John Boubepo

I wasn''t at the game today, just listening 2000 miles away but I was thinking pretty much the same thing, Diane, our passing was poor by all accounts and our best passer of the ball spent 90 mins sitting on the bench, I think the choice of Roberts or Jarvis was a 50/50 call but the game seemed to cry out for Mullers for sure!!

I feel NW is very quick to blame the players when performances are poor, either individually or as a team, sometimes I can except his point [although don''t necessarily agree with his public assignation of a player] but I can only accept this criticism when he is even-handed and accepts the blame himself when he has made one of his regular naive tactical errors

Being female doesn''t come into it, you''re dead right Diane. the team already weakened by the loss of Mullers and Crouch were weakened further by Worthington''s. team selection and naive tactics, end of story!!

Mmmmmmm but would Darren be happy playing in front of 150 fans for 6 months and then being relegated into obscurity?

Nice analogy Mook but imagine you are brave enough to take a gamble, a calculated gamble, you tighten things up, pay your slightly bigger mortgage on your new, bigger house for the next 6 months , and guess what at the end of it? you get a massive pay rise - 3 times what you are earning now and to top that, your new house is now worth twice as much - all inside six months but it gets even better because every Saturday & sometimes on a Wednesday you get to hold a huge party, all your best mates are there, including me!! with my cheap bottle of red, we all admire your new house, your expansive new garden, your facilities for the youngsters, your new extension recently built, even your guests from out of town are full of admiration and praise. The whole party reaches a crescendo with us all singing - ''For Mook''s a Jolly Good Fellow'' - your wife and 3 kids look on with tears in their eyes, a good-looking, articulate, intelligent and well dressed chap at the back holding an empty bottle of red, Shouts - ''Thank the Lord for Mook,brave, brave Mook!! Aaahhh I can see it all now!!

Fair point Mook but surely if we go out and get other premiership players in to replace Hucks & co, we will be paying pretty much the same in wages as we are now, I know with Hucks it''s a combination of his fee + wages but think of this scenario for a second - we bring in 3 other loan signings for the next 3 months [costing 400k], they dont fit in, they don''t have the same impact in fact they flop altogether, the team starts to lose it''s momentum and we finish 8th. You don''t have to stretch your imagination too far to see such an occurence. Personally I would forget Harper, let him go and fully concentrate on keeping Huckerby and Crouch, we probably have the best strike partnership in div 1, they would also be good enough for the premiership when/if we get there!!

I must admit when I read Phil Smiths comments, I thought, wow! If I was a player and this guy had made such opinionated comments about me, without even consulting me, I would be spitting feathers!!. Whatever a players intentions the last thing he needs is some second rate agent, who is basically an employee of the player, [not the other way round] making such outspoken comments. It makes you wonder how such a person and many like him, have ever got in the position to command 10% on deals. Lets face it, most players could negotiate these deals just as well themselves.

If we are likely to replace Huckerby, in December, [because his wage is the big issue] with another premiership loan player [presumably on similar wages] uuuummmm, like hey man, isn''t that like the same thing, or am I missing the point? Surely if that''s the case, and we could pick him up for 800k we should snatch Kevin Keegans hand off. I understand 800k is still a lot of money and understand the reasoning behind not having to pay a loan player during the closed season, as apposed to a full time signing but right here and now,if it comes down to 800k [which we were planning to spend on a striker anyway] isn''t it worth the gamble? If Ipswich are paying Andy Marshall a similar wage to sit at home every Saturday, surely we can pay the same wage to a player who can make the difference between getting promoted or finishing about 8th or 9th! I''m assuming Andy Marshall is still there and isn''t walking the Suffolk streets selling - ''The Big Issue'', if he isn''t yet, it''s just a matter of time, bwwah ha ha ha, bwwah ha ha!! oh the Irony!! I JUST LOVE IT!!

Yes, I would have to agree with that. it is totally beyond me why with Huckerby out, we then enter our hardest game yet, with our 2 most dangerous players sitting on the bench!!! Nice one Worthy - you still have an awful lot to learn!!

