OTF

If teams with foreign owners and/or large debts become ineligable then possibly. Otherwise

"Two happy endings please"

This is regrettably true, but I'm not prepared to write him off just yet. He did manage to score on debut for us, and although it wasn't a particularly impressive goal, what was good is that he bothered to make the run and was there to put the ball into the back of the net. He played and scored for the Spanish under 21 team the other week, although I have no idea what the goal was like. I'd really like to see him start a couple of matches to get a good chance to make an estimation of his quality. Certainly he has looked better than Andy Carroll did in his time on the pitch this season, though if a pigeon landed on the pitch we could say the same of it. I may be falling back on the same forlorn hopes that I did with wor Al Luque with this one, but I have to try to look at it with some optimism since the facts of the matter are that we have bought him, and unless we're prepared to write off that money completely we've got to try to get something out of him. I think the intention when he was bought was for him to be a long term replacement for Viduka. Based on what we've seen thus far he's not fit to lace Viduka's boots (and neither is Viduka - BOOM TISH!). Shola being above him in the pecking order is a result of a new manager seeing in Shola the potential that several managers have seen in him over the past however many years that he's been at St James' trying to hit that barn door.

Oh, and starting Ameobi wouldn't be that bad a decision. Defenders must hate him with a passion. He's great at getting knock-downs (usually to no-one though). BUT he need to be substituted MUCH earlier, as he dies in the arse in the second half, and only puts in when he absolutely has to.

Bassong will foul the crap out of Carew, and Carew is cagey/experienced enough to milk the most out of it fro the ref's. Colo on him for mine. He needs to be marked tightly, because the pace of Young and Agbonlahor is no doubt going to be getting them in behind our defense, looking to find Carew in the centre.

Considering how much we've seen of Xisco thus far, that's a pretty harsh call to make. Deportivo fans were legitmately upset when he left there, you wouldn't see that if he was complete rubbish. That said I wasn't impressed with the lines that he wasn't running when he came on late in the match against West Brom. He was a risky/foolish aquisition though, as leaving him rotting on the bench is going to decrease his value, and he'll bigger off back to Spain. Playing him might cost you a little in the short term (though could he really be worse than Shola*?) but it will help him adjust and improve his game. It's important that you can communicate and understand the way the players around you play - that would be tough with so little match time. * - Shola does really trouble the defenders though.

Yep, would prefer Enrique in over Bassong. Bassong was lucky in this match to get away with a fair bit. A couple of times (including one in the box) he grabbed a hold of the opposing strikers arm. Could easily have been a penalty. Bassong definately has potential though, but I think more as a central defender than as a fullback. He's a bit frantic on the ball and is no good on the dribble.

Oh yeah, and for the record it was Diouf that 'won' the penalty and not Cisse. Cisse can finish - Diouf - not so much. Butt, Bassong, Guthrie and Geremi dropped. Barton, Enrique, and N'Zogbia and Gutierrez to come in. (at the very least!)

He was thinking that Cisse would go on and score - which he would have done. He had no choice - well done Butt. Sorry but no. In a one on one situation Givens got more of a chance that a fucking rocket shot that three goalkeepers couldn't of saved - fuck off Butt. I don't think many people thought Richardson had that in him 2 weeks in a row. He's done it more than once and they've got other good free kick takers. Anyway he should have fucking thought but thats exactly his problem, he doesn't. Exactly. Taylor was still actually between Cisse and the goals, and yes I'd fancy Shay to be able to save the shot from open play over the absolute bullet from the set piece where he was unsighted on the ball for so long because Riley had placed the wall 12 yards away from the ball.

Yeah, because on TV they edit it to make Martins look better than he actually is.

Kept expecting to see Allardyce on the bench rather than Kinnear.

Butt and/or Guthrie should have been off earlier for mine. Can understand that he was hesitant as Butt was carrying some sort of knock and Guthrie the yellow card, but as a manager you can't afford to hesitate. Gutierrez for Geremi was also obvious. Once he put in the free-kick for the goal he should have been punted, as that was clearly his one good ball that he manages each game.

If you look at the number of assists Geremi gets we can't afford to not have him out there really. Agree with what you're saying about the legs being gone though.

True. After he picked up the yellow he might as well have gone off the field. Thought that Kinnear should have brought Barton on earlier. Also think Enrique is unlucky not to be in the starting 11. Can see why he played Bassong over him (for the physicality), but the French-man lacks finesse and is rubbish getting forward. Now, to wipe this one from the memory banks.

Also agree that Taylor was at fault for the goal. Floating in the middle of nowhere in the box with an unmarked striker lurking behind him just is not good enough. Bassong no doubt would have been over there trying to rip Cisse's arm out of his socket if he was playing in central defense. Let's hope JFK makes Taylor sit through a 3 hour DVD of that on loop. As a special feature they could include the obvious handball where Taylor tried to claim that the ball hit him in the chest/abdomen. ...and Nicky Butt should not have made that foul. Cisse was breaking into the box, but there was still a defender between him and Given (Taylor). Was a well struck free kick from Richardson, nothing that Shay could do.

Missing a midfield that can pass the ball. Guthrie and Butt may as well not have been there when we had the ball for most of the game. All of our attack was either over the top of them or down the wings. They didn't offer themselves up as passing options. Bassong was a little worrying as well, lots of fouls that he got away with. He doesn't offer much going forward. Shola played well in patches, but played horribly in others. He really can't take a shot. He can head the ball ok though, and he will always trouble defense with his height, power and those long tricky legs (tricky even for him tbh). Martins short passing was very good in the second half, a couple of times where he passed it and I wished that he could have been passing it to himself rather than Shola. Would have been good if Barton could have found someone when he got in behind their defense at the end there, but not to be. Shame to say it, but on balance they were the better team.

