Wallace

They seem to be talking about an ambassadorial role for him.

Just heard Pardew talking about Debuchy on the radio. Said he had come in and done his job, been very professional whereas a younger player might have come in and tried really hard to impress. Don't know if he actually used "not pulling up trees" in another interview or whether that was the journalist's interpretation but it just seemed as if he was highlighting the difference in attitude between a young player and more experienced player.

Pardew has been quite outspoken in the necessity for new players and I get the impression with his comments so far that he is not prepared to protect the board this time round. Probably a case of passing the buck if the team continues to fail.

The board have said in the past they don't see the value of loan signings. I guess they see it in the same terms of whether it is better to rent or buy a property.

You beat me to that question there. If i can get the Wednesday off work, i'm gonna do the Thomas Cook thing for Kharkiv. Pricey, but compared to the tricky independent travel options, it seems the best way to go. Will there be enough interest to fill the plane though? Anybody on here booked it? About 6 of us going and I spoke to a few at Man United who are. Reckon it'll be good like, was going to go via Istanbul but it was a right fanny on and only around 70 less. Went with them to Bruges and Bordeaux and can't complain. Everything organised for you - just need to turn up on time. Plenty of free time. This one has an overnight stay with wasn't the case with the previous trips but they organise these European trips for the other clubs so they know what they are doing. There were still places available on the earlier trips so I guess as long as they get enough people to cover the costs, it will go ahead.

If OM want to buy Barton, it is a useful bargaining tool for QPR.

ouch, and I thought me getting up at 9am was bad enough Backpage are leaving at 1am.

Confirmed by club text.

There are on a winter break in France at the moment aren't they? If so, I guess he wouldn't be ready to play on Saturday anyway.

Ashley's blue print is to buy players cheap and sell for a profit so players will use us in the same way. They are signing for us as relatively unknowns with something to prove and putting themselves in the shop window and if bigger clubs come calling then they will move on. The only way that will change will be if we start to win things and pay competitive wages and neither are likely to happen.

Radio going on about how tired Arsenal are because of the game against us.

Making it clear who is responsible if the required players don't arrive and not prepared to be the board's scapegoat any longer?

I was thinking that as he hasn't played in the EL this year. theres some rule re cl and el concerning that but damned if I can remember what it is The EL and CL are considered different competitions I believe. So if you play in CL, you can play in EL and vice versa but not twice in same competition. Makes sense when you have the CL teams dropping into the EL.

Financially it will probably be a good move for him but not sure how much game time he will actually get. Surely, he is only going to be a squad player as when fit, Torres will almost certainly start. In the Summer, they will be working on getting Falcao in.

We've looked all over the place at the back for a month. Wondering if Cabaye offers far more defensively than I had realised. Can't remember when he got injured but the defence was OK earlier in the season - or at least I don't think we were conceding such soft goals.

It is not a good situation where a player who we refuse to give a new contract to is still our first choice right back. We should already have got his replacement in.

The presenter is also a Sunderland supporter.

I bet London clubs benefit the most each year. I think we have had 5 of our last 7 PL seasons with a double away Christmas and the others were one of each. Even in 2010/11 it was two away and City at home between 26th-2nd. I don't understand why we usually have to play away on Boxing Day and why we don't alternate with Sunderland. In the last 12 years, we have only been home twice on Boxing Day - in 2001 and 2010.

He might be the same with other clubs but Ferguson does seem to have an awful lot to say about us. Last year, he used his programme notes to have a go at the NE media - not sure how he is qualified to pass judgement on them and the previous year, he was having a go at our fans. Does he do this to Reading or Villa or Norwich? For some reason, he does seem to have an issue with us.

If he wants a move, he is going to have to make some concessions. I think Ba is deceiving himself if he thinks the top clubs are going to pay him the sort of wages he is demanding. Will he also expect to be first choice and to play in his favoured position. If he goes to a top club, I can only see him as a squad player and therefore why should he be paid that sort of salary. Clubs further down the league would perhaps buy him as their number one striker but could not afford those wages.

That means Shola gets one game before he is off to the ACoN.

Did Remy and Ben Arfa play together at Lyon or had Ben Arfa already left?

West Ham seem to be linked to a lot of strikers at present so I wonder if they are having second thoughts about Carroll.

You don't really get involved in a conversation as such with Cliffy as he just kind of talks at you and repeats the same thing over and over again.

Philippe Auclair was on the radio this afternoon and seemed to think there was a strong possibility that we would get Remy. Surplus to requirements at Marseilles and has not been getting a game and has had injury problems in recent years. Said he is a player that needs to revive his career so definitely fits the blue print. Also said it should be possible to get him cheaper than the price quoted and that 10m euros was a likelier price than £10m. Also said he didn't think Debuchy was likely to happen this window.