The Prophet

It's interesting how Wigan's approach to trying to play pass and move football has led to them from mid-table to relegation candidates. I think Bruce was aware of the limitations of the players he had on his books and opted for a more direct approach. Agree with the positions we need to strengthen like. Aye, if we were going to take the physical approach two big b****** midfielders on the cheap would be nice. I think Nolan has to played off the striker or he's pretty much useless. We need to address our weaknesses but the question is do the players making the step up have what it takes to carry on what they're doing at a higher level? How many teams have come up, tried to play football and gone straight back down? I think unless you have genuine quality it's hard to do. Birmingham have done it to an extent this season but they've struggled in the second half, I wonder if they can keep it up next season and avoid the dogfight?

With the season at an end Hughton will have to start preparing for next season. Before considering how he will strengthen the squad he will have to consider what approach we will take in terms of tactics and game plans and for me that should be a direct, with an emphasis on an uncompromising defence and set pieces. Reading, Birmingham, Derby, West Brom, Boro, and of course ourselves have all been relegated in recent years. Stoke, Wigan and the Mackems have been the only sides to establish themselves. The teams that have gone down are largely comprised of squads recently promoted that have tried to survive playing football while the teams that have stayed up have adopted a more direct style of play. While the Mackems and their reliance on Bent may be the exception Wigan under Bruce and Stoke both placed an emphasis on making life as uncomfortable for the opposition as possible. With limited funding available it is unlikely Hughton will be able to go out and buy the quality that will allow us to play great football so for me the first and most obvious approach to take is to make ourselves as difficult to beat as possible. Bolton, Blackburn and Stoke all currently use this approach and while it isn't pretty it works. It is also worth noting how Everton have adapted under Moyes. He began by making them difficult to break down when they didn't have the ball, they were also notably decent at set pieces. Since he has gradually added the quality need them to make them a side that regularly qualifies for Europe. Big Sam took a similar approach at Bolton, things weren't pretty to start with but he gradually got them competing for Europe. Of course it remains to be seen if Hughton has the know how in the transfer market and the tactical know-how to employ this kind of approach at the highest level but for me, with limited funding available it is the way forward. We need focus on making ourselves hard working, physical bastards who teams can't stand playing against, then we can focus on adding the quality to take us to then next level.

It really does depend who we buy in the summer, the current side would probably come straight back down as it is.

Maynard and Pederson would be crap signings in my opinion. We've got two many strikers like Maynard already who could get perhaps ten to twelve goals absolute tops in the Premiership. As for Pederson, he's still living off his first season in English football, doubt his wages would be cheap either.

Hamburg's home shirt: http://www.hsv.de/fileadmin/redaktion/Verein/Vermarktung/Trikot/m_shirt_teaser.jpg

For me there's currently four sections to the league: The big three - Anything we get is a bonus. Could well be a big four again next season with City throwing their weight around in the transfer market The chasing pack - The top eight is pretty much set in stone with the odd change here and there. We'll pick up odd points here and there, particualrly at home if they're having an off day. Mid-table - About three or four teams who aren't good enough to break the top eight but always comfortably survive. Should be beating them at home, could possibly pick the odd point away from home too. The rest - Consists of average-at-best sides who manage to scrape their way to safety every year, no reason why given the right investment we can't take six points off any of this lot.

Who's the internet hard man?

I'm sticking to betting in play today, made a tidy twenty quid profit from doing it yesterday.

1-1

Hmm can anyone do a Kaizero type preview to tonights MLS fixtures please?

Totally worth it. As you know I use Skybet, has a limiting amount too which could come in handy.

Looks as though the dream is over, need Huddersfield and Brighton to score now.

Was he wearing the new Chelsea strip?

Brighton Huddersfield Bournemouth Notts County ...and a daft sections list.

not in the slightest they could use with been taken down a peg or 20 But the Kop is such a special place to be on Champions League nights. They suck the ball into the net sometimes.

http://images.mirror.co.uk/upl/m4/feb2009/0/3/Simon_Bird_Image_1_601777207.jpg

Just to even the thread out a bit: http://www.footballitaliano.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Marco-Materazzi-246x300.jpg http://laelastica.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/lucio-inter.jpg http://www.streetblogger.fr/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/site_1_rand_41177311_mario_balotelli_intermilan_2104_b_aap.jpg

I don't agree with this it evens its self out shite. Putting aside all of Chelsea's bitching and moaning only I can only recall one of their penalty decisions being a legit call. Tonight Barca could of easily had two penalties and there was the disallowed goal. The fact is luck doesn't even it's self out (not in relation to tonight but) bigger teams get the bulk of the decisions and certian teams always have and always will carry more luck than others. Then I'm biased, as much as I apprecaite they got their game plan spot on I hate the complete anti-football both Inter and Chelsea 'played'.

I don't how anyone who watches the Premiership can think that was thuggery, or think that the Italians or any more physical than England's top teams. They only did what Chelsea tried to do last year. Barca were robbed by the ref though.

So the incentive of a Champions League final obviously wasn't enough for Lyon tonight, spineless display.

Perhaps Hughton will spend the majority of his budget on a couple of quality players and use loans/bargain buys to fill any other positions we need cover.