goodrobotusses

http://www.darlofc.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15733&sid=727f2778ebe1b1088b55e1ceb615a08f

There's a snake in ma boots.

Don't believe the Bent links, but if we were considering it, we may as well save a few bob and re-sign Cisse.

I think he's been more on the right than left because he just gets in Enrique's way on the left. I really want to see Bellamy left (him and Enrique combine well), Maxi right (he combines with everyone) and Gerrard behind the striker linking play. Add Suarez's movement ahead of those when he's back and we're quids in.

I can see that, yeah. We're only halfway through the season anyway, so this is all pie in the sky from me. I'm assuming we won't have a massive collapse in the second half of the season, so I guess it'll all be assessed on how much we've progressed from this time last year.

Going back to last summer's buying strategy, I think the whole "we're not in CL, therefore no one will come here" is a slight red herring. Leaving Suarez aside, Comolli managed to sign Luka Modric – one of the best-regarded young players in the game at the time – when Spurs were outside the CL. Now Modric was at Dinamo Zagreb, so yeah, going to Spurs was a big step for him compared with, say, Juan Mata theoretically going from Valencia to a CL-less Spurs or Liverpool (that's from the player's perspective, before I get chewed out). I don't think every big European prospect would have automatically written us off as a place to go simply because we were without CL, especially in light of the club's new-found ambition/'project' under FSG. Anyhoo, that's me done with Champ Man land for now. (I don't play the game, so I'm not going to propose any alternative targets – will leave that to the experts.)

NO NO! Ha, just read that back. Oops. They've stated CL is the target this season IIRC, with the aim to be pushing for the title in three years. I don't think they will keep the management if they perceive Kenny to have 'failed'. I don't think they're Abramovich-like hirers and firers, but I think they do have a ruthless streak in them. Just my instinct, like.

I'll respect your opinions on the matter, mate, but Michael Cox's view is probably the last thing I'm going to care about, as nice a fella as he seems.

That pretty succinctly sums up my thoughts on the matter. We went for 'PL proven' in a bid for 4th. We'll only know if it worked in May. If we do get 4th, I'd hope to see more ambitious targets then. I don't think FSG will hang around if we don't get it though.

Ronaldo wasn't that great in the air. Probably his only real weakness, aside from pies and dodgy knees.

That's a jump of £6,499,994. Inflation, eh?

He carries it without purpose, though, to the detriment of our attacking game. He might run quick for five seconds, but then he stops, waits, assesses (slowly), and lays it off backwards, by which point all the momentum the initial run gave the attack is gone. So frustrating. He's a classic English player – has all the basic elements of a footballer without the speed of thought or imagination of a good one.

Do think this is more a patch of bad form and not having Lucas alongside him. He's worth what we paid for him and should eventually become a very useful squad player. He has weaknesses – poor stamina, lack of awareness of what's outside of his immediate field of vision, possibly the worst balance/agility I've ever seen in a professional footballer – but he's got a good attitude and is capable of more than we've seen these past few games. Maybe he needs a second babysitter in central midfield (which limits how we can use him), and having only really experienced Ian Holloway's everyone-run-everywhere-all-the-time dumb but fun style of football he's a bit lacking in control/intelligence, but he's not a bad player by any stretch.

I'm more concerned about some of those prices – £6 for Adam??

Kenny wants a player in a certain position or of a certain type, Comolli provides a list based on the work of him and his team, Kenny picks. That's how Comolli suggests it is – says he's not allowed to sign a player Kenny doesn't want. Says if he isn't interested, the name gets put aside. Kenny did credit Comolli with the Suarez signing though – said it was pretty much all tied up before he was given the job.

That's what you took from tonight?

Even if Gerrard wasn't fit enough to start, Maxi and Bellamy should be ahead of him in the pecking order.

Good lord.

Read this today. Do think we've moved too much towards reliance on crossing. Without Suarez or Gerrard on the pitch (first half versus Newcastle) everything seems to end up being about getting it wide and crossing it in a Martin O'Neill fashion because we have no one willing/able to link between the lines. For a more naturally movement/passing-based team, I'd like to see something along the lines of: Reina Johnson Skrtel Agger Enrique Lucas (when fit) Henderson Maxi Gerrard Bellamy/Kuyt Suarez

Granero's a decent player.

Another from the Le Havre academy. Lets hope his attitude is better than a lot of the others who have come through there.

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Strikers especially.

Cripes.