mick

I think Flamini joined at 20 on a free transfer. It's a fair point you make above and one that the media frequently forget that Arsenal actually don't develop as many players from the academy that they would have us believe. E.g. Denilson cost around 3.5m, Walcott (7-10m) etc. Wenger likes to buy alot of players aged 16-21 and try to develop them in to a team and if not he flogs them on at a profit. Look at the likes of Stokes, Quincy Owusu Abyeie, Seb Larsson, Muamba etc I think they made a nice little bit of profit out of all of them

I went for the "I'm a nice person/queer/do gooder" option 1 I'll hang my head in shame.

Fabregas at just 20 is already one of the best midfielders in the world. I'd take him in a flash. You could play him on the right or play Gerrard on the right and him in the centre. Fabregas is a better player than Alonso.

How is Johnson playing? I thought he was suppose to be be different class.

I thought Gilberto was on the bench most of the season?

Fanning is a Liverpool fan so he will always write a fair number of pro Liverpool articles. And this one makes a fair amount of sense. I think he is playing to the gallery at the moment......For years he had a strong anti GH agenda I don't rate him as journalist. A few weeks ago he stated that a member of the FAI board had said at a meeting "Fuvk the Irish public" in relation to a meeting on the new Irish manager. THe FAI challenged him on this and the Sunday Independent were forced to pubish an apology the following week. Pure lies and not for the first time. He ran a campaign to help and get Terry Venables appointed Irish manager and even in todays Sindo he is interviewing TV about Dunphy and how it was his fault he didn't get the Irish job. http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/if-...re-1318986.html

My point is that when Wenger signed him from OM he was a central midfielder. You seem to suggest that WEnger got lucky playing him in his natural position ??

He was always a central midfielder. He only covered at full back for a while.

He's one of those players that will always attract the attention of opposition fans for the way he plays. I actually think he is a reasonably good player for a mid table prem player and always gives 100%. He's in with a good chance get Reading player of the season. Not sure if his reputation as a dirty player is fully justified - very competive yes. If you look at some of Gerrards tackles over the years, is Hunt any worse? If I ever met him I reckon the 1st thing I'd say is "No I don't need my front drive tarred....." http://www.readingfc.premiumtv.co.uk/javaI...~3505253,00.jpg

Its the best explanation I could have hoped for!!

They will be using the UEFA fair draw method.......4 pots of 2. Watch us get the Chavs and the Mancs get Fener.

Question. Bearing in mind that its a Friday afternoon, I'm bored in work and I've little else to be thinking of. Why did you decide to highlight Liverpool in bold?

This content is not viewable to guests.

This content is not viewable to guests.

I though Lampard could have picked up 3 bookings for that incident and Boa Morte 1.

from goal.com after the Turin derby tonight: http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=600912 Sissoko was shockingly poor all game, the Mali international looked all at sea in midfield and his passing really let his team down, every time he passed the ball Ranieri shook his head left and right but surprisingly he left him on. Juve kept huffing and puffing but they were unable to breach the Toro rear guard. Seems like he's making an impression!! Interestingly according to Sly Score centre there was only 23000 at the game - I know Juve attendsnces sre low but I thought for the Turin derby it would be higher.

Every striker misses chances - look at Adebayor the other night, Torres against Newcastle and Sunderland away etc. Although I agree that Keane is not as consistent a finisher as the really top finishers like van Nistlerooy.

how would he play with Torres? IMO Torres would work best with a slightly withdrawn striker in the Beardsley, Daglish. Littmanen mould. Somebody with the intelligence, awareness and creativity to play him and others in and also get their fair shrare of goals. Can he do that?

its practically a cliche at this stage (for Ajax) but it depends on the youth players they are bringing through.VB can not turn that around in a season or two. Because of the nature of the Dutch league they will always be a selling club so the most they can get out of gifted youth players is 1 or2 years methinks. I won't be putting any money on them being a force in the CL any time soon.

Football managers live and die by their results. End of fuvking story.

There has been louse of promising 15/16/17 year olds signed by Wenger and Ferguson over the years who never got anywhere near the first team and where shipped off elsewhere.

Sorry but what a load of rubbish. They weren't good enough - end of story. There's plenty of promising 16 year olds who star in youth tournamens and are never heard of again. I heard at the time there was loads of European 'giants' after them which I don't believe - if there was why the hell would they come to us instead of Barca, Real etc???? Don't say the Houllier factor - ultimately the only dross he attracted from France was the likes of Traore, Diouf, Daio Cheyrou who probably couldnt believe their f***in' luck....... And when I'm at it Welsh and Patridge are in the same boat - not good enough.

Please explain how?

For the neutral probably yes - without a doubt. Mancs and Arsenal play very good football - it all comes from coaching on the training ground and a vision of how the game should be played. Our game today was terrible to watch.

Scholes and Anderson running rings around him?