It was Taylor who was again caught incredibly flat footed for the Beye/Robinho incident. Otherwise I would agree. Perhaps Beye Coloccini Bassong Enrique

Enrique is quick. Don't know how anyone who watched him play last season could not agree with this. As for who is quicker - well it's probably splitting hairs - in other words who cares. Both of them inject some pace into what is an otherwise pretty slow back four.

The red card was for denying a goal scoring opportunity. It doesn't need to be reckless. Fantastic point... Given made a save - OH NO - denying a goal scoring opportunity - SEND HIM OFF! If you give a red card for a tackle for denying a goal scoring opportunity it has to be as a result of a careless or reckless tackle. The red card results from a more extreme iteration of what would normally be a foul - and for a tackle the laws of the game deem that to be a reckless or careless tackle. I'll say it again, that tackle was neither careless or reckless. Thereby there is no foul and it cannot be escalated to a red card, regardless of Beye's last man status. No.. If the referee deems it to be a foul (which clearly he did), then that foul very definitely denied a goal scoring opportunity, as Robinho was about to shoot. In law if a player makes a foul tackle that denies another player a goal scoring opportunity (the presumption being the player would very likely have scored) then he is punished with a red card. The tackle does not need to be reckless. I have been in a sililar situation where I have sent off a goalkeeper and awarded a penalty, and whilst I personally dont agree that punishing a team twice is fair, that is the law of the game. On a different point... A foul tackle deemed to be reckless is punishable by a red card. A foul tackle deemed to be careless is punishable by a yellow card. You say no, but then you essentially agree with me. My point is that there was no foul committed, thereby he can't be sent off. A direct free kick is awarded to the opposing team if a player commits any of the following six offences in a manner considered by the referee to be careless, reckless or using excessive force: • kicks or attempts to kick an opponent • trips or attempts to trip an opponent • jumps at an opponent • charges an opponent • strikes or attempts to strike an opponent • pushes an opponent Certainly noone could argue that Beye's tackle was any of the above. FIFAs rules of the game deem a Direct Free-Kick if a player: - tackles an opponent to gain possession of the ball, making contact with the opponent before touching the ball The above can be the only decision that Styles was applying. As for offenses that can be punishable by a Red Card: A player, substitute or substituted player is sent off and shown the red card if he commits any of the following seven offences: 1. is guilty of serious foul play 2. is guilty of violent conduct 3. spits at an opponent or any other person 4. denies the opposing team a goal or an obvious goalscoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball (this does not apply to a goalkeeper within his own penalty area) 5. denies an obvious goalscoring opportunity to an opponent moving towards the player’s goal by an offence punishable by a free kick or a penalty kick 6. uses offensive or insulting or abusive language and/or gestures 7. receives a second caution in the same match A player, substitute or substituted player who has been sent off and shown the red card must leave the vicinity of the fi eld of play and the technical area. In this instance therefore, it must be a case of Styles deeming (from a position where it was physically impossible for him to be able to tell) that Beye contacted Robinho first and went through him to get the ball. If this was the case, then yes Beye would have commited a foul, and in doing so he would have denied an obvious goalscoring opportunity. It was however, not the case.

The red card was for denying a goal scoring opportunity. It doesn't need to be reckless. Fantastic point... Given made a save - OH NO - denying a goal scoring opportunity - SEND HIM OFF! If you give a red card for a tackle for denying a goal scoring opportunity it has to be as a result of a careless or reckless tackle. The red card results from a more extreme iteration of what would normally be a foul - and for a tackle the laws of the game deem that to be a reckless or careless tackle. I'll say it again, that tackle was neither careless or reckless. Thereby there is no foul and it cannot be escalated to a red card, regardless of Beye's last man status.

If you can't come in as a defender and knock the ball away from a striker closing in on goals then what's the point in defending at all. HAS to be rescinded. I'm sure the club will pursue all avenues with getting it done. The tackle was neither careless or reckless and so according to the laws of the game it should not have been punished - and certainly should not have been published with a Red Card. Styles was so far from the action that he had no chance of seeing what actually happened - regardless of what the peanut has to say.

I think it was a poor decision from Kinnear to bring him on TBH. Some more faith should have been showed in Xisco, given that he played in the Under 21 Spanish side and scored a goal for them a week ago. A much better option than a player who in theory is a target man, but has just returned from injury, and seemingly hasn't shown anything anywhere since scoring against Juve in a pre-season match more than a year ago. I see Kinnear's thinking that he would have more 'mongrel' in him, but there's no point in that if you constantly turn the ball over. Not only did it make Carroll look pap, but it must have also dented Xisco's confidence (assuming he was fit).

Yeah, his defense has been good. I think for a couple of reasons: (1) He stays on his feet well (2) He's pretty quick Basically he's the polar opposite of Babayaro. I still think Enrique is the more accomplished player of the pair (with the ability to pick out long passes). Bassong's defense is probably more consistent thus far, though he hasn't played that many games.

He also wanted to come back to watch the Socceroos match, and to get in the head of the Australian Manager. He plans on coming back to play for Australia at some stage. The second opinion was good, so hopefully he'll be back in black and white before too long.

No way we will get his side of the story until the legal proceeding are sorted out - and Ashley has sold the club.