Eddy Chibas

That's all fine and dandy & all, (based on prev form) the lad hasn't deserved to be mostly shunted behind Gutz (a prime & lucky beneficiary of a lack of ruthlessness on the manager's part) and sometimes Perch. An opportunity in last few lge games has been lost, with Moussa's moonlighting upfront, Cabaye & Tiote respective returns, and Ben Arfa's continued absence (catalyst for Moussa's role upfront). Would have been fucking good to see how a trio of Cabaye-Tiote-Anita would have looked over the last couple of lge game. Tiote (physical presence, defensive workrate), Cabaye (passing range, playmaking qualities), Anita (efficient instinctive/quick passer, run & carry/link-up). That's a well balanced, and varied skill-set you like to see in a unit. It should have been given more of a chance very recently, and would've provided a very nice selection dilemma (when Ben Arfa is fit) before a ball is even kicked come matchday. Who do you think will be Pardew's preferred options from the bench, when Pardew is lucky enough to have a selection dilemma. Will you be happy if the ball bounces the way i think it will ie. highly promising, well-schooled youngster playing second fiddle to 30+er whose legs are burning out, and Perch (dependable, but should be an emergency option)? And he's got one of these pushy football-dads running his affairs too. If Anita was shite i wouldn't even be entering into this conversation, in this instance expressing a concern.

Mentioned this in another thread. Ideal time to blood him further in midfield 3 with Tiote & Cabaye. Tiote's physical presence would allow Anita to concentrate on what he does best ie. run/carry & link-up man through the middle third. I think his movement & burst-of-pace would kick-off our transition play through the middle. Well schooled (in pass & move footy) & technically very neat. Good little footballer, sorely undervalued atm. No doubt has his eyes on a big prize too, WC Brazil. But he's not a big physical speciman ala Moussa, and he's not as physical (in attitude) as Perch, and Gutz is being afforded too much loyalty from the manager. He's in a difficult spot imho, which is a pity - good little player. Being a peripheral figure here behind Gutz (with Perch's 'tackle' value often preferred too) doesn't help his chances for inclusion at the business end of the qualy campaign. He deserves clarfication on this front. Understandable if a resquest for a move away eventuates.

I can see your scheme from a fucking mile away. You're going to befriend him on twitter aren't you, only to then deliver an inch perfect kick to the bollocks (by sending him a Sensi version of that miss).

I assume Compton County has some sort of amateur football lge.

I had a soft spot for him tbh. He ripped tore Aust's WC ambitions to shreds one time, in Montevideo (i think he scored a double in that 2nd leg). Good player who never put together back-to-back seasons, and didn't get going in Europe. He was a master diver. However he was cool looking cat while doing it - he wasn't cursed with Suarez love-to-hate mug. The dude had some style. From sleek looking skinhead, to longer ringlet peroxide locks, to peroxide buzz-cut. Aging pretty well too, and comes across as a very earthy & down-to-earth guy. Looking fighting fit. http://www.sickchirpse.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/dario_silva_leg-thumb11.jpg

Ben Arfa's technical ability was long admired by Ferguson, Wenger et al. The major red-flag was that he was a wild-child - too weak a description, uncontrollable is a better fit (going by some of his shenanigans at Lyon). The one-year injury enforced lay-off was a blessing of sorts. It provided ample time to evaluate his career, and DeJong's challenge had the potential to be a career ender. Maturity-wise i think he's a late bloomer, through forced circumstances beyond his control. Added maturity, on his part, has most likely lowered the 'warning' disclaimer that once overshadowed his mercurial talent. That's why i'm expecting moves for him, by managers who had placed in the too-hard basket previously. Signing him to pre-contract agreement (to a free), or at a knock-down price with six months left on his deal. It's a palatable scenario for the big clubs, that have now jumped into the camp of the converted ie. those who have waited for him to sort out his head. Contract talks will be interesting.

Tiote the defensive lynchpin, with a clearly defined instruction (in a pass&move philosophy) to keep it simple, with Cabs' passing range & Anita's run&carry (link-up) is still my preferred mix in the middle. Fullbacks, with Haidara in the picture, provide the width in the middle third. And of course there's the option of dropping Moussa back into mf line of three, for added power. However i'd like to see the continued development of Anita. Tiote's presence eases Anita's defensive workload, and releases the shackles - allowing him to focus on what he does best ie. run&carry + link-up. Imho this is the ideal midfield set-up to blood Anita. Tiote, in this set-up, if used correctly (has the engine to play sideline-to-sideline/cover the fbs, not that Cabs & Anita dont provide workmanlike value in defense) has the makings to be our Makalele.

