Deuce

Diminishing returns to national.

Actually that makes a lot of sense, there wouldn't so much a problem with Cabaye playing deep if there was someone ahead of him who can actually create things for the front 3 in this scenario. Also i have seen Benat a few times for Betis this he looks class but he's spanish and a midfielder so you all probably figured that out Does this really shock anyone? Sometimes I picture you as the Architect from 'the Matrix,' sitting in some large control room in a white 3-piece suit watching 50 games simultaneously.

Lavender

There's a Mitt Romney joke in here somewhere.

Fair enough. My apologies if I offended you. Tbf, I am shorter than average (not wormy's 'troll-under-the-bridge' short, but still). That probably does skew my perspective of what "big" is.

Don't get steamed, your posts are frequently argumentative (and sometimes patronizing). It doesn't take much stretch of the imagination to assume you're just taking the piss. NUFC.com has him listed at 5'11", 86 kilos. That would have him heavier than average for his height and make him appear shorter than if he were a beanpole. "Built like a tank" may be hyperbolic, but you really can't deny that he's fairly stocky. Especially compared to most footballers.

Well to be fair, your other threads have been shit.

If it's a referee calling a player a Spanish twat then it probably does merit at least an investigation. Referees are there to implement the rules, not judge whether a player is a twat, Spanish or otherwise. Hmm, I'm gonna have to disagree. Booking Suarez, for instance, for his continual blatant diving is a tacit way of saying he's a twat. Who also speaks Spanish.

Random, irrelevant shot of Fernando in that piece

Do you take the piss just for show or are you really this dense?

I knew I shouldn't have picked-up Fletcher. Not only goes against the very fiber of my being, but he's probably not going to score again this season.

7 Apps 5 Goals and has loads of assists. (He's also got 9 goals in friendlies for reserves and Academy)

This gave me a chuckle. Never pictured Clattenburg the eloquent type.

Not really. Even though it'd likely be one or the other, the thought of having Tiote and Sissoko together in a line-up is frightening.

Perhaps not. Marveaux certainly hasn't impressed this season and if Pards doesn't feel Abeid or Amalfitano are league-ready, I have no qualms about Obertan still seeing time.

How's young master Campbell faring for the reserve team this season?

While i agree, when was the last time we bought a player over the age of 28? much less 31 ffs Not sure why people keep bringing Colo up in relation with Hangeland when Colo was signed he was 25/26 if Colo was somewhere else right now we wouldn't buy him same goes for Hangeland. If we expect Colo to play for at least a few more years despite his age, why can't we expect Hangeland to do the same? Though I do accept that Ashley is averse to buying players without much re-sale value. Have to think getting Hangeland on a free is the only way we'd even entertain the notion.

I agree with this. At this point in his PL career, he's not got the positional awareness and touch to overcome his lack of size. PL is a much more physical league than the Eredivisie. He's a RB for now, until he grasps the nature of playing midfield in the PL.

Again we read this tripe, it don't matter for s*** most of the DM's in this league are tiny..... it's about positional sense and footballing brain more than physicality. Man Utd seem fine with Carrick, City seem fine with Barry, Liverpool with Lucas/Allen, Everton with Neville, Arsenal with Arteta etc etc. The fact everyone needs to be built like a brick house is a myth. Anyone who's seen Tiote up close knows that he's not a big guy by anyone's definition. He's actually quite small. He's built like a tank though. And by no stretch of the imagination can 5'11" be considered "small."

I have to think the addition of Sissoko would mean the exit of Tiote, for money reasons.

I'd say we are desperate for a winger Aye although it depends on the system 4-4-2 would mean a winger and 4-3-3 would mean a wide forward. I still don't know why we didn't go for Mirallas. he's a solid defender mind but he's far too old. What? He's 6 months older than Colo with no history of injuries. He'd be perfect on a 2-3 year deal, give our young backs some time to develop. Not every signing we make has to be long-term.

This is setting a dangerous precedent. The FA is extremely sensitive to accusations of racism (and rightly so). Seems a convenient way to bring any player (or coach or ref) under intense scrutiny and investigation. If it turns out that Chelsea is the proverbial boy who cried wolf, blood is going to spill. Completely devalues accusations of substance. Unless of course Clattenburg did use racist language. In which case, slam him.

http://www.fansfc.com/UploadedImages/Players/KevinNolan_633692556428437500.jpg

Judging off the first 40 minutes and last 10, I liked what I saw from Sammy and Obertan. Both looked very comfortable attacking today. And Ferguson has some nice crosses.