alias75

Hearing lots of good things about this group of players and they have the right man in Rodolfo to get them ready for the first team. Good combination of English and overseas players too.

Makes you wonder what they do on the training pitch defensively we're all over the shop, the individuals are the same bar PFK that have been here for a while when we've consistently been one of the tightest defences. With Hodgson you get the double whammy of a team that concedes loads while still playing defensive football!! Hes gone, whether its this week or next week or the week after the players have given up and he's too clueless to turn it around. There's no way we'll string 3 wins together with him in charge at the moment.

Pepe Johnson Kyrgiakos Skrtel Konchesky Maxi Gerrard Lucas Cole Ngog Torres

the goal was legit cos it came off the Bolton player. Torres' goal was something special, great first time pass from Gerrard, and a top class finish from Torres.

Think the worst that's gonna happen is a few wins gets him till the end of the season, and to be honest as long as he doesn't get us relegated i don't expect anything out of the season anyway. But i think next season there's no way he's still here whatever he does.

Its pointless getting rid if theres no one to come in and replace him. The next permanent appointment is so important its vital we get the right man, and not simply settle for somebody that's currently out of work. Daglish's comments kind of suggest he'd be willing to do the role until the end of the season and that would probably be the best solution at the moment. However unhappy i am with Hodgson im glad NESV are being very careful because the next appointment has to be the right one.

would RH know how to use him? doubt it.

don't think Rijkaard is the right man, the next appointment has to be the right one, as much as we want rid of Hodgosn i don't want us settling for whoevers available now just to make do and find out its the wrong appointment. Hopefully we can persuade Kenny to do the job until the end of the season and then bring someone in. Personally of those mentioned i like Dechamps and Boas, would also hope Joachim Low would be considered. Hopefully we get a young modern thinking manager, Hodgson is stuck 30 years in the past and shows no sign of learning or being willing to change his methods.

The difference is Arsenal and Tottenham make the trade off between playing an attacking brand of football which leaves them open defensively. We're playing a negative brand of football but inviting pressure which has meant we've conceded lots of goals. Its very obvious that Roys methods are just out of date and not fit for the players he has here or the way the game is going. We need a younger more forward thinking coach. Ian Hollaway started off as a traditional 4-4-2 coach he realised quickly he needed to learn more and went all over Europe watching teams like Barcelona and even Swansea under Martinez, i heard him talk about his footballing philosophy the other day and it was all about keeping plenty of width and taking the game to the opposition so you don't have to concentrate too much on defence, Roy hasn't changed in over 20 years. We've not just been beaten by Blackpool and Wolves this season but we've been outplayed in both games.

The way Hodgson sets the team up invites pressure and individually our players aren't good enough to cope. If you keep sitting deep inviting balls into your area sooner or later some things gonna bounce the wrong way and fall to the opposition. At the moment we get the worst of both worlds, usually a team is open defensively when they try and play an attacking brand of football but we're getting the double whammy of negative football and also lots of goals conceded because we sit back and invite balls into our box which our defenders can't cope with.

Keeping Spearing isn't the problem it was signing Poulson when we had Spearing here capable of fitting in when need be. I guess it protects his value giving him a new contract as he did do well in the Championship last season and hopefully it might mean we're looking to get rid of Poulson.

If we're looking to be careful with wages and stuff like that these are the type of players we need to keep in the squad, the same for Spearing signing a new contract, that would be fine had we not spent £5million on Poulson and who knows how much in wages. Its not surprising NESV were so alarmed by some of the contracts we'd given to older players with very little value. Spearing can do everything Poulson can do (probably more) for a fraction of his wage and no transfer fee. Spearing is the type of player we should have as 4th choice if hes happy to fulfil that role. Just makes the signing of Poulson and Konchesy and giving Carragher a new contract look more and absurd. Henry has said it was the size of some of the contracts at the club that nearly stopped them buying, and its no wonder.

Whats happened to Cole is exactly what happens to any English player thats a traditional number 10. They end up getting shunted out wide and told they have to track back. His best season was arguably for West Ham when he played in the middle of midfield, i don't think he could do that now in a 4-4-2 but his best position is centrally so either we play him there or we look to move him on because hes not a wide player. If we're gonna continue with 4-4-2 i don't see where Cole fits in.

