Shak

Only one team in it according to Lawrie Sanchez. Didn't think either team was in it myself.

Hard to use pace when you get f*** all in the ways of service, mate. Even when he does though, he generally doesn't play to his strengths. He should be a threat to knock the ball past his man and get don the wing, but I really don't recall him ever running at a full-back, ever. He's always trying to pick a clever pass or do something fancy, which he's simply not very good at. Headless chicken of the highest order tbh.

Very debatable if you ask me.. How exactly? Smith knocks the ball away, the man dives in and gets nowhere near the ball and takes Smith out.

It happens Dave. Setanta aren't great but it happens, cut them some slack like. No. Christ, lighten up maybe? I'm fine mate. Good to hear.

It happens Dave. Setanta aren't great but it happens, cut them some slack like. No. Christ, lighten up maybe?

It happens Dave. Setanta aren't great but it happens, cut them some slack like.

It's shocking what they've done to Monday Night Football in the NFL.

Yeah, you were sleep-posting earlier on.

Agree with that, I had Beye and Cacapa down as our best players. Milner and Martins were terrible down the flanks, never created a thing or looked like doing so. Delighted with the points though.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d21/Rockbrother9/ricflair.jpg WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

See, Bouazza, while not great, can actually beat a man and make things happen. We lack that terribly from our wide men.

What a camp run...

Take Milner off? Think he's looked alright. Couple of dangerous balls in. A switch to 4-4-2 in general though, Enrique for Geremi say (Zoggy pushing up, Milner going right) would probably be a decent move if the game hasn't changed by 60 minutes. Agree, if we change to 4-4-2 then I'm fine with Milner staying on the wing (right wing). But if with our current shape he hurts the balance of the team a lot, as you need pace out wide in a 4-3-3, which he simply doesn't have. One or two-semi dangerous balls in I suppose, but he generally takes forever to get that cross in so when he does the ball has to be absolutely perfect as players are marked-up for the most part.

Yikes. There's just nothing going forward really, the midfield lacks anything in creativity while the wide men are either terribly erratic (Martins) or extremely easy to play against (Milner) for the most part. We've nobody who can take the ball and run at the opposition and beat a couple of men (excepting Zoggy, whose stuck at LB), without someone like that teams just have to defend with a bit of discipline and good positioning and they're laughing. I'd bring on Emre for Geremi and Enrique for Milner, and maybe Viduka for Smith later on. But that's just me.

Stroke of luck, by all accounts. f****** hell, though, really not good enough. Only saw the last half hour, ye weren't great I must say. Bit disappointing to see Reo-Coker taking the ball to the corner flag in injury time.

Watching the Mackem game, never a free-kick at all IMO. Mackems got robbed.

Fair enough so.

What exactly has Rozenhal done to stay in ahead of Taylor? Bit annoyed if true tbh, we saw at Derby that Cacapa and Rozenhal absolutely suck if they're asked to be in the least bit physical.

Shitting a brick now tbh. The thought of England actually winning a World Cup terrifies me, and now they finally have a coach capable of making it happen. Sven could have, but he never really did his own thing or showed the necessary balls required for the job. There'll be no such problems with Capello. It's not that I'd begrudge the players and people of England the glory of a World Cup, just the thought of seeing John Terry or some such tosser gleefully lifting the World Cup above his head every four minutes on television (every single time Sky Sports News goes to adds breaks for instance) is too much to take. I'd basically have to give up television, it'd be a nightmare.

Zidane and Ronaldo really do stand out for me, there's nobody else that I've seen that I'd put up there with them or whom I consider noteably better than the best of the rest. Matter of time before Messi is up there, reckon he could potentially be the best I've ever seen.

The long term problem with Milner on the left of a 4-3-3 is his pace, and while pace isn't the be all and end all of playing on the wing, it certainly is very important for the wide men in such a system. Generally your center forward is more concerned with link up play and playing with his back to goal, and the 3 in the middle of midfield are there to be solid and create from the middle rather than stretch teams. So that leaves the two wide men as the people whose job it is to stretch the opposition and get in behind them. Milner will never be able to do that, and while he may play well as an individual from the left, it upsets the balance of the team and makes us easier to play against. Unless he has an absolute stormer of a game and scores a goal or two and delivers brilliant cross after brilliant cross, I don't think it's the best position for him. In a 4-4-2, yeah, he's a good winger. But I'm just not sure 4-3-3 will suit him long term at all.

Spot on. Only players you should try and build a system around are truly world class ones, and Owen will never be at that level again.

I'd drop Milner and try N'Zogbia in the advanced role on the left, give him a run if games there and he'll be more effective than Milner can ever hope to be IMO.

Kingdawson's reaction to this should be good, and rightfully so.

That's absolutely insane.