Daniel Taylor

What with focus on the second tier in Germany, I wonder if Simon Terodde is someone we have looked at. A tall and strong striker who has been top scorer for two years in a row with two different clubs. At 28 is not likely to bring future profit but could be a good fit for the side in place of Jerome or Oliveria.

Probably not and I don''t think it matters too much. If he played well for the first few months he''d likely be sold in January so I''d ratehr get a good fee and replace him. I believe holding on to Redmond is more important.

[quote user="Feedthewolf"]Ruddy Martin (c) Turner Yobo Olsson Tettey Snodgrass Howson Fer Gutierrez Hooper Subs: Bunn, Bennett, Johnson, Redmond, Hoolahan, Elmander, RVW. Tettey/Howson/Fer in the centre of the park will be essential to close down the space. Tettey gets the nod over Johnson because he''s much better at retaining possession. Also choose Jonas ahead of Redders as he will offer more support to Olsson. Hooper/RVW is a tough call, but to be honest if we do get a clear chance, I feel Hoop is more likely to take it than RVW. Howson and Fer will be able to bomb forward on the rare occasions that we do attack! [/quote]   I think that seems a very sensible line up and one I would go with. I don''t think this is a game for Redmond when you will have Sterling or Coutinho running at you. As for the striker. Flip a coin really.

I discussed this on another thread but having been at the game I would say the following were true: 1. He did work hard and did try to tackle back but he was ineffective at keeping hold of the ball and his touch more often than not let him down. 2. In trying so hard he lost tactical discipline and was almost always in the wrong areas of the pitch when we were in possession. Numerous times Howson would pick up the ball in midfield and you would find Van Wolfswinkel has alongside him or deeper and not looking to push on and give an option. This meant the ball had to be pushed wide and then there still would be no one to cross to or the midfield had to push on to make up for it. It is likely that this is down to confidence that he is not showing for it but it is just going to be a repeated cycle if he doesn''t start getting into the right positions.

I don''t think it''s anything to do with them being from abroad it''s about the teams they have been in. Strihavka was brought in by Peter Grant and then had Roeder as manager so unlikely to succeed. Yeah ok not great but that wouldn''t help. Maric was just an odd choice but a minimal gamble as he was free. We just haven''t targeted the right type of players more often than not and there have been plenty of domestic strikers who have flopped equally.

Ruddy Whittaker   Martin   Turner   Olsson Tettey Snodgrass  Fer  Howson  Pilkington Hooper

If he is frustrated then he should be so with himself. What I saw on Saturday was a player not willing to push forward and someone you could barely assign the word striker too. He dropped back into central midfield positions where there were already three city players and left a complete void so when Snodgrass or Redmond got free and forward and on one counter in the first half in particular he was nowhere to be seen. He just doesn''t show for it. He sometimes gets back and tackles in the full back positions which is all well and good for showing effort but he is playing with no tactical intelligence at all in order to try and get some credit. If he was to actually play through the middle there is an option for the midfield. Instead, nothing happens as we do not have the pace or power in central midfield to get forward and support, we bring on Hooper and then start slinging the ball up high to him which he stands no chance with against the likes of Hangeland and Diarra. In effect we have wasted 60 minutes with a striker not playing his position and making it more unlikely we will score. I am beginning to thibnk we have to go for broke now and remove Johnson for Hoolahan so there is some attacking support with the obvious consequence being leaving less support at the back. Johnson does a decent job but his distribution is lacking far too often sadly. OK against Liverpool we will probably be ripped to pieces doing that but we probably would anyway. However, against Arsenal and Man United I think it needs to be seriously considered so that there is support for whoever the striker is.

Snodgrass was excellent. Was his final product always right? No. But he is not alone in that and we lack quality all across the pitch. Redmond and Murphy never seem likely to make the right decision but in Redmond and Snodgrass I saw two players in particular who played their hearts out and both collapsed at the final whistle. The amount of work and effort Snodgrass put in was absolutely exemplary.

Yes

He can be as livid or not as he likes, thankfully he''s not our problem any more.

Last season was painful scoreline wise and I expect this to be a real scrappy game. The only thing I am holding out particular hope for is that it isn''t as unbearably hot as it was last time round!

1. Would 33 points potentially keep us up? Yes, I don''t see the bottom three with the exception of Sunderland who have a bit more spirit, mustering enough to beat th 32 point mark so yes it may well be. 2. Should we allow ourselves to look at it that way? No. We could and should be West Brom so get to 35 points. I think that makes us safer and if we find ourselves dropping points there then we give the others around us massive encouragement, in particular Fulham. And we know what can happen when we go to Craven Cottage. Also, if we consider the last two games of last season where we jumped right up the table the players and club should understand that every place higher we can finish is extra revenue for the club and that can be very beneficial. I place no expectation on points from anything other than a win against West Brom and a draw with Fulham in truth, but 36 points would make for a slightly more comfortable finish.

I have done the predictor and top and bottom of the table for me are: 1. Man City - 88 pts 2. Liverpool - 87 pts 3. Chelsea - 85 pts 4. Arsenal - 78 pts 5. Everton - 72 pts   14. Crystal Palace - 37 pts 15. Norwich - 37 pts 16. West Ham - 36 pts 17. West Brom - 36 pts 18. Sunderland - 32 pts 19. Cardiff - 29 pts 20. Fulham - 29 pts   As far as our games go I have said narrow win at West Brom, draw with Fulham and Arsenal and defeats elsewhere. Far from scientifc but just current feeling on it.  

Personally I was questioning his reaction to a near non existent dig. It was embarrassing and I think his tweets show that he probably agrees now. His performances tell their own story. Tries, loses his temper and doesn''t look like scoring. Maybe he''ll come good, maybe he won''t. Right not I couldn''t care less who scores as long as someone does to get us out of this slow descent.

I am pleased tpo as there was nothing in it. I''d have been even more pleased if Van Wolfswinkel hadn''t rolled around on the floor as if shot too and worried more about making contact with the football somewhere useful on the pitch.