Papa Lazaru

Speaking of manu, just saw bobby charlton on SSN regarding the world cup bid. Basically saying manchester is the centre of the universe for football and as good as saying that city and region (lancashire) has themost football daft/best fans. I always forget he's actually related to Jack and technically a geordie as he hides it brilliantly whilst residing up manu's backside. Even Bruce who had his hissy fit that time we beat manu 5-0 and manages the mackems still ackowledges this region as the football obsessed place it is with fans who live for the game. Just like Weenger appriciated in his comments on a thread elsewhere.

Of course it may call his bluff and he'll have to accept whatever it is if they have offered, especially if nobody decent comes in for him or nobody will match what he's asking for.

This, although I remember him being an arse the last time his contract was up for renewel too. Yeah, i think it is likely he's asked for 60,000 and is being a dick, but i don't trust anyone in charge of the club either, so who knows what exactly has happened!

Since he's out of contract at the end of this season and we've made it clear we want to sell (plus he's injured for a good while yet) i doubt clubs will be paying us anywhere near what we want, which means we're a defender down, with no guarentee Hughton will get money to bring in a quality CB to add to his options. We can do without the squad getting any weaker. And as much as people on here hate him i think he'd have done a job for us at CB and covered at RB and don't see it as a good thing (even though i hardly think he's a world beater), unless a better player comes in to replace him, in which case its fine. If what SSN says was correct and he's refusing to accept 40 grand a week then he's a cock and he can fuck right off, but its not unknown for our owners to lie to the fans is it, so i'll see what he has to say?

I won't say i was looking forward to seeing him, but since we're stuck with him then they may as well see what he can do (if anything). Hughton has rightly deceided to try and use him as a winger recently as he knows the guy is never getting a game up front so if he's stuck with him he may as well try and see what he can do out there, and his assist for Carroll's third was a nicely weighted pass.

I doubt they will laugh! Theres a fair few modern footballers who have any combination of pace, power, stamina etc. but football brain and basic technique are often lacking.

I'd be more than happy with Santa Cruz on loan, he showed his quality at Blackburn and his eye for a goal, he's comfortably better than what we have to play with/instead of Carroll so go for it. I wouldn't buy him because of his injury record, putting aside the fact we couldn't afford his fee or wages of course! But a loan would be a greatd eal for us.

I'd certainly not want him being rushed into the England squad, just have him know from Cappello that if he keeps it up he's definitely in with a shout within the year and he'll get a lift without being given it all too soon. Also it means he won't be likely to get injured playing for them! My only real worry with Carroll though is his court case in October! I wonder why he's still being allowed to play for the U-21s - not that I'm arsed like but I know in the past the FA has taken a tough stance with things like this. For example Woodgate and Bowyer - I'm sure even James Beattie wasn't allowed to play due to his drink driving case. I did read an article somewhere debating whether Cappello could even pick him right now anyway and mentioned how annoyed Sven was with the rule when he couldn't get Bowyer and Woodgate in his team. Maybe its only when convicted rather than a pending case, i can't remember exactly to be honest?

I'd certainly not want him being rushed into the England squad, just have him know from Cappello that if he keeps it up he's definitely in with a shout within the year and he'll get a lift without being given it all too soon. Also it means he won't be likely to get injured playing for them! My only real worry with Carroll though is his court case in October!

Hughton sounds like he's going to play exactly the sort of team i would. We've had two years where we had to give complete priority to the league and not the cups, first when going for promotion it would have been stupid to put that at risk and once more when we're re-establishing ourselves in the PL with a very thin squad who can't afford any injuries in certain positions. Also we are going to have to rely on our fringe and youth players at some point due to inujury and suspension and i'd rather they'd had a competitive game or two under their belt. Its What Fergie and Wenger do, they have better fringe players and better first team players but the principal is the same. After this season though, if we're in the prem they have to go for it in the cups as it won't be acceptable to just concentrate on the league then. I want to see Krul play obviously, which he will, rest Enrique and at least one of the two CB's minimum. Rest Routledge, Barton and Nolan, plus Carrol. Give a game to Lovenkrtands, Vukic, Guthrie if fit, Campbell if fit, Shola or Ranger, Raylor and some of the kids.

