KaKa

Totally agree.

Everyday we here about top strikers who will be moving this summer but still no mention of Adriano. This fella has dissapeared of the face of the Earth it seems. He has fallen out of favour at Inter and isn't anywhere near the first team as Crespo, Ibrahimovic and Cruz are tro top dogs. It seems he has lost his way a little bit. The big question is who will take the risk on this fella? He is still only 25 years old for goodness sake! The problem is he still has enough of a reputation which alone will mean a substantial fee will need to be paid, but with the investment we are expecting this might no longer be a problem, and if handled right Adriano could still be an absolute beast of a striker. Yes, he is very left footed, but his power, pace and shooting are unbelievable. One of the closest things out there to a traditional old school target man in the Shearer or Drogba mould. If Roeder was in charge I wouldn't even bother contemplating us going anywhere near this guy, however we are fortunate to have a pretty special manager who excels at getting the best out of top players who have lost their way a bit and so I think Adriano might be a very worthwhile pursuit. Particularly if Allardyce intends to build a team which plays the 4-3-3 system he had at Bolton, as a fit and motivated Adriano would be perfect as the target man in this system. The question is, is Adriano worth the risk? And for let's say a price of £12million would you have him at Newcastle?

Agreed. Two good players who are not happy at their current teams due to run ins with the fans. Reo-Coker is a good guy, he just needs to get away from the stupid Ferdinand boy and Zamora. Captained Wimbledon, West Ham and is England under 21 captain.

Petrov? Yep Martin Petrov the Athletico winger. Gem of a player. Petrov can be very good on his day, but he's really inconsistent .. Would be a very savvy move though. Especially with his pal Berbatov already there and having settled in so well it would give him a boost. He would be very encouraged by that and would link up well with Berbatov. Also a very sly way of encouraging berbatov to stay. Nice stuff by Tottenham.

Fairly sure he hasn't, and as has been said, you can't make judgements like that yet. I think he still looks very dangerous and I am quite surprised by how much of a threat he is looking after being out so long. He was getting in the same dangerous positions but was unlucky tonight. Should have scored with the shot that went wide early on as well as the header he just couldn't quite make a connection with.

A WHOLE LOT MORE THAN DOWNING DOES!!!

Always up for some healthy discussion. But this is just eccentric and childish and i can't be bothered! Can imagine someone will point out "Da Irony" of my post there. Fair enough.

Don't you dare! I remember suggesting this (might not have been on this forum though) when he was leaving Arsenal and had just done so well at Norwich and I got killed. And I quote "he is no better then Darren Ambrose"!!!! Yes someone did say that at the time!!!

OK Einstein if everyone is fit how odes Alan Smith get consistent games? Keep in mind they are currently hunting for a top class striker. Who the f*** is everyone like? Louis Saha??? Course he's going to get games, probably quite a few of them cos he's a damn site better than Saha. As usual they will be trying to win 4 major competitions which means squad rotation etc etc. Do you think Ferguson will play the same 11 players and make no substitutions in every game Einstein? Slap yourself three times very hard ... now you are awake. Tell me how you can justify claiming that Smith is better then Saha? What is the most amount of goals each has scored in a season? Smith will never start upfront at Man U and I believe he is good enough to start at a lot of teams and should be doing so in order to improve and become a legit top striker. f****** hell. The bloke's spot on, Kaka. Spot on? Are you saying Smith is better then Saha? All I have siad is that I feel Smith needs to play every week in order to prove he is a top striker, which I think he can become. He will never be a first team player at Man U because he has never proven himself worthy. Everyone is raving about Bentley, but he has done exactly what Smith needs to do. Bentley left Arsenal who were winning everything at the time in order to prove himself at Blackburen and voila! Bentley is now on the verge of breaking out because he plays every week which he never would have done at Arsenal. IT'S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE GUYS!!! Not going to sit here and by ranted at like i'm in school by someone who reckons he knows absolutely everything. Learn some respect, mate. Don't take it personally dude. Just being a bit silly, however I do feel my points are valid. Everyone does have their opinion though and they are entitled to it. Some of yours are a bit startling though ... as I am sure some ofmine might be.

Not saying you're necassarily wrong, but if that is the case, then i'm concerned. He did well tonight but he's done absolutely nowt for England so far. Let me help you out here ... he is DEFINITELY WRONG! Now, people have slated me, pretty consistently for making opinions and passing them off as fact. You take it to a new level, mate. He's DEFINITELY wrong is he? Barry would do ten times the job Downing does on the left. I would also Portsmouth's Matt Taylor out on the left ahead of Downing (Taylor should have been in the squad actually!). Downing is nowhere near ready yet.

