Calico

ROFL Moyes' revenge hahaha

Your standards are therefore unfairly high Lucky, lucky

My fingers shall be crossed until that time.

He can play CM as well? The type of versatility Moyes likes. He's a big enough lad for the Prem no doubt and if he ends up along the lines of someone like Hangeland then we'd be very, very happy indeed.

Don't they have Corluka as their first choice and then Naughton as their back-up? I know they're short but maybe if their injured defenders recover or they get a new defender they would be willing to let him go?

As for Chimbonda, he doesn't have the best reputation for the type of attitude Moyes looks for and he fled Sunderland when it looked like they were sinking so I'm not sure.

He's not a proper winger though, he plays to the left of the central midfielder but nor quite out wide.

Yar, does anyone know if the Ruski's play a 4-3-3 with Arshavin and Pavlyuchenko at all?

On the note of him playing centrally, both Arteta and Pienaar played centrally before they came to us as well but they've done well since being put onto the wing. From what I've seen of Bily he has more of the strength and balance of Arteta but is quicker so I reckon he is closer to a proper winger, if not a proper winger outright.

Hopefully he'll get a good run out

Either way it is yet another wonderfully handled transfer

I think there is a wider issue that people are getting at here and it is both socially and sportingly geared.

As for Lescott, I can't see I would not have done the same but it is a shame that there isn't a football player out there who isn't willing to buck the trend and show some loyalty to a club that still has potential in the longer term, if not right here right now.

Even Italy has improved drastically. It is likely something that is blown out of all proportion no matter where it is but I'm just someone who would prefer to deal with problems at home before looking at other places no matter what we're talking about.

I think if you can stifle Wigan's midfield then you cut off the service to the pacey attack; I reckon it'll be a snooze-fest with five in midfield to achieve this effect.

I'm not personally a fan of Cattermole, reckon he can be a liability especially against the better teams in the Prem.

Did Distin not play left back at Man City?

Thanks peoples

I was asking, not having a go. Thanks for interpreting that as not having read your post very well, though.

The player's don't matter near as much as the club.

My thought is that I am glad we have more competitive strikers than we have had for a while at the very least.

Personally, I'd love to see him back at the Fulham game whilst Bily makes his début. That would be awesome.

I am not getting drawn into that idea but I remember very clearly watching Man Utd fans getting escorted from Goodison back into the city by significant police presence. I literally watched it pass by from the student I was living in at the time and this was less than two years ago.

People get stabbed/killed every week in Europe? Which parts do you mean? I know the thugs in Poland and the like are really bad but if we're talking about the Italian, Spanish, French and German leagues then I think it would be in the news every week.

Also, just because it was going to happen, as you say, does that mean it is acceptable? I mean, we're getting into a wider social issue here so I'll try not to ramble but that kind of sentiment - as maintained by lots of hooligans and associated people in this country - is exactly what is wrong with this country. This is not passion. This is not something that can be unavoidable. This is something that should be concentrated on, since we have 99% of the game sorted out, as you say.

I nearly wet myself when I woke up to this news yesterday, lol.

He was heavily linked to Bayern Munich a couple years ago and was often called 'the little Figo'. This is such an exciting signing IMO.

It was really, really weird though because I was moaning to the other half that I was desperate for us to get a proper winger and also someone with higher technical levels on the ball and lo and behold!

With Bily, Pienaar and Mikel all in the same team Yak would score a bucket-load IMO. I also think that he can play *with* Saha, if Moyes is a bit braver and plays two strikers

I do wonder if Moyes has already had some players looked at whilst the whole Lescott drama was going on any way. I mean, just look at how swiftly we completed the deal for Bily so maybe he already has cover for both positions lined up?

I know, I am naive but signing Bily has me all excitable

What I would love to see:

-------------Howard

(new RB) Jagielka Yobo Baines

Pienaar Arteta (new holding player) Bilyaletdinov

----------Saha Yakubu

What is likely, at least for the beginning of the season:

----------Howard

Hibbert Yobo Neville Baines

Osman Fellaini Rodwell Pienaar

----------Cahill

----------Saha

With Jags, Arteta and Yak injured plus Bily being brand new I reckon the second one will be our line-up unless Moyes employs some radical thinking.

ROFL please no

I agree with Rodwell being a midfield player and not a CB if possible but I don't think he should be a starter this year any way. Certainly, if we can get a more experienced, decent holding midfielder in then Rodwell will have more time and less pressure to come through properly and yeah, sure if we don't get enough cover at CB he can then also provide *part-time* cover for CB as well.

I was listening to the radio last night after the match and a few dodgy people phoned up who were 'ex hooligans' saying that people who took their children to the match were naive and that this was always going to happen and it will never change.

It is all really sad and I think it is pathetic when the press, ex-players and other pundits get righteous and judgemental when talking about violence and crowd trouble in other countries because the fact is that it is still very much happening in this country and we should all be talking about and concentrating on our own problems first.

haha thanks for the welcome. Yeah, they were my own websites for creative writing so were a serious commitment so that by the time I'd be finished what I was doing on there for the day I would then be off the internet thus no time for this marvellous place. Fortunately, I am back lol

-- minus at least £9m for Bily.

. . .

Wow. Just wow.

lol