Wade Garrett

I don't think we are playing that system. It looks more to me like a 4 man midfield, with either a front 2 or 1 playing in the hole. It's this system that has made us harder to beat as the full-backs are no longer being left exposed.

Surely the fact we are playing top-flight football now makes it easier to keep hold of our decent young players. For the sake of his career, surely Shaw would be better to sign a 4 year deal with us. He's only 17 and his development over the next few years is important to his career. Stay with us for a few more years, then go to a really big club, not settle for Europa Cup football with a club that themselves routinely lose their best players every season.

Read my post again, slowly.

Alternatively, you could be talking out of your arse.

No way is Shane Given us good as Kevin Davis!

Everton have a strict wage cap. We might have a chance of getting him if we can blow them out of the water on wages. Personally, I don't think we'll get him. But if we're willing to spend that sort of dough we shouldn't have too much trouble getting someone decent in.

It's a gamble for the selling club to hold out as well. Teams may turn their interests elsewhere, an auction from the start of the window could easily lead to a one horse race at the end of the window with the buying club holding the aces, the player could get injured. Teams like Brum and Cagliari, in the sh*tcart financially, may not want to gamble.

I totally agree. I'm not too bothered by the FA Cup, but I would expect the team to have been strengthened by the time we play Villa.

Chicken George.

Fair play to the mum. Shame a good number of these parent are too pushy and starstruck. Your scheme seems the right way for youngsters to start and enjoy the game.

We can't consider letting any of our decent players leave at the moment, regardless of what cash is offered. Maybe we could persuade Wenger to buy Fox for £5m. He has got a track record of signing crap defenders.

There have been countless lads who were dead certs to make it but didn't. The young lad doesn't need that pressure or expectation. At his age, he just needs to enjoy playing.

Every week I watch Match of the Day, and only now have I noticed all them keepers who stay on their line until the ball comes into the penalty area. How foolish of me.

I've had some decent coaching over the years, and I've never heard that one.

The fact that Boruc hasn't been able to claim the jersey speaks volumes. We definitely need to get someone decent in at the earliest opportunity.

Agreed, it also allows continuity should the manager leave. Each member of the committee has their own skills though. Cortese is in charge of the money, Adkins knows what the squad needs, and Reed keeps an eye out for youngsters. It's when these lines are blurred that the problems arise.

And some on here reckon that was a good save!

He wasn't particularly unsighted, it wasn't stuck in the corner, he wasn't stretching, and it wasn't drilled with pace. Honestly, a Wessex League keeper would get a bollocking for letting that one in. It wasn't difficult to stop.

To quote Strachan, 'we need to be brave on the ball'. Maybe it was just down to fitness.

With our backup striker unavailable soon, we should recall Billy Sharp rather than sign another forward.

No chance. They don't have a pot to p*ss in since their owner's assets were seized.

Offer £5million for him and Curtis Davies. I wonder if other clubs interest is spin to try and drive his value up.

Even Villa got a home draw against them. It's not beyond us. We just need to be on our game.

I agree with what you say, but that wasn't my point.

Maybe Rob Green would have struggled with it as well. But with him I use the term 'Premier keeper' very loosely.