fredbob

good typing with your fingers crossed in hope Yeh precisely, everthing that Mort has said so far has made perfect sense so far. Saying that they were gonna be british didnt make sense to me, hope that all this nationality doesnt matter stuff is really true, it would be suicidal if they drained the talent pool before even lookng, wouldnt of made sense at all, said it earlier. The possibilities are endless, im salivating at the potential options, surely Mort and Ashley will know what the fans are after. I think they know it wouldnt make sense going for a British manager, if they arent good enough for the england job then what chance do they have at our club. Ive noticed Scolari hasnt been mentioned too much.

I wanna knowwhats gone on from this afternoon (talk of diarra signing) and now. Somethings not right.

The maddest thing about all this is that SA was talking about Diarra this afternoon, whats gone on between now and this afternoon? Surely his future wont of been decided within the space of a few hours?

Im not sure i buy this "it wont be foreign" it doesnt sit right with me, i might be being overly optimistic or just grasping at straws but it doesnt sit right that something which will only just of been discussed at board level will already have been leaked to the press so soon. Im praying that the board hasnt made this decision and ruled out a massive pool of talent on the basis of nationality. That would be so short sighted and wouldnt fit right with anything that mort has been sayin over the past 6 months. With the criteria bandied around the press so far i can only think of Hughes who would fit in or Mclaren. Venables seems too far off the radar to be an option. Coleman??

Is it a fair assessment to compare ourselves with teams in higher positions whose players are in form? Then say catergorically say that the difference in the side is the quality of players. I suppose to get an objective view on it all to truly asses the difference in quality, we should be comparing the squads and trying to decide which team would win if both teams were on top form. Tactics and formations aside. With both teams on form with their respective squads i would say: Man City would beat nufc Nufc would beat Blackburn Nufc would beat West ham nufc would beat Everton nufc would possibly beat Portsmouth. Thats my personal view, *putting on tin hat*

That old chesnut. To compete for the top 6 (Liverpool are 5th btw) we need to start spending big. And that doesn't mean we want to show the kind of ambition that Everton or Blackburn show (they spend conservatively) They don't have enough quality in depth to sustain any kind of challenge hence they yo yo. I'm not in the remotest interested what these two mickey mouse outfits do or don't do. Man City and Pompey who both spent big in the summer along with Spurs who have spent big for two summers (the sale of Carrick makes the net figure look smaller) are the group we need to be in and that includes Liverpool now if Man C hold onto 4th which wouldn't surprise me. To catch up to this group regarding squad depth and and 3/4 high quality players we will have to spend big money. Idiots amongst us and lets face it in they aren't in the minority will point to money being spent on Luque, Owen, Martins, Smith etc It means nothing if the players don't produce, they have to be replaced with players who are better and will deliver. If you like spending wrong recently (particularly on semi and perma crocks) means the money doesn't actually appear on the pitch, this is the reality and there is no hiding from. So on three levels we are playing catch up: Squad depth, 3/4 top tier players, 3/4 good squad players to cover. This is going to cost money and big money. What guarantuee is there that any of these big money signings will improve the squad if the signings laready made by allardyce havent improved the squad? Surely you cant say that the players we signed werent an improvment on what we had last year. Dont get me wrong, i definitely think that the team needs investment, but as it stands, Allrdyce hasnt shown to me that he has the ability or coaching methods to make the new signings work. Which for me is a bigger worry. I also think £100m is pretty steep in 6months, because if £100m is spent in 6months, and Allardyce doesnt get us into a top4 or5 position how do yout think that would bode with the fans? Do you think it would be justifiable and sensible to give him the rope to hang himself so early into his nufc career. It's not steep. It's ambitious. Only if you're naive enough to believe that flexing your financial muscles is the only way (or the key way) to implement ambition. Do you not think that it is a bit naive to try and achieve this clubs ambitions in 6 months, which is essentially what you're implying? Its basically giving the club a rope to hang itself with. We won't achieve any of our long term goals in 6 months. What we will do if we have a significant and targetted spend is be able to compete. That's all. We're ten points away from a good position. We are punching well below our weight in term of quality of our squad and havent strung together 2 or 3 consecutive decent performances. In my opinion saying that £x million will make us competitive again is a bit naive and pretty short sighted. My point is that if Allardyce had squeazed a drop of talent out of the squad he's inherited and put together, id be more confident to hand over a fat wedge for him to take us further. He hasnt so far, so by that logic wont do if he is given the wonga. Which leads us back to square one. What in the name of the good lord are you babbling about? Lets spend £200m and get us looking to achieve our ambitions in one go.

