Lotus

So who is going to pay him until then? Hope its not us. He's not a good defender, very poor in fact, we can do better, even before SA & Ashley. I thouhgt he was a holding midfielder? Didn't think he'd ever played in defence, wasn't that Marquez and Puyol? Holding mf/cd good long pass. Isn't that a Red Indian name?

Have you clicked the link?

Jesus! Look at the neck on him. Nickname him 'Stretch' i reckon.

Solano!!!!1111?

Well, can someone tell me what Barton's role will be next season? He doesn't seem to score a lot. He assist record is average. He isn't pacy. He ain't much of a dribbler. I think his 1st touch is average. I can't see him being our main creative force, i certainly wouldn't compare him to Gerrard based on what i've seen. I've seen the stats for pass completion and crosses, looks pretty good if i'm honest. So, is he a player just to keep the ball moving in the midfield? Is he going to score 10 goals? For £6M i want to know what it is he is meant to excel at.

It would be a better idea to try and understand what role he is going to fulfill on the pitch. Arguing over the merits of his £300k pay off is a waste of f**king time. I want to know what he's going to do to be worth nealry £6M.

Wouldn't want Hyppia.

What's Kenny Shepherd's area of expertise exactly?

Young does not have the necessary athleticism imo.

i'm pretty sure Dyer and his family do Yeah but I think they'll already be aware of it before they read it on here tbh. Like it.

We still need a creative midfielder with a bit of flair and take on a player. We also need another DM. Barton hasn't solved our midfield problem on his own.

More bookings than goals...

Explains Parker's impending departure.......

Speccy's wit wasted on wally from f**k knows where...

Thought Heskey did great for them last season. Often put in a 'Kevin Davies' type of performance. Unselfish, strong, harried the opposition, won headers often, always an outlet, etc. Haven't seen Ameobi play half as well tbh.

Sneijder?

Yep.

What a ridiculous topic to pretend to be incensed over.

And do you think he is the only one in our midfield who can defend? Parker gets pulled out of position too much for me, chasing the ball everywhere like a park dog. Parker's good at tackling but he should think about what he's doing more. Emre harries but can't tackle. Zog is good at tracking back and intercepting a ball going to his opposite FB. Essentially, Butt is the only one of the CM's who defends effectively imo.

Butt's positional play and anticipation is very, very good imo.

It's not lost on me mate, don't worry. I thought the same..

Everton did it the season after a relegation battle (and getting thumped by Arsenal on the opening day). We did it from mid-table. Take SPurs out of it and the league bar the top 4 is crap. Anyone can make top 5-6 with a half decent run. If wenger leaves or Rafa buys a shedload of new players with the yankee dollar and they take time to bed in then a place in the top four is up from grabs next season. It may be unlikely from watching last season, but ther's definitely a chance that someone like us or Spuds could fluke CL next year There is always a chance. I'm just trying to see it from Owen's perspective rather than as an optimistic Toon fan. But, you never know. A few good signings who hit the floor running and a few other clubs having an injury nightmare or some bad form and we could be there. I'd f**king love it.

I would imagine Owen would want to see exactly why he should commit to a year extension before he signed one. So far NUFC hasn't looked a good club to further his career. He's on his 3rd manager already, hopefully this one will put the club in a position that he might change his mind. I would be surprised (but delighted) if Owen signed an extension. If he stays another year and we do well then he might. He wants to playing in the CL though and based on our last 3 seasons we're a long way off that.

Eto'o vs Barca dispute continues. Chelsea baulk at the £40 mil price tag. We get him on a 12 month loan deal. Pukka.

I think he knows you need both battlers and creative players tbh.