david in sweden

Nothing, there are three in the former text, but I don't like underlining and I speak and write slower (these days), so just consider.......as " thinking time ". or alternatively ..... don't think about it so much. We're all " a little eccentric " ....in one way or another.

well....sadoldgit made that suggestion on #124, but .... ....a new manager sparking a revival this season, could do enough to get them promoted in the play-off place, and then qualify in the Prem's. top four next season.... .....surely nothing's impossible ...for a club with a history like Leeds?

I mentioned in the OP that Chelsea (reportedly) had 28 players out on loan during last season....... item in today's press said Patrick Bamford revealed that this season's " loan-out group" have their own net site "What's up"...it's frequented by all....33 of them. If they are all so promising, then surely Jose Mourinho ought to have tried one or two of them in Chelsea's present crisis?

good summary - if a bit long, but I'd agree with most of that. Morgan will be hard to replace, but he came to us as a teenager, and 7 seasons and 250 games later ...he's the finished article. Lucky MU. Hopefully we can avoid big injury crises, which blighted the second half of last season.....for me ....a good season will be finishing above Spurs.

as I recall...there was talk that we bid £6 million for him..in 2012. The (then) Birmingham manager said he was worth £15 million ... as a result we looked elsewhere ...and bought Gazzaniga instead .

......he's not so good in his international games for SWEDEN either.........

Agreed. I've watched several replays and he's turning away and still has his arms down. Whether the ref saw it ...or not, it was not a penalty Sam.

Stek seems very capable of doing what he needs to do. Not afraid to punch rather than catch, and not afraid to come off his line either. .......perhaps also a sign of having good defenders in front of him, too? We have plenty of choices and the " regular " back four look fairly dependable. **(I wouldn't want to start the arguement of..... Toby or VvD, but I don't think we are missing Toby as much as many may have thought .....).

1) yes - but it also coincided with a number of key injuries that spolit the team formation, and there was no real quality on the bench. 2) yes again. Early season we had some " softer " fixtures and played exceptionally well, later on we had the more challenging games and felt the effects of (1).

..if it does get very physical (rather than football-friendly).. it could only be a matter of time until we see who gets a red card first ....

The fans love him...John Terry says the team love him... and so too do many other Prem. clubs....if they continue this form...games in the North East will become vital. He may last unless they lose in CL....then there's no reason for Abrahamovic to keep him the rest of the season.

now Nicola Cortese has " seemingly " made his choice.......Leeds will be his next Prem. club. I wonder which billionaire he's approached to fund this project?

...think that maybe because there are fewer mobile phone users in Portsmouth, and they still use semaphore from that chap at the masthead of HMS Victory.....

....even quicker than that maybe ....considering that Leeds are already in the Championship... ......mind you, one wonders how his "management style " might go down with the Yorkshire folk ! The recently-appointed Leeds manager ought not to move house too quickly though....Cortese almost certainly has a new manager in mind.... .....(someone give him the 'phone number to White Hart Lane )

Why not maybe we need a change?..watching yesterday's match.... I had to keep reminding myself that it was Sunderland playing in the red /white stripes. Our green outfit seemed to blend in with the colour of the pitch.......but at least we weren't playing in grey. For Auld Lang Syne .I think we ought to have retained the blue and gold.......

....although Koeman insists that we try to play the same style of football all the time, yesterday's team selection pointed to a more defensive approach to the match. I still think that Yoshida is more comfortable at CB, but he didn't do much wrong yesterday. Cedric does look good going forward, but it's lack of Prem.experience rather than skill that makes him vulnerable and being caught upfield. Mané for all his qualities is not a natural defender and Yoshida did give the right side more cover. The majority of Saints fans (in the poll) picked van Dijk as MoM (I did).... but the BBC guy wasn't far off in choosing Clasie who DAJFU and played his best so far.

YES ...it was a good game for him to excel in. Despite being an away fixture, it must have boosted his confidence a lot to have the space he was given midfield. It may be tighter in future games. Interesting to see RK's team selection against Stoke who are a very physical side....and Charlie Adam doesn't take prisoners.

.I know everyone says there are no " easy games in the Prem." but there are some games you really ought not to lose, and last season we started well. We had some " softer " fixtures in the early part of last season, and that helped our new set-up that no-one knew about, Pelle and Tadic were top grade by Christmas. One year on, everyone knows about Pelle and Mane, and the threat Tadic poses... we may need alternative tactics in order to overcome the " obvious threats ".

