Leo No.8

Crouch is being hurt as much as anyone by the ineptitude of the players he finds alongside him. He isn't a goalscorer, but people are expecting him to do that job - the lad is causing a lot of problems with his unusual frame and way of playing, but no-one is there to take advantage. A centre forward with half a football brain, a goalscoring instinct and a yard of pace would be making an absolute killing from his knock-downs and the chaos he causes in the area. Problem is Cisse doesn't have half a footballing brain, Morientes hasn't got a yard of pace and both have been deserted by their goalscoring instincts. Those two have been complete failures, and we're suffering badly because of it. Lord knows we need Robbie to get fit and quickly...

My Mrs arrived in the living room just after Robben's little performance had taken place and I was in a state of apopleptic rage. She had to sit through some distinctly colourful language as I repeatedly roared at Warnock to 'cripple the bony little c*nt, for f*cks sake break his f*cking leg'...

What disappoints me about him is I think he has the ability to be a good Premier League left-back, but his concentration and decision-making are terrible. He makes bad choices when he passes the ball far too often; you could probably highlight 5 or 6 times through the game when he gave the ball away under no pressure at all. We could also have been punished when he gave it away to Cole straight after we'd conceded the first - again he made the wrong choice by trying to carry the ball out and being too casual. Later on in the game, again his lack of concentration was to blame when we conceded the second goal as he was strolling out, fully 5 yards behind the centre-halves rendering Crespo onside. As someone else said, if Traore had made the same errors he'd have been massacred; Warnock was very poor indeed yesterday.

Souness is a complete gobschite and a dreadful manager. I'll be as emphatic as I like thanks...

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So what he won a few minor trophies? He won the FA Cup with us, but was still an abject failure as a manager. Maybe he should have entered Newcastle into the FA Vase, so when they won it he's have been a success, in your eyes at least. When you look at the enormous funds he's been given, the large clubs he's only succeeding in winning minor trophies, I absolutely believe his record is as bad as anyone's around. I'll tell you what a load of old schite is - counting trophies without any consideration for circumstance and calling that success. My Sunday league boss has won a couple of league titles - does that make him a better manager than Sam Allardyce? After all he hasn't won f*ck all yet.

You're right Lee - thats why I'd have Carra staying back. He's about as dangerous from corners as a eunoch in a tossing contest...

Here's a mark of just how good a manager Souness is. At Benfica he had Deco playing full-back. He gave Deco a free-transfer so he could bring in Gary Charles...

Oh aye!

Gerrard is actually a decent aerial threat as well - he'd be better in the box.

Just as I finished posting I actually thought about that; personally I would leave the left-back, whoever that may be, and Carragher on the half-way line. Carra is a magnificent defender and I love the guy, but lets face it since he scored on his debut from a corner, he's very unthreatening indeed. Ideally he'd still go up, but I'd rather have quality from set-pieces and him not in there. There are plenty of players who carry a much greater threat, and the added bonus is our best defender is back in case the opposition break out. Of course a lot of teams these days defend with all 11 men, in which case Carra could still go...

Souness has an unsurpassed record of failure. He did well at Rangers and somehow has managed to maintain a career in the top flight on the basis of that - it beggers belief. He's a throwback to the days of shouting, tactically inept British managers. Newcastle fans who were calling for his head should be looking at their chairman instead for his decision to appoint Souness in the first place. He probably would have been sacked by Blackburn when Newcastle moved in for him - they were really struggling. I said at the time it was a ridiculous appointment, and so it has proved to be; in fitting with everything they do at that club...

I believe Steve Finnan should be taking them. I actually think he's good enough to take them with either foot, swinging it in from both sides. Gerrard and Alonso both put the ocassional great dead ball in, but also a lot of crap considering how well both players pass the ball in open play. Finnan for me is far and away the best crosser of a ball in the squad. He crosses consistently well with both feet, and his dead balls from deep are spot-on. Watch the goals we've scored this season from crosses into the area, and more often than not its his delivery. We've got plenty of height, to me it's important we make the most of our set-pieces and at present we aren't.

MacKay is Djimi's Traore agent as well isn't he. Wish he'd do as good a job of unsettling Champions League winner Djimi as he is everyone else...

Grudging praise from Mike is equlivalent to extravagent praise from anyone else...

Absolutely - Romario is a legend in his own right, and give him a chance I'm sure it'll still end up in the net. But you look at Brazil's choice of strikers, and there's simply no way he'll be in the squad...

Our record of buying strikers over the last 15 years or so is appalling. £11m for Heskey, £10m for Diouf, £8.5m for Collymore who was brilliant but completely bonkers, £14m for Cisse. It really is unbelievable how poor we've been in the transfer market when it comes to forwards. The only decent ones we've had have come through the youth system. Riedle was one who was quality but was coming to the end of his career...

Talk about blowing your own trumpet...

See I agree Rafa preaches a team mentality and doesn't necessarily demand 20 goals each from his strikers. But in getting caught up in the goals debate people really are missing the point, and that is the rest of his game isn't up to scratch at the moment either! He isn't holding the ball up, or really winning a great deal in the air. It begs the question of those who say he's doing well - what exactly is it he's doing?

I'd love to see a striker at Anfield who can actually run at players. I thought Cisse would do that, but boy was I wrong there. Cisse can run, but not really 'at players' and only in a straight line. Morientes can run, but very, very slowly. Crouch can run across a busy road without actually getting touched by the traffic, but not at players. Robbie - of course that isn't his game. I know its asking a lot, but a Rooney or Henry 'type' player of at least somewhere in the same stratosphere as those two would complete our side...

Oh you big tease... Thats quality mate - remember how good Crouch was against us last season? When someone plays as well as Pennant did last night against you, and you're already interested in them, its got to make a deal more likely. My mate in the know with Birmingham says Bruce has told Pennant if he plays to his best for the rest of the season and does his best to help them stay up, he won't stand in the way of his 'dream move' to us come the end of the season. Apparently they tried to sign Routlege on a loan with a view to permanent to cover for losing Pennant in the summer, so they are already looking at it happening. Feckin hope so...

this thread is going to be a classic...

Makes today's OOTs seem damn good compared to the old days. We may ocassionally complain about their jester hats and lack of song knowledge, but at least they aren't genocidal...

...from Heskey's point-blank header last night was one of the best I've seen 'live'. He had moved to come for the cross, but as it swung away and the ball came to Heskey just 5 yards out, he had to adjust his footing and fling himself across the goal to push it wide. Even then he had to have strong hands to get enough purchase on it to divert the ball round the post, and Heskey had plenty of power in the header. Only topped for me by Schmeichel's save for City from Diouf in his last season. Brilliant Pepe lad - forgotten a bit now because of what happened after, but by all rights should have been a match-winning save. 23 years old? What a keeper he is going to be if he's this good at such a young age for his position.

Yeah I'd give my MOM to Harry. Practically every time we threatened he was involved, and he worked hard as well.