Gallowgate Toon

Nice skill from De Bruyne, he looks like a pure AM to me.

Really looking forward to seeing De Bruyne, heard great things.

Exactly what we're after, him and Ben Arfa switching wings would be majestic.

Game over.

Van Persie, man.

Giggs ahead of Kagawa? Is the latter injured or something?

It should be Gouffran on the left for this one, we'll need his pace on the counter and he works hard. I like Marveaux but don't think he's cut out to play wide for games like this. Jonas will most likely start but I'd genuinely rather have Obertan ahead of him for that position.

I think we'll put in a surprisingly good performance but still lose 2-1. I do think a draw isn't out of the question though, there are a lot of different variables at play. Our biggest hope is that a lot of their new players start and don't grasp the league's pace straight away. I'm intrigued as to how the team will perform with less pressure and supposedly improved fitness.

Isn't Pellegrini a 4-4-2 man? Navas will be one of his main players if so, old school winger.

Yeah, not loads but a few. There were a fair few idiots in attendance mind, a fight nearly broke out behind me because one lad was annoyed at someone for criticising Shola too much

Got a few boos last night, unsurprisingly. I'm not sure how similar he is to Cisse either, from what I've seen of him, he works the channels a lot more.

He's getting there, looked quick and agile yesterday, rusty passing at times however. Not sure if he's put on muscle or if it's just a bit of podge.

Yeah, pretty much. If Gutierrez is out then I expect Gouffran to be in his place.

Yeah, he has what Cabaye and Tiote don't, ability and mentality to move forward. As we're seemingly going to go 4-4-2 then Sissoko is a tremendous option to have, he should be our starting central midfielder.

Still need that left winger mind. Of course but we need to switch up our game a bit because we play down the wings too much anyway. A striker who can play with his back to goal will help our threat down the middle, especially if we play Sissoko.

I thought Sissoko was good. His running off the ball will be a great asset for our presence through the middle. Loved it when HBA went past a couple in the second half and Sissoko was steaming forward from deep to help, ultimately, it led to a corner but it was close to being a great opportunity and that's what we need to see this year, somebody keeping up with HBA and moving for him when he's done some good work.

Going to be interesting to see how this one is approached, especially if Jonas is out. With Remy not ready to start I think we'll go 4-2-3-1, Gouffran or Marveaux on the left with the usual lot taking up their positions. Don't think we'll get trounced.

NUFCTV interview: He thought players were a little mindful in the first half of picking up a knock for City as they're in good shape. We improved in the second half. We look more threatening with set pieces and that's good as we're not the tallest side, know they weren't good enough at that last year. Thinks it's been a good preseason but wants more players in as Remy's injured. Thinks Jonas might be out of the City match but can't be sure yet. Thinks the senior players are looking strong.

Judging by tonight's game and the fact it sounds as if Pardew wants to play 4-4-2, he'd be a hugely useful addition. We had a good runner through the middle in Sissoko, he just needed someone ahead of him to play off, someone with consistent physical presence.

What were his pre-match comments? Glad to see he hooked Tiote instead of Sissoko, there's potential in Sissoko-Cabaye.

If we're going to go 4-4-2 then a proper left winger is an absolute necessity. I also thought Tiote was a real killer in terms of momentum.

Thought we were OK, created a couple of decent chances in the first but lacked fluidity, we improved in style in the second with better balance but didn't create as much. I'm not going to judge too much until the proper season starts. They were a horrible team, diving about and wasting time in a friendly is pretty desperate.

Well, yeah, it's preseason, teams generally play a few crap teams. I wouldn't call the Portuguese sides rubbish.

Our preseason preparation has been good, the players have been run into the ground and it's been overseen by Downey who's brought in a speed and power programme. We've also played very well at times, apparently.

The window still has plenty of time left and the dynamics of it change as it gets closer to crunch time. I'm pretty sure we'll get at least another one in, perhaps two. I'd be satisfied if Gomis was the only other to come in, happy if we brought in a winger as well.