That old chesnut. To compete for the top 6 (Liverpool are 5th btw) we need to start spending big. And that doesn't mean we want to show the kind of ambition that Everton or Blackburn show (they spend conservatively) They don't have enough quality in depth to sustain any kind of challenge hence they yo yo. I'm not in the remotest interested what these two mickey mouse outfits do or don't do. Man City and Pompey who both spent big in the summer along with Spurs who have spent big for two summers (the sale of Carrick makes the net figure look smaller) are the group we need to be in and that includes Liverpool now if Man C hold onto 4th which wouldn't surprise me. To catch up to this group regarding squad depth and and 3/4 high quality players we will have to spend big money. Idiots amongst us and lets face it in they aren't in the minority will point to money being spent on Luque, Owen, Martins, Smith etc It means nothing if the players don't produce, they have to be replaced with players who are better and will deliver. If you like spending wrong recently (particularly on semi and perma crocks) means the money doesn't actually appear on the pitch, this is the reality and there is no hiding from. So on three levels we are playing catch up: Squad depth, 3/4 top tier players, 3/4 good squad players to cover. This is going to cost money and big money. What guarantuee is there that any of these big money signings will improve the squad if the signings laready made by allardyce havent improved the squad? Surely you cant say that the players we signed werent an improvment on what we had last year. Dont get me wrong, i definitely think that the team needs investment, but as it stands, Allrdyce hasnt shown to me that he has the ability or coaching methods to make the new signings work. Which for me is a bigger worry. I also think £100m is pretty steep in 6months, because if £100m is spent in 6months, and Allardyce doesnt get us into a top4 or5 position how do yout think that would bode with the fans? Do you think it would be justifiable and sensible to give him the rope to hang himself so early into his nufc career. It's not steep. It's ambitious. Only if you're naive enough to believe that flexing your financial muscles is the only way (or the key way) to implement ambition. Do you not think that it is a bit naive to try and achieve this clubs ambitions in 6 months, which is essentially what you're implying? Its basically giving the club a rope to hang itself with. We won't achieve any of our long term goals in 6 months. What we will do if we have a significant and targetted spend is be able to compete. That's all. We're ten points away from a good position. We are punching well below our weight in term of quality of our squad and havent strung together 2 or 3 consecutive decent performances. In my opinion saying that £x million will make us competitive again is a bit naive and pretty short sighted. My point is that if Allardyce had squeazed a drop of talent out of the squad he's inherited and put together, id be more confident to hand over a fat wedge for him to take us further. He hasnt so far, so by that logic wont do if he is given the wonga. Which leads us back to square one.

