honourablegeorge

I'd be amazed if we started without Gerrard.

I've never seen Gerrard score a volley from a throwin for Ireland.

I think it's really hard to leave Sissoko out - he contributes hugely to the team in tersm of tempo and energy, as well as ball winnign and protection. That, along with Aurelio and the failed purchase of Alves, plus Agger...it all points to the occasional use of 3-5-2, for me.

Aye - but chuck in £17M for Wee Mickey, £10M for Luque, £6/7M for Scott Parker, £5M for Emre, £1M for Solano, and whatever else, and you have a £40M loss before you start.

Aye, bt there's more than defending to the full back role, and he was lackign there. Centre half lets him concentrate mainly on defending, which he's great at. And the rest of his game has come on too, what with us having a manager/coach who values technique. That's what I'd have typed, if I wasn't so lazy.

I saw nothing of the game - one thing though - does Crouch look like he's put on any bulk? For all his good qork, there were times last year when he was really weak, and so easily shoved off the ball.

Ashton's the type of player we need, but he's yet to really prove himself in the Premiership. Kuyt's also the type of player we need, he's also unproven in the Premiership, but he's at least done it in Holland. And seems to have a little more pace (though not on the evidence of the world cup). The main difference is that Ashton is English, so you can pretty much think of a fee, double it, and ask for that. And West Ham don't need to sell.

If Alves is any precedent, we're a good million posts away from any sort of resolution.

Viduka regualrly kept Yakubu out of the side at Boro. If Viduka is hungrier than you (and I don't mean the pies), then you're lacking something.

Can only agree on Pauleta - great player to have in your side if the opposition is rubbish,or the game doesn't matter - he has "top scorer in the French league" written all over him. I've warmed to the idea of Klose - he does exactly what it says on the tin. But I can see us being outbid for him quite easily.

Newcastle were laughed out of it with that amount. What worried me is that the realistic targets appear to be Kuyt and Klose, and both Newcastle and United would appear to have the cash to outbid us for either of them. Outside of those two, I can't think of anyone readily available that we could afford, and suits that strong, good-in-the-air old-fashioned centre-forward hyphenated-description role that Maybe Trezeuget, but I think he'd be too much money, both in wages and fees. Out ide of that, we're in CM4 territory, pulling names out of a hat.

Very well said. No criticism of Bruce could ever be sufficient, he's a horrible, bloated corpse of a man.

Terrible shame. He's too f***in' good for that shower.

Diao can't have much left on hsi contract, can he?

I believe the rule is that you can't move between different FAs (as in France to England, or England to Spain, for example) twice in the same calendar year. I'm sure there's plenty more complications to it. Gab Marcotti said some whiel back that the expected outcome is that Juve will get themselves relegated to Serie B, and lose their last two titles, and Milan/Fiorentina/Lazio will start next season with points deductions. Also, points will be deducted from last year too, the upshot being that Inter end up last year's champions, and the clubs affected are unlikely to be in the CL this year. The dirctors/refs will get all sorts of other bans. Napoli have been getting 51,000 crowds in Serie C.

OF THE NEST: ?TO DAY OF TODAY WE HAVE FORGOTTEN THAT DANIEL LEAVES SEVILLE? In the last weeks it seemed that Daniel Alves had foot and means in Seville, but the subject does not seem so clear now. Nervionense president Jose Maria of the Nest took advantage of the presentation east Doubt Tuesday, to contribute new features to the case. In the first place, he informed that ?the contacts that had by Alves, in that Seville exposed the conditions by which the player would leave, cut the last week, from Tuesday we do not know anything?. Said this, he loosen the pump: ?To day of today we have forgotten the possibility that Daniel leaves Seville?. Closed the Alves subject, the one of the last draftee was opened who is to arrive, the forward. He entered the arena, as always, the name of Javier Saviola and, also as always, the maximum sevillista agent chief executive did not contribute anything to the subject. Thus, asked in case the Argentine player is discarded, he responded that in the nervionense Organization ?neither we discarded nor we affirmed nothing. I have already said it in different occasions, that he will be the sport director next to the technicians of the Club and those of the first establishment those that decide the attacker who will get up itself. An end will come more, which is going to be, that is the question?. It spoke then, the sport director. Monchi did not vary the speech either, although yes it assured that the draftee of the ram does not run special haste. ?We must be satisfied with the rate in which the planning is being developed. Four have arrived from the five that they had to arrive. Still have left one when it is left we one week to begin the preseason and almost two months for the first official party. We are not going to try that it is as rapidly as possible, but are either going to go with haste. We have four forwards who any equipment, clearing those of the elite, would wish to have them, so that we would not begin cripples the season?, indicated. On he himself subject, Jose Maria of the Nest added that in a meeting that the Council had with Monchi they marked the objectives to him and ?also the economic game liberalized to carry out draftees?. In this sense, he commented that ?we know to the sum that we can arrive, we are not going it to say, but I say that the amount is the sufficiently important thing like so that it is possible to be signed to great nine?. However, he clarified that the draftee of the forward ?is not so easy because there is no nueves so good that way loose and those that there have their clubs do not want them to loosen. Very few clubs can say that in these arrows have completed the group to the eighty and percentage?. Finally, Monchi recognized that it spoke with Saviola before the World-wide one and made clear that ?to day of today if is able to reinforce the advantage, dariamos by closed the group?. http://www.sevillafc.es/www0506/noticias.p...esp&id=5628

Bascombe says Rafa's given up: http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0500liv...-name_page.html

Us not beign prepared to be messed around by Benfica had a lot more to do with it being the last day iof the transfer window, I'd have thought. If we'd have another fortnight to negotiate, he'd probably have signed.

Not joking, like - wasn't he supposed to be on SIXTY?

It still pops into my head for no reason - I find myslef in the shower, or cutting the lawn or some other everyday thing, and I'm rerunning the whole game in my head, grinning.

The high would never have been so high without the low that was the first half. And the way it worked out, the supporters won the match every bit as much as the team did. That's beyond special. Wouldn't change it for the world.

I can see the sense in £20M striker bids being kept quiet while we push for other targets first....but Torres, no. I just can't see it. Dreamland. I don't mean to rubbish people's info, I'm sure it's posted in good faith, and I'm sure we are interested in Torres, in an "if he was available for closer to £15 and United/chlsea didn't want him" way, but I just can't see it ever happening. Hopefully Parry will shortly make me look a complete a*** for saying this.

Fair point, but it'll certainly be an option, if we have all three available. Riise played CB one or twice this season, admittedly only as an emergency. I wouldn't be adviocating him, mind.... Anyone knwo what the deal is with Traore? He's gone nowhere, despite plenty of rumblings early on.

Mirror continually claim we have a verbal agreement on a £10M fee. Verbal agreements, though - not worth the paper, etc.

There's one foramationt that neatly accomodates Gerrard centrally - it's the one with Alonso and Sissoko in midfiled with him, two strikers up front, with Agger, Carragher and Hyppia in defence, and Aurelio and Alves as wing backs. I keep harping on about it, but I'm convinced we'll see the 3-5-2 a lot more next season, it worked very well for us away to Newcastle.