Tiresias

If it is 60% first kick takers win that is hugely statistically significant actually and definitely deserves to be changed. Just because it's random which team gets the advantage doesn't mean that's fair. If you flipped a coin at the start of every game of football and gave 10% advantage to one team for teh whole match in any form it would be ridiculous.

May have been rushed out cos they reckoned he could walk at any minute due to ashley

Useful midfielder, but in a sane world would cost £10m or something, with Fellaini on his way out apparently should at least encourage better football

Would be a real shitter if they just take him back at end

He's only just signed and apparently he looks like a paedo

Excited

I'm not so negative, he's failed sure at other clubs but dunno if that means his quality isn't discoverable again. Seems exactly the kind of mobile forward Rafa would want. The question is more that he's really a mercenary and Rafa has wanted players who want to be here. Possible he's realised he's not getting football and would appreciate a chance again.

I can see him box to box but he is not creative.

I wonder if it's going to look more like a Mourinho (shudder) 4-3-3 with two powerful midfielders and a creative one with 3 forwards ahead, rather than a Shelvey as a strict no 10

Then honestly a good thing if he's pap edit: aaah yeah if rafa goes he could say shove off to us

Are there any circumstances where dortmund could refuse to sell him in a years time with these deals?

I thought he did, fair enough if he didn't. Anyway my point being the front threes can get behind double pivots and overload 4 at the back. I am a bit concerned that the usual tactic against chelsea was to copy with a back 3, seemed to work best mind. I always thought you have to get behind the wing backs and pack midfield against it mind.

I 99% agree but it's also worth noting the reasons for its sudden success. Know they went down but Hull did well with it at bottom of table, if Silva had been there for longer they'd have stayed up

it won't happen but since 3 at the back is so popular at the moment in premier league wonder if he'd drop back into that david luiz centre back but ball player role. My slight concern (and it is a slight concern) is the prevalent 3-4-3 formations are almost exactly geared to work against the classic 4-2-3-1

It's because I am, and I presume others are, sick of defenders who hoof it as soon as any trouble which often leads to us being very susceptable to sustained pressure and unable to break on the counter. Now obviously you want good defenders who can time a tackle, anticipate, good in the air with high priority, but a modern defence without a technically gifted (if not cruyff levels or anything) defender is asking for trouble now. We've missed an in form Colo for ages because he was one of our better players on the ball on his day. We can expect to need to play on the counter a fair bit this season and for that we need someone who can pass out of trouble at the back.

We can't stop the puns, the mykonos is on the admins to step in before the whole forum descends into kos.

If he does sign my theseus is we may get a bit too defensive in midfield

They're doing an Aston Villa from last season, will go the same way imo

What a twist!

Hope Aarons does well, friend of a friend is his neighbour and said he was a good lad, he was doling out free tickets he got from him at last match I was at

Excellent news got me back to being positive

There will be value, but there is also just buying someone who will massively improve us rather than scraps and gambles. I personally don't think we have the squad to stay comfortably in the premier league, and if we go into the season with this squad Rafa will walk and we will go down. Ojo? Really? We need proper solid midfielders and a new striker. No we don't have a bottomless pit, but Rafa was promised a pit of a certain depth and it's looking like it may not have been a pit at all.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/jul/25/premier-league-best-match-liverpool-newcastle-april-1996 I didn't really want to read this, but I skipped through it and did find this lovely final para which is oft missed in the normal comments