tmonkey

Butt Geremi central midfield should sort that problem out. I think they might be a lightweight and could possibly be over run Suprising. Wouldve thought theyd make a pretty strong central midfield, one that would be void of creativity or any attacking instinct, but still, both players are pretty good defensively and despite not being tall, arent pushovers. Could play Faye there, but hes pretty much our only consistently decent centreback.

Has the room or server been changed? Completely dead right now.

Butt Geremi central midfield should sort that problem out.

This is one fault I would definately pick with Big Sam. He needs to get over what he achieved at Bolton, climb down from a horse that shouldnt be that high in the first place. What he achieved at Bolton, which isnt as great as he constantly makes it out to be, is in the past. It bears little significance to us because that was at a totally different club in a different situation with different pressures. Ruud Gullitt could have used a simliar bragging approach to defend his mistakes, after all he had won the FA Cup with Chelsea and managed to attract some talented players from Serie A, forming a very good team - but how relevant was what he achieved at Chelsea to the job he was doing for us? Big Sam needs to prove with us that hes not just all talk, and he needs to adapt to what he currently has in order to avoid going down the same route as the likes of Gullit and Souness, managers who similarly started off by talking sense when first taking over. But in the same way as we're seeing with Allardyce right now, the philosophies and playing style that they were selling us off the pitch was actually light years away from what we were witnessing on it.

Isn't the World Cup big? He did f*** all. Ameobi was the best player in the 2007 World Cup as he was the only player in it. I assume you mean the 2007 WC since the 2006 one is irrelevant for these three players winning this year's award.

And I doubt another couple of midfielders would do so either, as long as Big Sam persists in his strange team selections with players out of position and asking them to set out for a draw.

If we sign him, we should write into his contract that he has to do his robotic dance after every goal, otherwise he gets fined.

Yeah, scoring a hat trick in El Clasico to earn your team a point is not a big deal at all. Messi hasnt performed in the CL well enough to win this award. Very dissappointing against Liverpool for a start. As mentioned, in the crunch CL games where teams and players are doing everything they can to win the game, Kaka excelled whilst Ronaldo and Messi were marked out of their respective games. I think at that stage of the competition, against that calibre of opposition, the CL is harder for an attacking player to perform in than any domestic league fixture. Same for an FA Cup final, latter stages of an international finals, etc etc. Thats why the deciding factor so often for POTY is often the big cup performances on top of sustained strong domestic form. Hence why Henry has never won it, and rightly so.

Kaka by a country mile. Messi and Ronaldo havent shown similar form when its mattered the most.

Ideally, we'd be splashing out biggish money on a Mascherano equivalent, so im certainly with you on that. However, considering this is the January window we're referring to, a time when clubs are unlikely to sell their better players and even more unlikely to sell their better defensive players (good centrebacks, keepers, anchor midfielders always harder to sign), and combine this with the likelihood that Big Sam wont have the funding for several big money signings as opposed to one or two, then factor in the arguement that we already have one or two players for that same position, and then on top of all this you have the probability that we arent doing well enough to actually attract someone better, younger, and far less injury prone, then signing a proven international calibre converted defensive midfielder on the cheap makes sense. As for his injury problems and how he'll return from them, I honestly see him as the type of player who is naturally athletic enough to not be hindered by them greatly. IIRC he returned from his previous knee injury and looked exactly the same player, and thats much to do with his physique for me - as mentioned, a tall, lanky player who's game isnt reliant on pace or acceleration like it is for a forward. The same applies to Woodgate, who despite constantly being a crock and even being out for over a year and a half at one point, always returns still looking a top class defender and mobile/athletic enough to do the job hes required to do. I wouldnt put my house on Edmilson being a success for us, but I have to say, im a bit suprised at just how poorly hes rated by many on here. Everytime ive seen him for Barca and Brazil, hes looked a good defensive player, and although not the best passer in the world, is comfortable enough on the ball to be a good addition for us. He doesnt look out of place for Barcelona when he has played for them recently, covers alot of ground defensively and has often made crucial interceptions for them when its mattered. I cant for the life of me see how he can be labelled as a poor or average player, unless the reference is to the expectation of him being good in an attacking sense, which of course isnt part of his game. I agree with you that its a bit naive to hope he'll get past his injury problems, but then we're talking about a low fee here, and im working on the assumption that the contract will be a short one (1.5 years?) with the option to extend. Im not denying its a gamble, a pretty significant one, but then thats why hes being linked to us and not a CL competitor of Barca, and as mentioned, since we already have at least one player who can play in the same position, and we need to spend big recruiting players for other positions, then this is a welcome gamble for me. With all due respect to Butt who has done well for us, if we are to switch to a 4-3-3 system, Edmilson is easily a better player for the anchor role considering hes as good, if not better, defensively, yet far more comfortable on the ball, which is pretty important in that system. Unless he gets injured, I would go so far as to say he'll be a better version of Campo at Bolton for us.

