Kimbo

It does work, Juventus play this formation, and i'm expecting more clubs to use it over the next few years. It wouldn't work with us though obviously as we don't have the players and we certainly don't have the coaches for it.

I think what Arrigo Sacchi said about Gerrard explains the difference between him and Scholes. I don't even bother comparing Gerrard to Scholes, and I think talking about who scored what goals isn't that helpful when it comes to midfielders.

But you can't say he was given a fair go. I don't really know much about him as a player other than he looked good technically and he has a poor fitness record, it seems to me that creative players are judged so much more harshly at Newcastle than the cloggers, who are able to get away with long runs of poor form.

I recall a great assist for Cisse against Stoke to win the game.

What's a proper midfielder though? We suffered for years trying to fit too many proper midfielders into the side. Barkley is exactly the sort of player England have been missing, I would put him in the side first and let the proper midfielders fight it out for the remaining spots. I don't agree, we were trying to fit Gerrard and Lampard into the side, both are far better as goalscoring midfielders than as CM's that can read the game and control the midfield. I see England having similar problems in the future, we seem to like having a striker and 3 behind him, but too many of them play in the same area's. We want Sturridge as striker, though he drifts around too much for my liking(and not in the clever sense like Muller), then is it Rooney behind, or Sterling, or Barkley? I think it's going to get messy.

I hope Barkley becomes a proper midfielder, rather than one that is best behind the striker scoring goals, I think the latter will happen though.

We need a 3 man midfield, that doesn't involve Wilshere.

Thank fuck for that.

It was meant as a joke. Down with that sort of thing.

So the "truth" isn't that he didn't rate him, it's that he just didn't want to play him because he had lost his feet??? Pretty sure not playing a foreign player is the best way to keep his feet lost, or whatever the fuck. Hayden Mullins!!!!!

Ref thinks it's a pre-season friendly.

They systematically tried to take Sanchez and Rodriguez out of the game, it's a clear tactic from Scolari and has been for a long time. It's not hyperbole, it's just a fact that this is a part of Brazilian football now and personally I don't like these tactics. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/27665182 I don't really care about joga bonito, apparently that phrase is a nike invention, I just can't root for a higher class version of Honduras.

You can think whatever you like about Brazil's tactics but it'd be a shame for Brazil to make the final of their own World Cup? Not having that. Brazil staying in the WC is massive for this WC as a whole. It's not massive for me, I don't want a team of hackers to win what has been a good tournament.

It's a shame for Neymar, but the Brazilians hacked their way through the confederations cup, they've hacked their way through this world cup, and would have happily ended Alexis Sanchez's or Rodriguez's cup. So you reap what you sow. I honestly think it would be a real shame if they made the final. I don't envy the Germans, their tactics will probably go into overdrive in the semi.

£8m in his transfer market, with the new tv money, just isn't very much. I don't care too much, i'm not sure if i'm going to bother watching much football next season.

I think this one is just a cowardly ref, he's the same one that failed to send Godin off against England.

£8m? Waste of fucking time. We are dogshit.

What about the season before? Our shit form was not a one off.

Our first team coaches are poundland quality, I shudder to think what we've got coaching the kids.

OG. We let Nile Ranger go ages ago man!

what? They're time wasting with 10 minutes to go. Jesus, there are some teams that waste time after 10 minutes.

Shearer seems to get quite worked up and angry over England, and will say whatever he is thinking, he doesn't really take the same approach with us.

"But at least we can go forward with dignity." Good line that.

He was right.

I like to think he would fine and beat Phil, and buy loads of presents for Gary.