TRon

Or Spurs maybe.

Would Hughton be looking for SWP to be the alternative for Ben Arfa now that our club's limp-wristed attempts to sign the French star has seen us probably gazumped by another premier team?

Really? He was good enough for England a few months ago.

I would go along with that. If he wasn't slow he'd be a top player.

I thought we passed Villa off the park yesterday imo. wWe passed them off the park because Barton showed what a real midfielder can do, and he was well supported Smith yesterday. But if you guys like Nolan up front with Andy Carroll you are entitled to your opinion, he got two goals. I would prefer a different type of forward that's all. So would I, I just think yesterday showed we are capable of passing the ball about with Nolan on the pitch. Although tbh I think it's early days to be thinking we will regularly be able to play passing football this season. I think we can go so far with Nolan, and at this stage it's about staying up so beggars can't be choosers. He's not a Keegan or SBR type of player though is he? That's the sort of team I like to watch and hopefully we'll get there again in the not too distant future.

You need a bigger picture to fit Nolan in it.

Well if Arsenal, Chelsea, Man U, Spurs or any of the sides that play good football come in for him he will definitely prove a few people wrong. More likely to be Bolton or Stoke though and for a reason.

I thought we passed Villa off the park yesterday imo. wWe passed them off the park because Barton showed what a real midfielder can do, and he was well supported Smith yesterday. But if you guys like Nolan up front with Andy Carroll you are entitled to your opinion, he got two goals. I would prefer a different type of forward that's all.

I would like to see us progress to a more passing game this season and that's not going to happen with Nolan in the side. It's not about slagging him off for no reason, you have to give him credit for the goals if we are getting results. But those teams that don't have Nolan's goals and are playing good football..that's where we want to be.

Can see posts like this being regretted in a few months... We'll have to see. Hope not, obviously... I don't mean that I wouldn't like us to sign him... it's just if there is an alternative that doesn't come with the baggage that he does, that would be preferable. I really wonder at comments like this and Johnny's "plenty other fish in the sea" remark. If it were that easy to pick up genuine young talent at knockdown prices we'd be challenging for Europe. The alternatives we'll more likely end up probably won't be much better than what we've got.

His wage demands were reportedly 45k a week. The nerve...

It was in the NOTW that we were scared off by his massive 45k/week wage demands. Llambias also reportedly asked him if he could lend him a fiver to get the bus home.

It'll be good to see the kids but I can see Hughton playing Xisco on the wing which will a) kill his chances of showing what he can do up front b) No proper wide men will make the rest of the team look pap as well, if Ryan Taylor is the other wide man. Hope Hughton picks a balanced side.

I'd have to say me too tbh. He's old school football, keep things quiet and in house. Don't demolish your players to the media etc. Watching Xisco play yesterday just made me think his approach is paying dividends. Nice stable season under Hughton would do us well and hopefully set the tone for nice steady progression, assuming Tiote (sp)m isn't the start and end of the investment. I'd like to see him phase in Vuckic more and more as the season progresses, sounds like we're gonna need to start playing the lad sooner rather than later or risk pissing him off. If we aren't getting Ben Arfa it would make more sense to start using Vukic rather than bring in yet another target man. Andy Carroll couldn't get a sniff while Viduka and Ameobi were in the front line but look how he's blossomed given the chance. Maybe Vukic could take his chance when it comes?

Lampard can get up and down the pitch reasonably quickly so can be part of a pass and move midfield. Nolan trundles back and trundles forwards too slowly but he's effective in dead ball situations or goalmouth scrambles. We won't play good passing football with Nolan in the side, but we can be effective like Stoke. I see the point your getting at, but wasn't his second goal yesterday a goalmouth scramble Well I said he's effective in golamouth scrambles so yeah.

Lampard can get up and down the pitch reasonably quickly so can be part of a pass and move midfield. Nolan trundles back and trundles forwards too slowly but he's effective in dead ball situations or goalmouth scrambles. We won't play good passing football with Nolan in the side, but we can be effective like Stoke.

Neither is Jo.

The problem that I have with that is if we end with someone like Santa Cruz instead. It happened with Moses where we ended up buying a totally different type of striker when it wasn't what we needed. Ben Arfa is the type of player Arsenal would buy, skill and pace. How many good young strikers of that type are available in our price range?

He’s 25 years old, if he can’t use his left foot by now he never will. He's not a top wide player for me, he just doesn't have the intelligence. But he's quick and his movement is good so he's a valuable outlet with a slow midfield like ours. To buy a player with end product as well as all his attributes will take a lot of money and we know how that ends.

I'm sure the club would still prefer to keep him if he's prepared to be reasonable about what he's worth. If not he can fuck off can't he?

whether nazi salutes should be joked about or not (personally i see it as an issue, mainly as i've called people nazi's or hitler in the past), if your going to criticise barton for it, then there are a lot of others to criticise as well. You see it as an issue or you don't? it wasn't a nazi salute so it's a non-issue.

He handled Carew a lot better than Dunne handled Carroll. Value for money I'd say.

Thank god he turned us down.

I'm not interested in any of the nazi crap. More importantly, Barton looked like a player today, he looked quality.

Maybe before he got injured, but unless a club comes in during the January window it's unlikely. He's out for two months yet.