Yeah but after the last home game I saw divots all over the pitch, I reckon we should sack the groundsman and as for those cheeky turnstile operators who just slow everybody down trying to get into the ground - well they should go as well!! and have you seen the clubs tea lady with her hair in a bun!! that is so 1970s! if I had my way!! blah blah blah

It''s true NW has proven he can be a ''good manager'' not just with his recent signings but has also proved that at half time if the team aren''t playing well, he can change things around and make them come out a better team, all signs of a good manager. Mind you, if he wants to progress to the next level and be known as a ''very good manager'' he needs to get those tactics right as soon as they kick off. If he wants to be known as an ''excellent manager'' he''ll do all the above and win promotion with or without Huckerby. Like a lot of people Ive had my doubts about NW,at the moment he is definitely in the ''good catergory'' and deserves the credit for that

Its quite ironic when you think about it, here we are thinking if it would be possible or even if it would be a good idea to pay Hucks 20K and there''s poor old Town paying the same wage to Andy Marshall to sit at home and try and keep clean sheet on his play station.

Granted - most footballers wouldn''t live in Moss Side but then, neither did I, living close to Alderley Edge myself was my saving grace, as most catburglars would travel from Moss Side, bypass my place and make for the richer pickings of Alderley Edge. And unless I''m mistaken it''s the same grey sky which hangs over Moss Side which hangs over Alderley, or do those clever millionaires know something I don''t!!

I think we should also remember - it''s not just a case of what Huckerby can offer us, it''s also a case of what we can offer him. i.e. being a family man like myself and having stayed in Manchester for a short period of time[in fact I made it as short as was humanly possible] I found the place as bleak and depressing as anywhere I have ever seen, the weather was always grey, the buildings were grey, it was totally unsafe for kids or women to be out after dark, [but at least the dark made a change from the grey] and the only thing to keep you amused was thinking up ways of stopping Liam Gallagher look-alikes from stealing your car of breaking into your house. So if moving to a fine city like Norwich with it''s clean safe environment and occasional blue skies isn''t worth at least a thought, then getting the chance of playing week in week out AND playing a free role must! After all what''s his alternative - return to Gotham City and sit on the bench, that''s if he''s lucky!! I don''t know about you but I''d gladly take a pay cut just for the chance to improve my life.

wages at 400K I don''t think either will be sitting on the bench for 3 games, they may be rested after 70mins to allow Elvis/Roberts etc a run out but that will be it. Expect goals, lots of goals!!! bwa haa haa haa!!

Six foot seven, Christ on a bike!!! do we have any shirts that big? the jury is still out on this guy but he has what it takes at this level, and I feel any defender or manager from any opposing team would worry about the height thing if nothing else. 3 months sounds about right, if he turns out to be cr@P we can pass him on to the binmen, if he''s any good he will probably have scored against the binners by then and we can keep him, oh I just love easy choices!!

I must admit I had my doubts about Adam Drury as captain not because of his position or that he appears quiet and perhaps too much of a gent to scream and shout,- during 90 mins of football all the players scream and shout at each other anyway, captain or not. I just feel that the level of responsibility could distract Drury from his natural game, he''s a quiet, steady guy who is very consistent and has so far made steady progress since his arrival, I think these kind of players are sometimes better left to concentrate on their game. Forcing an introvert such as Drury to scream and shout, worry about other players positions etc etc could prove to be quite negative to Drury''s own performance. Time will tell but I feel NW was worried by the prospect of Wayne Bridge going to Chelsea and Southampton looking at Drury as a possible replacement, thus giving him the Captains armband to at least make him think about staying if Southampton''s interest became a threat. Maybe a very good move in that respect or maybe not so good if he starts going backwards in terms of progress, Time will tell.

''Be Bop a Lula'', I don''t think it would be a particularly good idea to rush out and buy a striker for the sake of it, I don''t think Taylor or Beckett are the answer. I reckon we should give Elvis a decent run, get him on a long term loan and when he helps us win promotion we can sign him from a probable relegated Fulham. - Problem solved!!

No I dont think he''s worth it, NW would be better off putting the money in a brown paper bag and keeping under his bed. The right player will come along, that much I''m certain. Taylor never was and never will be a 20 goal a season striker.