Ronaldo

This guy is a comedian. I'd say it's about the same. Taking away the two freak injuries, they've probably missed a similar number of games the past couple of seasons through niggly injuries. Taking away the two freak injuries. Yeah okay. We'll just pretend they didn't happen then. Owne has the most freak injuries and the most niggles. No comparison. Not even close. Those are the facts. You can't blame Owen for those two injuries though. That could have happened to anybody. I know but they happened to Owen He's also had a number of hamstring strains while he's been here, not to mention the mumps ... I mean he has never started a season since he's been here. He also takes ages to recover from his nicks. How can you compare the two? Don't mean to kick off Oba vs Owen part 150,387 but Owen is far more injury prone. Not even close. this

Until we bring a midfielder or two into the team we cant be called a good team really.

We'd be selling him with Harper as his replacement tbh

It's that he can't play for 3 clubs in a year but yes, I guess he will unless they can get special dispensation, I'm sure Liverpool had to for Mascherano. Arsenal managed it for Henry

If a good offer for Taylor came in I think Kinnear would take it, but it seems he's been figured out for what he is N'zogbia, Given, Smith and Xisco (and possibly Geremi) will go and hopefully JFK will lose his job shortly afterward

1 in 3 starts tbh. Better than Owen in the last 4

Against Blackburn I'd be willing to bet he covered my ground than anyone else on the pitch and tbh the whole team were absolutely woeful that day. Doesn't mean the lad should never get a look in ever again

I honestly think it's probably a case of "Well we have 2 untouchable strikers, 2 taget men with vast premiership experience, one I can mould into John Fashanu, the other I can just sell, he's foreign and was shite against Blackburn away"

this

where the fuck is Xisco, dickhead?

noticed a definite change in his body language in the last 2 months especially tbh. Just hope the money is well spent on a CM or 2

What's unacceptable is that we played for a draw for the majority of the game. Scared of Hull's reserves, clueless cunt

come on, i'm having a laugh with you, the wink should have been ample evidence

My original point was that out of the two, it was Bassong who looked like the £10m international, which you disagreed with. It seems you're now admitting the opposite

Shame they don't play too differently on a more regular basis. is that 4 clean sheets out of 5 away from home since Bassong and Coloccini were paired together at Chelsea? The extra protection afforded to them by the tactics i.e. all 11men behind the ball and the patchy form of the home sides at their own grounds and a settled back-four has as much to do with those clean sheets as Bassong himself. In short he's not the main contributor nor the reason alone for those "successes" and therefore shouldn't be deemed as our defensive linchpin or saviour because I guarantee when he hits a sticky path he'll soon become a liability like some are starting to view Colo as after a few bad games to the point where its Bassong who is looking like the 10m international. Lets not get carried away. No one player makes a defence, its a team thing and that's where we've failed in the past - bought individuals for either big money or based on their attributes and hoped they would fix the problem when in reality the problem has never just been about individuals, hence why O'Brien/Bramble or Dabizas, Hughes/Barton and Bernard/Elliott - all average defenders - were part of one of our most successful defensive records in a long time. Bassong doesn't look nor has performed like a £10m defender what's going on here then?

He's a great find Guthrie but not the answer at all, at least not yet

aye genuine class without a genuine left foot

Mackem slag. Haven't even read it yet. Don't. Just don't. Must have missed the Given 'heroics' pathetic

Shame they don't play too differently on a more regular basis. is that 4 clean sheets out of 5 away from home since Bassong and Coloccini were paired together at Chelsea?

His movement is intelligent but he doesn't look quick enough or more importantly sharp enough to take advantage of it

politician's answer right there they really look a different defence with him in the heart of it

He didn't have a strike partner in that game though

this, every time Sunderland & Fulham away must have been figments of my imagination then because he was awful in both of those games when Owen was out. 2 games is all you can come up with? Those were the ones that come to mind, yes. he was shite agreed. But he's also excelled alongside Shola fucking Ameobi. Whereas Owen just doesn't seem to influence the game whatsoever without Oba

this, every time Sunderland & Fulham away must have been figments of my imagination then because he was awful in both of those games when Owen was out. 2 games is all you can come up with?

this, every time