Delima

I have been asking you what kind of answers would satisfy you. Have you personally flown to Italy to see Rossi play to comment on him, just curious?

Feel free to indulge in your self congratulations.

Still trying to discredit me as a person, still with no attempt trying to dispute my assessment of the player? Rossi is shite, right? 7 goals in 15 games for Parma.

What's the answer that will satisfy you? Any disagreement over my assessment of players? Pulling up.

Nosworthy was shite but he is not shite anymore. Whitehead was a right back and only converted into midfielder this season. Is "picking an obscure player and raving about them" a bad habit? In any case I don't have this habit, and Simpson is not an obscure player, unless one's football knowledge is strictly restricted to his club's player. I did not say anything about Gilbert, nor Hoyte. And I was giving my opinion that Simpson being a better prospect than Bardsley. You are free and welcome to prefer Ferguson's judgement over mine, but I can't recall Ferguson commenting that Bardsley is a better prospect than Simpson. Bardsley has hardly pulled down any tree in Aston Villa. He just seems to be a solid right back who doesn't realy venture forward. Simpson goes forward more in Sunderland, is defensively as solid as Bardsley (though against Championship players) and is a few years younger. Hence I think Simpson is a better prospect. Bardsley also seems to have temperamental problems.

Why? People associate themselves with things/values they could recognise with. Compared to people supporting a club blindly simply because it is local, what's wrong for someone supporting a club because he adores the history, the success and the football of a club? Pretty sure there are numerous small local clubs other than Birmingham and Aston Villa in Birmingham. Why is it fine for Brummies to skip these small unfasionable local tinies but support the bigger and more successful Aston Villa and Birmingham?

Well the Everton fans had been dishing out abuses to Rooney the whole day so I suppose it is only fair if Rooney does something reciprocal. You can't expect a player still loyal to a club if the fans turn on him?

Your mate and me clearly see two different players. I was not comparing Simpson to Whitehead and Nosworth as right back. I mentioned Danny Simpson as comparison to Phil Bardsley. Lastly, Sunderland lost to Colchester, their only defeat this year, with Simpson absent and Whitehead as right back.

Why do you have to simplistically assume that I judge a player based on FM? When I say Taylor is a better prospect than Bramble do you mean that I reach this conclusion based on FM? For heaven sake could someone please dispute the merits of my post instead attacking the messenger? If you know nothing about a player doesn't mean that the others who know know him from FM.

What's the answer that will satisfy you?

Joleon Lescott, Ledley King, Jonathan Woodgate, Joseph Yobo, Tal Ben Haim I believe all these are better than Distin.

Danny Simpson is a better prospect.

Nobby Solano, Tal Ben Haim, Sol Campbell, Slyvain Distin An excllent defensive line up that cost nowt.

No one asked why we aren't going for Tal Ben Haim??

Adam Johnson needs to move. I thought he is a bigger talent than Downing and I don't think he can still improve dramatically under the current Boro senior coaching team. Downing has stagnated and I don't hope to see the same thing happening to Johnson, and Morrison.

Honestly I don't understand why big 4 dominating the top echelon is depressing. Personally it is a tremendous joy for me to watch how the rich big 4 trying to outwit the others with astute signing, tactics, strategy and prioritising. Granted it is painful for a Newcastle United supporter to see his team struggling in midtable but it would be a big big crime to football if such a badly run club manage to mount a challenge at the top. Bolton and Reading, with such tiny budget are still serious contenders for the top 6, merely 10 points off Liverpool and Arsenal, hardly an astronomical gap. Tottenham are still a club in progress but with Dawson and Robinson guarding the goal it would be a huge mockery to football if they are in the top 4. Football is not charity and football is still quite a very fair and square game. The top 4 have tons of money but without excellent managers they couldn't have sustained their position. If anything it is West Ham, the bottom table club who do not deserve to be in the premiership for their blatant breach of regulations.

Nathan Porritt is leaving Boro, what a shame. But, to where?

Good post HTT.

It is not purely about stability. Dario Grady was in Crewe for 24 years yet the highest Crewe went was Championship. Stability is important but the quality of the manager is paramount. Granted we can't always have the manager of the highest quality but we should at least try to get a good, bright, innovative young manager and and grant him a few years to drive the club. David Moyes is not the brightest manager about yet because of the stability the club have been climbing upwards steadily under his stewardship.

Wow so much Scouser bashing. Yet we can't take any Geordie bashing ...

Racist i'm never going to let it go you know. Look, Chimbonda wears gloves. I accept that now. Sorry guys don't understand what are you on about That article has been posted already today and discussed. The rest is Alberto following me around like a small dog. small dog? dog as in a smelly animal? that's no way to talk about black people and why small? the black people aren't " big" enough for the white people? Thanks Dave. Didn't realise the article has been posted. Alberto, I don't like people being differentiated as black, white, yellow or brown.

Racist i'm never going to let it go you know. Look, Chimbonda wears gloves. I accept that now. Sorry guys don't understand what are you on about

Sky was running the comparison of Bolton 1999 and Bolton 2007. Apart from the manager, there were 3 staff in Bolton 99 - assistant manager, physio, scout. In 2007, there are 29, including Head of Chinese Medicine and Taichi (something like this). Not to say I necessarily think that Taichi will improve a footballer. But you got to really respect Allardyce's intelligence and willingness to try unconventional method to improve the squad under a shoe string budget.

I agree with Arsene Wenger. When he was asked about if Gerrard + Lampard were going to work for England ever, he said good players would always be able to play together. Martins and Owen are both good players and they can play well together. But of course, they need to be amply supported by the midfield. Constant long ball won't help them at all. Play football to their feet. Yeah Martins is going to lose a few possessions but he will also make good use of some of them eventually.

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