DJS

The funny thing about the Pompey game was that they were almost slating Rafa for 'needing to resort to the subs bench' in order to win - as if it was a form of cheating, or something Cretins.

I wasnt putting you in anything, that's just paranoia on your part. As for leaders, i'm not discounting their impact but to suggest that you can only win most of those types of games with big players is wrong in my opinion. Some teams barely have what we'd call big players, and they manage it, so i dont see why we cant more often than not. It's obviously a collection of various things rather than one simple solution, but we dont help ourselves when it comes to our reluctance to commit bodies forward in numbers and maybe take a risk in pursuit of a winning goal. If we're in a crossing position (from open play) and there's 3 red shirts waiting in the box, it's pretty unusual. One of the biggest problems as i see it, is that we reduce our threat considerably by not pushing more people forward in times of need and that happens so frequently, that it must surely be at the manager's instruction. In my view, it cost us last season and has done so again this year. It's not a coincidence that Man Utd are a side who actively pile bodies forward when they need a winner, and that they also tend to get that winner on a regular basis.

I dont think rafa's comfortable in risking a defeat, to go out and force a winner. And the result is too many draws. Whether you like the terminology or not, the point remains and the stats back it up. As for 'big players', how many big players do you need to beat WHU, Stoke, Fulham etc at home?

I'm not sure that we do, i dont think it's in Rafa's makeup to do that. His footballing mentality isnt to take a risk, it's very rare that he's willing to do so. For example, when playing one up front and chasing a winner, he rarely puts on an additional striker, he'll stick with one up front and if he brings one on, it'll be like for like - eg, keeping just one up front. Earlier in the season, he was doing it - and it was no coincidence that we turned around those defecits to win late on in the games. We did it at home to Wigan and Boro, away to City and to be fair, recently at Pompey but he seems very reluctant to do it and i think it's cost us.

No, it's not that at all is it? We're not cautious, we really go for the jugular, dont we?

No we havent, not in all of them. We were going hell for leather in those early games - Wigan and Boro, for example. But it hasnt been like that all season. We go for it when we're losing, but very rarely before. Hull City, case in point - we go 2-0 down, then pile on the pressure, get back to 2-2 and then it stops. Everton at home - we were toiling, but go 1-0 up with 20 mins to go, and then sit back. We went for it against Stoke and didnt have the rub of the green. Fulham and West Ham, we were sloppy and i dont think we threw the kitchen sink at either of them. It's a common trait in our play - we only really go for it when we're behind.

This aint news to anyone. I've been banging on about us dropping stupid home points since the middle of last season. We did it then and we've done it again. The solution is simple - Rafa either takes of the shackles - or never wins the PL.

Never saw anything of the sort.

Indeed. If that lineup stayed fit most of the season, we'd win the title. Spain were even money to win tonight...madness.

Would be easy enough to do: .........Torres....Villa Riera...Xabi...Mascher...Gerrard

I think i'll watch that Italy v Brazil game to see what the feck the Italians see in Dossena - he must do something in the Azzuri shirt that he doesnt do for us.

The timing of the remaining games is crucial and doesnt really do us favours. If the mancs had Arsenal and Villa in March, that would've been better for us. As it is, they play Villa on 4th April and Arsenal second to last game of the season - by which point, they could've already won it. We have to stick on their coat tails for the next 6 weeks.

You know what i mean, got my days mixed up I fly out on the morning of the 25th and back on the 26th...balls to what day's what, i'm working with calender dates now!

Yep, going out on the tuesday but flying back on the wednesday morning, because my boss is a s***.

Premier League is meant to start on 8th August 2009, early because of the world cup. So the Football League campaign should kick off on 1st August, with the Charity Shield on August 2nd.

3-0 in 90 mins please. We dont need 2 hours and a shootout...and the confidence from a battering would rocket.

Simply a case of a signing that Rafa didnt actually want. If the manager doesnt rate the player, he's not going to pick him much, stands to reason. To be fair to rafa, Keane hasnt exactly performed brilliantly when he's played.

Look at Villa's and look at ours. There's such a thing as performing to close to your best. Do that, and we'd win the title. So in my book, we're good enough.

Is there no option to change the date of your flight? Might have to pay a small suppliment, but i'm sure easyjet do that, dont they?

Hughes and Souness are the immediate ones that come to mind.

I wasnt saying they'd win it, was i?

City seem like they might be doing it more wisely though, rather than just signing the glamourous super-bucks type of player, they look as though they might target people who want to play football and will strengthen the areas that actually need it. They could just go and buy flashy glamour players, but maybe Hughes will be smarter than that, if given the chance. Bridge could easily have stayed at Chelsea and picked up the wages, but he obviously wants to play football. That's the kind of attitude City need to target. On the other hand, they're so rich that they might just have offered Bridge even more money than he's on at Chelsea

Fully agree, it's the obvious consequence of buying players who are just there for the money. They're not there because they want to win for Chelsea, they're there because the wages were the highest offered. When push comes to shove, they're not entirely fussed and if Chelsea go downhill, they'll just jump ship and take the next big offer. Much as i dislike Terry and Lampard, they're two of the few who actually have the hunger and desire and that is what keeps Chelsea going.

Spot on that. I remember their game at Blackburn earlier this season, half the stand behind the goal was just empty - and i remembered thinking what a joke it was, we take 6000 odd there every time and they couldnt even fill half the stand. Small timers.