That's the same World Cup which saw Nicky Butt widely praised and voted player of the tournament by Pele. That too could be used to say Butt knows how to defend. Don't get me wrong, Edmilson is a good defender (by our standards) and in his prime he might have done very well here, but signing him now doesn't make much sense to me. This is the sort of signing that would only fuel suspicions that Allardyce just can't get out of his Bolton mentality. I knew a comparison to Butt would come up, especially Pele being a good diplomat (Butt had a good tournament, but best player? Rubbish). The 2002 WC was a bit of a farce - too many of the better sides were woeful at the tournament, knocked out early, etc. So someone like Edmilson or Butt having a good tournament is no indication of whether theyre top class or not. However, I think that its quite acceptable to conclude that they can do certain things based on that tournament - Nicky Butt can play an anchor/destroyer role well if hes on form in a team that doesnt know the meaning of possession, whilst Edmilson can defend. As mentioned, that form back then means little today since it was 5 years ago, but we're not talking about a Bramble or Boumsong type player here, someone whos never proven themselves at the higher levels as a good defender. To say Edmilson simply cant defend is a tad extreme for me, given how good and composed he looked at the back at the time. Again, I dont think hed make a good centreback at all in the Premiership today, but in an anchor role, I think hed be a strong short term addition, because hes a very composed and intelligent defender in the games ive seen, good positional sense, and has that lanky aspect of his game where he seems to be able to make up ground easier than other players and has a longer reach. When hes played in the past year or two for Barca, hes still looked a good defender in front of the defence, and hence thats why im all for having him here and taking that risk on his fitness, especially since were talking about a nominal fee.

Or better yet, do both. If Big Sam is going into the next transfer window targetting the likes of Edmilson alone, then he may as well be sacked. But if Edmilson is going to be a cheap squad addition alongside one or two bigger money first team signings, then its surely a different matter. His injury problems are naturally a worry, but thats mostly what makes him a gamble otherwise hed be a 3-4 mill player and would be signing for a CL competitor to Barca, and since were talking about a low fee and probably a short term contract, given his ability level and attributes, its a gamble thats worth taking imo - providing we intend to play 4-3-3 and have him in front of the defence. I think this is the type of signing that Big Sam has made a career out of, and if it turns out as well as the likes of Hierro and Campo did for Bolton, itll be a good short term addition that will improve the squad/team. And although this'll almost certainly never materialise and isnt a reason in itself to sign Edmilson, maybe theres a tiny chance in this being the first step to attracting a few talented Brazilians for the first team? Wouldnt mind seeing us sign the likes of Naldo and Diego for example, players who would cost a bomb and would need a lot of persuading to come here, so a friendly environment with a well respected compatriot or two already at our club would be a pretty handy bargaining tool for us. As it is though, irrespective of this line of thought, Edmilson would still be a decent addition if there was a good chance of him remaining fit, with the low transfer fee offsetting that gamble of him getting crocked yet again, whilst I doubt hes anything like the mercenary Babayaro is.

A Ladbrokes built into the corner of his new home would do it.

Three brilliant reasons to not sign a defender. Plays midfield and i could think of one big reason not to sing him if he was to play in defence He cant defend Although its going back 5 years, he was arguably Brazil's best centreback in their WC2002 win, one of the best in the tournament, which naturally gets overlooked because hes Brazilian. It might not mean as much today with regards to his current performance levels, but quite clearly he knows how to defend and is pretty good at it. I doubt hed be used by Big Sam as a centreback since his mobility/pace may have reduced somewhat in recent years meaning it may not be wise to have him in the last line of defence on a constant basis, which is probably why if he does play for Barca its in the anchor role only, but hes sharp enough defensively to do a good job for us in front of the defence, and should at the very least provide strong competition for Butt, who at the moment is virtually guaranteed a place in the side due to being the only experienced anchorman we have. Look forward to him joining us next month, and with little to no transfer fee, its a worthwhile gamble.