Lost-in-Translation sickness going on here, on my part. You're on the money with Door No.1 ie. old poster, new username. I couldn't copy & paste the old sig (from my former account on to this profile), and i can't remember the old one. I didn't know that a 4 posts-per-day-average (or roughly iirc) equates to to the red-coded end of the posting frenzy scale of 1-10.

Who the f*** cares? I could have just stuck with something like BigAl(insert some f***ing number to go with). FWIW the fella was quite a deal more than just some random c***. Key early player in one of the big political events of the last century, and f***ed-up what was supposed to be his carefully staged suicide.

Looking forward to seeing what Haidara has to offer. Big lad & athletic, promising reports from the reserves too (good left peg on him & not afraid to get forward and use it).

In fairness skyscrapercity site is an excellent site, for checking out stadium & sporting venue information ie. costing, post-event planning, the evolution (including venue upgrades) of stadiums with celebrated history. In this context, there probably isn't a rival site as good. Minutes, from council/planning commitee etc meetings are often included.

I'm not sure what his return was (from fks) at Forest, but Pierre van Hooijdonk's shooting range from set-pieces was outrageous. Pure ball-striker, like Robert, whether it was the power/driven effort or a curler just outside the box.

But there's a suggestion, of a straight swap to LW. Positional & defensive frailties aside, which you touch-on, the lad's has made a big switch LB already. With the heavy emphasis placed on the forwards/attackers' press his technique (one-two touch stuff) on both feet has probably played a significant part in eventually overcoming the flank change (purely as a fb). Positional naivety aside, i think he lacks the left foot penetration (which is different to one-two touch passing in your own half/beating the press) to make what i think is a more difficult switch, as a natural righty. This time to LW, i think its too much.

Started out as a winger didn't he? cant imagine his final output being worse than what we have now RW (thats the key) converted to RB originally, and was a star, before Jose stuffed him around, by using him as defensive utility man (never made 'a' position his own after that & his confidence was blown to bits). I'm talking about natural footed wingers, playing on the appropriate flank (getting to the byline, not checking back-in, and whipping balls in at pace consistently) which as a left-footed winger Santon is not. We already have that cut-back guy when Ben Arfa is fit, on the right. Also Ben Arfa is a genuine dangerman off both feet, in that he doesn't lose much penetration on his right (particularly shooting). There's not many guys/wingers who can put a defender in two minds like he does, and that opens things up for him inside. I haven't seen the sort of penetration on Santon's non-preferred foot, to suggest that he will create this type of defensive dilemma ( for good rbs).

Midfield three of Cabaye, Tiote & Anita would sit well with me. Tiote's physicality & defensive workrate, Anita' run & carry, and Cabaye's passing range & playmaking qualities. A balanced skillset (as a midfield unit) on offer, i'd be happy with that. Probably deployed as a 1-2, with Anita & Cabs slightly more advanced on either side. Tiote sitting deep with the cardio & workrate to cover the fbs (who would add width).

Technically he's fine (and has the confidence) when passing through a press, coming out of our own half. But that's with the short-mid range passing on his left - he's good enough, on his non-preferred foot, in that he doesnt show alot of the ball to the guys pressing on his inside. As a ball-playing fb, two footed & part of a defensive unit that can keep on the deck & pass through a press, he's okay on the left. As a potential left winger, I don't think he has the penetration on his left though, and the velocity & consistency a natural footed winger provides with the end product.

kk mania, plus a chairman who pumped in millions and rebuilt the stadium. it also helped that in the interim the premier league came into existence and the amount of sky money went through the roof. i love keegan and all, but come on. Thankfully Freddy Shep & Douglas H's intervention (given that SJH wanted to ride-out the relegation scrap with a then shoulder shrugging Ardilles) prevented us from dropping down another division. That was a key turning point, along with the ousting of McKeag and his cronies. If SJH had his way originally, things could have turned out very differently ie. no division one rescue mission led by Keegan, followed by a rocket propelled promotion back to the top flight etc.

Simple as his methods were (ie. he'd batter his teams with 5-a-side) the numbers guys/managers could take a leaf out his coaching book. Believes in & is 100% comitted to pass & move football irrespective whether it's his purple 1st team, knows how to coach it, and speaks a football language the players understand (unlike some managers/charlatans whose training week is dominated by the love for & bombardment of the players with stats). Unashamed admirer. He, understandably, being a football romantic, just lacked the heart to deal with cunts & bullshit artists, namely Corbidge/Llambiarse/Ashley.

