Ronaldo

I'm encouraged, all the same. It means, if nothing else, he has zero respect for Pardew.

Jesus, did that actually happen? After the draw with Man United on new years day I suppose, fuck me that back four makes the current spanners look like 4 Maldinis. 47 goals that defence conceded. Significantly less than the past two seasons. That was our defence for like 3 or 4 games man, York.

I've said it all week. We're bottom of the league. Ashley will pull the plug if we stay there.

The trigger is close to being pulled.

I think he did that because of the success we'd had with Bowyer going forward and Emre sitting behind him when Parker was injured.

That's a fairly stupid post, Oldtype.

Don't worry, they'll get a win when they play us.

Let down? The squad finished 7th and he afforded Roeder £17m to spend in the summer window. That would constitute some sort of miracle under Ashley.

I think he means under Roeder.

Haidara only got one game from you. I remember telling you not so long back that I think Haidara could be a good PL player in time. If you're too thick to remember it, don't blame me.

Wouldn't call it faith. I'd just like him to be given a little more of a chance than some are prepared to afford him.

Not much need to be fair. He'll play well over 20 PL games for us this season.

I'm not necessarily disagreeing but he's about the same height as Coloccini, who you love, and naturally bigger than him too. Coloccini wins a surprising amount of aerial battles considering his size and he's a decent footballer as well. If Dummett is better in all these departments would you suggest that he could do a better job at centre back than Colo? No, because Dummett isn't a CB. Certainly not yet.

Given some of the interviews he did at Norwich it's pretty clear he expected first team football. I've no doubt the club acted like cunts but I see no reason to criticise them for telling him he needed to find another club if he wanted to get games. I'm sure that was preferable to just hanging around.

Ah, right. End of discussion, really.

It is a little tenuous, like, suggesting that a young player is more likely to improve than an old one.

I'm not necessarily disagreeing but he's about the same height as Coloccini, who you love, and naturally bigger than him too.

At 22 he doesn't have the potential to be better than Danny Simpson. And to think I took this guff seriously for a minute.

I'm saying you don't let him go on loan. You keep him around the team in some capacity. And we have absolutely no reason to think he'd have accepted that.

Mike, what are you actually advocating here? If he wanted first team football surely the best thing for him would be to get that at club who were offering it.

I quite agree but we don't know the context. If he's said he wants first team football and we've told him to find another team I don't see a problem.

He's better than Danny Simpson, man. Piss off.

I know he's obviously been treated harshly but under no circumstances should he have been kept in the first team out of sympathy.

I know he's really poor on the ball but given that he's a 22-year-old who's only played 20 PL games, the fact he's pretty solid defensively and looks a threat in the air going forward should be a bit of a cause for optimism once Pardew pisses off.

Which one, specifically?