Mikey

Yakubu, Bent, Kuyt(sp?), Torres, Defoe, Owen at least were being linked with the right quality of strikers. 1 from the first 3 and 1 from the last 3 for me please. Hate to say it but Bellamy is a good player.

I've seen SWP against him and to be fair he got past him a couple of times, Giggs did him a fair few years back now when he was still a kid. Joaquin(sp?) did him time after time 12 months ago when Cole was on top form and playing well, never seen anyone else anywhere near that effective against Cole. I'd be happy with SWP as an alternative by the way!

Its funny really because I think he is massively under-rated, if he's not the best LB in the world then I don't know who is. He's also the reason that I still secretly want Joaquin(sp?) as RW, he's the only player I've ever seen give Cole the run around.

Realistically, anyone coming in would have to know that it would be 'difficult' to become first choice so most wouldn't even consider it, Parker at Chelsea? Also, assuming we sign the fabled RM we need, how many games is our 4th choice CM actually going to play barring serious injuries? Zenden can play there, JAR has played there for Norway and done OK, United murdered Newcastle with Giggs and O'Shea in the middle. So do we need anyone really? I'd love Barton though!

Dunno mate, but as you've asked this in two threads I'm interested to know why? News from Spain?

Pennant won't come if we are signing a 'bigger' name RM, he's got ambitions for Beckhams place when he's put out to grass after the WC. I think that Gonzales and Aurelio if he comes, also to some extent Kromkamp, are not exactly cheap dealings but excellent scouting and taking opportunities quickly when they arise. Unlike us generally in the transfer market I know! FWIW I think we will see at least 2 strikers join in the Summer, depending on Robbie's position, and 1 RW to go straight into the team. Also got a sneaky feeling that Didi will be off back home after the WC, really stands out how he's lost his mobility now we've seen Momo play. Not saying he's not a good player but possibly not what we need as back up.

I think this is part of it, Rafa seems to be trying to fit a proper dead ball specialist into the team and realistically its got to be a RW or LB. Adds goals directly from set pieces and frees up Gerrard from taking them and lets one of our best headers of the ball get into the box for freekicks and corners, or he hangs around the edge of the box tp smash back partial clearances. And he's fast.

So why hasn't he signed a pre-contract with us then? And Warnock is embarassingly inept.

If only....... Not seen any evidence that we're looking at him but we bloody well should be. And Defoe carries far more threat than any striker we currently have on the books by the way. Both have pace to burn and we need it.

Can't find any info on it anywhere but someone posted it in a thread on here yesterday or today, Eskimo? Figaro? Elisha?

Dead right, I was watching it yesterday thinking the exact same thing. As for Red mist's comment "Lampard is s***, Ballack is alright" dear me. Lampard will get 15 goals every season playing for Chelsea and I'll put money on Ballack getting close to him, their defence is bettter than ours at the moment and Makelele is better than Hamann period and just Sissoko at the moment. Out wide its no contest.

Regarding strikers we all do mate including Rafa or Robbie wouldn't be back. Our goalscoring record is appalling, the last 2 months especially so and it is that alone which has cost us 2nd place and could cost us 3rd or even 4th, look at Bolton with 2 games in hand.

Diao and Cheyrou are out of contract thank God so they're off for notbhing apart from saved wages, which will be a few million quid. Mellor and Potter might fetch £.5M between them, Dudek £1-2M, kirkland £2M, Garcia £5M, Morientes £3M, Cisse £6M if we're lucky. The plus point is that if all 11 left we would only need to bring in 4 or 5 players to replace them at the most. We're sorted for keepers with Carson as back up, we need another left back hopefully the Valencia lad on a free, 2 strikers and a RW and we're done.

With being knocked out last night our potential games left have been reduced severely, most weeks we will only have one game now. With Agger, Kromkamp etc all available for al our remaining games I think we will be fine, this is the downside of starting our season in bloody July, but we'll all be happy with the extra £15M from the CL in the Summer no doubt.

Really short of defensive cover tonight on the bench, Warnock and Barragan with no back-up CB I'd imagine if Sami isn't fit.

Which tabloid isn't? And 'The other paper' isn't despised because of the quality of its match reports is it? The Mirror carried a picture of Sissoko training, whats your beef exactly?

We have it delivered, the wife can do the crossword! Wasn't the picture in The Star then?

Can't find it online but in the paper he's squinting a bit out of his 'wrong' un - could be just the photo though. Shouldn't he have some sort of protective eyewear on though in case he gets some mud in it or something?

Went on the stadium and museum tour yesterday afternoon with my lad and a couple of things. when Arsenal move we will have the smallest pitch in the PL, no room to expand it so much as an inch either. Anfield is in s*** state, it really is and the chap doing the tour - Steve - said he thinks we will be struggling to go ahead with the new stadium. I know "what does he know". According to him there are 51,300 names on the season ticket waiting list. Most of the houses around anfield are empty, 2 whole streets on one side, can't remember which one sorry, there are only 3 occupied houses in the street behind the Main stand. Can we not turn the ground through 90 degrees and build on those streets? Museum tour was memorable for us both - tears in eyes stuff.

Shame about todays papers then with pictures of him p1ssed and brawling at 3 in the morning!

Past his sell-by-date, on an ever so slight downhill slope.

No grounds for this whatsoever but I'm really confident about the outcome. He's just too F****** hard to be seriously hurt.

Also the driving force behind Barca's revival - over-rated my @rse.

Seriously United don't need or can afford him, if he comes to the PL its going to be Us, @rse or Chelsea with Chelses being vast favourites purely because its London and the wages they can offer.

We play City at home sumday, then at home to charlton(?) again 7 days later, then at home again the following Wednesday to Benfica. This is the easiest part of the run in regarding games played unless we get knocked out of both the FA cup and CL. Play full strength teams barring injuries and suspensions for the next 3 games and see where we are then. Against City -----Reina----- SF--DA/DT--SH--JAR SG--DH--XA--HK --PC--FM Carson Cisse Kromkamp LG DA/DT Against Charlton ------Reina------ SF--JC--SH---JAR SG--DH--XA--HK ---PC---RF--- Carson DA/DT Cisse LG Kromkamp Same against Benfica Hardly scraping the barrel is it?