Segun Oluwaniyi

I'd argue we wouldn't need any other defenders if Colo stays (massive question of course), given the versatility of Santon and Yanga-Mbiwa, and the ability to recall the likes of Ferguson and Tavernier from the loans they ought to be on if the club has any sense.

Of course, they deserve praise for bringing us success in the 90's and early part of last decade. I just wonder what you think would have changed after 2006-2007 if Shepard was in charge. Go back to that time, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United look unassailable, these are the days of the "big four". One season passes before Manchester City are the richest club in the world. Allardyce was Shepard's appointment, and he was backed and given control over our transfers in that first window. We saw how things progressed that season. What would change? We might have spent more and a competent/experienced owner and board probably would have avoided relegation, but we were still stretching ourselves financially to pay for inferior players at a time when the competition in the league was fiercening to unforeseen levels.

That said, it's nothing new isn't it. Ashley's tenure has been nothing but a gradual lowering of expectations and a series of blunders and penny pinching. It's not Ashely's tenure, either. It was around the same time that Abramovich/Mourinho entered Chelsea, Rafa enter Liverpool and Robson was replaced with Souness. We made our mistakes at a crucial time. Since that point the competitive clubs have been Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs, Manchester United, and Liverpool, with Man City joining them when they became the world's richest clubs. Everton have stayed in and around the top half without actually achieving anything of note. Clubs like ourselves and Villa have mounted decent challenges through either unsustainable spending or shrewd transfer moves, but it hasn't lasted. Those seven clubs have been the most successful for almost a decade now and are set up to dominate for the near future. We have to do something drastic to alter the hierarchy. One thing I will say is that this "Liverpool better without Suarez" talk is nonsense. They beat a team that had already been relegated in last place, a team that had capitulated and maybe deserved relegation, and a Fulham team that weren't mathematically safe until Wigan lost to Arsenal. Is this meant to impress me? The idea seems to mostly stem from the 0-6 against us, but we all watched the match and it didn't finish that way because Daniel Sturridge saw more of the ball.

I have always wanted us to release 18 magpies all across the stadium at the beginning of every home match. It would have a great effect.

Disagree, Azpilicueta will become a top class fullback, Cole canister still one of the best left backs in the world. In Luiz and Ivanovic and Cahill they have 3 very good centre backs. Not mentioning the leadership of Terry. For me, it as good as any other defense in the league, . I still think you are talking about average players outside of Cole and Luiz. Terry is finished, imo. Cahill never will be. Cole and Luiz are talented players, but the Englishman has shown noticeable signs of slowing down, imo, and Luiz is still much more prone to errors and other nonsense than someone like Kompany. I don't rate Ivanovic very highly defensively, either., despite how good he is in the opponent's box. I've watched a lot of Azpilicueta's career, and I believe he's a nice player, but I don't see what the fuss is about. He's decent on the ball, but doesn't often provide killer final passes or crosses. Physically he's quite weak and not blessed with fantastic pace. I like him, but I don't understand the idea that he's going to be world class one day.

People like to talk about Chelsea's midfield as an area of improvement, and one more class player there would be good for them, but their entire defence is either average or on the decline. Manchester city's is of a much higher quality.

I still cannot believe Villa spent 24 million pounds on Bent. I don't think they spent even half as much on anyone before or since. The high wages, age, and lack of performance over the past two seasons are off-putting, but I'd have him here. He's always scored goals when given the chance and there are not many true goalscorers in our team. In truth, I think he's too similar to Cisse and would rather invest in a player that can act as a strategic alternative, but I won't turn my nose up if we sign him.

That's a Benin 29, could be 5-10 years higher in either direction. Really, though he's a late bloomer. No one outside of France will have heard of him until he was at PSG, and he was 25-26 by this point.

I was disappointed with our squad for this tournament. This affirmative actions style inclusion of home based players and so many unheralded youths from the outskirts of Europe is starting to vex me as SE prepares for crucial WCQ matches and God-willing the tournament itself. Keshi's had some great finds in the likes of Onazi, Omeruo, Oboabona, and Oduamadi (maybe), but the truth is that nearly all the local players have failed the grade, he doesn't trust many of the players he calls up, and this leaves us with an available pool of about 14 players for all these matches. At some point, it's just detrimental to continuity and performances (which have been just alright outside of the AFCON knouckouts). I'd love to see some genuinely established players with experience bought in as reserve for our new team. Excited to watch the tournament, though. The CC is always entertaining and usually features some good, open football from talented squads. I think Brazil are going to silence the doubters and win the thing in style.

Brazil's striking options are better than Spain or Germany.

