Guz

5th would bea decent result for Spurs given they were even bigger of a joke club about 5 years ago and the top 4 being difficult to break into. But they need to start challenging for the cups a lot stronger this season. I wonder with the likes of Newcastle, Pompey, Villa, Spurs, City, Everton, West Ham etc. strengthening their squads if the premier league is going to slowly become more like La Liga with the teams between 5th and 10th more capable of taking points off the top 3/4.

I think it is. I'm not saying Rafa should be given the boot if we go backwards for example but serious questions will be raised if we don't mount at least a half decent title challenge and put some pressure on Chelsea/Man United. A bit like Chelsea in Abramovich's first year I think we're partly playing for just a bit of belief and self confidence that we can cut it at the very top in the league. The likes of Pennant, Kewell, Benayoun, Alonso, Sissoko, Kuyt and Crouch don't have excuses either. They have to perform. They're not new to the league and with the exception of Benayoun, are not new to the club. I'm sure there'll be an opportunity for everyone to get a good number of games but I'd say almost all midfield and striker positions are still up for grabs for players to make themselves "first choice". I'd say only Gerrard has a cemented spot in there (and he needs to improve as well) and it's up to those 7 players + Voronin, Torres maybe Lucas to have the hunger to force themselves in regularly.

Spot on. I dont think Uniteds team was as settled as people make it out to be. They had a lot of defensive injuries towards the end of the season but attacking wise - they had a core nucleus of Scholes, Giggs, Rooney and Ronaldo (+ maybe Carrick) and everything fit around that. Park, Saha, Solskjaer, Fletcher, O'Shea, Richardson all played their fair share of games. Rafa showed in 05/06 that if players are performing then he'll allow them to form a unit - Momo, Xabi, Gerrard and Crouch played a lot of games together. Kewell included in there too. Add that to the back four and we had a pretty settled side for the league. As you say, it seems only Gerrard and Torres are part of our core group of attacking players and it's up to Babel, Pennant, Kewell, Crouch, Kuyt, Benayoun, Pennant, Voronin and Alonso to force Rafa's hand to play them by putting in some quality performances early in the season. I hope they've all got the hunger to do so. The good thing of that though is only Babel and Voronin are new to the league. The other 6 have no excuses.

Dont think Alonso will ever play like Scholes further up the pitch but when he's playing alongside Mascherano, the biggest advantage will be that we'll [in theory] be able to keep the ball further up the pitch and hopefully have more posession in the final third. Against arsenal at home for what seemed like the first time all season both of our wingers (Pennant and Gonzalez) were getting into good positions high up the pitch with opportunities to have a run against the full back. It was happening more often in Rafa's first season when Gerrard was out injured and Xabi played alongside Didi for a few games. Far too often last year our wide players would get the ball too deep and often up against 2 players so would either try a crazy run past them or have to pass it backwards.

We have a big f*** off stadium waiting in the wings to be built, I would expect nothing else to be honest. Not that I think we will sign anyone (except maybe a youngster and Heinze or equivalent LB/CB) after the CL qualifiers but it's a possibility. We've completed a big deal after the qualifiers every year since Rafa has been here haven't we? Cant quite remmber how close to the deadline Kuyt was though

Maybe CL qualification? Just because we're a little bit richer now doesnt mean that won't be an issue.

Can't help but think Jamie will say yes because he won't want to let him down. Hopefully tells him where to shove it though

Mascherano has hardly played since a full Copa America. Personally think Momo is nailed on to start with Xabi. Hopefully Kewell left and Gerrard right.

I thought he had a decent season last year. If he can improve on his ~1 in 3 (think it was slightly better than that) ratio in the league it'll be a good return.

A win. Doesnt matter how entertaining it is or not.

Yup. If we're going to buy one more attacking player I wonder if we'll wait till CL qualification is confirmed.

Bet he'll still start on the right (or left) vs Villa with Momo and Xabi in the middle. Not that I mind to be honest

I'm not saying tonight's game wasnt a little frustrating, but we did that 12 months ago at Cardiff and had our worst start in the league in the 3 years of Rafa's management.

United didnt take that many more points from the other top 4 than we did. They won the league because they beat "the rest" almost all the time. Sheff Utd away, Newcastle away, Blackburn home, Blackburn away, Pompey home and away, Everton home and away, Villa away, Man City away. Too many blips along the way because our attacking play was too weak. We're a very very good side but we just need that extra little bit of consistency and edge to our attacking play. I dont think the Guardian article is that bad but the point about rotation is a bit annoying given that Ferguson probably did it more last year.

I've not seen him that much but is he better than Finnan at this current time? I can only assume the lack of interest in Alves is due to the price and Rafa is content with Finnan/Arbeloa and Gerrard/Pennant/Benayoun for the right hand side. Dont agree with this first choice target last year either. Upfront was a more pressing matter and we went to great lengths to make sure we got Kuyt

Direct free kicks? No idea. Corners and free kicks knocked into the box hopefully Steve Finnan for me. Or Kewell

I wanna get that feeling back of going into league games very very confident of a victory

There are a few streets (or used to be atleast when i went with my dad) off priory rd that arent restricted. We always used to park there. Maybe give the scals 50p occasionaly to make sure they didnt let the tyres down but never been clamped or fined. There are loads of places to park as long as you dont mind a 10-15min walk (which is a lot better than sitting in the car going nowhere) Very few better feelings when yer a kid than walking through the streets around Anfield and then spotting the ground as the streets get busier and busier.

I think he's been ok. Needs to step it up this season again though. Same goes for Kewell, those two can make our season

Didn't we have like the 2nd best defence in the league that season or is my memory playing tricks on me? Goals against wise i mean. I think at home there were quite a few teams who werent giving away many goals but away from home there cant have been many that conceeded less than us

I dont know if we're going to challenge for the league or not but I am sure we will be alot closer and agree with your general point. After our treble in 2001 we signed Dudek, Kirkland and Riise so 2 players that went straight into the first team. United who had just won the league signed van Nistelrooy, Veron, Forlan, Blanc and Roy Carrol yet we finished above them. Now, I'm not saying the same is going to happen again whatsoever but making a point about how hard it is to predict how a season will pan out.

But Mascherano allows Alonso to play further up the field. Against Arsenal at home we kept the ball further up the field, Pennant and Gonzalez (our wingers that day) received the ball closer to the Arsenal penalty area and had more opportunities to run at the full backs rather than get the ball near the half way line and have to take on two players or pass it backwards as was often the case last year. I think it's got a lot of potential as a partnership, especially against the better sides.

Hang on, having a release clause written into the contract is different to having a random letter written to you by the club surely

Still got over a month till the window closes so I can see us standing firm on this for a while yet. I'm sure we have other options though.

Really interesting quote that and quite an astute observation on Gerrard, seemingly even when he was a captain at youth level. Even now that sums up his captaincy (less so now than 3 years ago mind). He's not Roy Keane and he wont go shouting at his own players , pulling players into position or whatever. He'll try to get the ball and do things himself and hope everyone else follows suit. I think it must come from being so much better than the players around him as a kid.