allawee

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Agree also, whoever buys Marlon Harewood (the most useless lump of meat) can't really be called a good manager! this is according to a friend who is a diehard west ham supporter. I share his opinion as well

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I think Chelsea's main problem is that they have players like Ballack, Drogba and Anelka, who when the sh** hits the fan, they have too bigger egos to roll up their sleeves and mock in. You always get the feeling that they are their for the money and the glory. United, as much as I hate them, their players, fans and manager, I think Ferguson can gulvanise the players and has the authroity that none of his big stars can even question or doubt the orders. If they do, then Ince, Beckham and Rudd can tell them their story! That's why, I don't think Chelsea will be our main threat this year, it is us vs the mancs.

I don't remember Souness as he was before my time, but is there any comparsion between the two players and can Mascharano eclipse Souness?!

Everything looks better when you play inferior teams, just look at Celtic in the SPL! I don't think that the Spanish league has the depth of the PL. Their champion league group was the weakest. I still think they are good, but us, Chelsea or Man U are still favourites IMO. Wait and see in the next CL round. Don't understand me wrongly, they are class, but they not better than us!

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And Robbie Earle......what can I say!

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Gerrard Reira Mascharano

My theory is that every striker in his career hit a period of real bad luck (not just lack of goals, but when they look completley useless). I just hope Keane is going through this at the moment and it will soon end and everything he hits, ends at the back of the net! I really hope so.

he has just gone up in my estimation. Great article and well written

Selling Pennant, having Skertel and Torres back is strengthening the team in my opinion and we may not need to buy anyone as we have a very good squad. But if we have to buy 1 or 2 players, I would go with Glen Johnson and Valencia

Lucas Gerrard Benayoun

"Can I just say how brilliant it is to be top of the league come xmas." I can assure you, the feeling will be much better when we were in May!

Excatly the same

I don't think we can compare the previous seasons under Rafa to this season. We were under no real pressure from March onwards last year and the players focus was mainly CL. It will be completley different situation this year if say we are leading the pack with 10 games to go as the pressure will be huge. Having said that, I think this will test us and sky will want to paint a picture that we never faced the pressure of title run-ins and so on, but our team/squad is full of internationals and many are their country captains, so I have faith and think that as long as Torres is fit for the second part and Keane rediscovers his form, we should be allright.

Great post. I have said it before, but if you asked all other teams in the CL draw this year after the group stages, who would they want to avoid, I bet they all would have answered Liverpool. Rafa has put us back on the European Power map where we belong, and has established us as the probably the hardest team to beat in Europe and argueably the most tactically astute and aware (which is an achievement considering this is usually not something the British clubs in general are famous for). How some fans on this forum and elsewhere still doubt Rafa's managerial genius and question his position at the helm is beyond me. I still believe that even if we don't win the league under Rafa this year (horrible thought and God Forbid), he is still the right man for the job for years to come as I am in no doubt that under him we will win the PL and even the CL again.

This is great reply. Spot on.

Still feel sorry for him and hope he has a future with us. He played very well against PSV and was MoM for many on this forum...and then against Hull at home, he was dropped to the bench. Not sure this is good man management by Rafa specially if his confidence is fragile and he is only 19 years old.