Taylor Swift

I think it can definitely work. Chelsea made it work for a couple of seasons until Abramovich started intervening whilst Barca have made theirs work for a few years as well so I don't see the need for the rigid 4-4-2 especially when it seems that many of our players complement each other in this attack-minded 4-3-3. I really hope he sticks with this because if the players are this comfortable with it after 2-3 games then surely there's more to come.

I'm here We'll see in summer if it was a mistake or not though. Whatever happens, Keegan made a decision which has given him 4 more months to take a look at the players that he has at his disposal and 4 more months for him to extensively scout the players that he might end up buying. He's been vindicated in his decision to stick with the squad and see the season through By not getting relegated? Thats all we cared about on Jan 15th? Ok One performance doesnt make a season but if this is backed up by wins against Reading and Portsmouth, i'll agree with you. As it stands, in reality, we are just another side to have knocked 4 past Spurs this season. We were always going to end up as a mid-table team with or without Allardyce because we hadn't accumulated enough points in the easy part of our season so yea, I'd say yea, not getting relegated was the only major goal after Allardyce got sacked. We could have gotten an extra couple of mill from prize money but that would have meant Keegan needing to spend money on players he hadn't scouted and on positions he might have been unsure about (eg. leftback). European football wasn't on the table anyway considering the teams ahead of us at that time, and the fact that now there's only one automatic UEFA Cup place surely vindicates his decision not to spend any money even more. I don't see how his decision not to sign anyone can be construed as a negative one, especially now with the benefit of hindsight and seeing that the short-term benefits weren't much (the aforementioned couple of mill of prize money) but there was a definitely a long-term risk (paying over-the-top fees and wages for average players) there. He gambled on us surviving and it's worked (barring a crazy collapse), and now he'll be way surer of the positions that need strengthening, the players that will stay/go and of course he's had lots of extra time to eye up prospective players as well.

I'm here We'll see in summer if it was a mistake or not though. Whatever happens, Keegan made a decision which has given him 4 more months to take a look at the players that he has at his disposal and 4 more months for him to extensively scout the players that he might end up buying. He's been vindicated in his decision to stick with the squad and see the season through

So where's everyone who said it was a mistake that Keegan didn't sign anyone?

Reading back on this thread is quite entertaining

Gonzalo Higuain 3-1, quality control and then a quality pass from Guti.

I should stay out but, I can't help myself. How many of Martins' starts was he actually playing up front? Who am I? Motty? How many has Owen been up front? Every? Behind Oba though, right? No? Oba was unfortunately on the bench for those games (except in the past 3, which have coincidentally lead to 7 points). So not "every" then? And Oba's been the further forward in the games we've been scoring... but hasn't scored as many as the man he's in front of. Shite debate. Just sing "Englands number one" next time Owen scores and I'll keep singing "Oba Oba-Fem". It is a shite debate But just to clarify, when I said 'every' I meant that Owen had started every game as a striker, whilst Martins hasn't.

I should stay out but, I can't help myself. How many of Martins' starts was he actually playing up front? Who am I? Motty? How many has Owen been up front? Every? Behind Oba though, right? No? Oba was unfortunately on the bench for those games (except in the past 3, which have coincidentally lead to 7 points).

I should stay out but, I can't help myself. How many of Martins' starts was he actually playing up front? Who am I? Motty? How many has Owen been up front? Every?

I should stay out but, I can't help myself. How many of Martins' starts was he actually playing up front?

Humour isn't appreciated here.

Raul makes it 2-1 in the Bernabeu. Quality finish; he's definitely on form. 290 goals for Real. He is one of the world's best finishers Only 17 behind Di Stefano for the all-time goalscoring record for Real Madrid.

Depends on whether Keegan thinks this formation is viable in the long-term. Actually, I'd say quite a bit depends on this

Because you judge a great goalscorer on how many goals they score, you judge a finisher on how clinical they are in front of goal and Owen has never been a clinical finisher, he's a striker with great movement and a good footballing brain which often finds him space to get chances but he misses far more than he scores. If you're looking for players who miss loads of chances you don't need to look much futher than Rooney, Tevez, Torres, it must run into a 100 between them this season. Torres can miss 5 chances a game more often than not. So? There's a distinction between a great striker and a great finisher. You can be a great finisher without being a great striker. The 'finisher' is becoming a rare breed. I'd say Henry is a great finisher, as is van Nistelrooy, and of course Shearer. Owen's not at that level of finishing now even though he's showing himself to be a better all-round striker than many (including me) thought. Edit: I take too long to type. Just read Baggio's post above. I don't even know what you're on about. Did you see the chances Rooney and Ronaldo 'missed' yesterday? Are they shite? No, they're class for getting in those positions in the first place. The discussion is about Owen's ability to finish chances, so naturally the focus is on the number of chances he misses as opposed to the number of chances that he converts. He is class for getting into those positions and I've praised him countless of times for his movement and instincts but that's irrelevant to this debate so I don't know what you are on about. He's not one of the world's best finishers.

