We are thinking along the same lines. What I don't want this summer is to see us buying 'potential'. Neither do I want to see marquee players. There are 25-27 year olds out there - it's just difficult to prise them away from their present clubs.
I'm thinking a 'traditional' RW is vital. As this season for me - Henderson, shouldn't play on the right. Kuyt, although I'm a fan shouldn't play on the right. So basically unless Bellamy and Downing (when on form) play on whichever flank, we don't have anyone with anywhere near the quality to play RW. Also a quality play-maker - to sit in the middle and control the game. I know Gerrard is still capable of this I just feel we don't have anyone else to step upto the mark. I wouldn't turn down a decent poacher either - as clearly we need more goals. Defensively we're fine. I cant see all my wishes coming true - possibly 1 quality player and a couple of 'potentials' will come in Like you say it's trying to get these quality players in that's the problem, even more so if we don't get 4th.... which for me is unlikely. I just hope and pray that Sterling and Coady get their chances next season - as they could potentially (in a couple of years) solve our RW and CM problem out.
Yeah I agree mate we've had problems with both our wide men for years (can you remember any really good ones since Macca left). I know not everyone agrees with me but when Kellys fit to play RB I'd love to see Glen "Barnesy" Johnson given a go wide right. He'd be a massive improvement on Hendo that's for sure.
Tbh, if we'd had a top class striker who'd popped in about 15 goals so far this season (not an unreasonable figure, seeing as we're two thirds of the way through) we probably wouldn't even be having this discussion. I feel we made too many changes last summer and I don't want to see us do that again.
I would like to see that be given a chance. However, on paper it seems perfect but when teams have tried it in the past the majority of the time it fails as a trained defender will always find it hard to suddenly adjust. In Europe a few teams have tried this over the past couple of years and failed big time. The only success I can think of is Bale for Spurs, and I believe that was because he was still young enough to adapt to a new position. It's worth a try - but certainly not in a big game like this. Perhaps against a lower placed team in the 2nd half if we're a couple of goals up. On paper it does seem perfect, but in reality it's not that easy. Probably why we haven't tried it, the coaching staff would certainly have given it a thought, and perhaps decided it's too risky. I'm in two minds about it - although I'd like to see if it would work - I'm also concerned the balance of the team would be turned upside down.
Yeah possibly but Johnson is great going forward, would give good cover for the full back, great stamina, he's intelligent, can go inside on his left or outside on his right, he's got pace, a decent cross and an eye for goal a lot of teams suffer when they shift a full back up field because they then just shift the problem by weakening their defence but I don't think we'd suffer if Kelly came in. So again I ask...would he be a better option than Hendo or even Dirk? IMO it's well worth a go.
I remember it was tried with Daniel Alves - and let's face it he's probably one of the best (if not the best) attacking RB's in the world. And it didn't work, infact in failed miserably. So for me, although I'd like it to work I really can't see it. So until we buy QUALITY for that position we're stuck with Hendo or Kuyt.... or Bellamy and Downing interchanging between flanks.
Wum wise it's not been too bad. Gutted to lose a game we really should have won but on to the next game I suppose.
Am gutted too mate but if one game probably summed up our season in a microcosm it was todays 90 mins. Plenty you think we should be happy about in terms of build up play and overall chance creation but ultimately completely deflating and all for want of a goalscorer (even with a 35 mill lump on the bench ). Can't get my head around how we didn't stick 4 or 5 past them today (and why Bellers and Mandy were still on the bench after 88 mins) but we are where we are and all we can do now is keep giving 100% and hope our luck, and certain players form, picks up sooner rather than later.
http://www.not606.com/showthread.php/128438-Im-glad-Arsenal-beat-the-Scousers-today let the haters hate. bitter twats. No trophy in 7 years will do that to a team.
Got bored after about six posts. Can't be bothered, they live in a dream world and seem more obsessed with us than their own teams. Strange that- seeing as they keep telling us we're not important any more.
Christine Smith is always good for a giggle with his demented rants about "Dalglish the bufoon" and his continuous Suarez bile.
Ferguson gets a letter from the FA requesting that he doesn't discuss the vacant England managers job. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17308540 The first thing the old twat does is discuss it.
"But the Premier League told BBC Sport it is in its rules that club officials should not comment on other clubs' contracted employees". If it's in the Premier league rules then why has Ferguson been allowed to pass comment over all these years?
Exactly,he comments on many things that dont concern him or his club and gets away with it. Two fine examples, Remember Rafa's 'handsignals',he backed his buddy Allardyce over imaginary insults made by Rafa's hand gestures. Remember Everton are not a small club,he jumped on Rafa's misinterpretation of Everton FC. Hypocrite and Bully.
Well, that was ****ing awful. I would post my views on the match thread but it will be lost under the rather large number of posts from Berb. Anyway, I didn't watch the game as my internet is ****e so I followed it on the live text. Seems like I was lucky that I wasn't able to watch it... Sounded like we were poor in defence in the first half and we didn't look like scoring at any point in the game. Deserved **** all from the game and the players need to have a long, hard look at their performance today. (Adam, i'm looking at you...) Need a ****ing massive improvement for the derby on Tuesday.
I watched the last half hour (which apparently was our best spell) and it was bloody awful. Least we were the better side last week, from what I saw today we were not creating anything and we was aiming endless balls into the box from 40 or 50 yards away, easy for the Sunderland defenders!
