Maverick

Not sure which game you were watching because I felt he had a pretty good game. Infact there was a passage of play where he went for a 50:50 ball and converted it into a killer pass, that's the sort of player that we could do with right now.

I agree that 3million is not a bad price at all and considering we got a similar amount for Mancienne we should be satisfied to a certain degree that these lads are getting us some returns. We haven't had a single manager who dared giving youth a good enough chance and when it was looking Carlo may be prepared to do that he sends the whole lot of them on loan. Apart from Josh I don't have my hopes pinned on the others.

Its pretty evident that Messi is not at his best (whatever the reason), the free kick which was just outside the box landed in the second tier that pretty much sealed my belief. If Batista still plays him against Costa Rica I'd like to think that it could be his last game because Argentina look a mile away from scoring and that's ridiculous given the talent they have. Full marks to Colombia though who stuck to their gameplan and look almost through to the next round.

I don't deny that he has the ability but his consistency is such that it makes me believe that it would be a smart move to let him go. Besides the point of playing an outright DM in a big game is to ensure that your solid at the back, watching him at OT and the defence struggle made me wonder if we can afford the luxury of throwing away big games only because we had to play the designated DM. The Mikel fanboys always mention his age as a factor but forget that he has been around for around 6 to 7 years, that's long enough to learn the trade if not long enough to cement a starting place. I believe using a double pivot would be the best way forward and it would also help in utilizing Ramires to his best. Essien/ Ramires/ Modric in the double pivot and Lampard in a free role would address a lot of problem.

Dint do justice to that tag and was very average in the later half of the season, also begs the question whether we should stick to a DM if he isn't a world beater like Maka/ Di Jong or Yaya Toure. Right now I'd be tempted to re-look at the contribution of the DM role to our overall game.

Looks like the folks maintaining the site are also having an off season !! :D

If the trend continues it will probably be a tournament that sets some sort of record and with the knockouts I can foresee penalties settling most of the games. Looking forward to Argentina tomorrow, with the amount of talent they have its embarrassing to see them struggle.

Its Falcao mate :)

No. He hasn't indicated any possible transfers but has stated he would buy only after he has assessed the current bunch.

Some great memories and one of those players that actually took time out for fans. Will always remember him for his strike against Spurs and the equalizer against Stoke.

Delighted with this move, dint see it coming and I dare say AVB already has the fans support without winning a game !!

Looks like the deal for De Gea will finally go through as the player is visiting Manchester to pen a deal. If past record is any indicator he could struggle since not many young keepers have been able to cope with the pressure.

Has anyone availed the offer?

If its indeed AVB's call to cancels the game then I am not too hassled since it indicates that the new boss is indeed calling the shots. That's a refreshing change and hopefully an indication that the board has finally realized that there is no point in taking decisions in footballing matters which are best left for the manager to sort out.

Spot on and pretty much the same was said about for the likes of Silva/ Torres. Look at the impact they have had and people that still harp about the physicality of this league.

My guess is that its down to the weather since most countries would not be suitable to host the games in summer.

By that theory Drogba and Torres should be a deadly combination since one has the physicality and the other has the pace but it dint exactly work did it? My point is this is football and you really cannot judgements on something such as partnerships without actually seeing them play together.

Not many strikers retire at the club where they made a name - Raul, Van Nistelroy, Luis Ronaldo and many other greats have retired/ moved on at a lower club as they have aged. Its foolish to say we'd play Drogba till 35 only because he is club legend. P.S: I am not saying we should sell Drogba this summer but maybe this will be his last season in a Chelsea shirt.

Unless you don't believe in playing two strikers or haven't seen two of them play together. If that's the case yeah I can understand where your coming from.

The basic issue with our management and some of our fans is that we see a loan stint as an acid test and not a learning curve. We seem to judge players based on their performance during loan and thats not right since the club should look at the exposure gained rather than just focussing on results. Wilshire dint set the world on fire at Bolton but in his first season for Arsenal did enough to get a call for national team. Though what you say is right about players expected to break in at 18 and I am curious to see how we use Kakuta in particular, for some reason the fan fever seems to have died down and it may not be such a bad thing afterall for the lad.

Great news if thats the case, would it mean that Hiddink is not joining us as DOF for the time being?

Hopefully its not by sending these guys out on loan and expecting them to develop as first team material in 12 months.

Welcome to the Bridge Boas. Must admit I haven't been this excited for a pre season since Jose arrived.

They surely dint score as many as expected and its down to the lack of genius like Messi.

Its Iniesta and Messi that generally hurt opponents by drawing defenders out of position, Xavi keeps the ball ticking but doesn't really hurt opponents.