That old chesnut. To compete for the top 6 (Liverpool are 5th btw) we need to start spending big. And that doesn't mean we want to show the kind of ambition that Everton or Blackburn show (they spend conservatively) They don't have enough quality in depth to sustain any kind of challenge hence they yo yo. I'm not in the remotest interested what these two mickey mouse outfits do or don't do. Man City and Pompey who both spent big in the summer along with Spurs who have spent big for two summers (the sale of Carrick makes the net figure look smaller) are the group we need to be in and that includes Liverpool now if Man C hold onto 4th which wouldn't surprise me. To catch up to this group regarding squad depth and and 3/4 high quality players we will have to spend big money. Idiots amongst us and lets face it in they aren't in the minority will point to money being spent on Luque, Owen, Martins, Smith etc It means nothing if the players don't produce, they have to be replaced with players who are better and will deliver. If you like spending wrong recently (particularly on semi and perma crocks) means the money doesn't actually appear on the pitch, this is the reality and there is no hiding from. So on three levels we are playing catch up: Squad depth, 3/4 top tier players, 3/4 good squad players to cover. This is going to cost money and big money. What guarantuee is there that any of these big money signings will improve the squad if the signings laready made by allardyce havent improved the squad? Surely you cant say that the players we signed werent an improvment on what we had last year. Dont get me wrong, i definitely think that the team needs investment, but as it stands, Allrdyce hasnt shown to me that he has the ability or coaching methods to make the new signings work. Which for me is a bigger worry. I also think £100m is pretty steep in 6months, because if £100m is spent in 6months, and Allardyce doesnt get us into a top4 or5 position how do yout think that would bode with the fans? Do you think it would be justifiable and sensible to give him the rope to hang himself so early into his nufc career. It's not steep. It's ambitious. Only if you're naive enough to believe that flexing your financial muscles is the only way (or the key way) to implement ambition. Do you not think that it is a bit naive to try and achieve this clubs ambitions in 6 months, which is essentially what you're implying? Its basically giving the club a rope to hang itself with.

Depends how Geremi and Zog truly rate the club. Cant see him going to Tottenham. Can really see this coming off to be honest.

That old chesnut. To compete for the top 6 (Liverpool are 5th btw) we need to start spending big. And that doesn't mean we want to show the kind of ambition that Everton or Blackburn show (they spend conservatively) They don't have enough quality in depth to sustain any kind of challenge hence they yo yo. I'm not in the remotest interested what these two mickey mouse outfits do or don't do. Man City and Pompey who both spent big in the summer along with Spurs who have spent big for two summers (the sale of Carrick makes the net figure look smaller) are the group we need to be in and that includes Liverpool now if Man C hold onto 4th which wouldn't surprise me. To catch up to this group regarding squad depth and and 3/4 high quality players we will have to spend big money. Idiots amongst us and lets face it in they aren't in the minority will point to money being spent on Luque, Owen, Martins, Smith etc It means nothing if the players don't produce, they have to be replaced with players who are better and will deliver. If you like spending wrong recently (particularly on semi and perma crocks) means the money doesn't actually appear on the pitch, this is the reality and there is no hiding from. So on three levels we are playing catch up: Squad depth, 3/4 top tier players, 3/4 good squad players to cover. This is going to cost money and big money. What guarantuee is there that any of these big money signings will improve the squad if the signings laready made by allardyce havent improved the squad? Surely you cant say that the players we signed werent an improvment on what we had last year. Dont get me wrong, i definitely think that the team needs investment, but as it stands, Allrdyce hasnt shown to me that he has the ability or coaching methods to make the new signings work. Which for me is a bigger worry. I also think £100m is pretty steep in 6months, because if £100m is spent in 6months, and Allardyce doesnt get us into a top4 or5 position how do yout think that would bode with the fans? Do you think it would be justifiable and sensible to give him the rope to hang himself so early into his nufc career.

Do people generally agree that Allardyce isnt getting the best out of his players then?

