Offshore

The bit about not knowing where and when to make runs off the ball was highlighted on MOTD a few weeks ago, he just needs to be shown/told how its done. Having said that, I would have thought Inter would have been pretty shit-hot when it comes their coaching.

My prioritys for a keeper are 1st - saves, 2nd command and control of the box, 3rd - distribution and 4th - saving penalties. Given's shit-hot at no.1, could do better with no.2 & just plain shite at no.3, and well tbh, for no.4 penalty savings just a bonus anyway. I'm still happier with him between the sticks than Harper, and Krul's had only one game, was a canny one though, and is just a kid in keepers terms so isn't really an option as our first-choice yet. Keep him.

Yep, that's a canny idea, would probably bring them on more than a season of our reserves/bench, both in terms of football and taking them out of the glare of the 'fishbowl'.

I don't think we were 'outpassed' in midfield because we've got crap players, its just that they've got better ones than us, simple really. When the teams were announced of the outfield players the only one of theirs who I felt wouldn't have automatically walked into our team today was Fletcher, and he's not too shabby to be truthful. It's not something to get too worked up about in my opinion (yet) as they are top of the league and playing like it, they are a very classy and attack minded team and at present we're not anywhere near them. They've been playing this type of football since at least the inception of the Premiership and it shows, especially when they have a settled and experienced team who all play in their correct positions ie wingers on the wing, fullbacks as fullbacks etc etc When they attacked, especially down the flanks, it was our tactic to double up on their winger, Milner & Solano, Dyer & Edgar, with Parker and Emre helping out too, that worked in one way but the downside was when we got the ball our wingers were behind the ball so Emre or Parker or whoever had the ball only usually had Sib and Martins ahead of them, who were both, in the main, well shackled by their defenders. The only option was to try and run with the ball and because we didn't have the bodies ahead of the ball, they could smother the ball-runner before he could get too far. While we did give the ball away a few times needlessly with an under-hit pass (Dyer and Solano stand out from memory), we also had some canny passing play, the build-up to Milner's goal especially. Granted they had the lions share of play but who to be honest didn't expect this, and overall, and under the circumstances, I think we did alright.

I don't get believe that its a given he's off this Jan. Liverpool don't have to sell him as they're still in the Champs league so unless they intend to get someone in who isn't cup-tied and decent (Villa?), they'd be left with just Kuyt & Bellamy as their main strikers with Fowler (scouse Pav tbh) as back up. They're no nearer to winning the league so the champs league is probably their main focus for this season, and for that one reason alone i'd wager that they'll keep/need him until at least the summer when all the major shuffling occurs. And (to cover me arse) if he does go in Jan, it'll be double figures as it's going to be a sellers market for anything half decent.

Zola....just about the only time i've wished the ball to an opposing player, absolutely magic.

Eh?

have to disagree there, he is not one of the best premiership keepers He's streets ahead of Given as a keeper. As for Gonzalez - he's a kid who only cost 1.5m. Needs time to settle and has been unlucky with injuries sine arriving. Pennant cost 6.5m. Agger has been our best defender this season - he'll be a mainstay for years to come. the ONLY thing Reina is definately better than Given at is saving penalties, and i'll give him long kicks downfield for free as i've yet to see any decent keeper worse than Given at that yet

Paul Cannell........good song Joe Allon.....'cos he used to talk to the fans in the Leazes when he'd be warming up

whats the song ? Walk away - Cast (I think)

if you think Sky's bad, wait till Setanta get their quoto of games!!

Good. Any ideas who the scorers were? Sorry, haven't a clue......caught the result on the bbc's videprinter.

won 4-0

damn....thought this was a Britney Spears thread!!

thought he did ok, although he missed getting close to their player for a few crosses (same as Ramage), when they attacked down our right but i'll put some of that down to still going into 'midfielder-mode' and drifting infield. I know he'd have his work cut out against a pacy classy winger, but then, who wouldn't - I can only really think of Ashley Cole who wouldn't/shouldn't.

Bridge - but we look a very unattractive destination for him the longer the season goes on like this.

Lucky to get a point. If they had started with the two big lads up front we'd have got nowt but a tanking. Midfield was over-run for the most part, Parker & Emre kept getting in each others way. It was noticable that when Dyer came on he split Parker & Emre up and that made it (a little bit) harder for City to get through. We can pass the ball when we try, there were a couple of passages of play when we were moving it around pretty canny and as we can do that why why why do we still persist with hoofing it up bypassing the midfield in the hope that our lone forward, Sib - who's as game as they come but limited (slow), can win a header against Distin & Dunne. Just giving the ball away. Solano should take Milner to one side for a day and show him how to control, pass and cross the ball properly. The fans looked & sounded canny.

'fraid its just his reputation (earned) catching up with him.

What we have at present is no 'fit' goalscorers in this team. The tactics (for once) against Charlton were spot on for the first 50 or so minutes, we had ample chances only no-one to put it in the back of net. Duff and Rossi could have played till midnight and they'd still not have scored.

We've got four wingers at present who are 1st team regulars, Solano, Duff, Zog & Milner. We'd get next to nowt for Nobby, Duff's just been bought so he's going nowhere so that leave the Zog and Milner. I can see at least one of them being sacrificed in Jan (or begging to go). Of the two, and only if we had to, i'd be prepared to let Milner go to Villa for 4mil. While he's young and an obvious trier he still can't cross a ball properly yet (Palermo excepted - once), he runs into blind alleys with his head down too often for my liking as well, maybe he's doing this in an effort to do something, anything positive but he should be looking up more often (Zog too) and using his pace better before he turns into our Rommendhal. If he's given proper coaching he may/will develop into a cracking player. But its a case of needs, and we'll need new faces in January and Milners a saleable asset that we may be able to live without.

I would be very surprised to see Nugent moving for anything like £3m. Prepare to be suprised then. £4m is what they're supposed to be asking for. I'll be shocked if he doesn't sign for Everton. He's a blue, he's on record saying how much he wants to play for us, always linked in the press and we've been scouting him for about 2 years. Hopefully it will be Beattie out and Nugent in during January rather than the summer. That'll be Anal's slow day at the office backpage 'exclusive' soon tbh

Complete and utter bollocks. Patronising ****. Can't be completely certain but isn't that this a re-hash of what was said a year or two ago. Not only bollocks but lazy bollocks too!!

By Kings reaction to Terry, i'd say something has been said!!

tonight was a bit of an anti-climax compared to last nights games.

Given our lack of height we're sort of stuck with either playing it short (no pun intended) to pass/shoot our way in or hoy it in the box in the hope it falls kindly to one of ours. I'm not overly worried with either tactic but what I am more than a tad annoyed with is having it lumped forward by Harper knowing full well that none of our forwards are ever going to win a header and its just gifting the ball straight back to the opposition. I don't know if its a Harper (and Given for that matter) trait, our backs or midfield not coming looking for it or a combination of the two but something should be done, we've got players who can pass the ball why not try and use them.