bristol_wanderer

I think we have.

Thats 9 goals if he stays fit, keeps his place, we create a shed load of chances for him, and he avoids punching adolescent boys or pregnant women!

But we create about a third of the chances the Liverpool create, where he got 13 in 49, and probably a lot less than Marseille do given they are generally near the top of the French league, where he got 24 in 56. I haven't seen stats for his goals to chances ratio but I suspect it is low. Even if he repeats his Liverpool ratios he is only in the 9-10 per season category if he played all 38 games. KD territory if I am not mistaken - but without the wholehearted commitment. I seriously think there are far better options than him for us for the kind of money and wages he would command. He may do ok on our right in a 4-3-3 which is how Liverpool ended up playing him -although I can't imagine him tracking back with the opposing full back - but no way as an out and out stirker. Saha would be better, Riga sounds better for us given he can play wide and has a 1 in 3.5 ratio in a stuggling side, and is far cheaper. I am sure there are many other better options. Still it is all about opinions...

Erm Anelka, Kevin Davies, most Prem strikers you care to mention. He is quick, but his finishing is sporadic at best, he has no football brain, and is not a good team player. Think of a gallic Roger Walker. Although his goals to games ratio appears healthy, he had a very poor season at Marseille last season, was dropped, and was at times booed by his own fans. Check with any knowledgeable Liverpool fan if you need further confirmation.

The difference being Anelka was and still is too good for us, whereas Cisse thinks he is too good, but is actually shite, and in fact we are too good for him (IMO).

According to the BBC. Apparently they have bid ?25.5m (!). Another article on there suggests he has lost interest, fitness and desire. I am hoping that City do serve up their usual contribution to comedy this year by signing him, followed by him becoming the next Jardel, and the Thai ordering Hughes sacked from his prison cell for not moulding a successful team around the party loving Brazilian before leaving them in debt with a wage bill that is only half covered by their income. Come on City.

He is alive and well and posting on Wanderers Ways.

Does looking like Prince Harry have a bearing on whether a footballer can pass or not? JSL

Bournemouth and Rotherham also have financial issues and are expecting to incur penalties.

And also if he plays in midfield or up front Hull are more fcuked than Derby.

They just want to make sure the white lines are tidy for the start of the new season.

Clearly a rich backer is required - Alan Sugar, with an experienced director of football who has played at the top level, Trevor Cherry, a qualified physio to lead the sports science department, Magic Sponge, with warm weather training in Africa, on the edge of the Sahara dessert.

Yep, 30 points deduction = lower crowds = less cakes sold......

I'm not a Man U lover either, but I hope they keep Ronaldo, and I also hope Chelsea keep Lampard. The balance between the clubs and the players when it comes to player contracts is too far towards the players (and moreso greedy agents) IMO. As for Blatter, he seems well out of order if he has said that he supports Ronaldo going to Madrid. If anything he should be on the side of Man U, as there is a legally binding agreement that they are trying to enforce, as oppose to trying to break as Ronaldo / Real Madrid are doing.

I would be dissappointed if we missed out on Guthrie. He fustrates at the moment, but was still one of our best players with the ball at his feet, and will be a ?5 - ?6m player at least when he develops more strength and gains experience as he gets older.

I agree with the views above that he has done ok given what he apparently inherited, and this season is the test for him, when he has the chance to shape it from start to finish. I don't blame him for Lisbon, IMO he was following orders from above, and anyway the decision was vindicated by the fact that we needed very point and every goal to stay up (for the pedantic, I don't believe we would have drawn at Chelsea had we needed to, and a couple of goals worse off and we woujld have been a couple goals from going dowm midway through the second half). Given we didn't appear particularly fit after Lisbon, then it is likely two more european games would have been too much for us to cope with. And also, the players who played in Lisbon should have done much better. Though I thought he made some good decisions in the run in, we were very lucky at Boro and Spurs and could have been thrashed in either game. Given we finished with 37 points he effectively took us down, it was only the failings of others that kept us up. If we had gone down then he would or should have been sacked, and this would have been down to his apparent inability to recognise that you need players who can score goals in order to win games in the second half of last season. The players seem to like him, the fact that Jussi and Gardner are signing new contracts is a good sign, Nolan and Davies say good things about him, he signs his players efficiently and quickly (unlike BSA), and wins the transfer battle against other clubs (Cahill and Taylor) Last season we were IMO noticeably physically weaker (from what I hear down to LSL's pre season and neglect of the fitness side of the game) and I would like to see Megson build the backroom side of the club up in his own way, and I want to see the players looking fit and strong again at the end of games this season. If we have a good pre season then we have a good chance of getting to mid table, because he has had the opportunity to buy decent players in defence and midfield and appears to have done so. Having said that, he must buy quality attackers (or re-invent Braaten and invent Vaz Te) or we will struggle.

I read that earlier and the overriding thought was that the author had a self imposed exclusion zone of around 10 miles around the centre of Brum, yet felt qualified to comment on Bolton from an impression he has no doubt got from the tabloid media about 30 years ago. Hope his comments about Muamba are more accurate.

Yep, it always baffles me that his era is talked about so dreamily when compared with the last 8 years. We made fantastic progress under him, and played some good football, but it was all at a lower level. Every team since he left has been better than his teams, with the possible exception of a couple of years just before we got into the Prem the last time.

Yes. How about this. Unproven, big and gangly, been relegated, crap buy, Megson out, sack the board, sod yer season ticket, pah.

Presumably this is a tylswhite insider info special? If true, I think its a great buy. 20 years old, big and strong, has overcome personal difficulties so good character, English, good pedigree (Arsenals youth system that is) and fills a position where we are short of decent players, and reasonable price.

Buy him - he seems like a decent, strong box to box player to me who gets a few goals.

His display in Lisbon was, I think, one of the worst I have seen from a Premiership player. He never did enough last season when he did play to warrant a new contract, although he looked promising in 06/07. I agree that Megson will get the blame if he becomes a success at Fulham. In fact someone should start a poll to see how many on here would have given Andranik a new contract.....

Why are we all assuming AAH is going? Weren't the gossip columns suggesting we have offered him a new 4 year deal? AAH should be confident of displacing Jussi as no. 1 within a year or two - I don't see any decent Prem team buying him as their no.1 yet, so surely he is better staying with us - assuming he is happy with the UK and sees the Prem as the best league to play in.

Can you please clarify? 1.) Where is the ammo? Are you saying that the fact that Megson didn't effuse gratitude for a good player who has picked up more than ?6m in wages from the club is ammo? If so I would put this forward as ammo as to why Megson is good for the club. 2.) Your username suggests you didn't appreciate the most successful manager in our recent history, and now after 6 months at the club the manager who kept us up against the odds incurs your wrath. Maybe the problem is yours? 3.) Your view of the forthcoming season is very miserable - on what evidence is it based?

Given McCain hasn't yet renounced the invasion of Iraq, and the republicans under bush are about as popular as Labour are under Brown, and Obama seems to have caught the imagination of the young, intelletual vote (which admittedly in the US is a distinct minority), as well as a significant protion of the mainstream vote, as well as the "official" minority vote, then he looks odds on favourite...