Fernandinho

[Saul Goodman]

Hopefully he starts on Sunday but i doubt it

[PrezIke]

Hopefully he starts on Sunday but i doubt it

we could sure use his help.

do wonder who will start for us particularly at centre back.

[phips]

Hopefully he starts on Sunday but i doubt it

we could sure use his help.

do wonder who will start for us particularly at centre back.

i feel like Pellegrini might use MDM. I don't think we afford to use Nasti or Boyata.
Even though MDM went further at the WC than Mangala--and played more--the familiarity MDM has with Vinnie from last season should vault him ahead of Mangala for maybe the first 2 weeks of the season while Mangala works his way into the squad.

[Hutch's Shoulder]

Hopefully he starts on Sunday but i doubt it

we could sure use his help.

do wonder who will start for us particularly at centre back.

i feel like Pellegrini might use MDM. I don't think we afford to use Nasti or Boyata.
Even though MDM went further at the WC than Mangala--and played more--the familiarity MDM has with Vinnie from last season should vault him ahead of Mangala for maybe the first 2 weeks of the season while Mangala works his way into the squad.

Yes, I was thinking a good game for Mangala to start would be at home to Stoke.

[Slim]

I think it'd be lunacy for Mangala to start at Newcastle, maybe give him a run out for 5 minutes at the end to introduce him.

I think this...
----------------------Hart
Zabaleta--Kompany--MDM--Kolarov
-------------Yaya--Fernandinho
----Nasri--------Jovetic--------Silva
--------------------Dzeko

[john@staustell]

Hopefully he starts on Sunday but i doubt it

we could sure use his help.

do wonder who will start for us particularly at centre back.

i feel like Pellegrini might use MDM. I don't think we afford to use Nasti or Boyata.
Even though MDM went further at the WC than Mangala--and played more--the familiarity MDM has with Vinnie from last season should vault him ahead of Mangala for maybe the first 2 weeks of the season while Mangala works his way into the squad.

I think he'll use Kompany and Nastasic this weekend. As we've seen Demichelis needs to be 100% sharp. Nastasic is match fit and is a 'safe' option. He doesn't pull up any trees but neither is he scared of the ball like Lescott and Boyata. I believe Nastasic did enough in pre-season to get Rekik packed off to PSV again - I'm sure Rekik had been given a low squad number.

Prefer MDM in general though.

[Dubciteh]

Hopefully he starts on Sunday but i doubt it

we could sure use his help.

do wonder who will start for us particularly at centre back.

i feel like Pellegrini might use MDM. I don't think we afford to use Nasti or Boyata.
Even though MDM went further at the WC than Mangala--and played more--the familiarity MDM has with Vinnie from last season should vault him ahead of Mangala for maybe the first 2 weeks of the season while Mangala works his way into the squad.

I think he'll use Kompany and Nastasic this weekend. As we've seen Demichelis needs to be 100% sharp. Nastasic is match fit and is a 'safe' option. He doesn't pull up any trees but neither is he scared of the ball like Lescott and Boyata. I believe Nastasic did enough in pre-season to get Rekik packed off to PSV again - I'm sure Rekik had been given a low squad number.

Prefer MDM in general though.

Lescott scared of the ball?? Well that's just not true. Give me a half fit MDM or Mangala over Nastasic any day of the week.

[aaron bond]

Hopefully he starts on Sunday but i doubt it

we could sure use his help.

do wonder who will start for us particularly at centre back.

i feel like Pellegrini might use MDM. I don't think we afford to use Nasti or Boyata.
Even though MDM went further at the WC than Mangala--and played more--the familiarity MDM has with Vinnie from last season should vault him ahead of Mangala for maybe the first 2 weeks of the season while Mangala works his way into the squad.

I think he'll use Kompany and Nastasic this weekend. As we've seen Demichelis needs to be 100% sharp. Nastasic is match fit and is a 'safe' option. He doesn't pull up any trees but neither is he scared of the ball like Lescott and Boyata. I believe Nastasic did enough in pre-season to get Rekik packed off to PSV again - I'm sure Rekik had been given a low squad number.

Prefer MDM in general though.

Lescott scared of the ball?? Well that's just not true. Give me a half fit MDM or Mangala over Nastasic any day of the week.

I was thinking exactly the same!

I don't think I've ever seen a defender who tries to avoid defending more than Nastasic!

[Wonderwall]

I think it'd be lunacy for Mangala to start at Newcastle, maybe give him a run out for 5 minutes at the end to introduce him.

I think this...
----------------------Hart
Zabaleta--Kompany--MDM--Kolarov
-------------Yaya--Fernandinho
----Nasri--------Jovetic--------Silva
--------------------Dzeko

Almost Bro,

----------------------Hart
Zabaleta--Kompany--Nasty--Kolarov
-------------Yaya--Fernando
----Nasri--------Jovetic--------Silva
--------------------Dzeko

thats the line up right there

[Slim]

I think it'd be lunacy for Mangala to start at Newcastle, maybe give him a run out for 5 minutes at the end to introduce him.