They lost a playoff to Central African republic for the Nations Cup spot, which I'm sure disappointed them. The world Cup campaign is going very well, 100% record against a fairly formidable group. Guaranteed a spot in the play off round.

That's far too simplistic, nobody lends £1 out to get £1 back for a start. The economy is far too complex for us to discuss it properly on here anyway. It's a head bursting topic really as money has to constantly move to keep the economy going and governments have to constantly print additional money. They would have to do that anyway just to stand still as the population grows. So close, yet so far away from understanding. It's not the governments constantly printing additional money, it's the banks! You need to differentiate between creating money and printing money, so people can understand what the hell you are talking about. Preferably not in a topic about Papiss Cisse. I'm sick of hearing about this Wonga nonsense. If you want to take issue with someone do with the state and your leaders.

Do people dislike Ba now? I don't understand why they would. If Chelsea pay Torres to play somewhere else, which I think they will, Ba will have plenty of chances.

Alright, I'm not having this s***. If you want to get technical, all the teams in CONCACAF qualifying are ranked higher than Poland too. And it must be hard, playing on those sublime surfaces with golf-clapping European crowds. I'm surprised none of our players have been killed yet, not by fans but by sinkholes opening in the middle of the pitch. f*** off back to Norway, Neil. YES! It angers me when Europeans try and cheapen qualifying against third world countries. Nigeria have to go through literal war zones every qualification campaign! Like the US, we're one of the biggest teams here so for all these awful countries we compete with, the home match against our team is their biggest event for two years. All of our away matches are massive events. I'd like to see Spain bring their midgets and their tiki taka nonsense to Niger or Lesotho, so they can play on a dirt field surrounded only by wild goats, rioting fans, and armed guards with highly questionable motives. Respect to the US, they know.

Precisely. He will go where he will be paid most. This will be a lower tier Premiership side with money in its accounts and low expectations. They'll enjoy the boy at first because he works hard, but will grow tired of him over the seasons because he is so limited. This is just the player he is. I rate Tulisa much more highly than others here. Very attractive girl. Obviously, she is an abhorrent person, but so is every other women that will ever lay with Danny Simpson.

Heavier than any healthy human. If I run into you full speed and you are standing still, my momentum will smash you to the ground. I don't care who we are talking about. It is about mass times velocity rather than just mass.

People are overestimating Ashely's allegiance to Pardew. He'll have used up most of the good will he earned previously. Is there any actual reason to think that that owner is prepared to watch the world burn if it means his mate keeps a job? Pardew is still here because he performed significantly better than expected in 2011-2012 and because he is a tolerable personality in terms of interaction with the board. Even the much discussed 8 year contract came after a thoroughly acceptable start to the season, which had been preceded by our best campaign in several years. Much has changed since then, and I think Pardew was legitimately on the brink in May even after QPR. There are covert signs of discontent from the players/staff, overt signs of anger from the supporters, and the lack of tangible improvement after the investment in January will be important to the man that dispense the funds. If things continue in the same vein, he will go, he almost already went.

Why do you say that? Because we'll do better, or just they won't sack him whatever? Because he survived the worst season I've ever watched and we won't do as badly as that next year so there's no reason to sack him. You were born in 2010?

:lol:

He could replace Tiote and do what some people on here think Anita could do. He's definitely on the decline now (never a great athlete to begin with), but I think he's been a consistently useful player for a while now. Barry's almost always where the team needs him to be, works hard, and shows for the ball a lot. Manchester City can and should do better because he has been outclassed physically at the highest level more than once, and these abilities are only going to wane. If he was French and played the same way, he would hardly be noticed by most supporters, but in reality every appearance he makes is treated like the Apocalypse because of the nation on his passport.

Gareth Barry is very underrated.

We've signed three strikers with more pedigree than him in the last two seasons, though.

my thoughts as well, throw in alcohol sponsorship into the mix which pass's without notice by most, theres not all that big a difference. not to mention LIBOR riggers sponsoring the league we are in. We should limit club shirt sponsorship to companies that always behave in the most advantageous manner for society and then enjoy the fact the football shirts no longer have sponsors.

If you are talking about Belhanda, I am just going to inform you that I vehemently disagree with your position and leave it at that.

Villa seem to be looking to spend money again this summer. Could be good for them if they build on what they have currently got. I still believe this season will have been good for them with blooding young players Yep, since they survived it was a good idea. Not so much if they had gone down, but it worked out just. Don't think they had much choice really with the state of them when Lambert took over. If I was them I'd be going after Lescott. Why? They are following the BVB formula. Buy good, young, cheap players and let them develop. Though cheap, I don't believe most of the players Villa have signed are particularly good.