Alberto2005

I keep thinking your name is ala Ben Dover, but it isn't is it.

I just want to see him smiling and looking happy IS HE?! How happy does he look? :l

Link?

Since I started watching I'd go with: Schmeichel Neville Adams Campbell Cole Ronaldo Scholes Vieira Giggs Henry Shearer (Cantona )

Stupid idea.

Apparently Kink jumped into the crowd after his 2nd, fell onto a seat .

The attempt across goal on Pedro's goal was very clever aswell, he knew the keeper was waiting for the pull back.

Me too, wtf. The second Messi goal and the Alves goal are awesome.

They're playing the way a lot of promoted teams do when they first come up - without fear. Hull did it brilliantly when they came up and more or less had the points that kept them up by the end of November. These teams just go out and enjoy themselves, carrying their momentum from the play-offs with them and, importantly, initially play the same way they do at home when they go away. We will of course go away from home and play like frightened kittens. I hate the whole attitude to home and away games, it's become accepted now that teams can cower in their shells away from home. Yes, there is a difference but it's mainly psychological therefore deliberately going out with a different attitude is shooting yourself in the foot before you've even started, you should actually be trying to approach the game in the same way mentally. At the end of the day, it's still 22 blokes kicking a ball round a field, the way folk go on you'd think they play different rules depending on whether you're in Newcastle or Wigan. I agree with most of that, however playing on the counter attack away from home can be very useful as the emphasis is usually on the home team to attack. The atmosphere can obviously have a big effect on the players aswell, that is of course unless you're a Wigan Athletic player as then it becomes a disadvantage.

Got the ball fairly.

Malaga beating Zaragoza away 5-0 after 35 minutes.

Which is why I hope he makes a few changes and brings in Tiote for Smith and Ben Arfa for Nolan.

He wasn't.

problem isn't starting with that line-up, which is fair enough, it's the lack of options to change when it was obvious (according to those who were there) that it wasn't working. for me we've built up a squad for 4-5-1 when our best stuff last season, the football that made me optimistic for this season, was all played with a 4-4-2. we also don't have adequate back up for when Carroll is injured/jailed/out of form - whose going to play up front alone when he is out - Shola!?. obviously there'll be tough games where we will want to play 4-5-1, and man utd away, villa home and wolves away all fall into that category, but when we are chasing the game we need to be more positive, make changes sooner and have another, more attacking system to fall back on. Lovenkrands just isn't good enough for this division which is putting an inordinate amount of pressure on Carroll, imo. while he's done well so far he is not going to perform in every single match and it is unrealistic to expect a young lad to do that. I think Hughton knows this aswell, he knows Lovenkrands and Ameobi aren't good enough so he decides to leave it as it is. That said, we're playing Blackpool at home who are probably the worst team in the division despite their impressive start and players such as Lovenkrands and Ameobi shouldn't have problem against this calibre of opposition. Also, it's clear we didn't have a budget in order to spend the amount of money needed to give Carroll a strike parter who would be good enough for the Premiership. You're looking at 6m at minimum to find anyone near that and 6m was the budget we spent on all the players brought in. It will be a big problem though. would've liked us to go for the likes of Bellamy, Obinna and Odemwingie as they're all mobile, of a good quality and can do a shift out wide as well. but, whatever, the window is shut so it is up to Hughton to find an alternative with the what he has already. I think it's fair to say Bellamy was never an option. I think also if we're actually talking about buying a player then it must be the right player and not a panic buy just because they're better than Ameobi or Lovenkrands, which isn't very difficult. I think those 2 were loans though which would have been useful.

problem isn't starting with that line-up, which is fair enough, it's the lack of options to change when it was obvious (according to those who were there) that it wasn't working. for me we've built up a squad for 4-5-1 when our best stuff last season, the football that made me optimistic for this season, was all played with a 4-4-2. we also don't have adequate back up for when Carroll is injured/jailed/out of form - whose going to play up front alone when he is out - Shola!?. obviously there'll be tough games where we will want to play 4-5-1, and man utd away, villa home and wolves away all fall into that category, but when we are chasing the game we need to be more positive, make changes sooner and have another, more attacking system to fall back on. Lovenkrands just isn't good enough for this division which is putting an inordinate amount of pressure on Carroll, imo. while he's done well so far he is not going to perform in every single match and it is unrealistic to expect a young lad to do that. I think Hughton knows this aswell, he knows Lovenkrands and Ameobi aren't good enough so he decides to leave it as it is. That said, we're playing Blackpool at home who are probably the worst team in the division despite their impressive start and players such as Lovenkrands and Ameobi shouldn't have problem against this calibre of opposition. Also, it's clear we didn't have a budget in order to spend the amount of money needed to give Carroll a strike parter who would be good enough for the Premiership. You're looking at 6m at minimum to find anyone near that and 6m was the budget we spent on all the players brought in. It will be a big problem though.

Carroll played the same role today as he did the previous 3 games, and we've played reasonably well in those 3 games so I don't see the problem.

Because he set him up for a goal?

Pretty confident we'll dick these. 2-0.

Apparently

Atletico Madrid are keeping tabs on Manchester City winger David Villa as the Spanish international tries to adjust to the Premier League. Full story: Daily Mail

I know those are only match clips, but he really does look fucking awesome.

Football really doesn't work like you finish 17th one year, and then you try finish mid-table bla bla. Football changes year upon year and unless you're completely loaded then anything is possible one way or the other.

This. 2 weeks between games is shit, especially when we've just had 4 games following 3 months without club football. Then in a month's time it happens again, boils my piss. And the games are on Friday nights now, what the fuck am I going to do on Saturday afternoon!? I reckon they only have international friendlies so you don't get bored fuckless been an international manager on Football Manager.

Oh..

Harry's fucked up? Just signed Van Der Vaart for 8m! Anton Ferdinand cost 8m