It doesnt matter which English players are better individually or valued higher than Croatian players. If some top class foreign players arent suited to the Premiership, then logically, some top class Premiership players arent suited to international football. Its not one rule for one, another rule for others as we see fit - if the Premiership is so different to international football, or football in other countries, to the extent that specific types of players (ie more technical than physical) have to adjust in order to succeed, then it only makes sense that some players who are great in the Premiership cant transfer that form and ability level to the international stage because its a different type and style of football that is often played and required. Lampard in particular to name one.

But our squad is much better this season. Thats the main reason why we're not quite as bad - instead of Sibierski, we have Viduka. Instead of Pattison getting a game in midfield, we have Smith. No more Carr, Babayaro, Ramage or Huntington out of position, we have Beye, Geremi and Enrique, infinitely better players. Yet we're not far off being as bad as we were under Roeder/Souness purely because of Big Sam's tactics and mentality. Its hard to back a man who is causing his own downfall.

Opposition was worlds apart though. Massive difference in the teams we had out though. Ramage, Huntington, Pattison, Sibierski were in that team as half the squad was out injured. And Taylor was sent off too. I agree with Sniffer. I think the performance was worse against Liverpool for the players we had out there. We were torn to shreds practically every time they attacked, schoolboy defending would be an understatement. That wasnt the case against Birmingham, who put their chances away but essentially merely took advantage of poor squad depth, reserve players not good enough for top flight football, complacency under a shiite manager, and a sending off.

Dont wish for something better, otherwise you might just get it... ...or something. I think. Not sure. To be fair, regardless of performances, we were lucky for that Ashley did take over, given the true level of debt that according to our new chairman, would have been a noose around the club's neck, and explains why the Halls were so desperate to get rid.

8 of those players started today, the 9th was on the bench. But in different positions in an unbalanced formation.

Sack him. We're a laughing stock anyway, so what is there to lose, other than a big mouthed manager who looks out of his depth? Noone takes us seriously, sticking with Big Sam for a few seasons wont change that and if in a couple of seasons we have to sack him, the same old lines about our fans being impatient and the Newcastle job being a poisoned chalice will be trotted out by various people in the footballing circle - especially by Big Sam if he fails, who like those before him will no doubt still be using injuries as an excuse. At least this way we'll have something to look forward to, and, given that we now have a billionaire owner, we're more likely this time to get a higher calibre manager who prefers his team to play football instead of longball. Im sure some pretty good managers on the continent would be licking their lips at the combination of a considerably higher salary as well as the promise of large/huge transfer funds and the option to sign big stars.

Given Beye Cacapa Faye Jose Enrique Milner Geremi Butt N'Zogbia Martins Smith That was the team that gave the best performance this season based on one game against a decent side (Everton) - and it might have something to do with both wingers being on either wing at the same time, along with a strike partnership that actually involves a partnership as opposed to two incompatible forwards being lumped together. We do have a decent team within the current squad, but it wont get a chance because Big Sam feels the need to be overly clever - rotating players, changing formations, changing positions, etc.

If Darren Bent is worth £17million...

Explain.

Mute, Moot, whats the differdence? Another hit for google. Youre not the first person to point out to me that the usage of mute point is odd...

Aye, ive got some arguements mixed up here, youre correct there. Although may I point out, would you use the same standards for Babayaro for example, who likewise left Chelsea for first team football and therefore according to your arguements isnt a mercenary since he wasnt happy to sit on the bench for them, or do they only apply to players you like? As for the positivity/negativity aspect, what have you based that on? Surely I have the right to call a player overrated and over the hill without being accused of negativity? I call things as I see them. Sometimes im wrong, sometimes im right, and so far with Duff, there hasnt been a single sign of him looking like the top player he once was, whilst arguements trying to back the notion that hes still a top player are pretty poor ones (Only poor due to poor Newcastle team, Mourinho didnt want to sell, etc etc). Hes almost like Ged from the Earthsea Quartet - the magic has vanished from inside him, and hes a different man as a result, but plenty of people still see him as the great wizard.