Lotus

Good for the 1st 15 mins, a bit all over the place for the last 30. We seem very static. I expect that when we have the ball but I'm a bit surprised that we not picking up runners when they have the ball. We need a good team talk.

Morte aos Mouros !!!!!

Aye, Ashley and Llambias recruiting someone respected for their achievements. Likely. Their history of managerial appointments is not promising, I agree.

This constant mantra of 'well, the players like him.' I don't give a toss. I'd rather they were a little more in awe of him tbh, a bit more worried about putting in another average or worse performance. I'd rather our players respected him for his achievements and/or philosophy than just like cause he's 'really nice guy'.

I'm of the belief that his biggest problem is that he doesn't give a s*** about West Ham or Liverpool. Playing for us he had the lure of playing for the team he supports and playing to further his career. He had friends and family around him to look out for him if necessary. Once he got his "big" move and huge wage packet though, what more was there left for him to play for? Who was there to look after him on and off the pitch? Coming back here could give him the chance to redeem himself and become the player he looked like he could become before he left. Is that really the attitude a professional should adopt? Especially one who had actually proved nothing in his career.

Carroll is very capable of bringing other, more potent players into the game off scraps. He'll also attack the corners that our lot put their heads down for. You never saw that based on his Newcastle performances so you must be referring to his time at Preston and Liverpool. Never watched him there so i'll have to take your work for it. I saw it clearly in the final year of his Newcastle career and occassionally since. Nice try, though. Nah.

Carroll is very capable of bringing other, more potent players into the game off scraps. He'll also attack the corners that our lot put their heads down for. You never saw that based on his Newcastle performances so you must be referring to his time at Preston and Liverpool. Never watched him there so i'll have to take your work for it.

Agreed, people talk about him being a Pardew type player but we rarely deliver quality balls into the box. Fair enough he can hold the ball up but Shola would be first team regular if that's all we wanted. Both Shola and Carroll are alright at taking the ball on the chest, neither have been that good at flick ons, Carroll's weren't particularly accurate (a lot to do with the other player anticipating though) and Shola rarely gets any height. Neither bring the ball under control quickly so playing hard and low into feet wasn't much use. As you say, getting whipped balls into the box would be the kind of thing Carroll could really exploit. Not something we're any good at. Ironically, Liverpool look to me top have the players who could put the ball just where he'd want it.

He needs the type of service that we don't deliver so don't see the point of signing him tbh.

Think it was the 'loyalty fee' he waived from Toulouse. Ah, ok. Cheers.

Didn't Moussa waive his signing on fee for us to get the deal done? If so surely that would balance out the transfer fee we paid for him. So, one would expect the siginificant expense will be paying him from January instead of July.

Ba did? What did he say/do? (Ba that is) Nothing major actually. Ba said in a post-match interview that some Muslims might find Bigirimana's goal celebrations a bit offensive. The Wigan goal? What's wrong with what he did? He did the Ace, King, Queen Jack and closed his eyes in what i imagine was a 'thank you God' moment. If that's all he's referring to then finding that 'a bit offensive' is a f**king joke tbh. Unless Ba was actually joking of course!

Ultimately, we hold his registration and if he doesn't come back when we ask him too, we stop paying him.

Ba did? What did he say/do? (Ba that is)

Its an 'enclave' isn't it?

Bit of an odd point to make.

BOOM Somewhat amazed that Pardew says anything at all regarding players coming back from injuries. He is SO often wrong is it not just better if he says it's still being assessed until he has actually watched the player train for a few days?

Yes. It has one street full of trannies. Avoid it. Oh great! Any suggestions then? Bairro Alto is full of communists!!!!

Above us. Would they finish above where we finished last season? Will we finish above where we finished last season? No but I'm just trying to establish how good they are. I think in cup games the Portuguese can raise their game. They're all good technically but the league is a lot slower and they roll around on the floor at the slightest touch. They're athletic though and if they need to, they can compete but for me, only in cup or knockout competitions. I think playing a whole season in the EPL, they'd be rushed and they'd get frustrated at not getting fouls for near misses they way they do over there. Porto and Benefica would be in and around the top six imo, sometimes managing a top four.

And Simpson can't fulfill the role adequately. Quite a conundrum!

Above us. Would they finish above where we finished last season? Will we finish above where we finished last season?

Whelan really is an utter c*ck.

He's not facing intense competition for that accolade though is he?

A Above us.

I think he'll become somewhat less effective the more he trains here. Has good instincts but in a team devoid of imagination, daring and movement he'll soon look ordinary.