Kitman

Perhaps we should go after players because we want them, not because someone else doesn't?

We have strict topic and post moderation on here for two reasons: (1) to keep the forum from being closed-down like the SMB, and (2) because it's only about 12 months since everybody was complaining about s**** threads, duplicate threads, and generally dismal posting standards in this section of the forum. It's obvious that there's no format that would please everyone, but the general reaction to the forum has improved drastically over the past year and the majority of people seem to enjoy posting here (i.e. they come back), so if you ask me the admin have to stick with this format, since it quite clearly works. So you were right all along? Fancy that!

Presumably Allardyce is moving to a 6-3-1 formation then. Excellent news as we can now launch the ball from 6 different positions to our solitary front man

Obviously a made up name. We couldn't possibly be looking at more defenders, could we ?

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/west_ham/article3156240.ece Parker is breaking down. Barton hasn't worked out but it doesn't look like keeping Parker would have been a good move either. I find it interesting that most of the WHU players who've played for us - Dyer, Bellamy, Bowyer, Parker, Nobby - have had recurrent injury problems. If they'd like to sign a chubby bald headed Irish right back recently rehabilitated to full fitness I'm sure it could be arranged....

Can't see anyone fancying Boro. Except Ameobi perhaps

So why did he sign Anelka then? I watched a lot of Bolton last year and their style changed, they were not that different to Chelsea or Liverpool in style of play. I understand Diouf may be a better man for Big Sam if only because he's proven under him and I'd like him here too, him and Defoe wide of Viduka or ideally, someone like Crouch or Ashton. Then add a playmaker into the middle, some legs in there too.... We'd all see a different picture. I may well be wrong on this but my impression is that Anelka isn't short. Anelka is a special case - I think he could play as a stiker in any system. I don't think Defoe is in his league tbh. I truly believe the manager has a vision of how he wants to play and what we're getting now isn't that vision or even close to it. I hope you're right about that HTT. The players must be getting this relentless "direct football" crap from somewhere - whether it's the first step in the evolution of a footballing masterplan or not, we'll see, but he better get on with it. I wouldn't see Defoe as the man to kickstart a revolution in our play though, I wouldn't rate him that highly - in fact I could easily see him disappearing in our games. On the other hand if we got Anelka......but then there is zero chance of that :-[

So why did he sign Anelka then? I watched a lot of Bolton last year and their style changed, they were not that different to Chelsea or Liverpool in style of play. I understand Diouf may be a better man for Big Sam if only because he's proven under him and I'd like him here too, him and Defoe wide of Viduka or ideally, someone like Crouch or Ashton. Then add a playmaker into the middle, some legs in there too.... We'd all see a different picture. I may well be wrong on this but my impression is that Anelka isn't short. Anelka is a special case - I think he could play as a striker in any system. I don't think Defoe is in his league tbh.

Interesting points HTT but from what you're saying I think it's more likely we'd sign Diouf than Defoe. imo Allardyce believes that if you put the ball into the 'right areas' you'll win corners, throw-ins, free kicks - you then turn these into goals with well rehearsed set pieces utilising strength and power. From what I've seen so far I'm not sure there's any place in his philosophy for short arsed pacey strikers like Defoe.

No, but he would pick up a lot from loose balls, flick-ons... Anyway, I think we'll change our methods with a Defoe in the side, as Big Sam did at Bolton when he signed Anelka, the ball went through the channels on the deck more than it was aimed up towards Davies and their midfield become more involved as a result of the pace, movement and dynamism up top. This is actually how Nolan went from star man to is he good enough at the Reebok among some of their fans (in ways anyway) because more was asked of him in a footballing sense and he didn't exactly reply or adapt from the direct play to the more diverse play that Big Sam switched to. A bit like Parker for us, great under Souness when the game demanded his tackling, work ethic and all that, but under Roeder when more was asked of him to create and score, to get involved in play, he couldn't come up with an answer. Where Nolan is concerned though, I think his poor form and de-progression is down to having adjustment problems rather than being found out. If you've been asking your central midfielder to get from box to box and scrap for loose balls etc. for many years, then things suddenly change where you're being asked to actually start creating, passing and working the ball more, it's not easy to switch on. We've had a pacey striker upfront for most of the season, that hasn't stopped us launching long balls from the back as a substitute for playing football. I see what you're saying but I feel until we have midfielders who can create and break with pace then Defoe would spend most of match chasing lost causes or being outjumped by defenders who are a foot taller than him. With the likes of Butt and Smith in midfield it seems inevitable the balls goes sideways along midfield and then back to the defence, to be lumped forward to the little guy to chase. That's if we haven't given it away already. I also think we'd struggle to attract Defoe unless we sold Owen and possibly Martins. Why would Defoe move out of London if he's not guaranteed first team football somewhere?

