BG

This content is not viewable to guests.

Difficulty on trying to upgrade at centre back is the number of really good ones about is really really small - I think Hansen was commenting on this recently. Indeed both Agger and Skrtel seem to have been at the centre of quite serious from some very big clubs over the past year or two.

The thing that impresses me about him most, and its related to his decision making as others have noted, is that he's playing in a position where you don't expect a nineteen year old to look brilliant. Its an awful lot easier to look brilliant as a tricky fast winger than as the player at the front of the diamond. Very strong and composed on the ball too.

What a day. What a result. What a player and leader Steven Gerrad is. And credit to City - looked brilliant at times. And they showed some class off the pitch before and after the game I thought too.

Kroos reminds me a little of Andreas Moller in temperament. You can just see he has massive massive self belief. We'll never sign him...but here's to the dream.

This content is not viewable to guests.

More revenge please! Not just from Suarez either!!

At least Hodgson's not around any more.

Not even the best midfielder at Everton to have spent the money on. In a more general sense what Martinez has done with Everton is also pretty damning of Moyes.

Sam Wallace. Was at university with friend of mine, good guy apparently, albeit a manc

We may be getting close to the point of insertions

Was coming

Funny running style.

This content is not viewable to guests.

Agree (as above). And also agree on Messi and Ronaldo. I think Ibrahimovich is probably there too.

Not sure I can ever remember anyone being this good for us in a season. Barnes and Gerrard have both had seasons where they were basically unplayable but I'm not sure they were actually this good. It's astonishing really.

The ad boards in the background are advertising Manchester United summer football camps: "learn to play the united way". Too good.

This content is not viewable to guests.

Is that not what Ilori should be for?

This content is not viewable to guests.

It makes me a bit uneasy some of that stuff. If Wenger, who clearly feels similarly, said the same that explicitly there'd be no shortage of criticism...

Agree in general but football clubs (and other sporting concerns) are unusual businesses in several ways, not least the fact that they pay more in staff costs vs turn-over than just about any other form of business. Some other businesses with vaguely similar staff vs revenue costs and turnovers (e.g. advertising agencies) give CEO's similar packages. The other point is that were Ayre really good at his job this would probably seem like a good deal (vs say the multiple of his salary that players like Downing got).

Bit harsh on the lad to put him - a seminal figure in world history - in there with Aspas and Alberto

Total lack of intensity from us today. Playing like this is a mid table encounter in May.

This isn't really the place for this debate but a few final points! 1. They are not undergoing surgery, they are undergoing angiography which is distinct, and represents a very different population. 2. The statement that South Asians have smaller luminal diameters - on average - is not controversial. To some degree this is accounted for by their lower average height vs caucasians but this doesn't account for all of it. 3. Agreed on totally healthy individuals though that study will never exist as angiography - the means of determining luminal size - is too expensive, too time consuming and too risky to conduct on young 'healthy' populations for research. For now, therefore, this is the best information we have on the matter. 4. The reasons thought to lie behind this narrowing are controversial and almost certainly multi-factorial but are not adequately explained by higher cardiovascular risk factors (e.g. cholesterol, smoking etc) - and nor for that matter is South Asians' increased cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. Just to be clear this is South Asians only. In general I agree, certainly as regards football, that socio-cultural reasons are far more important than genetic ones in development of elite players of sports such as tennis, football etc.