Lotus

Problem is their going to be good down the wings and good through the middle. I would have wondered if Krul Debuchey Colo MYM Santon Sissoko Anita Cabaye HBA Cisse Gouffran I think though we'd be too short at the back and Anita will get blown over by the wind as Toure strides past him. Saylor would give height at the back. Tiote for Anita is a choice but i believe he'll give away the ball in difficult areas and fouls in even worse.. Also, with the above, their attacking FBs would had a fairly easy afternoon. Can only hope they have an off day tbh.

What's City's likely lineup? Something like this? I think Nastasic is injured and Aguero just coming back from an injury... Hart Zableta Kompany Lescott Clichey Barry Toure Fernadinho Navas Silva Negredo

Thought he looked better than Cabaye tbh.

Should be a player coach this coming season and take over as manager the season after (if he's even doing his badges). That's my dream, like.

Good analogy. When he does try to attack this happens. It's not a great analogy, really. Given that most fighters who keep their hands high are actually offensive boxers. Tell me you sit at home in your over sized satin shorts scouring the threads for references to boxing! Bet you do....

Pardew's like a boxer who keeps his hands high and is frightened to throw punch because it leaves him open. In his mind, as soon as you attack, you're vunerable.

Tbh, i wouldn't be positive at all until we get the striker situation sorted. Because if we don't, we'll be kicking around the bottom 5. He must know that something is imminent.

Yep. A NUFC 11 vs him. Plenty of time on the ball for us i reckon. Nope his retired.

Is he suggesting he wants us to play a little narrower, more compact? If the opposition do the same thing he thinks we have the players to play in tight spaces. Also, if we're more compact then it's harder to play through us, something that seemed delightfully easy for the oppostion last season. Not hard to imagine that Cabaye, Marveaux and Anita can play that way. Can't ever imagine those 3 starting in MF though. Wonder what his idea is?

We definitely need someone who can play wide as well as Gouff. Really really really really want Cisse to stay though, he's f***ing lovely. Tbh, i think we need someone wide instead of Gouff. Be that Remy or Thauvin (if we could manage it) and we'd look quite a different prospect on paper.

Still need Remy imo. Cisse must be off.

Quite uncanny this

Whenever i've seen Gomis, which is occasionally, i thought he looked pretty poor tbh. Doubt we'd sign him. Better modify this now Have to say, he looked ordinairy or worse when i saw him a few times on ESPN last season. Was thinking i was glad we never signed him the 1st time we were linked.

He's been holding Obertan back imo. Worth considering.

Thought he looked a triffic player.

I was actually quite looking forward to Bent arriving, but now I know he's a replacement for Cisse it's killed my enthusiasm stone dead. For those who thought Cisse couldn't hold the ball up well, good luck with Bent. Cisse is twice the player he is outside the box IMO. Yup. I was more than happy whenI though he'd be challenging Cisse, an option off the bench or whatever. But as a replacement not at all for me. If Pardew is going to continue with his awful brand of football, Bent is not the answer. Think Bent is better at making diagonal runs actually to receive long balls. Still leaves the problem of midfield support.

Because he quite happily wore a shirt with virging money on, while playing in the barclays premier league. They're both money lenders who chatge interest. What Cisse is effectively saying is that Sharia law is ok with interest rates of less than 50%. Which is absolute bollocks. Has he been quoted as saying it's a religeous matter? It might just be a moral one (if this is even the problem). IIRC, when we announced Wonga was going to be a sponsor, some time ago now, the Muslim Council of Great Britain got on the news pretty sharpish saying how it was unacceptable for a Muslim to carry this sponsor's logo. Haven't heard a peep from the now though. You'd think that if Cisse had declared that was the issue they'd be making sure they get some exposure over it. Of course, i could be wrong but i'm convinced we have anything like the full story here.

How is Cisse being hypocritical? Who is he lending money to?

Still not convinced we've got the whole story. However, there is no hypocrisy if someone gambles but doesn't accept payday loan companies on moral grounds. It would be hypocrisy if he was loansharking himself....

Think there's a bit more to this myself.

I'd say Villa's position just got a little stronger...

Quite how i see things tbh.

Kevin Nolan got 10 goals last season doing just that. He reads the game well.

This league is very much focused on athletic ability. Haris seems fairly strong and but he's not quick. Doesn't appear to have fantastic dribbling skillz. Good eye though and a very good left foot. Given the pace of play here, he will need to be very sharp mentally to succeed. That old cliche of being a yard or 2 ahead of everyone else in the head would apply.

Signing Bent is very short-termism.