alan'82

As Stoke is at the mo a tough place to visit, a point isn't to bad. Typical that you wait years for a Mickel league goal & what would have been the goal of the season is saved by the flamming keeper!. I thought a good point for a so called 'old team' is that we looked fitter &lasted longer than Stoke. Alex was superb,an absoulte rock,Torres excellent & who would have thought that the best fullback would have been Bossie. I wish Malouda had half the heart that Rameries has & the less said about Sol the better. And yes,Lamps best day's do look to be behind him but still,thank god he played for Chelsea. Is there any chance that Yossi can play on the right wing??.

How about the forgotten man at spuds, Arron Lennon?. He might give AVB a few early grey hairs!.

Carlo Ancelotti came in for stick,(a bit harsh IMO) for not having a 'Plan B', assuming plan A wasn't working at the time!. I know AVB has only had a few games in charge, but a question I'd like to ask is, does anyone know what is his 'plan B' ?. From the pre-season games, I can see more forward thinking with the teams play but with the tough game at Stoke on sunday coming up,I'm not to sure I saw any so called plan B formation/tactics on our far eastern tour. Don't you think for AVB to have a different type of team formation or tactic he would need a different type of player to call on?. Would,(and if)Modric were to arrive,would this change our style of play, because I'm not so sure. If against Stoke the 2 fullbacks have little impact going forward, what excactly could AVB do with our present squad to change the teams fortunes??.

That's a good idea mate,would be great to see you lads 'down south' as they say,would be a cracking pre-season atmosphere that's for sure. It would be great to have a anglo/scot domestic cup competition so we might have regular matches against each other,but at the mo,I can't see that happening. Still,best of luck for the new season.

I guess just because football has had a period of popular growth over recent years doesn't make it imune from the harsh realities of modern life. If you have seen your family budget shrink, luxuries,(and at modern prices, that includes football)are the first thing to cut back on. In truth,the world's economy has been living on borrowed cash,a place were the credit card is king,for way to long. Thing is, credit, sooner or later has to be paid back for the whole system to work,you have to be 'good for it' irrespective if your an inividual or a country. People have less spare cash & attending matches regulary nowdays, requires an above average income.Folks will have to make choices as to which,(if any) games they attend. The majority of supporters live a life way below the above average pay structure that after bill paying etc,is required to attend top class Premiership games these days.

If Ryan has to go on loan why should it be with Neil 'break his legs' Warnock??. Why can't the millionares at Loftus Road dig into their pockets??. Still remember them taking Fillery back in the early '80's the bar stewards!. Loan yes if AVB agrees,but not to a Warnock side.

Don't shout to soon,Mancini can be replaced!.

From the 70mins or so I saw, I thought it was a good effort from the lads,(well maybe not so much from sol),but the biggest suprise was Rangers themselves. Lots of effort from them but very poor on quality,virtually no creativity at all,McCoist has a big job on his hands there to be honest. Hope Mikel will be ok, & that AVB will have a quite word with Kalou.

I once dreamed I was eating a 10 pound marshmallow......and when I woke up the pillow had gone!. :P (with thanks to Mr T.Cooper).

Thought provoking stuff on a fine player & a fine chap,life's ups & downs really do affect all. Thanks for posting it Hutch.

That's if you could find a gear & the front wheel bearings didn't break :D .

I'm not suprised the Metro finshed bottom,they were sh*te little cars!. Mind you,not half as bad as the Maestro,(total toss on four wheels).

I have more than a passing interest in the hammers because of where I live & close family who support them. However if it were not for those reasons, they would be no big deal compared to say Arsenal, who for me are our biggest London rivals historically & for the foreseeable future. Spurs are & always will be a bunch of toss pots so there's no change there then. Still kinda think 'big Sam' and WHU are like a square peg in a round hole but if it doesn't work out, think of all the p*ss takes we could dish out to the happy hammer fans!,(my brother included).

Not sure if it's because the transfer period is at the moment as flat as a witches t*t,(apologies to any who practise black magic),but my mind wandered to who will be the first Premier League gaffer to get the old tin tack this season. Happens every year without fail, but who will be the first casualty of 2011-12??. I suspect the favourite has to be old Warnock at Q.P.R,don't think it will take to many hammerings before he blows a gasket & either walks or gives the numpty owners an earfull. Joint second I feel is Bruce at Sunderland,(if they struggle from day one) & if the megastars fail to deliver,Mancini at Man City. Lastly,for an outside bet,I wouldn't be shocked if the fans turn on the 'Professor' old Wenger himself,especially with the mood in north London at the moment. Mind you, I could be wrong.

You couldn't drop the occasional 'Marvelous' into the post match press conference could you??..........thanks.

Joey,Joey,Joey what with all the cash,fast cars & wall to wall babes throwing themselves at you, where did it go so wrong?. If his football skills were to match his gob,the guy would be world class!. Fact is the only action he creates these days is in the local kebab shop after closing time. We all would like to see some new players arrive,but hopefully it will be some guys with less baggage than the lost & found dept at Heathrow.

I think we should bid for Nasri now he's only a year left on his contract,at the very least it would give that muppet Levy a kick up the arse. Talented if a tad 'flakey',but not a bad signing. Worst way,we get to unsettle both north London clubs!.

Reading your reply Hutch makes you sound like Arsene Wenger!!. :D

I must admit to not quite understanding this talk of a 'transitional' season. Either you're aiming to be a successfull club or not,such is the mordern world of commercial football,settling for a lower standard can be a mistake. If you're swimming with sharks,it's best not to look like a kipper!.

Or forget to floss after brushing.

Sergio Aguero??, Man City can have him!..... I'd rather have Sergio Leone,he makes better westerns, or is it spaghetti??.

While not worth silly money,I'll be gutted if Modric lands up at manure,especially if they get him on the cheap with a player such as Carrick thrown into the deal.

Pre season or not it was a good performance from the boys on a difficult surface. The movement up front was lively & as a bonus, Nando scored a sharply taken goal. Interestingly,I thought our fitness level looked a notch above that of Villa's,which bodes well for the first league game against Stoke. Well done lads.

Great stuff that. Being in colour instead of black & white makes the game look a lot 'younger' than 45 years,which is the complete opposite of any photo of my mug!. When I was a nipper I thought the second world war was fought in black & white,and as for watching snooker on telly....forget it!.