St_Tel49

This

I'll take that bet - if I win I nominate the MacMillan Cancer Charity. Name yours.

I am not sure that it is a question of establishing himself - more a question of does he offer something that other players in the squad don't offer? And, therefore, is there a role he can fulfill in some situations that others cannot do better? My instinct is that he will be part of the squad.

I don't think that 1st, 2nd, 3rd choice striker is the issue - it is more a question of horses for courses. i.e. you select the strikers most appropriate for the job you want done against a particular team at a given time in the match.

It is all about transparency. The price advertised is the price you should pay - no hidden compulsory charges. Yes of course they will up the price to its "true" level but at least you then know what you are going to pay. In my opinion this practice is a form of (currently legal) fraud - but one that is widely practiced. It is time it is stamped out - but don't expect Saints to stop doing it until everyone else does.

Anyone who thought that must have had their blue hate-specs on. Claridge was one of the few commentators to talk with any authority on the Football league and was consistently complimentary about saints and how we played but heigh-ho - some people prefer to follow their prejudices than accept what is actually in front of them.

What you are saying is perfectly true but the display depended on having thousands of volunteers who were giving up to 150 hours of their own time. When you get someone willing to give that sort of time you are not going to stop to ask how appropriate their ethnicity is.

I do agree with you on that!

I disagree - when he and Scott Sinclair came on to central midfield GB stopped giving the ball away unnecessarily (something England failed to achieve) and allowed the fullbacks to get forward more. GB were not as good as Brazil - not many are - but I felt that the second half performance was quite encouraging and young Cork played his part in it.

I have rarely seen a young keeper look so composed in what, despite it being a friendly, was still a high profile game. I can well understand why Birmingham want top dollar for him. So would we if he were ours. He is a star in the making and I am just sorry he is not ours. PS we should have paid the money they wanted - feel free to jeer at me in a couple of years if I am wrong.

In your opinion - clearly an opinion not shared by NA.

Which would make them the White Elephants!

Well the only way we will know that for sure is when he plays. If NA thinks that he can do a job as a squad player then I would be inclined to believe him until the evidence proves otherwise.

Being voted Villa fans' player of the season when he was there might suggest that he won't be out of his depth

Who? Turkish? I'll look forward to that!!

+1 - they can do wonders these days.

Indeed - its just as bad as those who look for ulterior motives behind everything

although there is no guarantee that the answer you get is remotely accurate

It used to be quite a high standard such that players could go straight into an old Div1 club (e.g. Alan Hunter - Coleraine to Bobby Robson's Ipswich). Now all the best youngsters are poached by English academies and the standard is probably about conference.

To be frank, you don't need to know anything about anything to give an opinion. On the other hand knowledge gives some validity to the opinion.

This thread is a nit-picker's paradise

He's quite a different player though

Are you sure? - have you watched him recently? I haven't-except on TV- but I would be surprised if he hasn't come on a lot from his experience of the last 3 years including one in the premiership..

The issue is not about competitive games as such - it is about treating the results of those games as being more important the skills development. At very junior level one skillful (or big) kid can score a ton of goals so that his team wins everything but it is doing nothing for the development of the rest.

It shows that no matter who is manager, England never do better than quarter finals. Surely that therefore defines where they are as a footballing nation. It will stay like that until coaching at very junior level starts to concentrate on developing fundamental skills and good technique rather than the obsession with competitive games that still seems to dominate (I think that it is slowly changing though)