Memphis

Dutch MOTD-ish show called Eredivisie Live did a segment on Anita with some good examples of his DM play - search for "Piero: Anita is een hele goede controlerende middenvelder" on youtube. Shows his combative side, some great challenges and some good speed.

Anita would have just turned 6 when Ajax won the Champions League in 1995. I feel old. And also he's probably not that bothered about the rich history of a club that can't pay him what he can make elsewhere.

That 4-2-1-3 with Cabaye in the hole behind Ba/Cisse/Ben Arfa looks pretty sexy to me.

Really optimistic about what this signing could mean in terms of style of play. Pardew has stated time and time again that controlling the midfield is crucial to the possession style he wants to instill. As Anita is presumably one for the first XI (whatever conversation he had with Pards must have gone well), that can only mean he plays alongside Tiote as an anchoring pair. That would be tremendously exciting since it would then allow the front four of Ba/Cisse/Cabaye/HBA to have enormous amounts of freedom and movement knowing the midfield is under control. It also helps with depth in a position requiring lots of energy/exertion in a season hopefully full of games. We shouldn't get overrun in the middle with Anita and Tiote. I'm very encouraged by the move.

He wouldn't be cup-tied even if he played. UEFA allow a player to play for one team in the qualifiers but another in the competition proper.

Van der Wiel with a fabulous goal. SIGN HIM TOO!!!!! Love a good controlling midfielder. Seems absolutely perfect to pair with Tiote. Allows more freedom for Cabaye to get forward and make those brilliant passes he's capable of - I still get hard thinking about that ball to Cisse for his second against Stoke. Get the Debuchy thing resolved and we're flying.

Appell follows Russian football closely, at least. Seems to be followed by some reasonable people, so this might be worth paying a little closer attention to than a usual garbage link.

From ITV reporter James Appell on Twitter - Radio Sport in #Russia say Rubin Kazan close to signing Demba Ba. Club believed to have met his release fee.

Demba Ba made Shola look like Leo Messi in his preseason friendly performances last year. He turned out to be pretty decent. Friendlies - especially ones this early - show very very little. If you see flashes of something you like in a player, great, but know that what you saw is hardly representative of what will happen in competitive fixtures.

This is the very definition of a deal I'm on the fence about. PROS: Still quite young Clearly loves the club and the city Unquestionably talented, albeit perhaps in a style not conducive to attractive football Presumably chastened after what would be an embarrassing 18 months Loan means risk is small; I'll withhold judgment on the future fee until it's known CONS: How will his high wages be perceived in a tight dressing room w/ few high earners? What role would be play? Would he be amenable to 3rd choice status? Where would the future fee come from? Does his presence necessitate hoofball? Can he play on the ground? I find myself leaning more towards trusting Pards and the staff. I don't think they would sanction it unless Carroll and the squad were onboard. Carroll is a serious talent and if a return home can't generate the best from him, we won't pay a fee, and that'll be that. If he plays to his potential, the fee will seem quite reasonable. Quite a way to liven up a dull as fuck last few weeks, though.

Plan S: http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lppmavWyCB1qecli2.jpg

Not only have Graham Carr and the scouting department found good players, they've found good players who have the proper attitude and commitment to fit in right away in the Premier League with us. There are innumerable examples of fabulous players not being able to get acclimated and we've avoided that. So if they feel de Jong has the talent and the mental makeup to be an immediate impact player for us, who am I to doubt it, regardless of whatever Youtubery anyone wants to discuss.

From Ligue 1 commentator and reporter David Crossan on Twitter (@davidmcrossan, worth a follow, usually has good information): "This #Debuchy stuff is just standard negotiating ploy to increase fee. About 6.5 mill pounds (8 mill euros) could be accepted by #lille" 6.5 million seems a reasonable compromise for a player of his obvious quality.