OK Einstein if everyone is fit how odes Alan Smith get consistent games? Keep in mind they are currently hunting for a top class striker. Who the f*** is everyone like? Louis Saha??? Course he's going to get games, probably quite a few of them cos he's a damn site better than Saha. As usual they will be trying to win 4 major competitions which means squad rotation etc etc. Do you think Ferguson will play the same 11 players and make no substitutions in every game Einstein? Slap yourself three times very hard ... now you are awake. Tell me how you can justify claiming that Smith is better then Saha? What is the most amount of goals each has scored in a season? Smith will never start upfront at Man U and I believe he is good enough to start at a lot of teams and should be doing so in order to improve and become a legit top striker. f****** hell. The bloke's spot on, Kaka. Spot on? Are you saying Smith is better then Saha? All I have siad is that I feel Smith needs to play every week in order to prove he is a top striker, which I think he can become. He will never be a first team player at Man U because he has never proven himself worthy. Everyone is raving about Bentley, but he has done exactly what Smith needs to do. Bentley left Arsenal who were winning everything at the time in order to prove himself at Blackburen and voila! Bentley is now on the verge of breaking out because he plays every week which he never would have done at Arsenal. IT'S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE GUYS!!!

OK Einstein if everyone is fit how odes Alan Smith get consistent games? Keep in mind they are currently hunting for a top class striker. Who the f*** is everyone like? Louis Saha??? Course he's going to get games, probably quite a few of them cos he's a damn site better than Saha. As usual they will be trying to win 4 major competitions which means squad rotation etc etc. Do you think Ferguson will play the same 11 players and make no substitutions in every game Einstein? Slap yourself three times very hard ... now you are awake. Tell me how you can justify claiming that Smith is better then Saha? What is the most amount of goals each has scored in a season? Smith will never start upfront at Man U and I believe he is good enough to start at a lot of teams and should be doing so in order to improve and become a legit top striker. Saha is f****** gash, he had one good season at fulham. Alan Smith is a far better player and moving anywhere else would be a step backwards for him. Congratulations you have officially lost the plot. The only thing wrong with Saha is that he is injury prone. Otherwise he is a top striker. Are you kidding me here? Am I being setup for an almighty whoosh or is this guy for real?

Not saying you're necassarily wrong, but if that is the case, then i'm concerned. He did well tonight but he's done absolutely nowt for England so far. Let me help you out here ... he is DEFINITELY WRONG!

OK Einstein if everyone is fit how odes Alan Smith get consistent games? Keep in mind they are currently hunting for a top class striker. Who the f*** is everyone like? Louis Saha??? Course he's going to get games, probably quite a few of them cos he's a damn site better than Saha. As usual they will be trying to win 4 major competitions which means squad rotation etc etc. Do you think Ferguson will play the same 11 players and make no substitutions in every game Einstein? Slap yourself three times very hard ... now you are awake. Tell me how you can justify claiming that Smith is better then Saha? What is the most amount of goals each has scored in a season? Smith will never start upfront at Man U and I believe he is good enough to start at a lot of teams and should be doing so in order to improve and become a legit top striker.

OK Einstein if everyone is fit how odes Alan Smith get consistent games? Keep in mind they are currently hunting for a top class striker. No one's denying that. He won't be first choice. Doesn't necassarily means he wants out at this moment in time. And your patronising tone is getting a bit old, Einstein. When did I say he wanted out? I said he ought to leave! Goodness grief ...

Big Sam I meant!

Newcastle Chase Whiz Kid Dimitri Payet May 25th, 2007 · 4 Comments News broke today that Dimitri Payet , currently playing for FC Nantes Atlantique in Ligue 1, and one of the bright sparks of French football - is a Newcastle target. While we have no idea if there is any truth to this - he looks an exciting player who has come through the ranks at Nantes – and would make a good addition to the youngsters presently at St. James’ Park. Dimitri Payet of Nantes The Frenchman has plenty of skills and trickery - allowing him to take on defenders at pace - similar to Manchester United starlet Cristiano Ronaldo. Payet has played for the French under-21 team and has just turned 20 years old in March. He is a speedy winger with tremendous skill on the ball – and at 5′ 7″, he is two footed and can play on either flank. Dimitri played 30 times for Nantes last season. His great form and versatility has been vital for Nantes and the club and he has been one of Nantes’s best players in the 06/07 season - and is a candidate for their Player of the Season. He was born March 29, 1987 in Réunion - same place as a certain Laurent Robert - as we recall. A number of Premiership clubs, including Chelsea and ourselves are chasing the Nantes 20 year old whiz kid- but with the new buying power that Mike Ashley can give the club - we could probably be able to match Chelsea’s offer. It is also reported Nantes are desperately trying to secure Payet to a three-year contract, but they may not be quick enough to ward off Premiership clubs like ourselves and Chelsea - who can offer him big wages. We think Newcastle would be a better fit for him than Chelsea – because he’d get a game at Newcastle. http://nufcblog.com/newcastle-chase-whiz-kid-dimitri-payet/ Is this the French youngster we were supposedly talking to the Monaca agent about? Might very well be!

