Hughesy

Apparently he had broken his wrist a while ago so it was a 'weak' area for him. But still - sounds pretty odd..

Speed was so criminally underrated it wasn't even funny. It's only in recent times that NUFC fans seem to appreciate how brilliant he actually was.

It's got black and white stripes. Who cares if they get that bit right?

Because everything is static and nothing changes. Yeboah is undoubtedly a better player than Gyan right now. Would you not agree? Simpson may well have improved from his time at Sunderland but is still not a patch on Bardsley from what I've seen,an average player at the very best and watching him on TV against Liverpool last week it would seem he has a lot of improving still to do. Because Bardsley is more than an average player at best? Average player at best is his middle name.

Hope Dani Alves will finally get sent off today. And early enough - first half would be decent. As long as Busquets follows him.

I don't know why anyone bothers shooting from a direct free kick TBH, even if you're Beckham the percentages are tiny. I see what you are saying but how often does someone score from a cross from a free kick 25-30 yards out within the width of the goalposts? The angles make it almost impossible to put a cross in. A shot is your best chance of scoring.

That's part of the reason I don't rate him that highly. He is not aerially dominant or physically strong enough.

I'd probably agree with that assessment. If we are to challenge for top 8 next season, I think we would find it hard with him in the team. But I agree that his replacement is not a priority. I just don't think he has the attributes to be the ball playing centre half or the physical centre half (to further stereotype players) and I just can't see him getting any better. Would be interesting to analyse the goals we have conceded and work out how many he has been 'responsible' for. I seem to remember a few.

I reckon 14th.

Of course some are better than others. But Coloccini and Williamson have been our first choice pairing pretty much all season, and we've been in the top half of the league most of the time (more than 75% of the time in fact). I therefore can't quite see how you can claim he's not good enough to be a first choice centre half for a top ten side. What more proof can there be? What happens if we finish 15th? Is he then automatically a top 15 team defender? My assessment is based on the fact that looking at his strengths and weaknesses, looking at his performances this season, looking at other central defenders' performances and my past experiences of central defenders over the years I have watched football, I do not think he is good enough to be a top ten defender. I would be very very surprised if he remains a regular part of a top ten PL team in the coming years, whether with NUFC or someone else.

Do you acknowledge that within a team there are players of a different level? Not everyone within a top ten team is necessarily a 'top ten' player. They are merely playing in a top ten team.

Less than a week ago the table said otherwise. Did that mean that last week Lovenkrands was good enough to be a striker for a top half team? Lovenkrands isn't first choice. In fact he's started roughly half as many games as Williamson. My point was that stating Williamson was good enough for a top half PL team because he has been a member of a team in the top half isn't exactly a watertight argument. Plenty of other players in our team, to a greater or lesser extent, have played a part in our position up til now. This does not necessarily mean they are of a certain quality. I would suggest, for example, that Tiote is better than Williamson. But they play in the same team - so are they are both 10th placed team players? It's a flawed argument. Not quite sure why my analysis of Williamson as not being a top half central defender is an example of me being unrealistic (Canuck) or that he would be the first player I would replace (Dave). Complete non sequiturs.

Less than a week ago the table said otherwise. Did that mean that last week Lovenkrands was good enough to be a striker for a top half team?

Not good enough to be a 1st choice CB for a top half team. Ok to be back up for next season.

What a crap article.

We've been playing shit like that before Pardew. And before Ashley.

Why would they say yes to Ireland but no to any one of Sturridge, Vela, Keane or any other number of strikers on loan instead? Perhaps because Villa agreed that we'd only pay wages when he was fit? So we knew he would be injured and that was the reason we signed him? When I said that at the time, everyone on here said I was mental. Makes the manager worse than scum imo, willingly deceiving the supporters. ????

it was already dismantling,hence why keegan skipped out when told he couldn't have oodles more to rebuild. Wouldn't say it was dismantling...

hewn from Albanian granite

Nolan's probably hoping to be asked to do another interview on Liverpool tv so didn't think it was worth running.

what is his obsession with having his name printed on everything? It all started when they insisted on putting his name on his NUFC shirt.

Then why couldn't he get them to a Champions League Final? Bearing in mind he has won twice with different clubs, I suspect he isn't that fussed. What a ridiculous argument. By that logic he might as well just retire then, there's no point in him carrying on. Do you even think before you post?

Then why couldn't he get them to a Champions League Final? Bearing in mind he has won twice with different clubs, I suspect he isn't that fussed. What a ridiculous argument.

Eh? Mourinho's Chelsea played some pretty brilliant football. Not going to get into an argument about Mourinho as it has been done to death.. but the guy is a managerial genius. I'd miss that.

What crap.