alias75

didn't we beat them at OT not long ago?? when they played a stronger side. Either way these are a talented bunch, we should still be in the youth cup to be honest we were much better than Utd until the players lost their heads but the bottom line is we want to be producing good players for the first team and there does seem to be a lot with a good chance.

Im sure quite a few of our side can play U18s again next season too, either way they've played some great stuff and i think its fair to say this is the most promising U18 team we've had in terms of potential to produce players for the 1st team. Maybe its just because we see a lot more of them now but i can't remember a group as talented as this. And apparently the U16's are meant to be better!!

He's still very young although physically he looks older than he is. Something like making better decisions is something you get with experience and from being put in those situations in a game situation time after time. I think one of the reasons someone like Sterling stands out is because even though he's only 16 he seems to make the right decision more often than not which is really encouraging.

photos on the official...

To be honest based on the tail end of this season i think we're pretty close to Arsenal and they'll probably lose Fabregas in the summer. Yes they'll have CL and we won't but surely this decision will be based on more than 1 season and im happier where we're heading compared to Arsenal who look like they have the same problems they've had for the last 3-4 seasons. If it is City id be tempted to insist on Hart as part of the deal, hes not as good as Reina but GK is such a tough position to fill and i do think hes a very good keeper so it could be an opportunity to get him cheaper than if he were on the open market if they really wanted Reina and it would take the hassle out of trying to secure a replacement, because GK is such an important position.

Great article and encouraging to hear we won't be signing players in positions that would block the progress of a promising youngster. You only have to look at the summer and the signings of Cole when we have Pacheco and Poulson when we have Spearing as examples of where a young players progress has been blocked by an aged player on huge wages providing little value for money. As the article said there are some positions where you need experience, id say CB is one of those positions but i do think we should be looking to blood Kelly slowly next season, giving him the odd game there so he can get used to playing there at PL level. We do have some promising young players at CB but its a very tough position to learn on the job because usually a mistake leads to a goal, but id like to see Wisdom out on loan to a championship side next season and the same with players like Coady and maybe even Sterling who probably aren't quite ready for the first team yet but need to experience what its like playing in a pressurised environment like the Championship, that surely would be better for their development than playing in the reserves.

hopefully yet is the appropriate word.

Matuidi has talked openly about wanting to play CL football so that might work against although Comolli seemed pretty confident we were going to attract the right quality of player. Hopefully potential signings can look past 1 bad year and see what we're trying to build here and buy into that. There do seem to be 2 or 3 options for that ball winning central midfielder though and N'Villa has been scouted a lot so hopefully we can get the right one. N'Villa looks a really good player every time ive seen him, hes not only athletic and able to get about the pitch but he can pass it well which is important in that position. There are plenty of Sissoko types around who can run all day and cover plenty of ground but if you can't pass it in that position its a big handicap.

Maybe but we might sign that type of player to play on the right, more than anything we need good quality delivery from the wide positions. If you have fullbacks that are reasonably quick and good going forward theres less need for that type of player.

If you look at what we need though we don't really need a tricky dribbling type of winger we need more of a Beckham style of wide player someone that can put quality balls into the box for Carroll and Downing can do that. As someone else said Riera wasn't lightening or tricky but he was a genuine wide left player that held his width and that helped with the balance of the team. I think Downing is a similar type of player, he won't beat his man with a trick but he can create the space to deliver quality and with someone like Carroll thats all you need.

Was watching the Villa game on the weekend and Downing was pretty good for them, his delivery is excellent and i do think he'd be a great player for Carroll. Hes not lightening but hes not slow either and he can play right or left, sometimes you have to get players to fit your system and to fit the other players you have and i do think someone like Downing would be a solid option depending on the fee. Watching Villa this season Young is playing centrally much more and in his recent games for England when hes played well its been centrally, we don't really need another central midfielder behind the forwards type player, im not sure how effective Young's been out wide recently but the fact hes been playing centrally suggests not that well. Downing on the other hand is a proper winger that can cross a ball, and with Carroll we need a certain type of winger and Downing fits the bill.

Ok sorry you can remove my post if you like, i know the city is probably the worst place in the world for rumours so hopefully its not true.

Anyone else heard the rumours about Kenny?? hopefully its BS but it might explain why he hasn't been given a new contract.

Think it also shows we're teaching our young players the right way to play which is encouraging. You could have excused him for taking the easy option but he tried to pass it all night, watching the reserves and U18 it does look as if they're being coached to keep trying to pass it and its great to see someone come into the first team and have the confidence to play that way on their debut.

Yeah sometimes your forced into playing a young player and they surprise you with how well they make the step up, obviously its just 1 game but it does make you wonder how well some of our other young players would handle it if called upon. Personally i think it makes sense in every way to use our young players to fill the squad so the money we spend can be on quality. Have a squad of 15-16 top quality players and then use young players to fill the rest of the squad. The amount of money we're putting into young players suggests this will be part of a long term strategy.

Wow didn't expect that tonight, but i think it goes to show what happens when you have better balance throughout the team i.e proper fullbacks playing in their proper positions. Flannagan was excellent for someone to come into a game like that on your debut and play the way he did is a credit to him, it does make you wonder how a lot of our younger players will handle the step up. Kelly's come in and been one of our best players this season and now Flannagan slots in as if hes played 50 PL games. He passed it well and was never really caught out, thought Dirk worked really hard to help him out to. I would like to see more of our young players given a chance and used to help fill out the squad so money we spend can be on quality. Someone like Poulson is a prime example, we spend £5million on him plus who knows how much in wages when we already have Spearing who could do the job of a 4th choice central midfielder, its great when a young player comes in and does well not only for the fans but it gives all those other young players hope that they can do it too, this is definitely one of the most talented group of young players we've ever had so hopefully we can see 5 or 6 of them make the step up over the next few seasons. Carroll and Suarez showed what they're going to bring to the team, a genuine partnership with goal threat throughout the 90min, can't wait to see how they go with a proper pre-season and better players around them more suited to getting the best out of what they offer. Agree that we need a 3rd striker who can come on when they tire, maybe someone like Conor Wickham? If you were a City fan you'd be worried about where all that moneys gone, signing players with highly dubious mental strength (Ballotelli and Dzeko) and over priced English players that are quite average. Rumours that Tevez is off in the summer would be a worry cos hes one of the few they've signed with the right quality and attitude. Just goes to show how important the mentality of the player is as well as their ability.

