Dr Gloom

as long as he performs better than our last left back that came for the money

a centre back that can cover left back sounds good

is that a 3-2-1-1-2-1?

nope. i think we're going to underachive again unless we sign at least another 3 or 4 class players. the optimist in me hopes we can challenge for top 6. the realist expects another season of mid-table mediocrity. hope i'm wrong though!

crack the whip sam. get em in shape or ship em out

He looked alright at the end of last season and in pre-season tbf. Agreed. Credit where credit's due. He still has the tactical awareness of a pint of Guiness. He more than often exposed a player down the right flank to mark a player who was already covered by a central defender in the friendlies I saw (though having Ramage there might explain it...).

In the initial response that I typed, I admitted that it mightn't be true, but that it wouldn't surprise me if it was - 70 goals in 90 games between two players is a good partnership, but not totally unbelievable or anything. But I opted instead to take the piss out of the fact that even though you don't believe the stats, you believe that Viduka scored more of the "imaginary" goals than Smith. Just because you've got a downer on the bloke. Well Smith's 38 league goals in 172 league appearances leads me to believe that Viduka scored the majority of goals in their partnership. Yeah but you've only just checked that now. Before you were just making the assumption cos you don't like the bloke. I'm not really arsed though tbh, I just think some people would do well to give a player a chance before just having a massive downer on them. For me, if a player comes here, I'll look on them positively until they give me a reason to do otherwise in a black and white shirt. so you're saying you don't judge a new player until he plays for newcastle? and you didn't, for example, make scathing comments about the likes of sibierksi and bernard last season before they'd played a game for us? obviously more people rate smith than those two, but there's nowt wrong with expressing an opinion on a player you don't think a wise purchase. otherwise what's the point of this forum? i'm surprised at how many people have accused me of being overly pessimistic recently. i'm optimistic when there's good reason to be. i just find it hard to get too excited about buying the likes of alan smith. and that's not to say i'm having massive downer on him and want him to fail. i hope he proves me wrong and scores a shitload of goals for us. i just can't see it happening.

what makes people think geremi can play left back? has he played there before?

smith does need to sort his hair out like. absolutely shocking barnet tbf

has he grown a few inches or something?

brazilian left back? this sounds more like it

i'm putting question marks next to each position where i think we still desperately need reinforcements --------------------given solano-----rozenhal-------?---------? milner----geremi-----barton------duff -----------viduka------owen bench harper smith martins butt taylor if big sam does play a 4-3-3 i have no idea how we will line up but i'm guessing --------------------given solano-----rozenhal-------?---------? --------geremi-----barton------duff ------- martins----viduka------owen not sure that would work tbh, what is everyone else saying?

funny how skysports news have started listing the top scorers in mls in the rolling stats sidebar

sven v big sam? thaksin v ashley?

lord have mercy!

i agree we look in a better state in terms of the club's ownership but i think they need to pull their finger out a bit in the transfer market. big sam has been saying as much recently. encouraging signs today but i can't underatand the smith purchase...although that is something to question sam on, not the new board. tbh i wish i was more optimistic but we struggled all season last time around and i see the teams that finished around us and above us strengthening more than we are. although we did have a knacker in charge of the team last year as well as in the boardroom. i expect sam to do better on limited resources than roeder would do flush with cash.

really? smith ahead of those two in midfield?

i'm not thrilled with the purchase but i wouldn't go that far

fair enough. i'd still have emre, butt and nobby in midfield ahead of smith.

do you think smith should be an automatic starter like? where would you play him in the team? do you think he's a player we need when you look at what we already have? i'm encouraged by the news of the new defenders btw - not a moment too soon tbh. just a bit non-plussed by the smith purchase. Tbh Dan when Gemmill said Leazes had become a parody of a parody of himself, he could have just as easily been talking about you a few months down the line. I honestly caon't take you seriously any more. In answer to your question, I think he'll be at the head of a midfield three when we play that. He's versatile though (can also play upfront and wide right etc.) and we did need a body in to replace Dyer even if he's a different sort of player. So, no he won't necessarily be an automatic starter but I fancy he'll do well here. sweet jesus. comparing me with leazes? what have i done to deserve such an honour? although maybe it's a good thing; message boards get a bit dry when everyone agrees with each other. i was as optimistic as everyone else when the takeover went through but i'm finding it hard to get too excited about the new season going on our purchases so far. i think it's a good thing that the new owners haven't gone for trophy signings like shepherd but i'd also accuse big sam of a shepherd-esque blunder by spending a big sum on smith, a player that we don't really need. i'm sorry that you can't take me seriously anymore as i always considered you one of the better posters on here but what else is there to do on a football board but prognosticate ahead of the new season? i'm surprised more people don't share my pessimism tbh.

do you think smith should be an automatic starter like? where would you play him in the team? do you think he's a player we need when you look at what we already have? i'm encouraged by the news of the new defenders btw - not a moment too soon tbh. just a bit non-plussed by the smith purchase.

I can't see this lineup working at all tbh: Geremi-Barton-Smith Martins-Viduka-Owen

"We are at a stage where we don’t want to just bring players in to add to the squad, we want players who are going to be in the first team" hmmm. smith to start in midfield then. if that quotes true i guess sam's prefered midfield lineup next season will be: geremi----barton-----smith------duff/n'zogbia unless he goes 4-3-3. fuck knows how he'll fit our players into that formation

he must be when you think about it. sam has been banging on about being happy with his forwards.

now this sounds like it could be better news. i don't know too much about him but he can't be a bad player to have captained that lyon side of the past five years plus he's the right kind of age. we could do with an experienced centre half to boss the back line so we don't have to rely on the likes of taylor, huntingdon and ramage week in week out. does anyone know much about him?