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I think Adam started training maybe a little later than most but is back now looking fit and well.
As for the Carling Cup who knows who will play? Is it more important than the Barcelona game? Sure as hell is for me so I expect all sorts of changes for that game and maybe the majority will get a look in at som epoint.
Personally though I would like to see Weiss get a run at Palace as well as Petrov.

Clenched fist salute!!!????

I think you will find he was shaking his fist at you for letting the cat out the bag last week re Bellamys whereabouts!

Cheers Doug!

But good finishing from Etuhu and De Jong? Are you sure!? How far away were they again?

Regarding prev. comments on Ireland's not taking enough touches, I suppose it's a matter of the right time and place. He's among players who should be able to deal with one touch passing and it's certainly something I'm sure we'd all like to see more and more of as part of our style of play, but to expect a team to play perfectly on the first day of the season is a bit much, particularly with players coming in. He wasn't shy of taking all the time in the world to wrap the game up wiht his goal, so I find this ciriticism unfair, if indeed it is criticism.

We played average and won without conceding, scoring two goals away from home;- can't say I can muster too many grumbles! There was a certain lack of balance at the end of the game but hopefully Hughes will wear more sensible shoes next time out.

Cheers Doug, another quality report. Looking forward to have Kompany back, and I would like RSC to have a run sooner rather than later.

Cheers Doug, another quality report. Looking forward to have Kompany back, and I would like RSC to have a run sooner rather than later.

uwe's_skyblue_duvet wrote:Cheers Doug!

But good finishing from Etuhu and De Jong? Are you sure!? How far away were they again?

Regarding prev. comments on Ireland's not taking enough touches, I suppose it's a matter of the right time and place. He's among players who should be able to deal with one touch passing and it's certainly something I'm sure we'd all like to see more and more of as part of our style of play, but to expect a team to play perfectly on the first day of the season is a bit much, particularly with players coming in. He wasn't shy of taking all the time in the world to wrap the game up wiht his goal, so I find this ciriticism unfair, if indeed it is criticism.

We played average and won without conceding, scoring two goals away from home;- can't say I can muster too many grumbles! There was a certain lack of balance at the end of the game but hopefully Hughes will wear more sensible shoes next time out.

Not only Ireland amongst the players who can deal with one touch passing but he is superb at it from what I have seen in training and some games. The key though is to do it at the right times and in the right areas.

Douglas Higginbottom wrote:some excellent breaking with the ball from Nigel and finishing ( is he really just a defensive midfield player?)

I'm sure you've heard this before, but he used to be an attacking midfielder for Ajax, and also played in the SWP position wide on the right. He was signed by Hamburg as an attacking midfielder, but Martin Jol decided to change his game to being a holding midfielder. I agree that he capable of doing more than just standing in front of the back four and is capable of being a box-to-box midfielder...

Egg zackly Doug.

If Ireland's guilty of anything (grandmother head-countrs and hairstyles notwithstanding) it's possibly wanting to play fantastic fluid football all the time, as suits him best, rather than adapting to a more workmanlike style required to graft results against teams like Blackburn.

But I'd rather see players try and play than not. Hang on it sounds like I'm criticising him myself now! Which I am not.

As for our Nige, I reckon he's probably playing within the instructions given to him by the mgmt. True: defensive/holding midfielders can have more strings to their bow than sitting in front of the back four e.g. Palacios for Spurs (god I hate Spurs), but if he's gonna be performing a role within a system we're developing, with an influx of new players, he can sit and bite ankles all day long for me.

We're an evolving team, hence De jong etc may have to do a particular job now particularly in games against the absolute best players but as time goes on his role can expand. Last year people such as De Jong had to be wary of the gaps left by all the lazy bastards in the team. Gradually they're being weeded out, replaced by better more comitted players or are working harder.

Re Ireland; I understand what people mean about some of his one touch stuff. Both he & Robbie were guilty of ruining perfectly good moves by trying smartarse little touches when a straightforward 10 yard sideways pass would've been all that was needed to open up Blackburn. They have to let others better placed play the killer pass sometimes. Not a big problem though; just fine tuning.

Douglas Higginbottom wrote:

Slim wrote:

adebayor25 wrote:thanks doug. just wondering iv not seen much of mee and clayton, how do they look in training ?

Have you not seen a picture of Adam Clayton yet? That's a fucking sight.

Are you thinking of Clayton McDonald who is 8 foot tall or Adam Clayton who is a smallish midfield player?

On Mee and Clayton , they always look pretty good in training without standing out to me. It will be interesting to see if either get a look in in the Carling Cup.

ok thanks mate. seen mee a few times look decent, one for the future maybe.