Because you judge a great goalscorer on how many goals they score, you judge a finisher on how clinical they are in front of goal and Owen has never been a clinical finisher, he's a striker with great movement and a good footballing brain which often finds him space to get chances but he misses far more than he scores. If you're looking for players who miss loads of chances you don't need to look much futher than Rooney, Tevez, Torres, it must run into a 100 between them this season. Torres can miss 5 chances a game more often than not. So? There's a distinction between a great striker and a great finisher. You can be a great finisher without being a great striker. The 'finisher' is becoming a rare breed. I'd say Henry is a great finisher, as is van Nistelrooy, and of course Shearer. Owen's not at that level of finishing now even though he's showing himself to be a better all-round striker than many (including me) thought. Edit: I take too long to type. Just read Baggio's post above.

I don't like or rate Owen? So is that why I've been a staunch supporter over the past 3 years? Yes, it's cos I hate him. I even wrote an article on the front page called 'The defence of Michael Owen' because I hate him that much. Martins is more integral because we have no pace in the team without him. Without him, there is no space between the front 3 and the midfield for Owen to exploit. Without him, we end up playing and looking like the shit team that we were before the Birmingham game. Is it a coincidence that our team suddenly looked more dynamic the minute Martins was played up front? You decide. I'm not dismissing the change in formation but how helpful is it for Butt, Barton and Geremi that there is some actual movement up front, as opposed to the static shit we saw before that (when Martins wasn't playing)? I don't hate Owen. In fact, I rate him but he's obviously a shadow of his former self. He's not the player we spent £17m on. He's not worth £100k/week. He's not going to suddenly develop into a world-class #10 at 28 years old so all this over-the-top adulation ('one of the best finishers in the world') bothers me. Why can't I have a 'moderate' view on him and not be classified as either a hater or a lover? He's finally started to contribute to the cause after 3 years of pretty much fuck all contribution, and I like the fact that he's willing to change his game for the benefit of the team. I'm pleased that he's scoring again and obviously he's excelling in the new formation. He's a useful player to have on the pitch because of his experience and ability to keep possession, and will probably prove to be useful off the pitch as well. That's it. Is that alright with you? Enough love shown for Mickey?

He's got a bright future ahead of him. I'd hate to see him end up flourishing at another club who gave him a consistent run in his best position.

Owen one of the best finishers in the world? agree he doesn't seem it but goals per game in top divisions over a decade i'd reckon he'd be up there. Was would be a more appropriate term, and I'd agree with it over his career, but he's certainly not that at this moment of time. He's missed a boatload of simple chances recently, and without the blistering pace that got him the easy goals earlier on in his career, he's not the lethal striker that we spent £17m on. He's still a good player, make no mistake, but justifying £17m and 100k/week? One of the best finishers in the world? Come on, no one seriously believes that. coming back from how long out, a player who everyone said needed six weeks after 2 month out to get firing. now he's getting back,THIS is the player we bought. be worried if he's not getting in the right place for the chances. watch and he'll get sharper and the finishing will get better. This is the player we broke our transfer record for? Really? This is the player we're paying £100k/week? The same type of money that players like Fabregas, Gerrard, Drogba and Ronaldo earns? Really? For what it's worth, I think Martins is more important than he is in the formation that we're currently playing so I don't know what that says about Owen and his ability to justify the ridiculous wage he's being paid.

Owen one of the best finishers in the world? He is statistically: 0.49 goals per game. There is only about a dozen players in Europe better than that. Strange you find that funny. He was, Parky. Not is.

Owen one of the best finishers in the world? agree he doesn't seem it but goals per game in top divisions over a decade i'd reckon he'd be up there. Was would be a more appropriate term, and I'd agree with it over his career, but he's certainly not that at this moment of time. He's missed a boatload of simple chances recently, and without the blistering pace that got him the easy goals earlier on in his career, he's not the lethal striker that we spent £17m on. He's still a good player, make no mistake, but justifying £17m and 100k/week? One of the best finishers in the world? Come on, no one seriously believes that.

Owen one of the best finishers in the world?

That's quite an exaggeration, don't you think?

Shut up man. You never know, with us. I'm sure we'll be fine, but theres nothing like absolute confirmation. you're quite the pessimist man

Chill, Decky Shearer - £15m - 206 goals. Owen - £17m - 20 something goals. (can't be arsed to check but maybe it's still in the teens) He'll never end up justifying his transfer fee because of the past 2 injury-filled years and his wages are still too much for a player who's a shadow of the one we signed.