Saw it on Twitter - All four of Pardew's former clubs - Southampton, Reading, West Ham, and Charlton - were promoted this season. He really did have one hell of a season. http://www.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article807046.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/Alan+Pardew-Newcastle+United+cropped.jpg

Supposedly Martinez, so says the BBC.

FT Ratings: Parky: 9 - bit of a dodgy start, but wow - what a second half he had Dalglish: 10 - incredible entertainment value, grumpiness off the charts Carroll: 6 - started off so well, SJP was a true pinnacle of hilarity, but a decent run at the end of the season sees his rating drop Joke Enrique: 8 - losing form was funny, losing face was hysterical. Muy hilarioso. Henderson: 10 - amazingly shit Suarez: 8 - top-class cuntery RAWK: 10 - incomparable, stunning delusion Justice: 96

Terrible news, but a brilliant Cisse-style finisher by Parky to wrap up the points. Well done.

From Matt Lawton of the Daily Mail's Twitter: It is my understanding that Kenny Dalglish will no longer be Liverpool manager by close of play tonight Surely FT, now.

We had a horrendous preseason, too. I was in Kansas City for the HBA injury - the whole affair was a bit of a joke, really. It was incredibly hot and the whole US trip was a fiasco. Cabaye couldn't travel, Tiote had the ridiculous visa issue returning to England, then you add the Barton/Enrique nonsense and the fact that so many people were still doubting and questioning him even up until January and beyond and you realize how miraculous the job he's done has been. He has got the players playing for each other and for the city. He's turned fucking James Perch into Perchinho, Williamson into a much better CB than he's ever been, Ryan Taylor into a decent squad player, Danny Simpson into someone inexplicably linked with Chelsea, Obertan into...well, you can't win them all. And Ba, Cabaye, and Cisse all adapted with little (Ba) or no (Cabaye, Cisse) difficulty to the league and the team. We've finished above Chelsea. We might just finish above Arsenal and Spurs, too. We're playing attractive football, we kept 15 clean sheets, we only lost three times and won 11 at SJP, we're everyone's 2nd favorite team again, we're all the rage in France, and we barely spent any money in the process. It is a staggering accomplishment. Seriously, taking it all into account, it might be one of the best managerial jobs of all time.

Can't fault the effort, played really hard - they're a fantastic team and we had to take one of the few chances we created... It was always going to be a really difficult day.

Just can't be overstated what a tremendous player he is. He's got amazing strength, much more than I ever would have imagined. He's now using that on the defensive side of things, tackling, shielding players, winning the ball back frequently. And on the ball, holy shit, what a player. That strength just lets him ride tackles and keep the ball with ease. I don't care how it's happened, somehow the flair of Robert has been combined with the graft of a Jonas and this new player is absolutely brilliant.

What always confused me as a young'un was that US contracts were announced with the whole contract's worth, not just weekly/monthly/yearly pay. And US deals are quite often longer than the 5 year limit in our football, are they not? In almost all leagues except for the NBA (where there is a 5 year max now on contracts) you will often see 6, 7, or even 8 year deals. The NHL (ice hockey) even has a couple of players on FIFTEEN YEAR contracts.

No need to overanalyse this one. Terrible day out, started with the best XI we have at the moment, we were outplayed comprehensively by a severely motivated side. It is a reality check as to the limitations of our defence and our team when the spirit isn't there. Hard to play at the level we have been playing at for 2 months straight. Form does dip. Let's see how Pardew gets them back up for Chelsea - it is the biggest match we have had in some time. A draw or dare say a win would still be so massive. One of those days, certainly doesn't invalidate the incredible work he has done this season.

Generally looked baffled by the 3-4-3. Their movement was far too good and we struggled to figure out who to pick up at the back. Don't think the change helped matters but it's justifiable given the way the first 20 min unfolded. Freak result, just need to bounce back. Results going our way would help restore confidence.

We are a confidence team. Team spirit and such. So on days it isn't there, we are hyperturd.