Alias75

Just look at the goal agbonlahor scored the other week and the role Barry played in that goal (breaking from midfield, great pinpoint cross) has Alonso ever done anything like that even at his best? For a lot of games we play we don't need 2 defensive midfielders both of whom offer little going forward. Barry is good defensively and can keep the ball well but he has that extra offensive dimension to his game that Alonso simply doesn't.

We have 2 midfielders going to the Olympics, the fee being quoted is around £10 million but we could throw in Carson, maybe Riise and get that down a fair bit, meaning we sign one of Englands best midfielders for very little money and without weakening other areas of the team. People talking about De La Red and Martinez are clearly more impressed with a foreign sounding name than actual performances. Barry has been a proven PL player for almost 10 seasons now and in the last few seasons hes become one of Englands most consistent players. For a lot of games we play do we really need 2 holding midfielders none of whom offer very much offensively? People need to stop talking about Alonso as if hes been playing to his potential because he hasn't been for 18 months, yes at the top of his game hes a better player than Barry but what does that matter if your hardly ever at the top of your game? Certainly offensively Barry offers more than Alonso. I think people aren't excited about this type of signing because its a player we see week after week in the PL and for England but i think he'd be a great signing. Very versatile, good quality on the ball and a proven performer in this league think him and Mascherano is a very well balanced central midfield.

All of the top teams are more cautious in these big games, just look at how Man Utd played in 2 legs against Barcelona. The difference is if you have better attacking players you can play the same way but be more threatening when you do attack because you have better individuals. Man Utd played a lot on the counter against Barcelona but if they have Ronaldo and we have Kuyt on the break of course Ronaldo is going to be more threatening and more likely to create something.

Newcastle are one of the few teams that will pay over the odds for a player coming to the end of his contract, so if he doesnt stay they're probably the best team for him to sign for in terms of us getting the best possible price.

We really have to give Lucas a chance hes a very young player playing in a new continent let alone a new country, of course its going to take him time to adjust.. But he has shown glimpses that he'll be a good player for us. Against Inter twice he played well your not going to get many tougher games than that. Yes he needs to get stronger for the PL but that will happen. Im not sure what people expected from him but personally hes played more games than i thought he would this season, when you compare him with someone like Denilson at Arsenal whose another young Brazilian midfielder thats been at Arsenal a few years more than Lucas but hasn't played the same number of PL games. Even someone like Anderson that came to Utd with European experience and cost almost treble with Lucas did, how many goals / assists has Anderson got this season?

Great isn't it, could have been 6 or 7 cards for abusing the officials today and not one has been given.

If we sign Barry it will be because we've sold Alonso so hes not going to cost anything in fact if it does happen we'll have swapped Alonso for Barry and probably added a few million for other players. As for Maxi think he'd be an excellent signing for that wide right position, very good player with a decent goal and assist record, the fee would be pretty reasonable too i think for a top international player.

I think we can get both, if you look at our strongest 11 how many places are there up for grabs? Wide right instead of Kuyt? Left back? personally im pretty happy with 9 of the 11 in our strongest 11 and even Kuyt has shown he can contribute. We don't need that many players when you look at our strongest team the following players are good enough... Reina, Agger, Skrtel, Carragher, Mascherano, Alonso, Gerrard, Torres thats 8 out of the 11 places and i think Babel is one player that will improve next season. So the reality is we need a couple of players for the first team and the other signings are going to be squad players the key is to get better squad players so when they're called upon they can do a good job and maybe help turn some of these draws into wins.

All those talking about "wasting" £12 million on Barry must remember if we do sign him its almost certainly because Alonso will be sold and so assuming we'll get around 12-15 million for Alonso in net spend terms hes not eating into our transfer budget at all in fact swapping Alonso for Barry may actually give Rafa an extra £5 million to spend on other players. If you look at the side at the moment, we aren't that far away. I personally think we'll sign 1 top player and 3 or 4 that can come in and improve what we already have. Someone like Maxi Rodriguez for example i think would add goals and assists from that forward right position, and even someone like Barry when you compare him with Alonso in the PL hes someone that gets his fair share of goals and assists that we haven't been getting from Alonso. Personally id like Maxi, and Modric for the attacking positions, and if we swap Alonso for Barry i think that gives us more of a goal and assist threat even if hes not as good a playmaker, obviously left back is the other position that needs strengthening too.

We must also remember if Parry does go it doesn't mean Hicks gets control for 2 reasons. 1. Whoever replaces Parry would have to be okayed by all board members meaning Gillett and Moores are unlikely to approve somebody they know will simply be a yes man for Hicks. 2. Even if Parry's replacement is a yes man for Hicks its still 3-3 on the board so neither side could force anything through. While i still think Hicks should be the #1 target in terms of who we want out first, i think we must be careful not to give Parry and Gillett a free pass. Parry seems to be undermining Rafa and the points raised by Hicks about his failure to secure players etc.. are things we've been saying for years, this is something the manager will obviously want sorted out.

