Altamullan

Heard their owner interviewed yesterday. Sounded like an idiot...make that a grandiose, entitled, control-freak idiot. Nigel would be mad to take himself (and his surname) back there under that regime. In similar circumstances, suspect his dad wouldn't have gone near the place (or if he had it would have made his Leeds tenure look long by comparison).

they've never had a keeper as tall as McFaul. McFaul was quite small; so 'Iam' told...

Please give them Ulloa so DeFoe can do one...

Good on you following the lads and posting about it when you're at deaths door like. loving your work!

Fuck me, the amount of worry racing around these threads is bordering on delusional. 'Very likely', 'almost certainly', 'quite likely', appended to a load of speculative: we're doomed, Cashley is meddling again, Rafa is bound to leave and other random hypothetical threats. I get it. Ashley has history. We've all to some degree been traumatised (I don't use the word lightly) by what he has done to our club. Stay in the moment folks. Cross bridges when we come to them. Just because it has been, doesn't mean it is, or it will be. We're having a pretty damn good season, not a walkover but was never likely to be. Rafa has inferred he will only sign players who improve us. He has said on a couple of occasions January is difficult. I doubt he personally will be happy to overpay for anybody, especially as 'the project' is on track. Why not try and stay in the moment and enjoy it?

That's Rafa on the right... http://static.stuff.co.nz/files/CANADIANS.JPG

Every time I have seen Wijnaldum play this season (admittedly mainly highlights) he seems pathologically 'safe'. It is as if his main rule is 'thou shalt not lose the ball.' Maybe fair enough, and he does have two goals and three assists this season. However, he looks infruriatingly unambitious. Last season people were speculating that Colback was playing with his stats in mind (pass accuracy/passes completed etc) rather than trying to make things happen. I found this difficult to take seriously. I find myself now having similar thoughts about Wijnaldum. He seems slow, ponderous and allergic to any kind of purposeful and therefore usually 'risky' ball or move. Where are the driving runs, his so-called dribbling strengths? The decisive defence splittting hard to see/harder to hit passes you'd expect from a top player? Hope I have the wrong idea about him/ and the above is unfair, as I still think he is an incredibly gifted and 'neat' footballer. But, really what is he giving it? What's the point of having him in the team? There must be negative consequences of having the ball go through someone playing as cautiously as he seems to?

I'm just catching-up but can only imagine the above is relevant if we're heading to a kind of Mexican Soap Opera revelation that Townsend is in fact Doumbia's love child conceived with some Cypriot chick whilst he was playing in a s*** league there under, his original name, in the early 90s. I'm on tenterhooks here, for the next plot twist; think I'll microwave some popcorn and wait to see if Doumbia was at Ominia and Nikos Dabizas is actually Andros's grandfather. P.S. Anyone know if he's signing? No, not Doumbia...

I really hope we can keep hold of Atsu. Love his directness and can see him getting even better.

I like Mitro. Have done since he signed. Make no apologies for the fact this is influenced by having a touch of the radgie about him and his apparent passion (seemingly derided by many pashun snipes; fwiw I also really want Geordies in the team whenever they're good enough, a desire which equally oddly also seems to be ridiculed at times). I can't help thinking though that he's 'shot his bolt'/may have had his last chance. Let's face it, if you can't force your way into the team in the Championship and don't take the chances you get, a manager like Rafa is not going to put his faith in you. I get he's been unfortunate (Gayle's form and being injured at the same time as Gayle) but he is old enough and experienced enough to be delivering now. I know it is a super car vs saloon comparison but Gabriel Jesus is younger and already looks like he will rip up the Premier League this season.

Get Ulloa for a cheeky £3m sell DeFoe for £6m. Lovely jubbly...

I can't answer that Has he had his picture in the papers?

You've got the best squad in the Championship?... Lend us your left winger then, go on, man. Chuck in a central midfielder and 'Branko Strupar will no doubt offer to spunk in your mouth

Well, without wanting to kick a man when he's down/an easy target, with finishing like today he's not anyone's kind of striker.

that's what gets me like. Proudly boasting about 'calling it' back when he was 20 and just arrived in the country Barring a miracle he's finished here like, he's lost his place to Murphy and with no more cup he'll be lucky to make more than half a dozen appearances before the season is up. This. Sad but true, on both counts.

Well done Oxford. A famous victory (let's face it nee f***er looks at the team sheet).

Missed pen at 1-0, looks crucial (despite team selection and other missed chances). Can't recall details but there were a couple of games last season with similar decisive misses.

From a corner again.

Passion and semi-feral radginess, not ability.

?

Delay???

Mitro chances seem to have been on target at least... Though 3 or 4 saves hmmmm. Think he flicked on for ElMhanni volley (listening not watching).

BBC sport at 40 mins: Oxford 51% possession and 7 shots to our 4. We've had better chances according to Radio Oxford.

On the plus side, sounds like Mitro and Perez are finding each other well.

Judging by the team selection, no.