Easilly, because Bellamy is class and Carroll albeit in only two games looks ready for the prem and he is unplayable in the air. As for Bellamy vs Agbonlahor its not even close and wasn't even when Bellamy was starting here, he's way ahead of Agbon and always will be because of the things 2J mentioned.

What i'm really hoping to see is him taking the big, ruthless decisions, and not having favourtism to the more senior players. For example if he dumps Smith out the team for Guthrie or the new lad it'll show he realises Smith for all his effort and committment isn't going to be good enough and that he's not worried about dropping him to the bench. And down the line i fear there will come a time when he has to get Krul in for Harper and i hope he's willing to make that call and not take the easy option of keep the kid out the team as he's around for years, because Krul won't wait for ever even if he has signed a new contract. But he does deserve alot of credit for getting us back up with no fuss or drama at the first attempt and if he establishes us back in the prem he'll deserve alot more credit.

95% of mainstream music is shite. It'll be something you grow out. again.. your opinion. To be fair to him though, his opinion is correct, well it is if you upgrade it nearer to 99% anyway!

They did sing fair bit as i'm below them, but all they managed were the going down song, and stuff about the crowd and empty seats which coming form them is hilarious, they can't fill their own ground when they're challenging for a CL place and in big cup runs, they wouldn't have a hope in hell of filling ours! And some random songs about shitting on Birmingham i think was all i heard from them.

Get in Hangelaand, well done son!

Hughes is one of several ex manu players now managers, who finally came to relaise what everyone had been telling them for years. I saw an interview where he admitted he now saw what people meant, that you get fuck all off refs against manu and they get everything and now he was against them he could see it.

And to round it off, a spawny own goal for manu and they get a pen for nothing, same old premiership!

Funnilly enough the mackems on smb were all over it in their (40+ page!) match thread and one showed a pic of it from the TV, he may have done or he may have been waving at the bench as another of them said which i'd think is more likely, even for him. Hope he didn't as we just want to have thing nice and quiet this season for a change!

Manu getting away with a blatant pen not being given, what a surprise!

Well deserved equaliser for Fulham against manu there, they certainly give them a game these days at Craven Cottage

What a game, i dread to think when the last time we scored 6 in the prem is! Carroll was awesome and clear man of the match but Barton was excellent just behind him, really pulling the strings in midfield and scoring a cracker of a goal. Enrique looked just like when he was up against championship players, in such control and finding it easy, great to see and Williamson continues to look very solid in the middle. The weak link seems to be Harper really, that was brainless to concede the pen when the guy was going nowhere and on another day it could have cost us the game, and after that his kicking was woeful. But the outfield players put in an outstanding shift today, and long may it continue. Though i don't think we'll always get away with playing Smith and Nolan in midfield even if it worked today!

Cameron had no power whatsoever when he was in opposition and he still made me realise he's a cunt!

Trott doesn't want to open though. Carberry has to get a chance to open in the next test, we can't go to australia without a plan B. Has Trott actually said that, as i was hoping they'd try him out as opener in these last 2 tests against Pakistan? Cook is miles off at the moment and i thought he needed some time out of test cricket to sort himself out and the team needs to see somebody else opening to have another option in Australia.

Yeah, he's hardly a 16 year old just out the juniors, he's played in the UEFA cup! I think Harper probably earned the starting place after last season and Hughton is conservative and unlikely to throw the younger keeper in, but i'd like to see Krul ease Harper out as no.1 this season and become our new top man.

Signed as a RB and played there for Forest last year as far as I know (played there against us anyway). He prefers RB and wants to establish himself there but plays CB, LB and midfield. The problem is he's likely to be not good enough in all those positions like Raylor which means the versatility is irrelivent. I'm not going to judge the lad on a game away to manu or indeed for a good part of the season, i just believe he won't be good enough, especially when Forest fans thought he wasn't good enough for them in the championship. And they didn't say that because they were bitter he'd left, they all wished the guy well here, but felt he wasn't up to it.