Shak

What a shit game.

Fans wanted someone to blame for a string of embarrassing derby defeats and somehow decided that the man who picks and prepares the team was the most deserving of abuse? Lunatics.

They'll do alright this year. The players will still be bought into his style, he'll still have them working on nullifying the opposition by working together as a cohesive defensive unit and it will seem like he really has a plan to mould them into a quality side. First they learn to defend together as a team and once that has been accomplished they can begin trying to play the fast paced, front foot football that he's told them about. They'll have a good run at some point before Christmas and be siting in midtable at the turn of the year. Come February though it'll become apparent to the players that he actually has no further plans for the team, that for as long as they're bound to him their professional lives will be a dull, aching hell on earth where their only goal in life is to avoid being slaughtered by the genius contained in teams like Stoke, Sunderland and Norwich City. The last few months of the season will be poor, maybe seven or eight points from their last ten games. But they'll be safe by then, so no matter. Next season they'll show up for preseason and be told it's time to build that solid defensive unit fellas. By then most of them will have stopped listening, all bar the grafters who can't do anything else. And then he'll take them down.

Anyone else angered by the failure to remember "i before e except after c" as demonstrated in this? Science.

Really didn't expect this. Hoping he can rediscover his old form, playing in less of a hoofball team would help him so hopefully McClaren is committed to that. Sadly I think that this time next year we'll be wishing we'd got rid and brought in a replacement while we had the chance.

I'd start Obertan over Gouffran all day like. He at least gives the team pace and to the untrained eye appears somewhat dangerous at times. Also provides tremendous comedy value. Gouffran is just slow, boring and shite.

I'd have no problem thinking that way if Williamson, Gouffran and Obertan had been first out the door. As it is, they're looking increasingly likely to stay, and it's mind-boggling how they get to keep their PL status, and someone of Abeid's potential ends up in a lower league in Germany. Problem is that you need to find a willing buyer. Who would have any use for Gouffran, Obertan or Williamson? I wouldn't have them on my weekly five a side team, they'd add nothing. So why would a professional team spend money on them and (more pertinently since we'd probably let them go for nowt) why would anyone pay them the hefty wage they're on here?

Can see the logic to some extent as we've a lot of players who play CM and not many spots for them. Still, the guy looked quality when he got on the field for us last year. Strange that we seem to want nothing to do with him. Some sort of off the field issue at play here, I'd guess.

Get the impression that boat has sailed in regards to him going home. If Palace were offering a two or three year deal he'd be mad not to take it, he's finished as a top flight player so should get as much money as possible while he can.

I sense there has been a real effort behind the scenes to make something of Williamson which is worrying. I'd guess it's more to do with the fact that Colo, Taylor and Williamson are all going to be very hard to get rid of so McClaren knows he'll be forced to use them this season. Ashley isn't going to sanction deals for new defenders and allow the three retards to just rot in the reserves for 100k+ a week. So we're probably gonna have to get something out of them, for this year at least. If any of them get new deals then McClaren needs sectioning. They won't though, we'll let their contracts expire and hopefully spend a few quid on defenders next summer.

Desperate to go away and lick his BFF's Pardew's arse. Fucking washed up loser, wish we'd let him fuck off to San Lorenzo when his wife cut his balls off.

Good news if so.

He's much of a muchness with Anita, Tiote and Abeid for me. All battling for one spot, or should be at least.

I thought Wij's played a more advanced position than CM? I'd rather Sissoko in CM personally, think if we pair him with a sitter he'll do well bombing forward from a deep position. Be great having a CM who can get beyond the front man and chip in with some goals.

I sincerely doubt anyone is going to want them. It's not simply just a case of being able to decide you don't want a player anymore, you need a buyer who'll be able to offer them a wage worth moving for. Gouffran by all accounts is on excellent money, somewhere in the neighborhood of 40k a week. Unless he's willing to at least halve that we're stuck with him for two more years. Colo, Taylor, Williamson and Obertan are four more that I suspect we'd be happy to see the back. But who in their right mind is going to want Colo or Taylor on their wages? Who would have Williamson or Obertan even on work experience? Luckily those four are out of contract after this year. Ashley isn't going to pay wages for more CB's when we already have five or six on the books. I'd guess we'll try and get by this year with what we have in defense and then when Colo, Taylor and Williamson's contracts expire next year we'll invest in a couple of first team defenders.

I know in some countries getting a visa requires your employer to show that they couldn't find a citizen capable of doing the job so bringing in a foreigner is necessary. Would be class sending them a video of Williamson as our proof.

Absolute superstar for me. Cherno, say it ain't so.

http://www.totalprosports.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/shaq-laughing-press-conference-shaq-gifs.gif Always good to see a fellow Shaq/Shak having a good time.

Good news if true.

Agreed Is that not horribly imbalanced though? It's essentially a back four, two #10's, three strikers and Sissoko. Need a bit of width and somebody who can come deep from the midfield and help us build the play surely? Tbf at this point we know the rest are shite might as well stick the best players out and see how it goes I think there'll have to be a place for one of Colback/Tiote/Abeid/Anita. A midfielder whose main job is to sit deep and recycle the play. None of those options overly excite me tbh but if it's a 'keep it simple and hold your position' role I'd be hopeful one of them could do a competent job. Ideally Abeid would get the spot as he's got both the physicality and distribution for it, the other three are all lacking at least one of those. At the moment my front six would be as follows... Sissoko Abeid Perez Wijnaldum Aarons Cisse/Mitrovic I'd see Sissoko as the box to box player, driving the team forward. By far his best asset is his engine and ability to drive into space through the middle of the field. Put him next to a sitter who can pass the ball and with a proper playmaking AM in front of him and I think we'll see great things from him. We actually have some nice options in the three AM spots with De Jong and Cabella possible options who I've left out. Wijnaldum could move out right with De Jong taking over as the central AM if Perez is needed up top/injured/not producing the goods. Whoever starts on the right would be tucking in a lot with Janmaat given plenty of license to bomb on and provide width on the right, so the position isn't really a winger at all. On the left it's another story. I've started Aarons for now as a pure out and out winger would stretch teams out and give us pace which the team lacks otherwise. We also need someone getting it into the box if Mitrovic is going to be of any use to us. Part of me thinks Cabella has more to offer than we've seen but I'd be happy to move him on and bring in another left winger to start out there with Aarons being the understudy. The Thauvin and Abdennour links make a lot of sense in this regard. A CB (or two, in all honesty) is also a need, of course.

Agreed Is that not horribly imbalanced though? It's essentially a back four, two #10's, three strikers and Sissoko. Need a bit of width and somebody who can come deep from the midfield and help us build the play surely?

No reason to keep Colo at all. He's half the player he was a few years ago and is in the last year of his contract. He's also a rubbish captain. Move him on and put his salary towards a player who can help us build towards the future.

Glad that's all been cleared up.

Still better looking than Cher though, in fairness.

That is where it is.