KaKa

I have to say if Keegan thinks we only need 3 or 4 new players this summer he's lost the plot.

What a team we have ... what a team!

How weak is our team physically?

A bunch of lightweight pushovers.

Taylor, Cacapa, Carr, Duff, Butt, Barton, Owen, Smith, Milner all go over so easily, just put a body on them and they fold like a pck of cards. Even the wannabe bad boys Barton and Smith have no strength at all.

Softest team in the premiership by far, never ever win any 50-50s.

Patheticness personified.

Anyone still think we don't need Faye in at centre back?

Absolutely lauaghable defending.

How could Faye be left on the bench when he is such a beast in the air?

Aaaaaaaah welll ... any more space on the relegation bandwagon?

Harewood is a bit of a bully. We might need Faye on, as I am not sure Taylor and Cacapa can deal with both Carew and Harewood.

Regarding Butt I don't think Keegan will ever drop him, because although his play is infuriating at times, he is one of the few leader types we have on the pitch.

Keegan was only just speaking this week about the need for more leaders in our team.

Butt is actually having one of his better games today. Not trying as many of his random long balls.

So far the best team performance this season.

Everyone is defending together and it is making things difficult for Villa. I can't believe how Owen is getting back to tackle! Very encouraging sign.

Still a few loose passes but if everyone is willing to work hard together to get the ball back then it doesn't look as bad and it isn't as costly.

We are also moving around really well and at least showing for the ball and trying to make things happen, so the occassional dodgy passing is easier to deal with.

Keegan is definitely making a difference.

Martins ankle injury 

I hope someone asks what Kev thinks about a Martins and Owen partnership.

 

 

I sent that in days ago as my question by email..

Nice job 

I hope someone asks what Kev thinks about a Martins and Owen partnership.

Owen can no longer be guaranteed a place in the team by just being fit.

He has to be fit and firing for his club like everyone else.

Well done Capello.

Quite significant that the number 10 jersey is no longer Owen's anymore too.

25% sell on clause

BUY HIM BUY HIM BUY HIM

 

Do you think Arsene might be kicking himself a bit?

Didn't Bentley ask to leave ... in fact from what I remember he pretty much demanded it!

Besides is he really better than any of the players in their first team right now?

Always makes himself available for the ball.

Knows what his strong points are and always plays within himself, never forces the situation, and so hardly ever gets caught on the ball or misplaces a pass.

Brilliant freekicks and corners.

Brilliant technique on the ball.

Was excellent and influential out wide and then through the middle.

Very, very impressive player.

4-5-1 was the formation tonight and it stayed that way throughout all the substitutions that were made.

Owen might be done as he won't be played as a lone striker by Capello I don't think, and he can't play out wide.

I'll tell you what was a pleasant surprise yesterday. After he scored his energy levels went up another 50% and you could see he was buzzing. That was a huge sign for me.

Believe me I have been very dissapointed with Owen, but that was a significant sign yesterday. I think his moral has been way down, not just due to his injuries, but also due to consecutive seasons under Souness, Roeder and Allardyce. I think the pressure of scoring has also got to him quite a bit lately.

He looked a lot better after he scored and even in his interview after the game yesterday he seemed a lot more enthusiastic than usual.

There could be life in the old dog yet, and I certainly didn't anticipate that. I think as we continue to play better football and build confidence in ourselves as a team, we will probably see him improve quite a bit, both in his actual play as well as his demeanour.

 

Faye, I think he has to go in at centre back. We have nothing else like him back there. An absolute beast and a huge presence for us, he dominates in the air and he never gets rattled or bullied off the ball, he actually scares other teams strikers. He sets the tone in defence and everyone plays with a bit more confidence back there when he is in defence.

 

There is certainly an argument to have him in midfield due to the patheticness of Nicky Butt, but for the moment I think it is more important to have a stronger back four, to allow for a more competent midfield unit. Here's what I mean ... I believe with Faye in defence we will be able to better afford the probable risk of playing both Emre and Barton together in midfield and we absolutely have to give this partnership a chance now. I think this partnership in midfield will be our only real chance to wake up our attacking play, and Faye in defence will be crucial to this.

 

 

 

I'm reluctant to agree with you, but I know what you mean. Faye has looked immense at the back for us for the most part and I am nervous as hell with Taylor who even when he's playing well is liable to a costly gaffe. I think it was Keefaz who suggested Faye and Barton as centre mids. and I think that's quite tasty. Both have physical presence, Faye's athleticism alongside Barton's box to box running would make us much harder to crack. Add Martins up front and you have a counter-attack option again. For me, away from home Martins should be the first name on the sheet ahead of Owen or Viduka for that reason alone.

Exactly, and I like Cacapa but I feel the same way about him too!

At any point they might get outmuscled off the ball no matter how well they are going.

Faye getting pushed around is a no-no, never happening. He intimidates other team's strikers.

Keegan really has to be smart with the return of Faye, Beye and Martins.

His decisions will determine exactly how well the remainder of our season goes and to be fair he will have some tough choices to make, and he will have to be brave.

Beye is the easiest decision, as he should slot straight back into the right back position.

Now comes the hard part ...

Faye, I think he has to go in at centre back. We have nothing else like him back there. An absolute beast and a huge presence for us, he dominates in the air and he never gets rattled or bullied off the ball, he actually scares other teams strikers. He sets the tone in defence and everyone plays with a bit more confidence back there when he is in defence.

There is certainly an argument to have him in midfield due to the patheticness of Nicky Butt, but for the moment I think it is more important to have a stronger back four, to allow for a more competent midfield unit. Here's what I mean ... I believe with Faye in defence we will be able to better afford the probable risk of playing both Emre and Barton together in midfield and we absolutely have to give this partnership a chance now. I think this partnership in midfield will be our only real chance to wake up our attacking play, and Faye in defence will be crucial to this.

