AlanSkÃrare

Also says everyone is looking fine but they missed days of training and he's not sure if they're in his thinking but they look well. If he decides to use them.

Carrick. Partly to make up for years of being overlooked and under-valued, but mainly for being such a terrific player. Also nice to see that price go to someone who hasn't scored 385 goals but still key to his team. They've been superb all season and he's been their best player in many games.

€4m.

Ferguson could be a Premiership player, there's been far worse wingers around for long periods. Never seen Inman but seems as if he'll have to go the long way and start from lower divisions. Tavernier is getting too old and hasn't really impressed enough, the same can be said for Gosling despite even more chances. Time for Streete, Campbell, Good, Mbabu, Satka etc. to have their crack. Armstrong, Gilliead and Cameron sound as if they've got promise about them as well. Armstrong in particular seems to be very influential for both club and country.

Spoke to Charlton fans recently when I went to see them play. "Pardew..hmm. No. Long ball. That's about it. Long ball."

Dortmund have managed to improve despite losing Kagawa and Sahin. I think they'll stick to what they do. Many strikers around Europe will want to fill Lewandowski's boots, same goes for Götze. I think Klopp is someone you'd want to play for now as well.

And Klopp. How dignified is that?

They will recover from losing Lewandowski and Götze because that's a team and squad built around a footballing philosophy encompassing so much more than just individuals. Fantastic team, fantastic tactical and mental approach to the game. Watching them take the lead and keep on doing what they do best was painful. It's not rocket science. Not that part.

Look at Dortmund's fucking energy levels. After playing even more games than us.

Unfortunately, I agree. I would have said this before we went out and made all these signings in January. Obviously Ashley won't pay over the odds for a big name necessarily, but if he thinks he could get a good deal and make the club a bit more exciting he might go for someone in the middle. Those were the circumstances when Pardew was appointed. If Pardew is sacked, I think it's because they will have learnt that the manager's position is a lot more important than they've given the impression of thinking. That might change their approach to that sort of recruitment aswell. Well Ashley's put a fair bit of money into upgrading the quality of the squad this season. I know he likes to do management on the cheap, but when the players are being devalued as they struggle to fit into Pardew's blueprint, it doesn't work out so cheap after all. Exactly, I've said before I think he might be frightened by the lower valuations of our players. Remember he thinks of his players as assets, and that's the reason for our long contracts, to protect the assets. There's no point in finding cheap players and scout with "sell-on-value" as one of the criterias if players are decreasing when joining us.

Demba Ba

Unfortunately, I agree. I would have said this before we went out and made all these signings in January. Obviously Ashley won't pay over the odds for a big name necessarily, but if he thinks he could get a good deal and make the club a bit more exciting he might go for someone in the middle. Those were the circumstances when Pardew was appointed. If Pardew is sacked, I think it's because they will have learnt that the manager's position is a lot more important than they've given the impression of thinking. That might change their approach to that sort of recruitment aswell.

Another thought on Ashley's reasoning here. Players are signed on very long contracts to protect them as assets. But when the assets are now decreasing in value - surely he must be concerned? I thought this was a good and summarizing piece on all that has gone on this year. Also raises some questions. Did someone on here write it? http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/newcastleunited/id/818?cc=5739

How has Cissé benefited from play wide right, as you suggested he would? What attributes in Shola Ameobi even makes him an option as a winger?

We finished above Chelsea last season. I get your point but if things fall into place there's still the possibility of us overtaking one or two of those teams, albeit for a year or two. Spurs challenged for the title last season without investin City or Chelsea-esque money.

I'd have Zola, Watford seem to be playing very good football, remember West Ham had a very decent spell with him in charge as well.

Hope he gets a start if Papiss is out.

His first half at WBA was sensational, best player on the pitch. Another source of frustration, know that we have another superb player on our hands but still playing shit all the time.

I'd say Lukaku will go for nothing less than £30m. Benteke probably around £20m if Villa stay up.

Götze to Bayern for €37m (clause) according to Bild. Tragic.

We've rotated our players as much as any other team. But of course Pardew has managed to convince everybody otherwise. We've used more players than any other team in the league ffs.

I don't think he adapts or reacts to anything in particular, he just knows how to transition teams between generation to generation better than anybody. Most of those teams had the better of Man U for a spell, but then they always rebuilt while their contenders failed to. That's what I meant to say. He rebuilds to conquer them.

Ferguson is unique in many aspects, but his ability to adapt and react to anything thrown at him is the most remarkable thing. Dalglish and Blackburn, Keegan with us, Arsene and Arsenal, Mourinho and Chelsea, Rafa and Liverpool and now Mancini and City.

Souness still some way off for me. All the good players leaving, fighting, underperforming, injuring themselves, spending all that money and erase everything that we learnt to love about that side in just 16 months. Felt like an eternity.