...it's good to see a "new name" in the England striker force, but I fear that should he suffer a big injury:scared: ......Leicester might self-distruct. ......and England be back to Wayne Rooney up top.

.....and I don't disagree with that either. Some people seem to think that as soon as Forster is back " fit ".......that Stek.will be consigned to the bench. ......and players coming back from long-term injuries, don't suddenly pick up the same form they had before their injury....example Jay Rod. It takes time. Forster (had / has) some fine qualities as a keeper, but I sometimes questioned his body size /weight. Not every 6' 7" player has Peter Crouch's physique, but a keeper must be particularly agile and I always felt that FF ought be half-a stone lighter?...... Everyone makes mistakes, but overall I'm quite impressed with Stek's performances, and some of the goals we've conceded were hardly his fault alone.

..don't think too many people would argue against that, but the real question is ...who would be the keeper on the bench?.That was last season's problem. Kelvin is out of contract in the summer ..and if Gazzaniga is expected to become our no.2 ........the idea of signing Stek. permanent is surely a no-brainer. Quite a few Prem. sides have two international keepers on their books, and with the present state of Dutch football, Stek.is quite likley to get their goalie spot.

Van Dijk was MoM for most people, but expect some journo to comeup with ......Classy Clasie ......oooow:D Jordy played the best game we've seen from him so far..

good stats. Whelk, but (as usual) stats. don't always show the whole story do they? in 2013-14.....despite a fair start, Boruc was out for 7 games after defeat at Chelsea, and Steven Davis, Clyne, Schneiderlin, Wanyama, Shaw and S.Davis (again) were out injured / absent in successive games, and there was no real cover available. We didn't always play badly, but even with 77 % possession and 21 shots to 6 .....still contrived to lose 2-3 v.Villa at SMS. Game 17 was the last game for Osvaldo. season 2014-15....deja vu with S.Davis, Alderweireld, Schneiderlin, Cork and Davis (again) out in a series of injury-hit games against; Man C. Arsenal, Man Utd and that disasterous game at Burnley where we were hopeless. Once again - no real experience on the bench, and not good for the unfortunate Academy lads who were expected to fill the gap. Hopefully, we won't suffer the same fate this season, especially as we have;Man.City, Tottenham, Arsenal and West Ham - all before New Year. With Jay Rod and Long still out we must hope that we avoid any more similar injury crises.

you can't expect to lose half-a-dozen of your top players in a year and find immediate " cloned " replacements, it takes time for new people to adapt. ......enough has been written about the 2014 defectors, but Clyne had 3 seasons with Saints and Schneiderlin an amazing 7 seasons.(?) Not easy to replace overnight. of the newest crop......(although you can't honestly compare SPL with EPL)..Virgil van Dijk seems to have made the most positive impact. Cedric looked a fish out of water in the beginning (as did Clyne as I recall), but improves in every game. That facial injury didn't keep him out three weeks either. Romeu hasn't had much game time, but improves when he makes it through a match without a yellow card. He's " hard man type " and will adjust - in time. Stekelenburg is no disappointment for me (despite his Fulham history). I'd sign him permanently, and have two international goalies - Gazzaniga still frightens me. Juanmi still has a lot to learn but shows enthusiasm and a bit of talent, but too little game time to prove it. Martina is a " tried and yet unproven " resource (from Erwin's past, I'm sure) and not real Prem. standard, but may well DAJFU in emergencies. Clasie hasn't had a string of games yet - and may not play many 90 mins. until New Year, but clearly has talent and will eventually settle. Caulker DAJFU --when needed--but we still have Gardos on the mend -- but I can't see Caulker being permanent unless he shows himself to be better than Yoshida. Of the current squad...Stephen Davis seems (to me) to be playing as well as he's ever done, and a few more goals will only concrete his role in the team. I'm gonna be criticised for this one, but few people would deny that Wanyama isn't a real asset to the team and the nearest to a rampant elephant in midfield, but I seem to note a 5 yellows and a red by November:scared: might indicate a bit of panic / desperation in his performances. I wonder if his "head " really is still at SMS? I certainly wouldn't leave a fit Wanyama out of any game, but after playing so well last season, I'm a bit disappointed so far. IMHO - Pelle looks even better than last season, and a fit Tadic, and an on-form Mané could take any defence in the Prem. and with better luck they'll be many more goals. Those " defectors " are history, but our present bench looks stronger than it ever has...no wonder the U21 lads find it hard to get a place, let alone selected to start.

think the damage was done for Joe Jordan - long before he came to Saints...... I seem to recall that he always seemed to look the same. Don't know when / how he lost his front teeth...?.