Hughesy

Good news.

Not really that fussed about the experience Krul gets. It's about points for us and survival this season. Still not quite sure how this experience line is being used for Krul's mistake. If Krul doesn't already know that he should have smashed the ball out of the box by now, he's never going to learn.

Really didn't think he as that bad yesterday. I do agree that Jonas' crossing, but seriously you'd think from the sounds of people on here that crossing is an exact science. Crossing has a hugely high unsuccessful completion rate. Would be interested to see what our team's stats are for cross completion. Still think his ability to run at players, win free kicks and generally unsettle defenders is underrated. Really is not a priority to replace.

If guesswork wasn't allowed, 95% of this forum would be completely redundant.

Agreed.

Carroll and Tevez shopping together in Manchester?? According to Express...http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/219359/Andy-Carroll-fuels-City-links? Bit of an odd story..

Most of the foreign players in Italy in early to mid nineties - seemed so exotic and just better. Boban, Savicevic, Weah for Ac Milan. Batistuta and Rui Costa at Fiorentina. Boksic at Lazio. Fonseca and Balbo at Roma.

Krul's kicking is not good.

Yeah it might be a shit squad, but it's a squad that is scarcely deep enough to cope at the moment - without selling off 7 members of it. You're advocating selling off 3 strikers and leaving us with Carroll, Ranger (hardly proven), Lovenkrands (doesn't look cut out for it at all) and this mystery new striker who may or may not adapt. One injury to Carroll and things aren't looking good. Our defence would consist of Simpson, Saylor, Colo, Williamson, Kadar and Enrique. You genuinely think we could cope with that for the rest of the season?? Imagine how we'd have coped if Colo and Williamson had got their bans with that defence in the squad. We'd have had 4 defenders for 3 games. That is not a sensible plan. Sell off the crap in the summer when we have survived and are able to bring in some decent replacements.

Need to replace players who don't play? Harper - Forster Perch - Have a point Smith - Can't get a game Xisco - Never plays Best - Never plays Ameobi - New striker Campbell - 4th choice Kadar steps up (people were saying they wanted Kadar played ahead of Taylor a couple of weeks ago) We need cover for Tiote and Simpson, Smith and Perch are not good enough, I see no point in keeping them. Now is the time to offload the fringe players, Pardew can make changes and its not an admission of players not being good enough, he's a new manager and just wants to raise funds. You never know Ashley might supplement him with a few million if he lowers the wage bill by getting rid of the deadwood, knowing he'll have it back by the summer in saved wages. It's called having a squad. Not all players in squads play on an even semi regular basis. Selling all those players, however crap you might think they are, and buying one striker is just utter madness.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11677_6605977,00.html a joke surely??

Great plan apart from the fact that we'd have a ridiculously thin squad...

Almost the entirety of your post is bollocks. Myths. He has a decent pass ratio, because he passes 3 yards to Enrique, usually backwards or side passes, fair enough. Passes forwards or inside usually go stray. His retention of the ball is a myth too, as he often runs into a defender or 5 and loses it, likewise his stray inside passes contribute to that. Does he try to win the ball back when he loses it? No, he fiddles with his hair, or curses the sky. Myths. He has a decent pass ratio, because he passes 3 yards to Enrique, usually backwards or side passes, fair enough. Passes forwards or inside usually go stray. His retention of the ball is a myth too, as he often runs into a defender or 5 and loses it, likewise his stray inside passes contribute to that. Does he try to win the ball back when he loses it? No, he fiddles with his hair, or curses the sky. That's an impressive level of crap in one post...

Good point - it was noticeable that Liverpool doubled up on him as soon as he got the ball for most of yesterday and pressurised him from his first touch. Not sure what many players could do in that situation. Thought he had a good scond half actually - ran with the ball well, drove Johnson back (who had been looking threatening) and generally caused Liverpool problems.

What's annoying is that I keep clinging to any shred of hope that it isn't Pardew - almost convincing myself that it can't be true. Only to know deepdown that it is true and Pardew will be coming.

Just lost for words. Almost doesn't seem real?

It does seem like Paul Barron did a good job for us, but I always used to find his half time crosses into the keepers quite amusing. Generally because his crosses barely got in the area and were usually about waist high. Someone should have told him that our keepers wouldn't be trying to catch Jonas' crosses..

Sadly none of Ashley's decisions have been made with anything like the logic you suggest, the man's a mong. Tbf, he's a Billionaire, he may not know football but somethings triggered this. He won't appoint someone like Pardw, Curbs, it'll be someone with some kind of prestige, whether that be a s*** manager or not. Someone like Kinnear...?

Would only consider dropping Shola if he is carrying an injury.

I agree but then the player would then ask for the difference from the club. Agreed - so it makes no difference really.

Huddlestone and Tiote are different players. Huddlestone clearly has a better range of passing and a better shot, but Tiote is a far better tackler and about 100 times more mobile. Depends what you want in a central midfielder.

I must be psychic.

Isn't that the same for teams all over the world though? I can't believe many teams outside the established elite of most leagues could cope with losing 2-3 key players and still produce.

He wasn't too bad at Toulouse..

Albert was not better than Woodgate.