Shak

Yeah, he's great when everything is going swimmingly for the team. He is usually the main reason things go "swimmingly for the team" Suppose we'll agree to disagree there. I'm more of the opinion that he's a player that, when the team is doing well, he's a devestating weapon to have, one of the best in the world. But he doesn't dictate a game, it's just not his game. The reason he generally doesn't perform in big games is a direct result of this, as the team isn't sufficiently on top to give him the platform to do his thing.

Yeah, along with Gerrard, Torres, Lampard, Rooney, Fabregas Difference being, some of these players occasionally do produce top form in big games. Ronaldo never does. Didn't you watch the last World Cup? No, not really. Can't really comment then, can you. Do you understand the difference between a big game and a big tournament? Do you understand that big games come within a big tournament? Yes. I don't personally count Iran, Mexico and Angola as massive tests though, which was who Portugal played in the group stages. Don't recall Ronaldo playing great against England or Holland, two games I did actually see and would classify as big games. Which is my point, not sure what yours is. Really? He can't really play well when he's not playing can he? He did play very good against England and France in the Semi-Final, did you not bother watching Euro 2004 either? The one Portugal got to the final in, the one where Ronaldo was one of the top scorers in the tournament including one in the Semi-Final. That said, it was only a big tournament, wasn't it? I actually missed the entire Euro Championships in 2004 as it happens, was away for the summer. I'm not sure you've quite grasped the concept of a big game yet either. My point is that Ronaldo is, for the overwhelming majority of big games he plays in, not in the least bit outstanding for a player of his abilities.

Yeah, he's great when everything is going swimmingly for the team.

Yeah, along with Gerrard, Torres, Lampard, Rooney, Fabregas Difference being, some of these players occasionally do produce top form in big games. Ronaldo never does. Didn't you watch the last World Cup? No, not really. Can't really comment then, can you. Do you understand the difference between a big game and a big tournament? Do you understand that big games come within a big tournament? Yes. I don't personally count Iran, Mexico and Angola as massive tests though, which was who Portugal played in the group stages. Don't recall Ronaldo playing great against England or Holland, two games I did actually see and would classify as big games. Which is my point, not sure what yours is.

I don't think a team with Joey Barton playing for them can comment on other teams players being dickheads. My views in no way represent the views of Newcastle United Football Club. I would have thought that was obvious.

Yeah, along with Gerrard, Torres, Lampard, Rooney, Fabregas Difference being, some of these players occasionally do produce top form in big games. Ronaldo never does. Didn't you watch the last World Cup? No, not really. Can't really comment then, can you. Do you understand the difference between a big game and a big tournament?

Yeah, along with Gerrard, Torres, Lampard, Rooney, Fabregas Difference being, some of these players occasionally do produce top form in big games. Ronaldo never does. Didn't you watch the last World Cup? No, not really.

As for Fabregas being a whiny, moany little prick... Arsenal as a team whinge about everything, remember Adebayor against us? An innocous clash with Taylor early on, Taylor walking back by gave him a blatant "Sorry about that mate" look. Rather than just get on about it Adebayor cried for about a full minute to anyone who would listen. Toure is another, pisses and moans about everything. Great team, immensely talented, but an awful bunch of dickheads by and large. A good reflection of their manager tbh.

Yeah, along with Gerrard, Torres, Lampard, Rooney, Fabregas Difference being, some of these players occasionally do produce top form in big games. Ronaldo never does.

That and our left-flank is far more effective than our right and indeed part of the reason why we've been getting more joy in matches of late. Both N'Zogbia and Milner work well together. Milner's work-rate allows N'Zogbia to get forward late on in matches as the cover is there, while N'Zogbia's pace and attacking strengths allows us to pin back the opposition flank which we did against Arsenal who have excellent attacking options down their right. In short I can see every reason why the manager likes having those two down our left, and lets be honest here, until Duff returns and Enrique adjusts fully, we don't have many options do we? It isn't ideal of course but the two are doing OK in their respective roles. Spot on, both of you, which is why i'd keep him there. Yeah, he's wasted a bit at left-back, but finally we've got some continuity and much improved results/performances (Fulham was the only bad performance of the last four, but we're always s**** there and we still won) - so we shouldn't be changing imo. It's not long-term, and like you said earlier HTT, it's improved N'Zogbia as a player anyway. He's definitely a left-winger in the future and i think he'll be a very good one, but there's no need to change a successful formula at this moment in time. Especially against a Derby team which is ripe for the picking. I can see the point, and agree that long term it will improve N'Zogbia a bit in years to come, though not really anywhere near as much as HTT seems to be indicating. But with the current lot of players we have going forward I'm not sure we're massively capable of giving Derby the picking their... ripeness... encourages?? With N'Zogbia further forward I think we'd stand a much better chance of doing that, which is my point. Can see us struggling to score our first goal next week. We've been absolutely rubbish at taking the game to teams this year, Derby will sit back and invite us at them and I'm not sure we'll be able to do so.