Think Adam would be very effective in a lot of home games where we see plenty of possession but we need better for the tougher games. As a side not see we've been linked with Gareth Bale today, suppose he'd help with the left side problem...

Im not sure Adam is a necessary signing at the moment unless theres plenty of money available and we manage to get decent money for the likes of Cole and Jovanovic. We badly need an injection of pace into the team, and that starts at the back with a CB and left back and we need a central midfielder that can get about the pitch and put his foot in. I guess theres 2 ways of doing it either we rely totally on our fullbacks to provide the width which means we need to sign a left back that can get up and down the pitch and has good quality (Baines, Clichy, Enrique) or we need to sign at least 1 proper wide player that can run with the ball at pace and help provide the ammunition for Carroll (someone like Ashley Young) I think Adam would be a great signing against those teams that would sit off us and give us plenty of the ball but we need someone else for when we play the bigger teams because a midfield of him and Lucas just isn't mobile enough or quick enough to cope. Hopefully theres enough money available that we can sign both Adam and some like N'Villa and we can be selective when they play. But injecting pace into the team especially in the wide areas has to be our #1 priority.

I have no problem keeping Johnson as you say hes far down the list in areas that need to be improved but if we do keep him i do think it has to be at right back, we need a proper let back, not a right back filling in there. ( he could be 2nd or 3rd choice in case of an emergency) To get the best out of someone like Carroll we need fullbacks on both sides that can get forward into those wide areas and deliver quality service, Newcastle had basically 4 options out wide, 2 wingers and 2 fullbacks that supported them, at the moment we have centre backs playing fullbacks so they offer nothing going forward and we have central midfielders playing out wide so they always want to come inside. The team lacks balance at the moment so a proper left back is a priority. Johnson showed in those first 6months that in a strong well balanced team he can be a huge attacking weapon from right back and hopefully thats what he can do again.

Kelly could save us a fortune at CB but hes looked so good at right back it must be tempting to cash in on Johnson and use that money to get a CB. If we could get Johnson back to the attacking force he was in his first 6 months id give Kelly a try at CB obviously sign a proper left back and see how he goes. He has everything to be a top player there hes strong in the air and quick, the only problem would be its much more responsibility in terms of organising and positional play compared to playing at fullback and im sure he'd make mistakes while he learnt what it takes at PL in that position.

Yeah Cole looks like hes forgot how to play football!! But because its Joe Cole im sure there'll be 2 or 3 teams prepared to take him off us and pay for the privilege. Hopefully his wages aren't a problem but he does strike me as the type of player that will leave and take a pay cut rather than sit on the bench. If hes told he has no future here i think he'll move, maybe back to West Ham, but im sure there are a few mid level PL teams that would take a chance on him still. With Pacheco i just think hes deserved a chance in the last few months even as a substitute. Cole has shown nothing when hes played, and its not as if we're blessed with talented technically sound attacking players with a bit of flair and vision.

Dawson would be a massive improvement on what we have at the moment so if there's a chance of that happening id take it. Yes hes not mistake free but i don't know many defenders that are, but overall hes very solid, strong in the air and good on the ball. Think Arsenal will be in for Cahill so that might be a problem for us, but hopefully Kenny and Comolli can sell their vision of where we're heading to the players they want and a lack of CL football won't be a factor. If we're seen to be spending big money and bringing in 4 or 5 top quality players that might convince the right players to sign.

It really is confusing why he hasn't figured more for us especially in the Europa Cup, hopefully he impresses while at Norwich and can take the place of Joe Cole next season. Cole has done nothing whenever he's had a chance all hes doing at the moment is taking a huge amount of money in wages and blocking a talented young player from getting a chance. I still think there are enough clubs stupid enough to give us 4-5 million for Cole and if thats the case we should move him on pronto and give Pacheco a chance. He isn't ready to be a consistent 1st team player at the moment, but last season he proved he can be an effective sub, he does have great movement and technical ability something we're not overly blessed with at the moment in the 1st team squad.

Huge summer for the owners but im pretty confident they know what they have to invest in the team to get us back to challenging for top 4. Hopefully we can still attract the quality of player good enough to improve us sufficiently. Man Utd will probably be spending plenty in the summer and Man City too, i guess our greatest asset at the moment is we can almost guarantee some of these players first team football and hopefully thats enough to get some like Enrique, think Cahill might be more difficult if Arsenal want him. We are being linked with the right types of players though which i guess is something everyone knows we need players with pace in the team hopefully with Commolli here that will happen.

We had 1 fit fullback going into todays game and its been like this for a while now, having poor quality of players is one thing and the quality of our squad does need improving but when you add to that a complete lack of balance throughout the side and its a miracle we are where we are really. It will be a pleasant experience just to see players playing in their proper positions and fullbacks playing fullbacks and left footers playing on the left, and central midfielders playing in central midfield, at the moment we can't even do that. Obviously losing GJ and Agger before half an hour was up seriously hurt our chances today. Everyone knows the squad isn't strong enough, but it makes the decision to allow Insua and Aquillani go out on loan for a season all the more incredible, that was the previous managers decision.