The9

I can see some merit to the idea that Prem sides can allow more time and space, when you don't expect opponents to make mistakes you don't anticipate errors and sometimes don't react to them as quickly. If there's an attitude that committing to a tackle just leaves you out of position and that error will be exploited, then at a high level you don't commit and just stay in position and let the opposition try and break you down. Of course if they decide you're crap, you might get pressed more - but that will depend on opposition tactics and preparation. Even at a parks level if you spend years playing County standard, when you're filling in at reserve level you miss out on opportunities just because you don't expect air-kicks and therefore don't close down the kicker because you're already chasing down where you were expecting the ball would have gone...

David Beckham was pretty nondescript for Preston.

I'd quite like to see us get Courtois in on loan from Chelsea, especially now Cech has a new 4 year deal.

We know all about PR plants on here.

How is that any worse than needing to buy a replacement every season just because the club decided to change it? Obviously one of the prerequisites would be that the kit could actually last 4 years of normal wearing. By which I don't mean brickies and kids who never take it off.

I still think there's money to be made by coming out and stating a kit and sponsor won't change for 4 years, asking for £50 for it, only changing the away kit every year and reducing the cost of the shirt by £10 per season over that period. Pretty much everyone who is ever going to buy a club shirt will buy one then, and by the time the next one is out, there's massive loyalty and guaranteed sales because the fan knows they're getting something with longevity, that won't be defunct within 9 months and only worn a few times It strengthens the brand - whether it will raise as much money as launching new kits every season who knows but no-one has really tested that loyalty in a POSITIVE way yet have they?

I don't get your logic. If it's changed, it's changed. Whether it's changed a little bit or a lot doesn't make much difference to the people who are going to buy it anyway. The people who decide on a consumer basis will have a number of different personal reasons and tastes, and trying to appeal to them all is a guaranteed way of pleasing no-one I'd have thought the LAST thing the club would want to do in it's first season back in the top flight for 7 years is to dilute and confuse their branding for the international audience by not wearing the club's traditional shirt style.

My HCDAJFU scale certainly had a penalty for it...

By collarless I mean no flappy collar, it's a v-neck with conventional elasticated looking v I do vaguely recall someone said there were a couple of flashes of white on the collar, but I haven't seen where, it's not at the front.

7 pairs of pinstripes, central one in line with the (collarless) v-neck. Not sure there's a contrast cuff and no detail I can see on the collar.

Pretty close by all accounts.

I'm not ITK, but I know someone who is...

What would be the point?

Linked by The Sun, that has to reduce the, likelihood of him joining..

I must have missed the bit where delldays said Liverpool would get Swansea's manager in, because that seems to be the only reason he might end up there. They clearly weren't interested before getting Rodgers in though, as he'd agreed to sign for Swansea. The door opening for Liverpool opens the door to other options too, though admittedly Swansea and Liverpool will now be the frontrunners.

I think Guthrie would be an improvement on some of our central midfielders but he wasn't the greatest when he was here last time. Worked hard, capable of injecting some pace, right sort of age, not sure about attitude if we wanted to rotate him out though. We were pretty crappy around him when he was here before, but if Newcastle can find the relatively unheralded Tiote and Cabaye a year ago, I don't know why we couldn't do that too.

I think Guthrie would be an improvement on some of our central midfielders but he wasn't the greatest when he was here last time. Worked hard, capable of injecting some pace, right sort of age, not sure about attitude if we wanted to rotate him out though. We were pretty crappy around him when he was here before, but if Newcastle can find the relatively unhealed Tiote and Cabaye a year ago, I don't know why we couldn't do that too.

Did he get a game, even when Green made his error and James was past it?

As there aren't "five" home countries this question is difficult to answer.

They may well be, that doesn't mean Chaplow would even know if we were selling him or not, plenty of footballers have had a phone call and been in another city playing for another team within days with no prior knowledge. Paul Ince got the boot from Man U when on a golf course, sold to Inter and told to agree terms asap.

Bit contradictory? Stripes or a bold red and white statement?

Also, you'll know soon enough anyway. There's now loads of evidence all pointing at the same thing, firstly from rumours on here, then some people have seen pics and the model for the photoshoot has also said the same thing on twitter. I might post the pic I've seen on here, but not until AFTER the launch, and only then if it's ok with the guy who gave it to me.

Er, the reason Butland is in the squad is because he got called up from being 4th choice when the 3rd choice got injured. I'm fairly sure no-one gives a toss about who the 3rd choice choice keeper is anyway, squads very rarely use them, so getting him some experience can't hurt. Also, I'm not going to pretend I have any clue if he's actually decent, as I, like probably everyone else on here, have never seen him play, mainly because he's only played for a Lge 2 side in competitive matches.

I am amused that over the course of 20 years of the Premiership and Premier League, with 3 relegation places, in a League that for the vast majority of seasons has been 20 teams, a random selection of one position alphabetically has produced 3 relegation results. 20 years, 20 teams, 3 relegation places, 3 "13ths" relegated. Anyone would think it was a statistical likelihood. And yes, I know there were 22 teams and 4 relegated sometime early on. Also that if you'd chosen team 1 they'd never have been relegated, but that's because it's always been Arsenal.

I usually really like your articles but this one leaves me wanting to know much, much more. Which is not a bad thing in itself, I guess?