You mean like heads dropping, during some of our rancid 2nd half performances, one player/Ba opening up to the press (about the manager's tactics) and getting off his chest what others were feeling too. We already know there is a clash of football philosophies between Ben Arfa & Pardew. Pards may be the first manager to effectively tame Ben Arfa (for an extended period), but this football philosophy clash (on Ben Arfa's part) is on the record. Ben Arfa strikes me as being a bit of a Robert, he'll say it how it is when others will keep to themselves ie. not go public. It's not unreasonable to suggest this philosophy clash (as expressed by hba previously) is more widespread, particularly among the team's more cultured ball-players from the continent. I'd dare suggest that Pardew's training methods (ie the concentration on defensive organisation & shape, and just on day afforded to attacking play etc) are an alien concept to Carr's Continemtal Ensemble. It's feasible to see such players lose confidence in training & tactical set-up they dont relate to. The new arrivals have probably injecyed a feel good factor in the dressing room though.

From the Greaves piece just paraphrasing "Whether it's by going to AA, or going to counselling, or finding god, or talking to the trees in the garden. He needs to find his own way". I was thinking bansai garden, or get into the Dutch Aquascaping thing (time consuming, relaxing & rewarding) and set aside a whole bloody room for it - healthier zen space than shooting up that cocaine 'snowball' shit (is that what it's called) behind closed doors.

Agree except for the bolded part- who are these people? Nobody specific, just everyone who goes mental over how class Swansea are, and highlights pundits. Those people who go mental, (to use your wording) over how class Swansea have looked, are well within their right. Laudrup has taken Martinez & Rodgers' model (moreso Rodgers') and improved it. One doesn't need to bear witness to each game of theirs (beyond highlights) to spot the differences. Under Rodgers they were heading in the right direction, but there was quite alot ofhff&puff possession in the middle third. Under Laudrup they break quicker, but the deal clincher (for me) are the switch-ups from left-to-right, and vice versa, in the middle third. This wasn't a distinguishing feature under Rodgers, hence the mentioning of huff&puff possession. But now they're disruptingopposition defensive shape with those switches of play, and it's buying their widemen a few yards headstart/open acres to exploit. Routledge is not a world beater - still lightweight, and his final ball (and decision making) is still hit & miss. However Laudrup's system (his philosophy re: ball movement through the middle third) is extracting the maximum return from somebody who does have nuisance value, namely Routledge's speed, but still lacks a killer edge to his game. The one-two punch on his wing (ie. an overlapping, playmaking fb), as alluded to by Stu, has helped him no end. Routledge isn't a world beater, but there are factors ar work that are maximising his best attributes. FWIW Swansea's potential, with the sort of midfield movement Laudrup preaches (obviously works on it a lot more than just one day per week), if they were armed with the cutting edge Cabaye, Ben Arfa & Sissoko - it's a bit scary. I'll add Cisse in there as well because he is most dangerous when ghosting into the box on the defense's weak side. As a sole striker, with freedom to roam the line, he thrives on switches of play in the attacking half. It's his bread & butter, and we don't it often enough ala Laudrup's Swansea. I think you're thumbing-up your nose a bit, at what Swansea are actually doing this season - beyond the results too.

To go along with his physical attributes, and technical excellence on-the-ball, he also head a professor-like aptitude when it came applying a gameplan against an opposite marker - as alluded to in his assessment of Owen. Has the makings of a top defensive coach, possibly future management material too. Doesn't strike me as somebody who will fall back on ProZone stats-driven mumbo jumbo, and preach those findings on the training paddock. Will say though it was good to see a young & brash Saha (Fulham) tear Stam a new one, at OT. I remember that Saha killed him esrly through the middle, and during the next-on-one Stam guided him out to right channel, and LS answered the challenge and said see ya later ie. burned him again. That was the day Saha announced himself on the big stage, and showed Man United's statesman & defensive pack leader no respect whatsoever - it was a great thing to see actually. Fergie gives a fair weight to his players' judgement. The dressing room urged Fergie sign Ronaldo, after he put in an impressive shift at pre-season friendly against them (in the US iirc). I bet Stam borrowed the ear of his manager, after removing the lube between his arse cheeks (fresh from the raping he copped from Saha). That was the only time i remember seeing an 'established' Stam being dominated for an entire shift. Considering the time spent there, and the calibre of opposition every week - taking into account the CL workload too, it speaks volumes for his rock-like status as a top class defender.

96 Turkish Cup Final, 2nd Leg. aka That Incident in Instanbul. The locals (ie the Gala half) bestowed a fancy title upon him, that was in line with the old military-based legends. I can't remember the name, but whack that somewhere in the heading, as the piece's theme & selling point. Print 1: 2nd leg, extra time clincher for Gala. Print 2: A pixellated tracksuit wearing dickhead, surrounded by a shitload of on-pitch activity at the time, in that defining moment of madness. The piece's drawcard tbh.

Hmmm, the penny has finally dropped. Thanks Hans. When it comes to some of this internet pop culture i'm way behind the current trends, rags-to-riches facebook ventures. Cue for Stu to lose the bulk of a third cup of coffee today. I hope it was just the instant rubbish out of the jar.