just

Looks like I'm sitting at a table for one with my assessment of Barry then. Well, I guess time will tell who's got it right. What I would say is, anyone who thinks Barry is a one season wonder, (or a lesser player than Alonso), has not watched alot of him. And they certainly weren't up at Villa Park for our night game a couple of years back when he was the best player on the pitch by a country mile.

Problem is MB we both know he is not going to be a squad player. I believe Barry is going to make a hell of alot of difference to the Liverpool midfield. He is a very versatile and consistent performer. I hope I'm wrong, but if he stays fit I reckon he will improve them hugely. And that is not good news for us. I've come back to edit this following TWW's post below. Just to say I'd have Barry over Alonso any day of the week.

Good player on his day. Got him on the cheap. But two reservations for moi. 1. Hunger 2. Age

Agree with you bjd on Villa. I have seen quite a bit of him, over recent seasons and I still have doubts about the formations he could fit into. Disagree with you on Arshavin though. Yep, he didn't star tonight but he was a noticeable talent before this tournament. The UEFA cup-final proved that.

Really enjoyed the game. Very open. Felt Russia just edged it first-half but Spain were different gravy in the 2nd 45. I also think that 2nd half performance from the spanish fully vindicated the Italian's defensive tactics from the quarter final. If they had thrown bodies forward and gone after Spain the way Russia tried to, the Azzuri would, in all likelyhood, have been just as comprehensively mullered.

Me too. Definately. The only two forwards in the EPL who come close to matching Drogba's work-rate are Kuyt and Tevez. And whilst those two might put in as much sweat, neither are in the same class as Drogba

Adrian Durham was slaughtering the Italians style of play on his radio phone-in yesterday. Someone posed the question would that Italy team have qualified for the tournament from a group containing Croatia and Russia? Jason Cundy was sticking up for the Italian tactics, basically arguing that defending is every bit a part of football as attacking and you make the best of what you've got. I agree with him.

The Jam's version of the 60's classic Heatwave. .

Be afraid ozboy. Look outside your window. See there, just in the shadows of that shop doorway? A thin fella with platform shoes, wild, staring eyes and a goatee beard? That's Pauly that is. And he knows where you live.

You can say what you like about the Italians, (and I'm sure many will as did Messrs Hansen and Shearer repeatedly), "dull, boring, spoilers, not good for football, 10 men behind the ball etc" but they defended superbly. So well organized. It is in their blood. A stat mentioned during the game was that they have had more 0-0 draws than any other country in the entire history of the Euro Championships. Totally agree with G4 regarding the full-backs. Couldn't believe Spain didn't push Ramos and the left back forward more. If they had over-lapped when they had the opportunities they could perhaps have stretched the Italian back line a bit more. For all their possession and slick passing there was no point tonight when the Spanish really looked like breaking down the Italians.

Yeah Qaz spot on again. I'm sure Abramovich has only watched him at these euro championships. He probably didn't watch him come off the bench and score the two goals against England in the qualifiers. And I'm positive Roman doesn't know he has been the top scorer in the Russian league for the last two seasons. He has scored 67 goals in 136 appearances for Spartak and has got 9 goals from 21 full internationals. Personally, I don't care so much about his goal-scoring record. But I am very impressed with his touch, movement and work-rate. And if you gave me a choice between the £30 million 31 year old Chenko or the 26 year old £10 million Chenko I know which one I would plump for. Good job I'm not Roman isn't it?

Drogba leaves then the 4-3-3 goes with him. I thought that was what most people wanted? Unless of course Avram comes back.

One pther possible minus you can add Loz. Picture this. English winter. Mid Feb. Cold. Very cold. Pished down on Tuesday. Wednesday night game. Wigan away. Deco. Enjoying the occaision or not?

You plonker Roman! You went for the 30 year old has-been who hadn't looked the same player for at least two years before you brought him and, as anyone who had watched him in his prime could have told you, had clearly lost his pace. You're supposed to know about Russian football and players. The Chenko you should have brought was Pavlyuchenko. Younger, fitter, quicker. Now do the right thing you donut and change one Chenko for the other. PS: If you buy Deco rather than Arshavin you are even bigger muppet/donut/idiot than we thought.

Yes, Ballack pushed PF for the goal, and the ref should have spotted it. But the commentator at one point called Ballack "imperious" and that's exactly what he was. A stunning performance in everything he did. Both going forward and defending. I love Frank Lamps, but he has never come even remotely close to matching that level of performance in an England shirt. PS: Bosingwa = Roberto Carlos on acid

Funny stuff Gem. Jokes aside though, Barry to Liverplod is bad news. He will make them a much better side than they already are. He is quality and exactly the type of player they need.

He's had his injury problems but nowhere near the amount Robben has had, (who has?). I have a number of good friends who are Arsenal ST holders. One of them actually works for the club. They love RVP.

Well, we're a week into the tournament and, despite England not being there, I've enjoyed most of what I have managed to see. Holland are exciting, Croatia are technically very good, Italy are theatrical, and Austria/Switzerland/Poland are pish. So, which players have impressed you the most so far? And which ones have had you scratching your head thinking why don't they just try cricket instead? For me, impressive? Modric looks an excellent player. Techincally superb and very strong and agressive for a small bloke. Gutted he is going to Spurts. Sneijder for Holland is also a terrifically talented player. Very consistent in his performances. Villa and Torres look a wonderful partnership, but I do wonder how well Villa could perform in the EPL without another striker up alongside him. And Buffon has shown he is still a top, top keeper. As for failures, well Thuram is well past his best. It's a shame to watch because he was a brilliant player in his prime. And watching Italy I have to ask, what is a Comoronesi and what does it do?

Saw him last night and it's probably a tad harsh to judge him on that performance, but I have to ask, was that first time he has ever seen a ball? He was a appalling.

I would like us to buy Robin Van Persie, (a top quality young player who is only going to get better), and in the process give Wenger a cardiac. I would hate us to buy Samuel Eto' or indeed, anyone named Eto'.

Oh Loz, if only! If only Robben could produce that on a consistent basis. Say, one game of out three. Or even one game out of five. Or against a Liverpool or United. Then he'd be a player worth having. A player to rival Ronaldo. And he'd fit perfectly in our new "Dream Team" for next season. Goofy ---- Deco------Kaka------Robben -----------------Eto'

Can you list them? I mean proven forwards who are on a par, (or better), than Drogba? And also, who are also realistically available and would be willing to come?

Where have you been? http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sp ... 247337.ece Cough, cough. AC, Inter, blah, blah, blah. If you don't believe every major club on the planet aren't, (as we type), frantically putting together deals to buy The Drogs you are a bit touched. He is, after all, the No: 1 forward in the world.

Batesy. Loz, please can we have a "Kenyon Out, Uncle Ken in" emoticon? Dreamland I know, but Imagine where we'd be if Roman and Ken had formed a workable partnership. Roman's money coupled with Batesy's football savvy and love of Chelsea.

I haven't been on here much lately, and I haven't had a chance to read through all the posts, but this from Callista I believe is the true picture. I have no faith whatsoever in the club's heirarchy to handle this situation smoothly, efficiently and with forethought. We really are becoming a joke. It's all a far cry from the days of Bates and Hutchinson, when we were THE TEAM in terms of managerial appointments and transfer dealings. As a bloke at work said to me the other day, "lets all laugh at Chelsea". Hard to argue with that at the moment.