Gonna be interesting to see what happens when Stevies fit again, i really hope he sticks with Lucas and Meireles in the middle its working well, its boon proven that Gerrard off Torres is very effective but only if we have a midfield capable of getting the ball to them in good positions, it worked really well when they had Alonso supplying them. I do think it can work just as well with Meireles and Lucas providing the creativity they're both forward thinking players and both good passers so theres no reason why it wouldn't work. Really hope Meireles doesn't get shifted wide right again.

would be made up with Hazard and Young, id heard we were serious about Hazard for January a while ago (think i posted it on this thread) and ive heard the same about Young and also that hes keen to come here. Think their exactly the type of player we've been lacking for a long time, someone that can run with the ball at pace.

Been hearing that Ashley Young is a strong possibility, Spurs also interested but he prefers us.

Wasn't blaming him for the injury (although can you imagine Ferguson or Mourinho allowing their best player to play 90min in a friendly nowadays?) just think it'll be used as another handy excuse if we don't happen to win on the weekend. this kind of stuff happened under Rafa as well where our players always seem to turn out for these pointless friendly games. Torres got injured twice playing for Spain last year when he was just coming back from injury and now it looks like an agreement with England has been broken with Gerrard.

Meireles played the whole game for Portugal too, its crazy that Gerrard was on there at the end, but typical of the club at the moment. Part of me doesn't really mind if missing Gerrard means we don't perform and Hodgson goes, but its probably another handy excuse he'll use to lower expectations even further.

Apparently Rafa had a massive row with Moriatti after yesterdays game, and his position is being questioned.

Arsenal definitely bid for him last season. But i think if we had a different manager he'd be happy to stay, hes always struck me as the ultimate team man and the ultimate professional so if he does want to go things must be pretty bad. Still pretty confident he'll outlast Roy though. If a few more of our better players start making noises that their unhappy and the results and performances continue to be hit and miss im sure Roys position will be questioned.

I don't think Dalla Valle's ready yet, BUT i have no doubt he'll be worth 3-4 million in a few years once hes maybe gone out on loan somewhere. To let him go for nothing is a terrible decision not to mention we also let Alex Kacaniklic go too. All for Paul Konchesky ffs!! Didn't Roy even admit he knew very little about LDV when he let him go??

Think your allowed as many players U21 as you want so he'd qualify under that rule.

I guess Pacheco is the obvious one although the point about letting Dalle Valle go also hints at maybe the foreign youngsters will get less of a chance here. But Pacheco was head and shoulders above people like Ecclestone for the reserves so its just confusing why he hasn't been given a chance, especially since Ecclestone has been played as a wide forward where Pacheco is more suited. Of course im all for young English players being given a chance but it has to be on merit, if Pacheco isn't getting a chance because Roy prefers to try English players then that isn't fair either. Those young foreign players will qualify for the home grown quota soon anyway so that's no reason not to give them a chance. I worry that we'll lose real talent like Pacheco and Ayala and in a few years maybe Suso. Also if young foreign players feel like they'll have less of a chance her we might not be able to attract future world class players from overseas.

Is it a coincidence that the young players that have been given a chance under Roy have all been English? Have to say i have been a little confused how little chance Pacheco has got, not even making the bench. Hes played Ecclestone out wide even though hes a striker and hes played Shelvey out wide even though hes a central midfielder, he hasn't given Pacheco a chance even though he can play in those wide forward positions. Anyone thats watched the reserves last season will know that Pacheco has been a step above most of our other young players (including Ecclestone) Letting Dalle Valle go to Fulham too as part of the Konchesky "deal" also suggests the foreign youngsters aren't going to be given as much of a chance as the English youngsters, even if he wasn't going to make it here im sure hes a player that we could have sold for £3-4 million after a few successful loan spells or something, its seems crazy that he was allowed to leave for nothing (unless we valued Konchesky closer to £7million!!) Im glad players like Kelly and Shelvey are getting a chance, although id wish they'd be getting that chance in their proper positions, but i hope the foreign youngsters we have here of which a few are very highly rated are given the same chance.

Aleksandr Kerzhakov confirms we've approached his agent. Link