Starting to worry about the number of defenders we are being linked with and have. roz,tay,caca,faye,brown,haim,'gelron(?)'laursen. not saying they are all definitive but it shows the direction we're looking to.

he might be a scumbag but he's far from being crap indeed, his behaviour seems to have improved since he went to bolton and he's vastly more talented than milner Do you think he'd be very creative as an all out winger in a 442? Perhaps not but, were he to come, I doubt that's how he'd be used. How do you think he'd be used? Surely not as a starting striker? His signing would woryy me to be fair because it would signal Allardyce's intention to implement a 433. Possbily. In a 4-3-3, aye. which would lead us to the sales of Owen and maybe Martins? Anyway, this threads getting sidetracked! Purely hypothetical. I was saying that if we were to buy him - a possibility mooted by others - he'd almost certainly be deployed in a 4-3-3. That's all.

he might be a scumbag but he's far from being crap indeed, his behaviour seems to have improved since he went to bolton and he's vastly more talented than milner Do you think he'd be very creative as an all out winger in a 442? Perhaps not but, were he to come, I doubt that's how he'd be used. How do you think he'd be used? Surely not as a starting striker? His signing would woryy me to be fair because it would signal Allardyce's intention to implement a 433. Possbily. In a 4-3-3, aye. which would lead us to the sales of Owen and maybe Martins? Anyway, this threads getting sidetracked!

There are a lot of formations which can be adapted to allow for someones techinque and pace, like the diamond formation which utilises the attacking midfieders techiniqe. 451 wont work with a slow striker etc.... A player's inherent skill and ability is dependent on which formation he plays in? Behave yourself. No, the other way round.

he might be a scumbag but he's far from being crap indeed, his behaviour seems to have improved since he went to bolton and he's vastly more talented than milner Do you think he'd be very creative as an all out winger in a 442? Perhaps not but, were he to come, I doubt that's how he'd be used. How do you think he'd be used? Surely not as a starting striker? His signing would woryy me to be fair because it would signal Allardyce's intention to implement a 433. Possbily. you honestly think there's any doubt over this? once he gets the players he wants it'll be 4-3-3 every week imo which is why it would worry me.

There are a lot of formations which can be adapted to allow for someones techinque and pace, like the diamond formation which utilises the attacking midfieders techiniqe. 451 wont work with a slow striker etc....

he might be a scumbag but he's far from being crap indeed, his behaviour seems to have improved since he went to bolton and he's vastly more talented than milner Do you think he'd be very creative as an all out winger in a 442? Perhaps not but, were he to come, I doubt that's how he'd be used. How do you think he'd be used? Surely not as a starting striker? His signing would woryy me to be fair because it would signal Allardyce's intention to implement a 433. Possbily.

he might be a scumbag but he's far from being crap indeed, his behaviour seems to have improved since he went to bolton and he's vastly more talented than milner Do you think he'd be very creative as an all out winger in a 442?

I know Martins has got a lot of votes but i think he must be seriously underrated not to get more, some big big clubs have been linked with him yet there are still some of us who dont think he's top 6 material. Surely it cant be a case of us knowing more than the said big clubs - Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City, Juventus, Man Utd who've all been linked with him at one opint or another? Which of those clubs have bid for him though? 'Linked' means nothing. That applies to any player btw. Fair point. Also i imagine that most of the club wanted him as a back up striker. As opposed to there main one.

Hope not, depite our respective positions and situation i cant help but feel there is far more potential with our club than Pompey.

I know Martins has got a lot of votes but i think he must be seriously underrated not to get more, some big big clubs have been linked with him yet there are still some of us who dont think he's top 6 material. Surely it cant be a case of us knowing more than the said big clubs - Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City, Juventus, Man Utd who've all been linked with him at one opint or another?

I always thought he was one of those up and down midfilders who dont stop running, like essien.

I wanted to put this but i thought id get shot down by the "yeh thats what ya call creativity mob". I would love to see those 2 in the midfield, noone would break them, and it would give our wingers more creative license, its good that Diarra is so mobile because he could quite easily support the attack whilst Faye sits deep gobbling up the oppositions attacks.

Similar to Essien? or similar to Makelele? I'm sure i remember reading somewhere that he considers himself a bit of an attacking midfilder, might of been one of these threads. I hope he's a Makelele type player, provide some much needed protection of the centre halves!! Means we can let the "creative" players be creative!!