david in sweden

A stronger front man who can dish it out, a big, tough S.O.B. at the back who's strong enough to take care of a big striker, and an extra goalie should about do it ..........

the main problem is still too much " pretty football ", and not enough attention to playing the final ball...and in some cases.. no-one there to finish off the move.

I'm glad to hear it, but I didn't mention any names ....did I ?

...according to some " sources " on this board , one or two of the summer signings were Cortese/ reed choices and not Adkins'.

........and it would have to be one heck of a replacement if he's to replace Rickie in the fans' hearts.....like a hat-trick on his debut, for example.

...mind you the upcoming FA cup game could be a good barometer ...and at least we won't lose three points in that game.

ouch !...I wonder when Villa players had their Christmas party ?

......was always going to be one of my all-time favourites!

mind you at that point in time we had a squad with a couple of hundred international caps and over 1000 games between them....they ought to have known wht they were talking about.

he actually passed 400 games and is one of only 10 Saints players so to do..and certainly the only " foreign player " to get anywhere near that figure.

considering some of the things written on this board....if I were a player ....I would consider it more important to know what the manager thought about me, rather than some of the rabid fans ...!

he (Nigel) doesn't spend it....it's Cortese who negotiates and OK's deals and we can only hope we sign the necessary players that he wants rather than only those Les Reed recommends !

whilst most of the discussion is about the selection of Lallana's " replacement ", let's not forget that this is a big game for Kelvin Davis, too. After the savage treatment he received from the Sunderland fans in his time there, it's time for him to exorcise that " personal spook " in his career...with a clean sheet. In his 6 years at SMS, he has shown loyalty, and consistancy and has become a role-model as a good club man. Well done Kev. It's true that a keeper can only be as good as the defence in front of him and TBF.....in his time at Sund'land, he had a pretty " ropey " line in front of him and shouldn't be blamed for everything that went wrong.

......Nigel Adkins' (now much-quoted) question to the squad (according to a Jack Cork interview) published in several papers. Once again, it shows a maturity and transparency in the approach of the manager to his players, and not the dictatorial attitude we are used to from other " big-name " managers. Obviously a few grievances have been " openly- aired " and some troubling issues put aside. If this is a sign of the future develoment of our club, then I am very much encouraged. People on this site are seldom backward in coming forward with their views, but it's good that the manager is willing to listen to those who matter most in this issue - the players themselves.

the most ridiculous thing about this entire saga....... is the amount being quoted in the tabloids. Considering that Walcott and Bale went for £10-12 million each, and the Alex OC deal was worth a potential £15 million (?)....why on Earth would we sell Shaw for a paltry £4 million?. Pretty tawdry journalism - even if it were true.

that seems logical I suppose, but many years ago I learned to avoid that word, as it can make an..... Ass-of-you-and-me. Get it wrong and everyone is on your back !

oooo

.....well if they haven't then they haven't been scouting the opposition very well ..... and to their peril !

ah rubbish. he'll never hold that form. Next season he'll only score 50 .....and they'll let him out on loan. Then's the time to get him in ....

I saw this thread before but somehow ignored it.....important though ....with a title like that ..can he play CB ?

....did I say any names ? Noooooooooooooooo!

I've been writing just that phrase for several years past... ...for some newly-promoted clubs it's a case of " one small step for man, one giant step for....." .(no sorry, that one's been said before hasn't it ?) *the real difference is....if the promoted side has a stable squad who are just starting to play well when promoted, or has played itself out in the effort of getting there.... I think we were sort....of half-and-half.