Segun Oluwaniyi

As evidenced by him not hitting the target even once?

Conservative, tbh.

These are opinions, obviously, but Portugal is not better than England on paper. I think England have been unlucky, tbh. They lost close matches on penalties in Euro 2004 and 2012 and well as World Cup 2006. Even the 2014 WC, which is generally considered a disaster, England were competitive. It is fair to say that English players in general are technically inferior to some of their counterparts and they have lacked a true star, but they are still a good side who generally do well. I would struggle to think of ten teams that are consistently better than them, tbh. After the top 5-7 teams in world football, everyone vacillates wildly with cycles of talent, coaching, team unity, etc.

Bolasie is homegrown and good, so he is a valued commodity amongst the bigger clubs. His price could easily surpass 20 million if he sold, tbh. The figure for Aarons would be similar if he had a productive season this term, imo.

I don't care enough to look it up, but I wonder if he played with Oba at Levante? Maybe he has recommended the team/leaue to him. Valbuena is laughably tiny, tbh. :lol:I saw OM play live once and he is demonstrably smaller than the other footballers, who are a small group of people to begin with.

That's weird. Wonder why he isn't enjoying Russia. Dynamo are banned from Europe entirely due to FFP, so maybe that plays a part. Good signing that assuming he's replacing Gourcuff. Yeah, Valbuena is a great, little player. One of my favourites. Lyon should challenge PSG this season, tbh, though obviously the big money capital side are still very likely to take the title.

L'Equipe are claiming Mathieu Valbuena has gone on loan to Lyon with an option for permanent transfer.

From what I know is available, I would start: Krul Janmaat Taylor Wiliamson Haidara Colback Wijndalum Sissoko Perez Aarons Mitrovic --------------- The defense is fairly terrible, but there are two injuries at centreback and Mbemba is just arriving. There isn't much one can do. There are a lot of selection headaches and options when picking the midfield, wide positions, and upfront. This is a fantastic thing. Hopefully McClaren is not the type to give people automatic places in the squad. Colback, Georginio, Moussa, Aarons, Perez, and Mitrovic all have players to challenge them. De Jong especially would be unlucky to miss out. The fullbacks are not good enough attackers for it (diamond midfield often end up quite narrow). Well, Janmaat maybe is, but Haidara is wasteful and out of control when going forward, imo.

Until about two games in when you realise he's crap now. Haidara hasn't convinced me of anything and Dummett is a better centreback than left back. If a loan was available, it would be a good deal, imo. No one is expecting him to recapture the 2009-2011 form, but I don't think he is just finished as a player. I've always supported players being ambitious about their careers and Jose is no different. What would he have gained by staying here? He has increased his pay and one exactly one more trophy (even starting in the final) than the zero he would at this club.

The ease with which Wendt walked past Williamson.

Only natural people want to see as many of the talented players we have as possible IMO. Sure, but I am saying that the players people are clamoring for will have played the vast majority of the game against York. They may get half and hour in the second half, but it makes no sense to start them, imo. Why burnout legs on the first day of August?

I've only seen the last fifteen minutes or so, and it seems fine enough. The match is just a bit sterile and slow-paced in general. I don't understand people complaining about the team. Perez, Mitrovic, Aarons, and De Jong all started a match three days ago and Mbemba just arrived. Frankly, Obertan has earned his spot as fourth choice wide player, ahead of Gouffran (RIP), as well.

I actually believe Wickham has it in him to be a good player. It is not a bad signing. The price is not too clever, but he is an English attacking player, so it is expected. Two years ago, Dwight Gayle was older than Wickham is currently and playing for a side that was relegated from the Championship. He cost eight million pounds. The market is very silly.

Without accounting for attrition by injury/suspension, I really believe that Cabella will be the "odd man out" in terms of the more attacking players.

Pace is not equivalent to lateral movement and general agility. He is definitely way too "high", though. It is not a proper defensive stance at all, he is almost standing up straight. The second goal is a great finish by that random trialist, btw You can tell he wants this contract.

According to Wikipedia, 99 foreign countries (in FIFA terms, I doubt all these players were born/raised in these particular nations) have produced a player that has played in the Premier League. I am interested to see what the 100th will be. There is that Traore boy at Chelsea, who will be the first Burkinabe if he plays, but it is Chelsea so he will probably be loaned to Red Star Belgrade. Maybe someone will sign Mkhitaryan and bring Armenia into the fold.

http://img11.hostingpics.net/pics/293259diaby.jpg A fantastic player, but there is no reason to think his problems will stop now. They have been so consistent over the years. From most accounts, he is an intelligent guy, so hopefully he has his finances set well. Have there been serious updates on Aranguiz? I've really been hopeful he would come to OM as a replacement for Imbula, but I see Leverkusen are now heavily linked.

"Any professional analyst who equates footballers to actual soldiers should have their larynx forcibly removed from their throat with a set of scissors"-the statement is no less ridiculous than the rubbish Wright is spouting from his mouth.

Yeah, Jordan is just OK. Good pace, aggressive player, and decent dribbler, but he isn't a particularly good finisher, imo, has very little physical presence and is not very intelligent at all. I think he will contribute at Villa, tbf, and is young enough to improve quite a bit, but it is an underwhelming response to selling their two best players. Amavi has a lot of talent, though I'm not sure moving to Villa is the best option for his development. It is an insult to compare the two. I think Andre could contribute for a title contender in central midfield. One of my favourite players today.

Shawcross is unattainable I am sure, but he is the exact model of the player this club needs to sign. As things stand (with the Congolais boy still being sorted out and Tiote seemingly diminished), there is not one physically imposing player in the back 7 (Krul is not a physically dominant keeper). Even further up the pitch, there is only really Sissoko, unless Mitrovic adjusts and starts immediately.

http://reactiongif.org/wp-content/uploads/GIF/2014/08/GIF--Nope-No-way-Nah-no-nope-Jerry-Seinfeld-Seinfeld-GIF.gif I don't get why this is a controversial opinion tbh. Dummett's best performances have come at that position. Until Chancel officially signs his papers (and shows his quality in NUFC's colours), PD36 is the central defender I rate highest. The comparison to Yanga-Mbiwa is immaterial to me. He was never given any space to adjust whatsoever and then was unceremoniously dumped. It was pointless.

Do you believe McClaren sees Perez as a striker? I think he is more in competition with Aarons, Cabella, and possibly Sissoko for his position, than Mitrovic, Cisse, and Riviere.

Btw, this ref Geiger, who was so eager to give ghost red cards to Panama and penalties to Mexico in the match last night, is the same one that could not find his cards when France were assaulting Onazi and Mikel in the round of 16 last year. I am sure he is usually a good referee though, despite obvious evidence to the contrary.

Jamaica is an underperforming nation given the vast number of successful players in the English leagues with that heritage, but it is still an incredible result. Obviously, I have watched none of this tournament, but whenever I have seen America recently, their defence has been very poor, so it is not such a surprise. Is this the important Gold Cup? I know they contest it every two years and one is considered more valuable than the other.

I don't believe Kolo Toure is any taller than Mbemba. Yobo will claim to be 6'1+, but this is an outright lie. He was nowhere near this when I met him. Height is important in that position, but it can easily be overcome by pace and athleticism. There have been many successful African defenders in that mould. I agree he should be partnered with someone quite tall ideally, though.