Fancy you thinking it's the best.......

They should test him for steroids

A good DM has a great engine to get around the pitch breaking up the opposition's play, and good positional sense to protect the back 4. When he gets the ball he lays it off short and simple. He doesn't waste possession. When I've seen Butt play (on TV) he does none of these things. He's as slow as a carthorse. His passing is terrible. He gives the ball back to the opposition regularly. He picks up yellows on a regular basis because he's not quick enough to time his tackles correctly. When play breaks down he's invariably stranded in no man's land if the opposition break at pace and he can't get back leaving the defence exposed. He's a shadow of the player he was at Man Utd and Ferguson isn't usually wrong about letting players go when they're past it. I'm sure he's 100% professional and Allardyce can rely on him to support the management totally - Allardyce loves these steady eddie types. Maybe he'd be better with a high energy creative player but we won't get that with Allardyce. Butt should be an important squad player but not a regular first teamer imo.

I can't see Blackburn being keen on this, full stop.

And future signings probably will. We're still early days as far as Sam's era and the Mort/Ashley rebuilding process goes. I'd like to think that in the future Butt will be a squad player not a first team regular. So would I. I don't think I was arguing that point though. Nor did I. I know better than to pick a fight with 6' 4" smiling albino gorilla 6'8" actually. And I'm not smiling. > Yoinks! :hiding:

Exactly. We know something they obviously don't. He's shit.

And future signings probably will. We're still early days as far as Sam's era and the Mort/Ashley rebuilding process goes. I'd like to think that in the future Butt will be a squad player not a first team regular. So would I. I don't think I was arguing that point though. Nor did I. I know better than to pick a fight with 6' 4" smiling albino gorilla

And future signings probably will. We're still early days as far as Sam's era and the Mort/Ashley rebuilding process goes. I'd like to think that in the future Butt will be a squad player not a first team regular.

When I worked in the UK I had a little insight into the dealings of the stock market. The reality is that your average PLC puts a huge amount of effort into sucking up to analysts, PR and providing up to the minute information to investors, market makers and the press. This is quite normal as surprises in the stock market like out of the blue profit warnings usually have an exaggerated impact on share price, which PLCs badly want to avoid for various reasons. Ashley plainly has been doing none of that and the analysts in particular have got the hump at the lack of information particularly in times of difficult trading and don't trust him anymore. You can call that being clever, brave, ignorant, whatever, depends on your point of view. Personally I don't think it's a cunning masterplan - more likely he's used to running his own company and 100% doing what he likes and doesn't want to compromise because some poncey-ex-public-schoolboy-pin-stripe-wearing-city-type wants him to suck his cock by spending lots of time and money on PR. Unfortunately that's part of the City landscape and if he might be better off taking it private again if he doesn't want to go through the hassle. Otherwise he should accept it's what's required and entrust his management team especially his finance director to get on with it if he doesn't want to do it himself.

Tenor is outraged at Dave's last gag Tenor assumes Dave's facial expression at such insolence. Tenor indicates how big Kitman's balls are Kaka demonstrates Dave's 'care' face. Kaka demonstrates how interesting life is on an internet forum Ronaldo indicates level of gained from this sequence. Night! Tenor shows shock that Dave is logging off Night!

Tenor is outraged at Dave's last gag Tenor assumes Dave's facial expression at such insolence. Tenor indicates how big Kitman's balls are Kaka demonstrates Dave's 'care' face. Kaka demonstrates how interesting life is on an internet forum

Tenor is outraged at Dave's last gag Tenor assumes Dave's facial expression at such insolence. Tenor indicates how big Kitman's balls are

Tenor is outraged at Dave's last gag

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/962/2007121721gyi0051129971qc4.jpg The tenor realises too late that someone has stolen his sick bag

Did he copyright it too?