Ashley17

Bramble played a slick through pass to Emerson Boyce who back heeled it to Zaki who's left foot drive was clawed away by Cech. And that REALLY happened!

I agree, you could basically take about 10 teams and arrange them in any order between 5th and 15th

Was just about to post my views on the match but that completely sums up what I was going to say. Then your both talking shite "jonas far too good for us". If thats the way yous feel fuck off and support the mackems. You gave Given a 7 for saving a pen and keeping a clean sheet. Nice one. As for my Jonas comments, you know (or should know) fine well what I mean. He is a player who could comfortably play for a better side than ourselves. Happy now? Or because I don't think we're the best team in the country/continent/world mean I should fuck off? Get a grip lad. Ahem, first of all belittling by using words like "lad" won't work. I gave Given a 7 because despite (as you say) saving a penalty and keeping a clean sheet, his kicking was atrocious. Now there are no rules on how to rate players, so the system is faulted in itself but IMO you rate them for the good things and the negative things. Before the penalty i would have gave him a 6 and after a 7. Perhaps 8 at a push. Secondly, you comment was "far too good for us", which implies that he's too good for the club. Which in my assesment is super bollocks. However, what i now believe you mean is that he is our best player, which would be fair comment but like i said, that's simply not how i read it. I mean exactly it how I explained it. He could very comfortably play at a higher level (e.g. Champions League club/Good UEFA cup standard team) If we don't reach the higher level (get back into Europe, basically) and he continues to impress, a bigger club will no doubt come in for him. Whether he goes or not would be another discussion. But that's getting ahead of ourselves considering he's played 2 competitive games for us. To go back to your ratings, fair enough, Shay's distribution was horrible, but using your negatives/positives thing, you're giving him the same rating as Taylor, who conceded the penalty (there's a negative) and at one stage tripped on the ball under no pressure and had to haul his man down. Then there's the incident mentioned somewhere else where he had all the time in the world to take a touch and pass it out of defence but instead he chose to smash it out for a throw in. I'm not saying he was awful by any means, I'm just using him as a comparison for the Given rating. As for "belittling" words like lad, telling me to "fuck off and support the mackems" is what exactly?

To be fair, Bolton had one up front so we had lots of time at the back, and they weren't exactly raking passes he was playing, we're talking 10 yard passes to Beye or Coloccini, or the occasional sly one to Butt

Was just about to post my views on the match but that completely sums up what I was going to say. Then your both talking shite "jonas far too good for us". If thats the way yous feel fuck off and support the mackems. You gave Given a 7 for saving a pen and keeping a clean sheet. Nice one. As for my Jonas comments, you know (or should know) fine well what I mean. He is a player who could comfortably play for a better side than ourselves. Happy now? Or because I don't think we're the best team in the country/continent/world mean I should fuck off? Get a grip lad.

The percentage of people in that section of the crowd that are bald is unnecessarily high.

Wasn't a good game, Bolton are horrible fuckers and it disgusts me how they act. Matt Taylor, for example, knew we had the pressure on so he sat down. Fuck all the matter with him, but he sat down. When Bennett didn't let the physio on, he folded his arms. He was then forced to walk the 10 yards off the pitch, although he was then subbed so maybe there was something up with him. Whatever. The old problems are still there, if we come up against a team who park everyone behind the ball we will struggle to break them down. Don't know whether it was just a bad day at the office or something but everyone seemed a little slow, passes that could have gone 5/10 seconds earlier were delayed and opportunities of an opening were missed. Milner was at his absolute worst today, absolutely nothing to show for his usual running, not one good cross all game. The subs were what made the difference. Geremi, for all he has no legs, has a brilliant football brain. Also him and Beye work well, Beye played a lot better with Geremi in front of him and seemed to feel happier about bombing forward - maybe because he was confident of getting the ball off Geremi instead of Milner who struggled to do anything well. Then Martins went off - don't know if it's in our game plan for him to stand on the touchline when we have the ball outwide but maybe someone should tell him when he's the lone striker he should be in the box. Owen arrived and as is his new thing played deeper, with Milner being the "front" man. Milner looked a little bit better here, but I wouldn't want it permanently. Or ever again, really. Anyway, without sounding like I want to bum him, you don't appreciate Michael Owen till you see his movement up close. The amount of headed chances he gets for a man of his size sums it up really, having said that he's only useful if someone can deliver. Without Geremi on the pitch, he probably wouldn't have had a sniff at goal at all. Jonas is quite frankly far too good for us. The amount of times he was surrounded by 3 players and came out with the ball was incredible, he can beat his man all day and routinely did only to be let down by a lack of options. His work rate is phenomenal aswell, he can even tackle. Just a shame some of his team mates aren't on the same level as him. N'Zogbia isn't a left back, obviously, and was below par coming forward. Some awful crosses, and 1 really good one. He did well once we were 1-0 up, maybe he felt the pressure had eased a bit and he started enjoying himself. Coloccini is solid, looks like a sound investment. Taylor...isn't. And Shay saved a pen. What is the world coming to? Guthrie doesn't waste a pass but he's not likely to unlock any doors, he just keeps things ticking over. Butt can spread the play all day long but for some reason his short passes have gone to shit. More so than before. Might do alright together away from home but at home, too bland. Graham Danby fucking loved it though, every verse of Blaydon Races again

Marriage material tbh

How do you know Cuellar will be better than Zat Knight in the Prem? Edit: Caldwell looks almost world class in the SPL. Let's call it an educated guess.

I think they had Mellberg or Craig Gardner, neither are out and out right backs. I remember brummie going mad over it last summer during the window.

"Chelsea would like to announce Newcastle have signed Fabricio Coloccini"

....it doesnt matter if they are 3rd choice or 30th choice, Cuellar is still better than Zat Knight so they have improved their squad as a whole.

Don't see it personally. Sidwell is a step down from Barry and Cuellar will be at best an able replacement for Mellberg, at worst Boumsong 2.. where have they improved? Friedel looks to be the only improvement. Luke Young > Mellberg (as a right back, I reckon) Cuellar > Zat Knight Shorey = Bouma? Friedel > Carson

I love how Bouba Diop actually looks furious that a white man is in the ranks

Diarra up first then

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/e/everton/7552400.stm

So what's the state of play here? "Micksta" said: Coloccini is here Ashley has his name on the back of his shirt Taiwo is coming So he's on 2 out of 3?

Think Jonas, Milner and Duff will switch like they were against PSV

Where's Harper...and Krul for that matter. I smell a behind close doors game next week, maybe with Faye, Owen and Colo

Kazenga's back then, probably won't get much of a run out if at all as has been Keegan's policy with youth on the bench so far in pre-season

Why do people keep believing what Enrique says?

Trial as in training here or trial as in Joey Barton?

Well he seems a like a delightful young man

What the fuck

That's a few days old http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11678_3940092,00.html