I think this...
----------------------Hart
Zabaleta--Kompany--MDM--Kolarov
-------------Yaya--Fernandinho
----Nasri--------Jovetic--------Silva
--------------------Dzeko

Almost Bro,

----------------------Hart
Zabaleta--Kompany--Nasty--Kolarov
-------------Yaya--Fernando
----Nasri--------Jovetic--------Silva
--------------------Dzeko

thats the line up right there

I was thinking ABBA initially, but I hope Fred isn't relegated to the bench as he was for Garcia at the end of last season.

Could be right on Nasty, depends on how close MDM is and you don't want him half fit, lunging in out of position like last season. If it wasn't him, I'd be tempted to start Mangler, I just have no faith in Nasty, I was hoping a loan might come through for him as I think a year playing for someone like WBA would sharpen him up or prove he doesn't have it for this league.

[Wonderwall]

I think it'd be lunacy for Mangala to start at Newcastle, maybe give him a run out for 5 minutes at the end to introduce him.

I think this...
----------------------Hart
Zabaleta--Kompany--MDM--Kolarov
-------------Yaya--Fernandinho
----Nasri--------Jovetic--------Silva
--------------------Dzeko

Almost Bro,

----------------------Hart
Zabaleta--Kompany--Nasty--Kolarov
-------------Yaya--Fernando
----Nasri--------Jovetic--------Silva
--------------------Dzeko

thats the line up right there

I was thinking ABBA initially, but I hope Fred isn't relegated to the bench as he was for Garcia at the end of last season.

Could be right on Nasty, depends on how close MDM is and you don't want him half fit, lunging in out of position like last season. If it wasn't him, I'd be tempted to start Mangler, I just have no faith in Nasty, I was hoping a loan might come through for him as I think a year playing for someone like WBA would sharpen him up or prove he doesn't have it for this league.

what have you got against Lescott? He has just got away from Nasty, now stop it.

I am hoping that clichy does not start as RB as that will kill the game for me as soon as it starts

[john@staustell]

Hopefully he starts on Sunday but i doubt it

we could sure use his help.

do wonder who will start for us particularly at centre back.

i feel like Pellegrini might use MDM. I don't think we afford to use Nasti or Boyata.
Even though MDM went further at the WC than Mangala--and played more--the familiarity MDM has with Vinnie from last season should vault him ahead of Mangala for maybe the first 2 weeks of the season while Mangala works his way into the squad.

I think he'll use Kompany and Nastasic this weekend. As we've seen Demichelis needs to be 100% sharp. Nastasic is match fit and is a 'safe' option. He doesn't pull up any trees but neither is he scared of the ball like Lescott and Boyata. I believe Nastasic did enough in pre-season to get Rekik packed off to PSV again - I'm sure Rekik had been given a low squad number.

Prefer MDM in general though.

Lescott scared of the ball?? Well that's just not true. Give me a half fit MDM or Mangala over Nastasic any day of the week.

Really? We weren't watching the same fella. Hopeless with the ball at his feet, like a rabbit in the headlights. Take an incident in the Barca game (when they didn't score) - Lescott had the ball at his feet on half way. I could see he was going to give it away, the commentator could see he was going to lose it, everybody in the ground could see it, Messi (20 yards away) could see he wasn't comfortable on the ball and lo and behold he took it off him. Luckily just missed the goal.

[Slim]

UNDER NO PRESSURE, PANICS AT A HOPEFUL LONG BALL, COCKS THE HEADER UP COMPLETELY AND GIVES THE BALL AWAY TO CISSE AND ALMOST GAVE OUR TITLE AWAY!!!

DOESN'T TRACK THE RIGHT WINGER, DOESN'T TRACK ANY FUCKER, DOESN'T IMPOSE HIMSELF IN ANY WAY, ENDS UP JUMPING INTO THE NET BEFORE THE CROSS ARRIVES AND ALLOWS THEM TO TAKE THE LEAD WITH 10 MEN!!!

Anything past this point is fucking invalid.

Are you fucking kidding me defending him?

I was disgusted he was given another season after that. He does not have it in him for high pressure situations and that was a game that encapsulated everything you needed to know about Lescott, let him ply his trade in a team that is competing for nothing, he'll look like a decent defender, ask him to up his game to the top level and he crumbles like a cake Yaya never received.

[Hazy2]

Funny thing about Joelon was I liked him and new he loved the club and fans, BUT, Some of his daftest performances were at WBA, Funny football at times. Top bloke.

[carl_feedthegoat]

Best thing we ever did as now we can go forwards and not sideways.

[sheblue]

ah stop.. if nasti starts were fucked, his nervousness will riddle through the whole team..

[Abu Dhabi]

I am sorry but I had to bump this.

He started this season brilliantly, and his performance yesterday was faultless.
I know it was only Watford but he was still the reason they didnt have any time on the ball.

He is very important to our play, so I hope he continues to perform at this level this season.

[nottsblue]

Even DC on Soccer Saturday was full of praise. Though because he struggles with pronunciations he may have meant Sterling.....

[Slim]

I've been arguing about Lescott's ineptitude for an entire year? Probably longer come to think of it. Time to let that one go I think.

[Tim777]

What a top player and person he is.

I'm glad he's getting the recognition he deserves, may he go from strength to strength.