Raj

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Me too. I used to go down there occasionally when Dave Webb was manager. If I remember correctly they were promoted 2 seasons on the bounce. Seems like history is repeating itself.

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I think he fell victim to Milan's policy of having 40 players available for the 1st team squad. There are few decent players who just seem to disappear once they arrive at Milan. They signed Johan Vogel, who is a solid enough defensive midfielder that never gets a game. .

I don't think Kromkamp will be moving, certainly not without a replacement lined up. I can't see who the replacement would be. Alves would cost too much money and the only other link was Trabelsi, but from reports that I have read, he might struggle to pass a medical due to his dodgy knees.

Unfortunately, he's joined Southend. Apparently, the offer of guaranteed 1st team football was enough to turn us down.

They also signed Cosmin Contra, RB from Alaves in the same deal. Hardly played and ended up at West Brom for a very short period of time. No idea what happened to him either.

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Maybe the clubs who are interested are skint? Also, they know we don't want/need him. They could be trying their luck to drive the price down. Who knows?

Does anyone remember the name of the English player, who was allergic to grass? I think he played for QPR. Can imagine that was pretty rough for him.

Not sure he's in football now, but I have to say Michael Knighton, for not buying that s**** club and running them into the ground. Otherwise, it would have to the c*** that is Andy Gray.

If this is true, they'll be hoping they avoid Barcelona again, considering they've strengthened the squad with Gudjohnsen, Thuram and Zambrotta.

Actually, you are right there. It was successful to a certain extent, but against a better class of opposition, such as ourselves, they were found wanting. Agree, that they are beatable. And I think we will be able to give them a run for their money this season, but I do believe that Shevchenko and Ballack will prove successes. They have played at the highest level for a number of years and been successful, at International and Champions League level. I think, crucially, the pace of the game will not be a problem for either of them, which was the main problem for Veron.

I'm not sure that the arrivals will harm them too much. Nor, a potential change in tactics. Chelsea had the ability to play 4-3-3 for most of the past 2 seasons, due to their personnel. However, at the end of last season, most notably in the FA Cup Semi Final, they attempted to change to a 4-4-2 diamond formation. Unfortunately for them, they did not have the personnel to carry this off. By bringing in Shevchenko, they now have a top quality striker who can play with either Drogba or Crespo. With Ballack, they now have another quality player who can play alongside Makelele, Lampard and Essien in a diamond formation. I think they are adequately staffed to play both systems now and will be as hard to beat as last season. Obviously, I would like to be wrong and hope that they lose as many games as possible.

Agreed. Good for us. Good for him. Good for Charlton? Time will tell. Hope it does work out for him. Limited ability, but seemed to have the right attitude.

I think that we need a striker, far more than a right winger, and I find it difficult to understand why others do not agree. Last season, our greatest problems revolved around our inability to finish the opportunities that we created. Currently, we have both Gerrard and Garcia who can play right wing. Its not ideal, for a whole seaon, but we can cope with this. We also have Kromkamp as a more defensive player. I would imagine that we will purchase a right sided player. Ideally, it would be Alves, but Pennant would be a decent signing to provide more options. If we don't, I would be more than happy for Gerrard to continue in that role, based on his performances last season, which were his best since joining the 1st team squad. However, our greatest concern, is upfront. Unfortunately, we do not have a balanced strikeforce, which will provide enough options for the whole season. Crouch, Bellamy and Fowler, provide a variety of options, but we need another strong, dynamic striker to supplement Crouch. Our current back-up players such as Pongolle, Le Tallec and Mellor are not reliable enough to justify an extended run in the first team. I believe that either Kuyt or Trezequet could fill this position, albeit, with different attributes. If we could obtain another strong striker that scores between 15-20 goals, and take the pressure of Crouch, we could mount a sustained challenge for the title.

This has been reported on Football 365. They are saying that these are unconfirmed reports.

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Not sure, I agree with you completely, but some of his performances were very good. Deportivo away in the Champs League, springs to mind