fred milne

Using the freshest players makes sense but it should not come at the expense of a balance side - particularly in tough away fixtures.

Agree with that.

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I don't disagree with that, although clearly it should apply to Carra too.

I'm not sure Sami is any kind of engine-room ( ) but I do think you may have a point about his discomfort covering Aurelio. In the treble season and 2001-2 season, Sami had the ultra-reliable Carra at LB and could concentrate on his own job safe in the knowledge that few opposition RMs would get past Carra. The following season Riise was moved to LB and I'm sure this was a factor in Sami's form nose-diving, as he was tasked with covering for Riise's (many) defensive mishaps. Over the last 18 months or so Riise's defending has improved and Sami got back to something like his best form last season.

Because they have dealt with pacy forwards perfectly well before?

In fairness to Sami, sometimes when he is in possession there aren't too many midfielders showing for the ball or they are being closely marked.

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I wounder if he is going to leave it at that though or take legal action.

Exactly right.

I thought your view was that Souness was a little overrated too - i.e. that he relied on the graft of Lee and Whelan and that the likes of Reid and O'Neill were capable of showing him up.

I agree. If he doesn't play then there's a risk we play at a tempo that suits Everton. Granted tackles are going to be flying in but he can handle that and we need him in there to control the game.

That's not really true. However, the late 80's Whelan would have complemented Gerrard well.

By utility player, I meant he played all over the park that season - it was still Thompson and Hansen at the back.

He was a utility player in 81-2 season then was a fixture at CB from 82-3 season to 86-7 season.

Molby wouldn't get near my top 10. Its not that he didn't have great natural ability but he was only a key player for 2 seasons (85-6 and 86-7). He never recovered his place in midfield when Barnes arrived in 87 and Whelan moved inside.

The allegations have been in the public domain for a few weeks now. Why did Moyes wait until now start legal action?

I'd go along with that. I'd be amazed if not having quality cover for Finnan is the difference between us winning the league or not.

It doesn't feel like an anti-climax to me. For me, a new RB as cover for Finnan was always at best icing on the cake.

I don't always agree with him by any stretch but I find he's usually worth a read.

The human tragedy of the educationally sub-normal Jose Antonio Reyes. It can only be Myles Palmer.... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Is Reyes-Baptista swap a good idea? By Myles Palmer JOSE REYES may join Real Madrid on a one-year loan - with Julio Baptista coming to Arsenal on a one-year loan. Or maybe it's NOT a double loan deal. Maybe it's Reyes for Baptista plus £3 million. News that Baptista was applying for a Spanish passport TODAY makes the move even more precarious. Julio Baptista is a big Brazilian who can knock players over in the Spanish League.Could he do the same here? As Arsene once said, when talking about Manu Petit, "A physical player on one league is not necessarily a physical player in another league." A year ago Arsene saw Baptista play in the Confederation Cup and met him and offered Seville £13 million. "The Beast" had scored 38 goals in 63 games for Seville. Then he signed a five-year contract with Real Madrid. Last season he played mostly on the left side, out of position. He started 31 games and scored eight goals and had 71 shots. One of his 22 direct free-kicks was a goal. He had 38 headers and scored twice. Now Fabio Capello says Baptista is not part of his plans, so instead of playing with his friend Jose, the pair could be swapping clubs. WOULD THIS BE a good deal for Arsenal? Does Baptista really want to be over here? Would he be motivated? Or would he just go through the motions? The deal would, at least, end the human tragedy of Jose Antonio Reyes. I feel sorry for Reyes and wish him well. But why did Arsenal sign a kid who is ESN - educationally sub-normal? He spoke a gypsy dialect until he was 16, when he was taught Spanish by the other players at Seville. He has been an alien for two and half years. This year he still needed to take an interpreter into a shop in Barnet to rent a video-game. He has been in hell. And Henry never accepted him, which must have wounded the kid deeply. Reyes is a brave winger who will add dynamism Madrid's left side. He works hard and puts his foot in and can do a job in Capello's newly disciplined unit. WHEN CLUBS look for footballers to fill a role they look at three or four options, and negotiate with two or three. Since good players always have a choice, clubs need a No.2 choice. Sometimes it's simple : if one player comes to a club, another can go. If one leaves a club, another can replace him. But often it's a tangled web of inter-related deals where the relationship between one deal and another is far from obvious to impatient fans. On Ashley Cole, I hear the deal is NOT dead. On Tevez and Mascherano, their agents are in London negotiating with three clubs. Corinthians owner Kia Joorabchian is an Anglo-Iranian who was educated in England. Joorabchian is a big Arsenal fan and had a box at Highbury. Aug 30, 2006 http://www.arsenalnewsreview.co.uk/news/328/42.html

Comparing Whelan with McMahon is a good example of that.

I'm not sure about Crouch and Fowler away on account of their sloth-like, glacial pace. Crouch and Garcia looks likes a partnership that has some mileage in it. Early days clearly but so too does Kuyt and Bellamy. Does that leaves Fowler getting the occasional nod at Anfield playing off Kuyt or (if its weaker opposition) Bellamy?

Not everyone on here professes to follow Spanish football religiously.

I think he's very much the fourth choice forward - fifth choice if you count Garcia. He'll get a decent amount of games at Anfield but I'd like to think we'll see less of him on the road.