Pidge

How did Duran do?

not sure why I'm asking, I'm recording the game later

One of the worst things about the last few games is that Plessis has made it onto the bench. After those challenges against Bolton reserves he should have been punished, not given a sniff of first team activity. What kind of signal is that to send to the likes of Palsson, Irwin and Duran? who have been working hard and playing well.

It's a sign of the quality of journalism involved that no-one seems to know how much he cost us... Roma only published the details of the deal ffs!

20 million euros. 17 million pounds.

Definitely with you with Aquilani and Babel, with Riera and possibly Yossi heading out we should at least persist with one of the three, Babel's attitude has completely turned around.

and as for trying to win every game, I think we'd have won a few more games if we'd given Aquilani more of a chance this season.

So things are a bit shit right now, even the usual escape - transfer threads - feel a bit pointless considering our finances... so I have a genuine question, which is actually kind of pointless but it'll be good to see who is thought of highly around here in the ressies and academy.

I'm liking what Rafa has done and can't help but feel that there are a lot of talented guys coming through, but we can't afford to let them all get to 21 before we give them first team action. Over the last two seasons we've loaned out a number of players and seen some positive results for a change. San Jose has clearly grown in stature (although it's debatable whether he wants to come back). Kelly took a big step through his loan period last year. Darby and Spearing are finding their feet and the same could be said about Threlfall. It also allows us to give academy guys more games in the ressies as there is more space.

In England there are four clubs that we seem to deal quite closely with. Leicester, Swindon, Huddersfield and Accrington. Bradford seems a relationship worth developing and Nigel Clough has been sniffing around a few times this season. So my question is, who do you think would be worth sending out next year and at what level? You can treat Swindon and Leicester as Championship and EPL teams respectively if you want.

Prime candidate for me is Duran. He's too old to keep around as he won't make the 25 man EPL squad. I'd send him to the highest level possible and see if he can prove himself in the pro game.

I'd also send Cooper to Bradford and Irwin to Swindon.

/ramble

How fucking dare he attack the LFC POTY 2011 like that. what a cunt.

Fair enough methinks.

Keep Insua, sell Yossi, I like him but I would certainly drop him to see Krasic turn up here.

Balding young men are allowed to wear stupid hats. Not cunts, still very funny.

I'd like to add anyone who thinks that owning american football franchises qualifies someone to buy english association football clubs on credit. cunts.

SSN reported this morning that the deal included the handover of Stadtler and Waldorf's vetoes on takeovers and investment to board reps. This will obviously be with the proviso of a pre-determined valuation (theirs I guess), so a full takeover may still be as far away as ever, but it hopefully means they can't ruin the chances of partial investment again.

I'd say Mourinho would have to be up there, at least he would galvanise the dressing room as he is one hell of a charismatic son of a gun... he also doesn't take shit from club owners, hence him and Roman falling out of bed. So he wouldn't be a yes man.

Hiddink would be my first choice, however, but that seems very unlikely. Then Jose and O'Neill, then Hodgson, then maybe Big 'Eck.

also Bilic might work, although I've got to say a major reason for this is that he might convince Srna to come and play left back for us.

then anyone but Klinsmann.

Okay, this may be a bit skewed as I'm judging from MoTD2...

1 - Babel - Created so many chances

2 - Aquilani - If Torres is out, this guy can step up given the chance

3 - Johnson - Same great runs, Greening should have been off for his challenges on him.

Special mention - N'Gog, I think that now he has had a rest you can see where the experience of the season is paying off, he looks stronger, has better movement and positioning and is getting into good positioning, he really needs to sharpen his finishing though. I'd like to see him sent on maybe a short term move to a less physical league where he can build up his confidence in front of goal. Hopefully given a rest Insua can take stock and improve as well.

Too many retweets

haha, this is a live topic, everytime you quote that video it starts again!

"Just spotted a Romanian lout trying to nick a bottle of Ragu in Lidl. I slapped a Figure Four Leg Lock on him til the cops arrived."

how the hell has he ruined the academy?

and I think Maxi was probably the best we could afford.

I missed the game live but I see that we had 9 chances on target... another hard working but weak finishing performance from N'Gog?

How was Pacheco?

Since he actually is a winger does that mean Rafa will play him up front?

tbh it's like my FM is coming to life, all we need is Sakho and for Nemeth to become a 30 goal a season striker... oh and Gourcuff on a free transfer (it could happen!!)

The video is nice but there is nowhere the level of pressure on the ball you get in the EPL. That said he is a good prospect, one capable of coming straight into the first team. It's not like we have a wealth of right wing youth prospects he'd be stepping in ahead of.

the fact that the situation is developing shows that there are at least efforts ongoing, which is a positive. But it's a small positive swamped among some pretty big negatives at the moment.

I agree, although I don't think I phrased my original post very well. The tories' talk is all about "strengthening the institution" which is utterly pointless when you consider that it's an increasingly outdated one. Mind you, they're perfectly happy to undermine this country's truly great institutions... the socially owned ones...

If they wanted to actually offer change and strengthen "the family" then they'd offer breaks based around the child rather than the status of the parents.

Read through the Independents round up of policies today and I gotta say, some of the Tory ones are hilarious, the big news story today is the marriage tax breaks... because giving people a financial incentive to pointlessly stay in broken down relationships can NEVER backfire... inb4littlemo

also, the suggestion that one of their ideas will increase the number of faith schools in the country... what a terrible idea! People learning monocultural perspectives in a multicultural society is only ever going to widen social divides, but oh well, that kind of is the tories prime purpose. That's before I even approach their plans for the economy... cut inheritance tax? yay, go nepotism!!

Lib Dems for me, Vince Cable as chancellor puts them well ahead of the rest imo, even if their environment pledges seem a little rose-tinted.

That's what I'd like to see. Babel playing on the right, where I think he should play regularly. Maxi seems to be pretty good with both feet, so should have no problems on the left.

Maxi is half the player on the left that he is on the right.

I stuck a quid on Black Apalachi each way, so I'm happy with that since I know balls all about horses.

I think he's good defensively but he has to improve going forward.

 

Full backs need to be able to attack a bit these days.

 

It'd be great if he made it.

I think he can be premiership standard, he might not be a beat his man wing back but he knows when to make his move, has a consistent delivery (although I'm only judging from a couple of games) and seems a tight passer of the ball.

I have really high hopes for Darby still, I think that Kelly may have altered Rafa's opinion of domestic loans, as he showed that a good run in a pro side can do wonders for a player. Darby, Jay and Eccleston will hopefully return stronger, faster and more confident on the ball when they return, same even goes for Threlfall, who deserves another chance at a higher level considering how well he's done at Bradford. I think that despite their comparitively advanced age for youth prospects Jay and Darby are still great prospects.

Hopefully Duran can head off on loan next year and prove that he's worthy of the 25 man EPL squad, as at his age (with these new rules) there's no point keeping him here at 22 if he's not going to play.

My hope is that next year Swindon will be in the championship and we can send them a couple for the season. Irwin and Duran maybe, possibly Ayala, Threlfall, Nemeth or LDV.

Kuyt - perfect "kuytish" performance

Torres - Complete turnaroud in terms of attitude, someone must've had a word

Mascha - played the ball with vision and showed some pretty good touches as well, a finesse showing from our anchor

Lucas was really close too.