Tiresias

What gets me with the whole 'it's just a term of endearment in Uruguay' defence is surely should you be put in this situation, where you've accidently said something really bad without realising or with any intent, one should immediately apologise profusely, and react with horror to the implication? If I'd said something racist by complete accident I'd hope i'd not be, well no lol i'm not racist so there...

I dunno he can say he doesn't want to and then change his mind I'd imagine so would guess it's just the 14 day period. Wasn't liverpool's defence basically Suarez wasn't aware it was considered racist over here? Saying that rather confirms he said that even if in Uruguay it's genuinely not racist (don't really buy that since then he surely would have said it to team mates, not angrily at Evra, and had he done so I guess the club would have told him to stop doing so. FA presumably said ignorance is not an excuse.

Surely this implies it doesn't start for 14 days whatever?

I'll worry when he starts running about in a ferrari... I'm not convinced over his benching Ben Arfa, I think he sometimes bottles it and goes for the safer option defensively, which though annoying, isn't the worst crime. Whether he is badly man managing Ben Arfa we really don't know yet.

Valencia and Udinese are very good at this, very good at finding adequate replacements quickly and turning a profit. I am less confident as to our ability, especially since even though we've done very well we've hardly plucked players out of total obscurity, merely the top tier of the french league. Tiote is too integral of a player to assume we could adequately reinvest in a better player who would fit in. I do not believe we will use the money to buy a big name player either, we are no less likely not to try and sell them on, would likely not make such a profit as with buying cheap players and taking a bigger risk. I say even if Tiote does want to go we force him to stay, if that puts him off playing next year at least we'll have made somewhat of an example that we aren't necessarily going to balk at the first big offer, and if he acts professionally and keeps the performances up, even if we do sell him in the summer his value is hardly going to plummet, he has plenty of time on contract. Maybe we will end up like Valencia, selling our big names and replacing them competantly year on year. I just wouldn't count on it, more likely is we sell and have a disappointing second half of season without him, and never adequately replace, or at least disrupt the team spirit and ethic with all the chopping and changing.

Aye Yaya Youre is one of those players who doesn't miss in front of goal, such a well rounded player.

I think Ba would drop back a fair amount to compensate, but feel that risks midfield being overrun and us hoofing it up to an uninvolved front 3.

Yaya Toure is either a classic box to box midfielder or a very ill disciplined anchorman, I actually think he's one of the more interesting players in league tactically, as he is often seemingly placed deep to help defend but rampages through, sort of like a more convincing Song at Arsenal, and what Phil Jones is being touted to be, defensive but liable to carry ball forward themselves and often score, as an alternative to a central playmaker like Modric or Cabaye, someone who keeps possession but is more direct, City seem to prefer to have him in centre and free up playmakers to go wide instead.

I'd also say Leon Britton and his 100% pass completion rate statistics are rather lovely

The guardian has all their favourites of their photoshop contests up, and this is great http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Football/Pix/pictures/2011/3/3/1299162342026/The-Gallery-Xavi-003.jpg

Fenton! Oh Jesus Christ, FENTON!

Krul Richards Kompany Colo Enrique Yaya Toure Modric Arteta Mata Van Persie Silva

Arshavin if he wants to play again and be considered great needs to do a Joe Cole and run off to a slightly worse league where he'd probably be brilliant again It's a shame as he was a lovely player for a while, dunno if it's all in his head

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/6202/offside.jpg Clearly offside!

He looks too gangly to be nimble, too slight to be strong so he's going to have to rely on speed and such. I reckon he has the ethic to make the most of any talent and with patience he will only improve. If he isn't really good enough in the end oh well, nothing ventured nothing gained, but no way we'll really know for a while

Hate to say it but they didn't look too bad on Motd and O'Neil playing the players Bruce was sidelining liek Vaughn etc will help them. Suspect they'll have a decent second half to the season

suarez it's probably Silva, just annoying he's at Man City, beautiful player

Yeah but I think we got Obertan as second choice to Gervinho, we'd have had Ba anyway.

To be fair Arsenal got Gervinho ahead of us so it's more 1 - 1

lol If we somehow signed Tevez Pardew will just bench him anyway

http://www.sundaysun.co.uk/sport/newcastle-united/nufc-news/2011/12/18/yohan-cabaye-s-pass-pact-with-newcastle-boss-79310-29971585/ lol

I'd be surprised though, considering think Tottenham Chelsea and Arsenal are probably interested, could well be agent trying to up the price for one of those clubs by saying he'd go here.

Do we need another midfielder? Rather give Guthrie / Abeid / Gosling and Vuckic their chances to break through