Stefano

Could be Morientes. Don't think he ever looked comfortable here.

Starting to get concerned that we won't bring anyone else in. We need another attacking alternative, be that a midfielder or striker. Although if the quality isn't there, especially for our limited funds, it might be better just to wait. No point bringing in more unsellable crap like Voronin.

No one said there was. But as a team there is a tendency to over 'control' at times. Stevie might look to play a quicker more incisive ball but that takes nothing away from the fact that he's superb in posession and more than capable of dicating a game from deep. People just see the goals and maurading runs and forget what a brilliant tactical player he is.

That's a bad thing? If anything we don't exploit Torres's pace in behind defences enough, and too often we're content to pass, pass, pass and go nowhere.

Stevie is far more mobile and tactically astute than Lucas, having played CM all his career. Where this myth comes from that he lacks tactical awareness I'll never know. A big part of the success behind Gerrard playing further forward was Alonso and his appetite to dictate the game and vision to spot a pass. Lucas just doesn't match up, and if we're going to change our approach to a more expansive one, Stevie should be a shoe-in, at least until we get a good look at Aqualini.

Found it. Augustin Binya.

Who was the recent one in a European game against a Scottish side? Think the guy or team was Portugese. Big stamp right over the top of the ball.

I meant more of a performance related offer. At times he was still our best defender last season and should have been given assurances that he'd play a bigger role. Maybe he wanted a new challenge anyway, who really knows.

I'd be worried if that unlikely event ever occured but if it came to it I'd accept it and have a bit of faith in the lad. We can't prepare for every hypothetical eventuality. Outside of Chelsea, who pay them to keep quiet, not many big clubs have, or can afford, 4 main CB's because it's nigh on impossible to keep them all happy. We should really have made Sami a better offer but that's for another debate.

Triffic player.

Could be a shrewd pair of signings for someone. The biggest problem most clubs down the bottom have is scoring goals and Nemeth is a natural. Patcheco is a bit slight but he's got something about him and could be a surprise package.

Why not? Have you seen Hulls team? They're all pushing the door to get in our squad and are probably hungry for some first team football.

That proves nothing really. For every Man Utd away there's a Stoke away or Fulham at home. Personally, I think we'd be a more fluid, powerful attacking unit with Gerrard alongside Masch and Benayoun floating behind Torres, but it's all about opinions.

Is that any different to bossing poor sides when Gerrard is paired with Torres? Another one was Marseille away to save Rafa's job. 4-0. What gets me is most are saying they're looking forward to seeing Aqualini playing a more attacking role and adding more drive from midfield, yet are questioning Gerrard for doing the same.

It's one of the better options, yes. He's ideal for the role.

It's getting to the stage where even Viduka on a free sounds tempting.

West Brom at home - 3-0. Gerrard and Masch bossed the game completely. He didn't need to pair them together every week because we had Alonso, but now he's gone it makes more sense. They're two class midfielders and will adapt. This is not an anti Lucas campaign either. I just feel we're stronger in CM with Gerrard instead. That also doesn't mean we can't revert back to the much overhyped 4-2-3-1 when need be.

So why did he buy Keane last summer and try to sign Tevez this summer? Maybe he's not as one dimensional as many of the fans and knows we need variety in our play. Every season Gerrard starts plenty of games in CM, even when Torres is available, and I expect that to be the case again.

They wasn't my stats. I asked for evidence that Gerrard and Masch don't work together, when the results say otherwise. My comments about Torres and Gerrard underperforming in some games was just a general opinion - we might have won them for all I care. The main point was that pairing them together every week is no guarantee of results or spell binding team performances. Keane was a disaster but the fact that we were top of the table for the first part of last season, without Torres and Gerrard barely featuring together, tells its own story.

Stats can be twisted anyway you want to suit your view. The simple fact is Gerrard, irrespective of his understanding with Torres, will start a lot of games in CM next season, as he has done every season under Rafa, and we'll win a good portion of them.

Why don't you find the stats if you're so sure. I can think of plenty of games where Torres and Gerrard have stunk the place out and we've struggled to create anything against some poor sides. If anything because we become too predictable.

I don't agree with that at all. We've played plenty of great football with Stevie in CM. People forget that in the season where he scored 23 goals he played a lot of games centrally and not just on the right. I'm in full agreement that he's at his best these days when linking up with Torres in an advanced position, but I also believe that in the absence of Alonso he'd be better employed in CM because he's our best and most experience midfielder. At least at home and until we get a good look at Aqualini.

You can provide some if you want. As far as I'm aware we've won most of the games when Gerrard and Masch have been paired together, and if anything looked a quicker, more fluid team.

Gerrard and Torres is our best forward pairing but it's not the be all and end that many percieve it to be. The vast majority of home games are spent trying to break teams down and there's no reason why they can't still link up with Gerrard coming from a deeper position, with the safety net of Masch behind him. We can debate endlessly over tactics and systems but personally I think we'd be stronger with Gerrard in midfield instead of Lucas as simply he's the better all round player.

Hull are desperate for reinforcments. Offer them 8 million and the likes of Nemeth, Patcheco and Kelly on loan, who all need to be playing at Premiership level week in week out. I know they were interested in Voronin but I doubt he'd go there.