If DIC are in the background supporting Gillett then he will out last Hicks. When they hit the time that the loans needs refinancing, can't the board vote 4-2 against funding it with debt on the club forcing both parties to come up with approx £170 million without borrowing anything? Questions also need to be asked about this option Hicks has on Gillett's share, if theres no time limit that means he can veto any sale from Gillett for as long as he wants if he doesn't like the people hes selling too, theres no way that would stick in a court of law. If Hicks is to be believed he can stop Gillett selling to anybody he doesn't like for as long as he wants, that doesn't add up.

Well he wasnt going to do anything to upset his new boss and jeopardies the 4th place was he. :whistle:

Im not so sure, im sure your right in that this attempted PR will swing some casual supporters, but thats not the point. At this moment in time the people Hicks has to convince are Gillett, Moores and Parry and its clear the lines in the sand have been drawn. Hicks can't sack Parry, and Gillett doesn't have too and seems won't sell to Hicks. So Hicks can try and get the fans on board as much as he wants, the people that really matter obviously know what hes up to and won't be swayed by words that can't be backed up with actions.

The hardcore fans know the score now, we took them on their word and they have both proven to be liars, now Hicks is trying to tell the same lies again, about investing in the team, backing Rafa, building a new stadium, reducing the debt but this time we know hes a liar. Also to some extent its irrelevant if some fans do fall for this again, because the key people he needs to convince are Gillett, Parry and Moores. And however incompetent they are im sure they wont fall for this crap.

Klinsman is going to be coach of Bayern next season, either its sloppy reporting from the mail or more desperate stuff from Hicks.

I think one of the big problems is when you cherry pick players from all over the world its little wonder that the team concept seems non existent. What we have in the u18''s is a group of very talented individuals that are more concerned with making an individual impression than contributing to the team. Previous youth teams have been together for a long time and thats shown on the pitch. I guess the reserves are proving though that you can create that great team spirit with players that have been almost thrown together, but i wonder if local players like Spearing, putterill, Darby are the glue that holds them together? I guess the bottom line is that these teams produce players for the first team which all that really matters, but some of the players in the U18 need to learn that playing their role in the team is more important than trying to stand out at the expense of the team.

Exactly if you want Hicks gone Parry has to remain for the short term. However incompetent hes been, at the moment hes a vote on the board against Hicks and a vote against measures like placing more debt onto the club. Yes hes an idiot and hes not done his job very well, but at the moment we need him.

In the current formation theres no way you'd play a center midfielder that can also fill in on the right. The whole point of the formation is your wide players are wide attackers. We don't know that Ballague wasn't talking about a defender that can play in the middle and on the right. Personally i think we'll get Bentley for the attacking wide right position.

I think in the modern game where you need a squad of players someone like Kuyt is very valuable. 1. He can play in a number of positions 2. He never moans and always works his socks off for the team 3. If hes rotated hes not going to demand a transfer I think he can play better than hes shown this season and in the last few weeks hes certainly contributed greatly, personally i hope we sign someone with more quality for that right forward position but Kuyt is the type of player you want in your squad, because you know when called upon he'll give you everything and when hes rested he's not going to throw a strop.

re: Brown i think we have to be realistic, Hyppia has maybe 1 year left in him and thats with him being selected for certain types of games. Carragher has shown signs that hes on the way down, the same goes for Finnan. Brown is a good defender has good pace and can cover 2 positions in the back 4. He likes to get forward and as he showed for England the other night he has the energy to get up and down the pitch. He'd be on a Bosman so as DaveU says if it didnt work out we have an England international thats won plenty in his time that we could sell for good money, hes only 28 so hes probably in the prime of his career. You dont play almost 200 games for Alex Ferguson without having something about you. If DIC takeover in the next few weeks and want to make a statement then fine, lets get Alves but as it stands with funds limited hes a player we could sign on the cheap that has proven himself at a top club.

Rafa did mention 2 young S.Americans so its possible. Hes an attacking player though so maybe the English player isnt a right winger but a right fullback?

Or someone that can play right back as well as center back?

Wes Brown

It has been reported that Crouch may buy his contract out, and in the games where he did start like Havent he looked like he couldn't be bothered. In the current formation theres no use for him unless we're behind which hasn't happened much recently. Playing only 1 game a week theres no reason to rest Torres and so theres no other position for Crouch to play, he'll probably play against Arsenal in the league game. But its obvious hes on the way out, he wont sign a new contract and when he did start games around christmas time his attitude was poor. and in the current formation we need someone with pace to play that lone striker role.

Surely hes highly flammable!