Last of all ...

Martins, the time is now to play Martins and Owen upfront. With Barton and Emre in midfield, this partnership will have a chance I believe it's time we just went with it. I'm tired of waiting for that moment of brilliance for the huffing and puffing Viduka, and I'm tired of watching Alan Smith try and fail to convince everyone he is committed, by fouling every defender in sight. Martins should be the first striker on the pitch, his overall attributes are vital to a team that lacks speed and dynamic play. Of the remaining three strikers Owen is the best bet to partner Martins. He has been making more of an effort I believe, and he can still be a danger in the box. Martins can do the hard work of pressuring defenders and running the channels, as well as being a goal threat, and Owen can then just concentrate on being in the right spot in the box.

Here's hoping it all works out.

If Middlesborough's midfielders are too strong and fast for Butt to keep pace, he is liable to be destroyed by Man U and Villa. Get Faye in there till the Summer then we need a quality holding midfielder.

 

Happy to see you're still not doling out lectures on why it would have been silly to buy in the Jan window.

 

I didn't lecture anybody, just said that we shouldn't buy unless we can get the right players. No point in buying Robbie Savage to replace Butt is there?

 

Nobody mentioned Savage.

 

FOI it is alaways difficult to get good players, you have to show ambition and make financial commitments. You make it even moredifficult for yourself if you finish 4th bottom of the league or infact get relegated. KK himself said we could have had 4/5 players, clearly it's his call. But IMO we really should have tried for an alterneate central midfielder...Time will tell.

 

I think if Redknapp had taken the job, Diarra would have come here,  but even as Keegan was being installed, he was signing for Portsmouth. It's clearly a position that needs to be strengthened but we need real quality in there, if Keegan doesn't try and sign someone in the summer it'll be fair to criticise. For the moment, we will need to get Faye in there against the better teams. I know we could do with him in defence, but we'll get over-run in midfield otherwise.

 

 

 

 

You make a good point with Diarra. We should have nailed him.

The most painful thing that we lost out on him. Especially having seen a good bit of him this season.

Funny thing is though, there were actually some idiots saying he wouldn't improve us as he couldn't get into the Arsenal team and we ought to stop buying the top 4's cast offs.

Unbelievably infuriating.

Emre is nothingness personified.

Does absolutely nothing.

Didn't make himself available for the ball and when he did happen upon it did nothing with it.

Any team that loses to us really should feel ashamed. We are so so terrible.

Why Keegan keeps talking about our talented team is beyond me. He really has to stop with that stuff.

    I wonder where all this negativity comes from. I mean it is just crazy when was the last time we saw all attacking instinct like this in our team. With the right referee and luck we could have won easily today.

Wow ... you are very easily pleased aren't you.

Boro came into the game with the fairly easy tactic of closing us down fast whenever we had the ball.

When they had the ball, we just stood off and allowed them to pass it around. If we have employed the same tactic, we could have forced them into the same mistakes they forced us into. Sometimes I wonder why players on the pitch cant work this out for themselves.

 

We did do that very soon after we scored and you could see they were rattled a little bit. Sadly we didnt carry it on.,

 

Lost out on the physical side as well. Why Butt and Barton didnt put themselves about I just cant work out. Barton will t*** anyone in a flash outside McDonalds yet on the pitch didnt seem to want to get stuck in.

Our team definitely has the lowest IQ in the whole freakin' league.

I was sat there wondering the exact same thing.

Brainless bunch of has beens.

Do people realise we have to change the whole team completely? Taylor, Zoggy and Enrique are the only real must keeps.

To think Diarra could have replaced Butt in the team.

It is absolutely inexcusable for Butt to be in this team.

Are managers scared to drop him because he is a senior player?

You had freakin' Allardyce talking about him being our best and most consistent player this season!

WHY?!!!

While we're at it lets be honest, hypothetically if you could rebuild the team in one transfer window who would you actually hold on to? N'Zogbia. possibly Enrique, Given and at a push Taylor? The rest could hit the road for me...

Given out too.

He is the worst kicker of the ball on planet Earth.

Let's not forget Boateng didn't play today.

When will this guy get dropped?

Mr. ex ManU experienced guy. To hell with it man. I almost hurt myself today lamenting his awful play.

Bloody worthless player.

People going on about how good Boro were today?

If they had a striker they would be in the top half. They play the ball around well and are miles are ahead of us.

No Mido, no Alves, no Tuncay, no Boateng?!!!!!! and they did that too us?!!!!

With a light weight striker upfront alone.

Southgate messed up today. If they had come to play from the beginning they would have probably beat us.

We played quite well in spells, in fact almost as well as we are going to be allowed to play with the fixtures coming up. We could have had 2 or 3 but so could they so fair result and they really came at us for the last 15 and our def panicked with Cacapa again a liability.

 

We are missing penetration/pace and creativity from midfield, something I still say should have been addressed in the Jan window. IMO KK has taken a gamble by not refreshing the side with one or two players he didn't really need to take...It's not like half this side isn't going to get shipped out in the summer.

 

On a more positive note I thought especially in the first half Duff and Owen played very well.

 

 

Nah ... I'm tired of taking the little positives.

I'm over the edge now, these bitches really are worthless, they can all fuck off!

We must have the biggest collection of idiots in the premiership. Just flat out people that do stupid things over and over and over and over again.

Nicky Butt ... words fail me. Slow of body, mind, spirit and soul. He is slowness and slowness is him. We know he played at Man U, but seriously, fuck that and fuck experience. HE IS SHIT! Get him off the fucking pitch.

WHY CAN'T ANY MANAGER SEE HE IS LETTING THE TEAM DOWN?