Turkish

When we're only playing one up front is it sensible to expect our only striker to drop into midfield? I don't really understand what your getting at. Against City he came on and scored, set up a very presentable chance for Fonte and looked very good. Against Man U he scored one and set up one and for the first 60 minute won an awful lot in the air and looked good on the ground against one of the best defences in England, in around 100 minutes of playing time against the top 2 teams last season he's got two goals and an assist. Pretty good, no?

Lambert got no service against Arsenal. Funnily enough he also played well in a good team performance against City as well. It's obviously because kompany and Vidic stood off him and let him play and Vermaelen didn't.

Dodd was a good player, he'd have been alright.

Looked to me like Lambert dominated them and for the first 60 minutes was almost bullying Vidic. They certainly weren't standing off him.

We read lots of clueless nonsense during the summer about how it was an average league, our players would get more time on the ballso would all be fine, half our squad was good enough for England and so on. The fact of the matter is the premier league is still one of the best leagues in the world, every team has top quality players and a number of international playersin their squad. Even our squad, bottom of the league without a point had 5 players on international duty last week. The players get more time on the ball comment was a classic though, yeah of course the best defenders in the world stand off attackers and give them space.

And how I do.

Even the manager who identified the positions he wanted to strengthen?

No one can bring themselves to say who is responsible for it though.

Not really, like everything Adkins says he was no doubt playing it down. Why say he wanted 'maybe 2' if he only ever wanted one?

I'm sure MLG will be on here to tell us that ours is better because no one needs that many pitches and their ice bath freezers are 2inches narrower.

I don't disagree with that, however Adkins has said many times what he wanted, if the person responsible for recruitment doesn't deliver that then who carries the can?

How is it vague? It's an interview where Reed directly says he is responsible for scouting and recruitment and Cortese oversees it and Adkins job is to coach the team.

What about him? Haivg just looked at the staff list he's scouting and recruitment manager so will work for Reed, one of the 50 people who report into him, not one of the three coaches that report into Adkins. And I've never seen a quote where Adkins mentions him.

Well by Reeds own words, he is responsible for Scouting and recruitment, overseen by Cortese while Adkins coaches the team. So unless Reid is lying or exaggerating, those two are culpable for failing to recruit the players in the positions Adkins wanted.

See the link Kraken posted above.

I think he's head scout, so would report into Reed. Although that's just from memory so I stand to be corrected.

Well it's there in black and white. Unless he's lying of course.

Reid is responsible for recruitment and Cortese oversees it all then. Adkins clearly has little to do with signings, straight from the horses mouth.

A thread on here about 3 months ago.

Apart from the one which won the champions league and got to the final two years later. And the one that one the FA Cup and trhe one which finished second in the league and finished in the top 4 every season he was there, apart from the last, you mean?

Whatabout getting to the final again 2 years later? Of his Valencia team which won La Liga twice? All just luck? All garbage teams?

Why?

No point Les, they'd just be a rag tag collection of mercaneries you'd never heard of.

Huge luck, as was getting to the again 2 years later. Just like making Valencia la Liga champions twice, the only club to have won La Liga other than Barcelona or Real since 2000. All just because of a huge amount of luck.

Quite. Incredible that some are saying Benitez isn't good enough for us and wouldn't want him, truely incredible.