Lotus

Hope Sam tells the players in no uncertain terms that Derby embarrassed them earlier on this season so go out there and batter the f**kers!

Andy Hinchcliffe. I've been trying to remember this guys name all day....

Agreed. It's not easy when people claim you've posted comment you haven't actually posted and are also unable to understand something you did post. I'm sure you agree. Yeah, but we could all cut each other a bit more slack.... Some people seem more interested in talking instead of listening. I'm NOT thinking of anyone in particular when i say that btw I'm not bothered if you are thinking of someone, tbh. I'm not paranoid enough to think it's me, but even if it is.....so what. It's a forum. Man.....it was a general comment, not directed at you or NE5 at all. I'm being genuine.

Agreed. It's not easy when people claim you've posted comment you haven't actually posted and are also unable to understand something you did post. I'm sure you agree. Yeah, but we could all cut each other a bit more slack.... Some people seem more interested in talking instead of listening. I'm NOT thinking of anyone in particular when i say that btw

You know, we needn't get personal in these debates. Everybody wants the same thing and sometime all people are arguing over is semantics with their basic points being the same. Other times it's just different people thinking there are different ways of achieving the same ultimate goal, different paths up the mountain and all that. Bit more camaraderie wouldn't go amiss....

Benitez's team AND bench choice yesterday made me think he wanted lose!!! A strong Liverpool side could've taken Chelsea last night, they'd have been the 1st team in quite a while to win at Stamford Bridge.

Tony Yeboah

That's the kind of stuff NE5 has a field day with. If the manager wants him then so be it. £8m seems a lot though. Yeah, reminds me of the Carrick/Butt situation tbh....

To answer NE5, No idea if the new Board will be 'better' than the old. I believe the old Board did well enough to earn the right to make a few mistakes and were unfairly viewed by some fans. They appointed some good managers and backed them (not SBR straight away though which is point i keep making and you keep avoiding). They appointed some sh*te and backed them too. Your view is biased though, no matter what you say. You were happy enough when we appointed Roeder, a relegation specialist, because you could understand the club wanting to do something 'different.' He only bought £15m worth of players, SA has bought more than that already. You can't retort that it wasn't prudent to let Roeder spend more because your opinion is that if you appoint a man you must back him, i.e. Dalgleish, Gullit and Souness. Maybe this is the club trying something 'different' again, trying to start with youth as heavy investment in the 1st team hasn't cemented us a place in the top 4/6. Do you really think that we'd be challenging for a CL place with SA as manager and FS as chairman? Because that's the only criteria you're using to judge the new Board so you must have believed we'd be in the hunt this seaason if FS had stayed. Fwiw, i would like to see more spent on the 1st team in January but the players SA wants must be available for the right money, that's life! You don't always get the players you want, when you want. Sometimes you have to build a little slower. SBR wanted Zenden iirc but he didn't want to come and we bought Robert, Bellamy instead of Jeffers, etc. Personally i think a better time to judge where we are heading will be at the close of the August 08 window. I know we all want the same thing, and i hope we all get it.

NE5, You wanted SA as manager, i thought he deserved a chance at a bigger club and was happy enough that that was us. The manager decides who to buy and sell, you've always said this so lets stick by that. SA has spent a fair bit on Enrique, Barton and Smith. SBR wasn't given a huge kitty start with iirc, he splashed out a bit more when he'd improved us with what we had plus a few cheaper players like Gallacher, etc. Someone else mentioned Freddie's net spend in his first 6 months was £3-4m compared £10m (??) for Mort and arguably we were in a tighter spot financially 6 months ago. This is no time to make judgements on anyone, the new board or the new manager as neither have been disasterous if you're honest.

The people who ruin the forum are those who automatically post negatively against the opinion of certain individuals (not just NE5) based on who is making the post rather than the content of the post. If people would get their head out of their arse and read what he's posting they will find it makes sense. EG If you seriously believe that under the previous board, major decisions were made by one individual acting alone, then you (and others) are frankly a bit dim. I appreciate there is a dilemma here for some. Admitting that big decisions were made by a group of people is obviously going to mean some people can't continue with their childish pastime of slating one individual for everything. Think about it, before you blurt something out.... Agree completely fwiw. However i'm intrigued by certain posters questioning Mort's ambition, as if he were the only to do with the club who made any kind of decisions whatsoever.

the path to glory is full of cheap youngsters and foreigners, I'm sure we are on the right path here, it isn't as if all the other successful clubs don't follow this path, and we haven't signed top quality youngsters before from Ipswich. You blame the manager?!? He's the one who decides whom we are signing. I thought you'd give SA a bit more time actually, i think he deserves more personally.

Probably only Green Tea now because of the higher anti-oxidant level. Or maybe the new Tea lady is in fact Green.

you expect wonders from a combined £2m? No, and that was my point.

I want to see signs that Allardyce knows the game and is on the right lines, and the chairman and owner are understanding what it takes to match those top teams that win the trophies. At the moment, I see neither. What would be more of a sign of an improvement, a higher league finish or almost £20 million spent on a Spanish winger and a defender from Rangers? how about answering me ? You're moving the goalposts. 20m spent on 2 such players who justified their fees - and that Rangers right back looks a canny player - would almost certainly justify a higher finish. [but that particular judgement is up to the manager]. What would you say if we lost out on, for instance, Dean Ashton or David Bentley to someone like Man City or Everton because they were prepared to pay more than us ? Are such players not "trophy players" anymore, and as such you would prefer the club to buy lesser players to keep the books perfectly balanced ? Under SBR we signed players like Gallacher, Andy O'Brien, Bassedas, Gavilan, Quinn, Elliot, etc. Then, because of his good management, we improved a bit and then he bought better players like Robert and Bellamy who made a huge difference. I think we have to improve a bit in terms of league finishes so that we have a bit more money and a better profile to attract the better players. Under SBR we didn't just go out and spend big and finish 4th. Incidentally, £6m -Smith, £6m Barton and £6m Enrique (i think?) is hardly bargain basement stuff!

Sanchez likes direct, long ball and that's the kind of football our central defenders seem particularly bad at dealing with. I'm startin to worry that we got nothing more than our money's worth for Cacapa and Roz. Enrique must be showing precious little in training as well.

Maybe he's a Grannyophile too...

wrong to compare allardyce to hitler.....keegan is a closer analogy, started amazingly well but it blew up right at the end. Well, i laughed!

Lotusland says.......neeeeel pwoi

I privately thought that we bought Cacapa because Edmilson wasn't going to pass a medical in the Summer. Would be surprised if we ended up with both.

Didn't Steve McClaren make his name as a coach with Derby? About his level i reckon...

Can I just point out a glaring mistake with this comment? In the Southern Hemisphere June and July are winter months. If it's hot in parts of Africa during these months, then it is even hotter in January! Ghana is in the northern hemisphere.

Menez Kompany Cavalho

Beye..Roz..Taylor..Enrique ..............Geremi.............. .......Barton......Emre........ Martins......................Zog ...............Viduka............. We'll probably need 3 against 2 in the middle as they're so superior there. Martins has pace and energy and can use his right peg or cut in on his left. Both him and Zog can dribble and Viduka might hold it up long enough for Emre and Barton (if not banned) to join the attack. Don't fancy Geremi much as a DM but we need some possession. I take it Faye and Cacapa have injuries (?) so Taylor in with Roz.

Not sure i'd play Viduka and Owen at the same time now i think about it. Both like to stay central, neither works the channels particularly effectively, both prefer being in the box and would rather someone else did the donkey work. Owen + Smith might work. Viduka + Martins might work. Don't think i fancy any other combination atm.