Dennis Suarez

[I Just Blue Myself]

No mate, you said Mancini won't play any of the youngsters. He has.

Well maybe now he will after today's performance. And I don't consider given them a 5 min or less run "playing the youngsters" and neither do the very early stages of the FA and League Cup competition.

It will be a shocking day when, barring massive widespread injuries, Mancini starts Suarez or Lopes or Rekik in the Premier league.

Yeah, Dec 22 was quite a shocking day.

[Beefymcfc]

No mate, you said Mancini won't play any of the youngsters. He has.

Well maybe now he will after today's performance. And I don't consider given them a 5 min or less run "playing the youngsters" and neither do the very early stages of the FA and League Cup competition.

It will be a shocking day when, barring massive widespread injuries, Mancini starts Suarez or Lopes or Rekik in the Premier league.

And neither would I want the manager to. It's OK saying throw a couple of youngsters into the mix but it's a completely different debate on:

a. Are they good enough?

b. Which player do you leave out at their expense?

Gone are the days where we have to rely on bringing the youth through quickly and we now have the luxury of being able to bring them on to a standard where they can then step-up. Our youth system is in transition and I'm very confident that if they make the grade they will make the first team. The Academy is the future, we've just got to wait for those players to come through.

[Ted Hughes]

We are too shit to be starting kids now. 2 more bad results & 4th place is in danger. All the teams around us are currently playing better than us.

We need to close this season out properly.

[Alioune DVToure]

We are too shit to be starting kids now. 2 more bad results & 4th place is in danger. All the teams around us are currently playing better than us.

We need to close this season out properly.

Agreed. Fingers off the panic buttons.

Let's finish 2nd and win the FA Cup.

[Ted Hughes]

We are too shit to be starting kids now. 2 more bad results & 4th place is in danger. All the teams around us are currently playing better than us.

We need to close this season out properly.

Agreed. Fingers off the panic buttons.

Let's finish 2nd and win the FA Cup.

Also, how you finish a season is often how you go into the next one.

A slump now & Bob may as well go as it's unlikely to suddenly right itself next season. We need to keep the right attitude & finish this season like a side ready to challenge next season.

[blues2win]

Spot on Ted. Mancini will be sacked if the management lose faith in his ability to improve the playing performance next season. A strong finish may decide them to keep him on. A weak finish and Mancini's brown bread and deserves to be.

[MaineRoadMemories]

Personally I don't think Suarez is ready for first time football. Admittedly I've only seen him a few times but each time he hasn't take the game and ran it which is what I would expect in the EDS. What was one of Spain's top 17 year olds hasn't really developed much. I don't blame the lad, I blame the EDS setup and the whole reserve football setup we and England operate.

[Ted Hughes]

Twattered that he has been called up for Spain's U20s now.

Progressing steadily though each level.

[Alioune DVToure]

Twattered that he has been called up for Spain's U20s now.

Progressing steadily though each level.

I don't get that post at all, other than the call-up bit.

Are you happy or sad?

[Ted Hughes]

Twattered that he has been called up for Spain's U20s now.

Progressing steadily though each level.

I don't get that post at all, other than the call-up bit.

Are you happy or sad?

Neither, just a mine of moderately interesting information.

[Beefymcfc]

Twattered that he has been called up for Spain's U20s now.

Progressing steadily though each level.

I don't get that post at all, other than the call-up bit.

Are you happy or sad?

Neither, just a mine of moderately interesting information.

When he makes the first squad, he's in ;-)

[john@staustell]

Personally I've been a bit disappointed with his progress. With all the hype when he came I expected him to be challenging for the first team in the last 12 months.

I firmly believe decent high-class players are obvious by 16 or 17, like Owen, Rooney, Fowler, Micah Richards. I dont go with this that players need umpteen years to 'develop'.

Be interesting to see what Denis is up to when he's 25.

[Ted Hughes]

Personally I've been a bit disappointed with his progress. With all the hype when he came I expected him to be challenging for the first team in the last 12 months.

I firmly believe decent high-class players are obvious by 16 or 17, like Owen, Rooney, Fowler, Micah Richards. I dont go with this that players need umpteen years to 'develop'.

Be interesting to see what Denis is up to when he's 25.

He doesn't have to be an Owen or a Rooney to do a job for our squad though, just a bit better than Nasri has been.

All we need is a few half decent players to fill in the gaps when we get injuries or loss of form & it saves us spunking money & wages on mediocre squad fillers. Instead, we can spend big money & big wages on a few players who merit it.

When someone better comes through, we sell him to a Spanish Steve Bruce impersonator.

[john@staustell]

Not sure Ted. I think at the level we are now you have to be bloody good indeed to hold a place. Nasri is a top player but sometimes looks 'not good enough'. So do some of the others.

But imagine how him, Dzeko, Barry etc would have looked in one of our old crap teams. Our standards are pretty high right now.

Denis to me looks skilful but lightweight for the dear old PL.