit than Aliadiere is. The lad has been out for a year ffs, Ewerthon was still training and playing until a month ago. We'll probably sign neither of them in any case.

I would imagine that signing Ewerthon wouldn't just hinge on the length of contract but on his state of fitness as well. Doesn't seem to have a great injury record and you have to wonder why he's without a club if his pedigree is all that.

Jonas isn't a striker though. 2001–2007 Arsenal 29 (1) 2005 → Celtic (loan) 0 (0) 2005–2006 → West Ham United (loan) 7 (0) 2006 → Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) 14 (2) 2007–2010 Middlesbrough 78 (11) Goals in brackets, that a s*** insurance policy Only Americans look at stats. Only idiots refuse to use stats to help make a decision. The fact is we have all see him play for a few years in the prem. He is garbage and the stats back that up. Luca Modric has 1 goal and 1 assists this season, must be shit because the stats back that up. That will go over the heads of most people. Aliadiere is technically a pretty accomplished player. He doesn't score enough goals but he might well help create a few. But seeing as we've got plenty of strikers at the club already we obviously don't need "an extra body".

Because we need bodies? How many fit strikers do we currently have? I'm a body. SIGN ME SIGN ME SIGN ME!!! Yes that was the point. You have really hit the nail on the head with that one

Because we need bodies? How many fit strikers do we currently have?

He's a body through the door that's all. If you want to look on the bright side, at least he's got technique and pace, even if he's not a goalscorer. I think he had two spells at Arsenal for that reason alone. Better than nowt.

What else are we going to get on free transfers? I'm surprised there's even someone with this sort of pedigree.

Same here. Blackburn have done ok after Fat Sam left and with us looking less solid in the last few games I think winning would need us to score a couple of goals. With us struggling for strikers I can't see it, not at their place.

Nolan was pretty wound up - credit for that - his arm went towards the ball the goalkeeper was holding and Chesney moved his body to make a meal of it - so the keeper is responsible for the incident. Also loved the angry manner in which Nolan threw his drink bottle to the ground as he walked to the tunnel at the end, it said a lot about how wound up he was and what it meant to him. A lot has been said about the team and individual's performances in the second half, but I'm sure had Kevin Nolan not been in our dressing room and on the pitch we would not have got that result. He is a big, big player for us. It's a double edged sword really. Nolan couldn't get near any of the Arsenal midfielders in the first half, he really only came into the game when they lost a man in midfield. His attitude is great...physically he just can't live with some teams.

Tiote did an interview in the Independent before the Arsenal game, and he said this is a fantastic club. He's clearly happy here but there are going to be clubs chasing his signature this summer. I'd only be really worried if one of them was Chelsea because they will pay whatever it takes.

That's the only way we can look at it philosophically. In a year or two we might be in a position to pay wages like th CL clubs, in the meantime if we can hold onto our best players great, if we can't at least we can get big enough money to improve the squad overall at the expense of losing one player. Then keep our fingers crossed Pardew knows how to spot a player.

Simpson has grown on me a lot. I still think he's a bit raw when going forward and doesn't have a great right foot like say, Ryan Taylor. But he has bags of heart, is a good defender and clearly takes a lot of pride in the shirt. No surprise that he was one of the leading players who took the battle to Arsenal in the second half.