Doctor Zaius

Whats the atmosphere like in the away end for Pre Season then? Everyone standing like normal or is it more subdued?

On the assumption that Nolan will be in the line-up no matter what and that Routledge & Jonas are going to be on the wings, it'll be one of Smith / Guthrie / Barton bring dropped in a 4-4-2. ahhhh. I was under the assumption that Cleverley was an out and out winger.

Very bad news to see Wigan signing players. Disregarding WBA and Blackpool, if there was one team I fancied to finish below us it is Wigan.

Who would you drop for Cleverly though? Jonas is an international player who we know is good enough. Routledge was one of our best players last season. Yes we need back up but maybe he's too good to be a backup player. Especially when we're desperate for players in other areas.

what was the crowd? 16.000 Better than the crowd that turned up last time we played them under Keegan when things were good. Good sign, especially considering the expensive ticket prices. Not happy with taking the clocks away either, a bit pointless that is.

Where's your avatar gone man? I'm going to miss logging onto here to be greeted by a battered Paul Chuckle.

How come? Im not very clued up on the Fabregas story tbh.

Does anyone else think Barca have been a little undignified and unprofessional throughout this Fabregas saga? Sky Sports have had stories about Messi, Villa, Puyol, Xavi and Iniesta publically stating how Fabregas should join and how he will join. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11833_6258960,00.html - Messi eyes Cesc return http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_6268355,00.html - Puyol - Cesc is coming http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_6272250,00.html - Xavi - Cesc deal will happen http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_6275458,00.html - Villa Desperate for Cesc http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11833_6258960,00.html - Iniesta hopes for Cesc return Just a little snide from my point of view. Reminds me of something Madrid would do really.

I think it is. Just because a player doesnt have an all round game doesnt mean he isnt worldclass in my view. Kevin Philips. Kevin Philips only scored 15 premier league goals + in 1 season once. If he had went on to consistently score 30 goals a season, then fair enough, he'd be world class, however following up his 30 goals season with 14, 11, 6 and 12 goals seasons is why your point doesnt really make sense.

Wasnt it when a couple of Arsenal players were caught putting mobile phones up their arses and ringing eachother, only the NOTW couldnt name them?

Interesting. If true I wonder what the fee is.

That winning free kick against the mackems though, was a cracking derby that one.

Turkish lad I talk to on msn reckons Emre's been a flop. Crocked far too much to make an impact. Good piece of business to let him go when we did.

I think it is. Just because a player doesnt have an all round game doesnt mean he isnt worldclass in my view.

Whats the definition of world class here? One of the best players in the world currently? Or one of the best players in the world ever?

Of course Owen was worldclass when we signed him. He'd just come off the back a season as Real Madrid's top scorer. Having previously scored; 24, 28, 28 and 19 goals respectively in the previous 4 seasons before that. He'd also scored 30 international goals at age 25 by then. Cant argue with that like. Maybe he wasnt worldclass in terms of his generation, or throughout history, but he was definitely one of the best in the world out of the players playing at the time we signed him.

I'd take his Brother, Arouna Kone. Probably could get him cheap too.

Pfft, Milan only average 43K. We'll get more than that this season, someone tell him he's better off here!

Here here. Very tiresome. Where where? Xisco loves him already. Their, Their, Dave.

Here here. Very tiresome.

Martins relies on sheer athleticism, he's extremely raw. I always thought he lacked the footballing intelligence to make the correct runs, combine this with poor finishing and this is the reason he looked poor. A player with Martins' natural physical attributes should be playing on the shoulder of the last defender and generally using his pace to make life difficult for defenders, something he didn't do often enough here. Now this is clearly not the case for all Nigerians, or Africans for that matter. Just Obafemi Martins.

Marseille need the money. The team is looking to add a big name striker this close season (the likes of Gignac, Gilardino, etc.) and they need to celar space on the age bill. Ben Arfa is easily expendable as he divides fan opinion and is not liked by Deschamps who it seems will be manager for some time to come. Seeing as your a Marseille fan; whats Ben Arfas primary postion? Is it through the middle or out wide?

Maybe that could be the smiley equivalent of "say whaaaaat?"

Some Journalist on twitter reckons we're watching Mallorca's Pierre Webo. Dont know much about him, VI or any other Spanish league followers; whats he like?

Didnt realise Tal Ben Haim was still playing for them like. What a one season wonder that lad was.