OK Einstein if everyone is fit how odes Alan Smith get consistent games? Keep in mind they are currently hunting for a top class striker.

Agree. At this point Lennon should be an impact sub who is brought on late in the game to run at tired defenders.

Not this season he hasn't. He's played just about everywhere on the pitch if you include previous seasons, mind. where is he best in your opinion I'd prefer to see him left side of our midfield, but that's based on the set up at our club. He is equally as good in central midfield. In fact, the last few games of the season he was - and I'm cringeing whilst i write this word - imperious in central midfield. That's his downfall as far as England is concerned. He's too versatile. If you played a 4-3-3 I think he would be an absolute beast in the Lampard roll as one of the attacking midfilders in the middle three. I actually think he has more to him than Lampard, as he can actually drive forward with the ball and skip by people which fat Lamps cannot do. What can Lampard do that he can't? Barry's shooting is very good too and you wonder how many he would score if he had a chance to shoot as often as Lampard. Barry is so quality in my view. I remember when it looked like Souness was going to get him, I was really hopeful. Very good player.

He doesn't lack stamina, he does fail to understand the concept of a tackle though he does fail to understand the concept of a forward pass aswell Apart from "36 mins: GOAL - DOWNING! - Jenas chips a great ball through to Bentley on the right - he crosses first-time and substitute Downing volleys home. 2-0", yeah? I haven't been watching btw. He might be having a s*** game. Who cares? Scored in our last 'B' match IIRC and didn't get any credit then. One of the highest scoring midfielders this season, not including penalties, and people still overlook him Please don't misunderstand me. I am not knocking him at all, as he did have a great season for you guys. It's just that he could be so much better in my eyes, but you just sense he is satisfied and doesn't really push himself more. He is certainly talented though. Like I said his technique, pace and athleticism are quite outstanding. His drive, desire, aggression, strength, committment and command are very underwhelming though.

You might knock Albania but they look a lot better than Estonia, Macedonia and Andorra who the first team have looked awful against and quite frankly struggled a lot at times. Very impressed with this performance. The team looks fluid and there is a genuine threat when they attack. England really do need to put in some more younger, hungrier players. For example with the way Bentley is coming along you almost have to wonder why thereis an outcry for Beckham to return?

already a post http://www.newcastle-online.com/nufcforum/index.php?topic=40650.msg844581#msg844581 PERFECT PROPERTIES? Do you know how to merge them?

He doesn't lack stamina, he does fail to understand the concept of a tackle though He doesn't get up and down the park enough for me. In the first half Barry was everywhere, but Jenas would pop up now and again but not consistently. He clearly needs a bit of time to rest during matches, which is why he goes missing.

Actually a really good game and Albania are making it very competitive. Here are a few things I've noticed ... Gareth Barry is a lovely player. He is actually playing in centre midfield today and you can see that this is where he should have played all along, I don't know which idiots have been in charge of developing this kid but you can see he would excel in the middle of the park. Excellent football brain, awareness, touch, passing, shooting and movement which makes him a threat going forward. Great strength, stamina, discipline, aggression and desire so he is very good as a ball winner too. I know it's just Albania but this guy should be playing in the middle of the park. Martin O'Neil take note. In this position his lack of great pace is not as much as a hindrance for him, he is at least as fast as Lampard. There is no way Jenas should be in the first team squad ahead of Barry and as a matter of fact neither should Downing. Jermaine Jenas is just so average. Look this isn't about bashing an ex-toon player either. Here is what he has going for him ... he has very good technique and excellent pace and athleticism, however he has shockingly bad stamina and strength and therefore this inevitably negates his good attributes. If only someone would get this boy in the gym and work on his core strength to improve his balance and strength on the ball he would be twice the player he is now and with more stamina he could push forward more often where he would be more useful and dangerous. Stuart Downing must be McClaren's illegitimate son because there is no way he is ready to be in the England team. Yes his left foot is quality at times, but he is so pathetically weak it is untrue. Is this guy really a professional athlete? His frailty and flimsiness greatly hinders his game, he needs to hit the gym and get stronger and work on his explosiveness, which I'm sure would improve his pace. Phil Neville is a clown. Period. Alan Smith should leave Man United. There is a very good player in there who needs to come out now, and it will only happen if he is playing every week. His committment and desire to play the game always impresses me. His goal today was top quality. In general it has been nice to just see the England team looking up for it and excited to be playing football. I think an infusion of younger, hungrier players need to be put into the team and a lot of others should be pushed out. Players who really should be in the squad now are Gareth Barry and David Bentley.