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The Premier League Thread!

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Markleshark said:
You got any Hull players in mind there Jaffa Cake?
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In contrast, we've got quite a large squad and it is in need of a bit of trimming – we've got 33 players listed on our web site as making up our first team squad, although this does include a few youngsters who play in the reserves and haven't made the step up to the first team yet.

The one player I'd certainly show the door would be defender Danny Coles, currently out on loan at Bristol Rovers and it's a deal that could become permanent – we should snap their hands off if they want to keep him as he is quite, quite useless.

Another player out on loan who might make his move permanent is your old pal Michael Bridges, currently at Sydney and who I can't see getting back in our team after his spell down under.

I'm expecting us to put a few players out on loan this spring – mainly players like Ryan France and John Welsh who have had long injury lay offs and need a good run of first team football to get their match sharpness back. Mind, I wouldn't be surprised if a permanent deal somewhere was arranged for France.

Meanwhile, we've apparently accepted a bid for Stephen McPhee from Blackpool, so he looks set to be on his way. It's a pity, as he looked a very good player in his first couple of games for us, but he picked up a career-threatening injury that kept him out for about a year and he's struggled to make an impact since he returned. A fresh start for him at a new club is probably for the best. Still, at least I can say I've seen him score in a City shirt, there's not many that can claim that. ;)
 
Jaffa Cake said:
Never mind all this 'Ooo, we should sign him' and 'Ooo, we should buy that striker'... the January transfer window isn't just about trying to buy in a player or two to bolster your team, it's also about clearing out all the useless deadwood who are currently wasting a squad number. :p

With this is mind – if you could get shut of any one of your players over the next month – who would get the boot?
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McPhee and Welsh - Oh sorry, too late, they already gone......
 
Brianstorm91 said:
Pizzaro, Mikel, Crespo and Boulahrouz need to go.
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Is Crespo still a Chelsea player? Ace.

33? That is quite the squad, ours is only 24 strong, including a few youth teamers as well, so there are areas which need strengthening.

We had Joe Anyinsah on loan from Preston for 3 months and he was a great player, seems as if a permanent deal is on the cards for him, as well as central defender Richard Keogh who is currently on loan from Bristol City. He's a good player, but I'm disappointed to see ROI International defender Peter Murphy (Who left us in the summer only to resign at the 11th hour) not being able to get into the team, he's a much better player.

There are a couple of possible leavers now, looking at it. Neale McDermott (Son of Terry ;)) and although he had a good League 2 campaign for us, hasn't really made the step up, be a shame to see him go but I think it'll happen.
 
Markleshark said:
33? That is quite the squad, ours is only 24 strong, including a few youth teamers as well, so there are areas which need strengthening.
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We've got quantity, we just need to make sure we get quality now.

If we can get Okocha fully fit and see if he can perform for us, and add one or two quality signings in key positions then we've got the makings of a very good side. These are exciting times for East Yorkshire-based football aficionados, we're just going to enjoy them before the inevitable disappointment and despair comes along. :p ;)

Markleshark said:
Is Crespo still a Chelsea player? Ace.
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Indeed – it's easy to forget that he's still officially on the books at Stamford Bridge, and is actually out on loan...
 
xUKHCx said:
Sissoko - used to be so good
Hyypia - as much as it pains me to say
Kuyt - works very hard but ineffective

Those three would definitely get the chop if I were appointed manager.
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I totally agree about Kuyt - he runs and runs, but nothing ever comes of it. Crouchy is more effective.

Sissoko is far too erratic. Hyypia isn't bad, but he isn't that good either.

I think Liverpool should look to add a defender and drop either Voronin or Kuyt (preferably Kuyt) for a new striker who would be an off-the-bench impact player.
 
Wow, if you'd told me that Liverpool would score just three goals against Derby and Wigan combined, and draw against Wigan, I would have thought you were crazy. But now I'm just glad we didn't suffer the embarrassment of losing to a soon-to-be relegated team at Anfield.:(

I place most of the blame on Benitez - I'm not necessarily going to call for his head but he needs to get it together - he has far more to work with than most of the managers that are taking points from us.

There's no chance we'll catch the top two, which means Rafa is going to have to find success in Europe - though after the promises he's made about chasing league titles even a Champions League title might not be enough...especially for Hicks and Gillette.

I'm watching a rebroadcast of the Bolton-Derby match and it looks pretty open, mostly due to bad defending on both sides. Campo made a horrible dive and then had the nerve to complain to the ref when he didn't get a freekick. Should have been carded.
 
Jaffa Cake said:
Don't lose hope of winning the league, scousers – Rafa hasn't! :)
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Meh, they pay him not to lose hope.

I agree, Kuyt needs to go (but he probably won't).
Sissoko is as good as gone (unless we can't buy Javi, in which case we might want to keep him - conveniently, Juve seem interested in either.)

We NEED a solid defender (either CB or FB capable of deputising in the center - at least better than Arbeloa has).

Since he can't buy a game, I suspect Rafa's going to sell Crouch. I am not against that if we can bring in another world class striker (to complement Torres - I'm not saying Petie's world class).
 
tefleming said:
Since he can't buy a game, I suspect Rafa's going to sell Crouch. I am not against that if we can bring in another world class striker (to complement Torres - I'm not saying Petie's world class).
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Crouch may not be world class, but he is better than Voronin and Kuyt in my opinion, so they should go first. Rafa benches strikers for long stretches and then wonders why they don't score goals when they do come on...

