binnsy

excellent news bearing in mind the first game back after the international is the derby.

Too much "we couldn't afford it" talk there. Nonsense, as we all know. So what's the real reason, then? Being far too cautious. This quote sums it up... "They worked on those glory transfers and all the dramas behind them - glory and bust, with no success. What was the success? It was basically. 'I've signed a player!' That has to end. It has." if they say we couldn't afford it then the reason we wouldn't have signed a player is cos we couldn't afford it. We pay our fees outright in one go and are trying to make the club self sufficient, if we have £6m in the transfer pot and the selling club says we want £6.5m then rightly or wrongly Llambias is going to walk away. i might not agree but wouldn't say it was nonsense.

i would be alot more confident of this if Reading had won a league game already. NUFC going away to a average at best team yet to win a league game normally only means one thing.....a home win.

Not writing him off yet, thought he was OK tonight, done the dirty side of the game well and worked his socks off but with more composure could have grabbed a couple of goals.

I've said it before but don't think we'll see the best of him until after xmas, still think its a mental thing for him and he needs minutes on the pitch to get it into his head that his body isn't going to break down again as he's still playing with the handbrake on at the minute.

The "shot"? he would have if he'd shot across the keeper rather than near post. After watching the replay if he'd crossed it ba would have had a tap in at the back post.

He's 21, he can cope. Agreed, he's playing well at the minute, play him on wednesday and Saturday at Reading, rest him against Bordeaux to let us have a look at Fergie, bring him back for the man u league game then he gets a 2 week break while the internationals are on.

The lads confidence is shot at the minute and is desperate for a goal, good sign is he's still getting chances so one will go in soon. Hopefully a scruffy tap in to set him off again. The penalty carry on was shocking though, it wasn't as if he was like HBA against Spurs when he grabbed the ball and wanted to take it, he was given the ball and told take that, which was strange when HBA and Ba both wanted to take it!

He was in full control of the situation it was all the fans having a complete hissy fit and panicing that annoyed me more.

just seen the score and was about to say it would be hard without our centre halfs, Streete, Satka and Kitchen all being out injured but just seen the team and Alex Kitchen was playing (he has been out injured for a while)

Bit of a pisser that the likes of Colo and Tiote will just be getting ready to play again when they will be called up for international duty again.

Agreed. exactly, people need to remember he's virtually been out for 2 years, providing he doesn't get any niggly injuries i don't think we'll see the best of him till December time, he needs time to adjust to playing again and trusting his body not to fail when he streches himself, probably a mental thing on his part but naturally seems to be playing within himself at the minute.

bring him back at Old Trafford in the cup game.

i didn't have any problem with the team Pardew picked tonight. He went with a strong back 4, Colo was the only one missing, Shola and Obertan are going to play most if not all the EL games if fit. We could have maybe took Ba but Cisse was ill, HBA suspended, Tiote injured and that just leaves Cabaye who is still getting back to full fitness and after his slow start from playing in the summer is being eased back to full fitness and after showing some promising signs at Everton would prefer to keep him fresh for Sunday. As the group games go on i would just like some rotation and mix and match the senior players players with some of the kids. Two big games coming up with back to back home games against Bordeaux and Brugge, win both of them and we will be in a strong position, especially as i can't see us not beating Maritimo in the return game.

Thats the best game i've ever seen him play, was pretty solid throughout, commanded his defenders in front, looked composed, distribution was decent and apart from the save near the end where he "shovelled" it round the post his handling was very good.

the home games are going to be key, win those and we should progress. Should have won today, Shola should have scored 3 but played well overall, thought Bigi and Gosling were excellent in the middle of the park and that was probably Goslings best game for us. Obertan was just Obertan, some decent stuff let down by a terrible final ball on too many occaisions.

Yeah I think it'll be similar. Only difference I could see is Gosling instead of Anita. Don't think the likes of Gosling and Sammy will start after playing 90 mins last night for the reserves.

i don't think he'll risk starting both Taylor and Williamson, i think he will play harper tav perch willi santon obertan bigi anita marv shola vuckic

Should be good, we were abysmal on friday against Southampton, hopefully tonight they will play like the did when smashing 11 goals past Spurs and stoke.

Good and Abeid are nowhere near the first team at the minute. Gosling will start and Willi I'd imagine. Sammy might be in there somewhere, probably the bench. Sammy is nowhere near fit yet is he ? Forgot about Gosling but they seem to like Good, has been made Captain and I think he may get the nod. Sammy played 90 mins for the reserves last Friday and i think is getting another run out tonight against the mackems.

http://i.imgur.com/xRVT6.png i was on my phone but no idea what happened there lol

worst thing about the lack of transfer activity this year is yet again we go into a season with a squad that is not big enough or strong enough to co mpete in all the competitions that we have entered for the 4th season running. to be fair when we were relegated i wasn't bothered about cups as all that mattered that year was getting promoted. the next season was all about staying up. then last season i thought we could give the cups a go but then with the nightmare pre season and sales of big players and not knowing who the likes of cabaye were again i just thought lets concentrate on the league. all those expectations changed this summer, we have a good team and everyone knew 3 or 4 new players coming in would put us in a great position off to kick on. we even had the manager and chief scout saying the same on radio interviews and for the first time in 4 years i was looking forward to having a crack at winning something. yet we are only in September and the manager has written off the league cup and gambling with the kids to progress in Europe. the fans have every right to feel let down and cheated.

could have done with him tonight as we were hopeless.

it was today in 1994 when we beat Antwerp 5-0 away on our return to European football. edit. just seen the time so it was yesterday!

Steve never mentioned Cabaye (or any player) in his tweets, everyone has just presumed he is talking about Cabaye