I don't see the point in doing something stupid like that at all. Much rather we replaced and got rid of Butt Or how about we just buy someone to compete with Butt and have both of them? Nah Butt will be on massive money, money which could be better spent. If we got someone in there's no way Butt should be staying, he's just too one dimensional. Replacing him and adding some creative midfielders should be our priority. The last thing we need is to replace Butt in the team without also moving him on out of the club So let's say this replacement holding midfielder gets injured, which has been known to happen in football from time to time? What then? We'll have nobody who can play the holding role adequately which Butt, while not a top player at all, can certainly do. We'll get nothing for selling him and we'd then need to bring in two players rather than just one, which will cost at least as much as what we'll have to paty Butt over the next two years or so. Add to that that Butt is a solid professional who knows the kind of mentality a succesful team needs and it's really far more beneficial to keep him than just getting rid because he's not first team. Squad depth ftw?

I don't see the point in doing something stupid like that at all. Much rather we replaced and got rid of Butt Or how about we just buy someone to compete with Butt and have both of them?

Joey Barton will be our next capatin, I'd be shocked if it's anyone else tbh.

A fine squad player and by all accounts a good personality and professional to have around the club. Versatile as well, so can fill in a few positions. Better squad depth than the likes of Pattison, which is the idea behind squad depth, no? I don't think he's a long-term first choice player at all so... I don't see the point in doing something stupid like that at all.

Geremi was woeful yesterday, but then again so was most of our team (when in possession, we were good without the ball) to be fair. Do you not see how Milner just doesn't do enough though Jon? You want your wide players to be the ones that have that spark and make things happen, even if they have to lose the ball 8 times out of ten to make that something special happen. Milner just doesn't do it, he generally gets the ball and ends up moving it on to a team mate without really improving anything for the team, or perhaps whipping in the odd decent cross. That well and good if you're a central midfielder and that's your job description, but Milner isn't. I have said before we need better, we also need better all over the park. My point was Geremi has shown (imo) he won't do any better than Milner does on the wing even though Geremi is apparently a much better player. Agree with that anyway, Geremi on the wing in the system we play would be so absolutely wretched it's unbelievable.

Geremi was woeful yesterday, but then again so was most of our team (when in possession, we were good without the ball) to be fair. Do you not see how Milner just doesn't do enough though Jon? You want your wide players to be the ones that have that spark and make things happen, even if they have to lose the ball 8 times out of ten to make that something special happen. Milner just doesn't do it, he generally gets the ball and ends up moving it on to a team mate without really improving anything for the team, or perhaps whipping in the odd decent cross. That well and good if you're a central midfielder and that's your job description, but Milner isn't.

Very much agree with that, you need your wingers to be able to dribble the ball forward quickly when confronted with space and neither Milner nor Martins can do that at all, which is why we often resort to hopeful punts forward. Duff will improve us a lot in this respect when he gets back, I'd be very interested to see Duff on the right and N'Zogbia on the left either side of Viduka. Viduka, some say, isn't suited to the lone striker role, but this is only true if we're launching long balls at him. With a couple of players either side who can actually help us get the ball forward on the deck we'll get much more from Viduka as he can link the play fabulously as demonstrated with the move that won the penalty yesterday.

Err, quite normal as one turns from a young man into a mature man. I said ages ago that I think he has the attributes to take on a similar role as Henry did at Arsenal and I still believe it. In a couple of years he'll be an excellent player, imo. I think he's absolutely perfect for the left side of Sam's 4-3-3 system, the spot Milner has been playing in the last few games. He's dynamite when 1 on 1 with the full back, really drives at his man and can whip in some great early crosses. Also got an eye for goal too so I'd expect him to get a few goals from that position if he got a run of games there. As Jonny says, playing him at LB really isn't a good idea. He tries to make things happen too much, always trying to beat a man. At the back that's dangerous, but in advanced positions it's something you really need from one of your players and at the moment it's something none of our forward players can do, hence the reason we're largely quite shit going forward. Sad indictment that Milner was probably our most threatening player going forward yesterday, despite the fact that he had about two semi-dangerous contributions in the entire game and generally playing fairly shit.

Can we change the thread title perhaps?! Something "MAD~!" and over the top to go with the hype of "GRAND SLAM Sunday"!!!!!!

Aye, he'll be useful coming off the bench.

Rozenhal just looks very panicked to me. He and Cacapa aren't a great tandem, and barring the Pompey game Cacapa has been much the better of the two. As Dave said, Cacapa paired with Taylor/Faye should do well.

Hardly the middle of the show, it's the last thing before it finishes. You're just a big gay Setanta hater. Is it cos they is Irish?

I'm finding it funny, then I'm stoned out of it.

They've got Mourinho on Setanta now...

"Outshot them, outcrossed them", "we were in the box 30 times to their 10" (he repeated that again shortly after) What guff.