Rafa Benitez said:
It's clear the gap is bigger but I've said before that it's a long race and you need to keep thinking about one game at a time if you can.
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Yes, Rafa, lets...hmm, well, we've dropped points in five of our last eight, dropped points against weaker teams we should be putting to the sword. It's a given we will drop points, but this is unacceptable form. Torres is the only striker that is scoring regularly, and Gerrard has been pretty quiet.

Meanwile, in Newcastle news, Barton is still in jail, where he belongs, and Allardyce looks to be under further pressure (if that is possible). I have to say that I don't like this trend in the premiership where managers who don't immediately turn the team around are sacked.
 
Lord Blackadder said:
Meanwile, in Newcastle news, Barton is still in jail, where he belongs...
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Unfortunately not – he's out on bail this evening. Hopefully Newcastle will do the right thing and axe him, but I won't hold my breath.

Lord Blackadder said:
...Allardyce looks to be under further pressure (if that is possible). I have to say that I don't like this trend in the premiership where managers who don't immediately turn the team around are sacked.
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Indeed. That's the thing though – surely no one expected him to work miracles overnight? The good work he did at Bolton was the result of long-term planning and change, including a lot of behind the scenes stuff relating to training and facilities and stuff. I think he can improve Newcastle, but it won't be a quick fix – it'll take time and a degree of patience, which it doesn't seem like he's going to get.

He's also been criticised about the style of football he's trying to get the team playing – it's apparently not attractive enough. But once again, what do you expect from him? His reputation is built on playing solid, effective football which while not pretty generally gets results. If you want a flowing, total football-style approach to the game then I suspect he's not the man you're looking for.

I'm not a fan of Allardyce by any means, but I do think he should be given a fair chance to change things for the better at Newcastle. And to do that, the board have to think long-term and back their manager.
 
Jaffa Cake said:
I'm not a fan of Allardyce by any means, but I do think he should be given a fair chance to change things for the better at Newcastle. And to do that, the board have to think long-term and back their manager.
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Which makes me wonder: just how much impact can a manager within within a month or two - in the middle of an already under-performing season without new players or time to train under a new system?

Newcastle should get rid of Barton. He is a thug, pure and simple.
 
Lord Blackadder said:
Which makes me wonder: just how much impact can a manager within within a month or two - in the middle of an already under-performing season without new players or time to train under a new system?
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I would suggest very little. He might get a couple of good results along the way, but ultimately I think it takes much longer to mould a winning side.

Allardyce was at Bolton for eight years, improving and building the side for the first five years or so before they established themselves as a decent Premier League outfit. The important thing to remember is that he didn't just buy players and select the team on a Saturday – he implemented a behind-the-scenes revolution, overseeing changes to everything from diet and psychology to the facilities that his players would use to train and recuperate. His methods are very forward-thinking and progressive, but they need time to be implemented – we're talking years rather than months here.

Newcastle has resources available to it that the Bolton side of the mid-1990s could only dream of – if Allardyce is given the chance he could do amazing things with Newcastle. Unfortunately, the appetite for instant success that there is in the game today means that he's not likely to get the chance to prove himself in the north-east.

Lord Blackadder said:
Newcastle should get rid of Barton. He is a thug, pure and simple.
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I only hope that there's a clause in his contract that allows it to be terminated should he bring the club into disrepute or similar. I not, then I guess there could be legal problems if Newcastle try to get shut of him – they could always try to sell him, but who in their right mind would take him?

If I were his manager and there was no provision for me to get shut of him easily, I'd let him rot in the reserves for the remainder of his contract before releasing him as soon as it became possible. There's no room for someone of his nature in the game at all.
 
Contrast Allardyce's plight with that of Benitez. It may sound harsh, but I'd suggest that Sam might have a stronger case to stay at his club than Rafa.
 
Lord Blackadder said:
Contrast Allardyce's plight with that of Benitez. It may sound harsh, but I'd suggest that Sam might have a stronger case to stay at his club than Rafa.
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I can't agree with that considering the Champions League performances. That and I don't like big Sam.
 
Hmm... Sky Sports News is reporting that Newcastle have put in an offer for Manchester United defender Wes Brown.

Meanwhile – following on from our talk of Danny Mills the other day – the bald-headed full back is on his way to Derby on loan.
 
pknz said:
I can't agree with that considering the Champions League performances. That and I don't like big Sam.
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I am no big sam fan but Rafa was given a very specific objective (win the league) and he's failing to accomplish it.

Maybe it's because he's buying at the 10M pound level while the Mancs and Chelski are more often in the 20M range. But, if that's the case, he needs to start getting rid of some of our mediocrity and finding better diamonds in the rough (a la Sven at City).
 
Brianstorm91 said:
Typical gooner :rolleyes:
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It's a tragedy that O'Donnell died, but I didn't feel it necessary to make a comment. Because of his death, am I not allowed to talk about football on that day? That week? Where do you draw the line? Sad as it is, people die very frequently in this world.

Typical glory hunting Chelsea fan :rolleyes:
 
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