Bailey

Re your last paragraph I think clubs do have those aspects all in place and I suspect there is something in their contract. Didn't Arsenal fine Wilshere when he was caught? I do agree that as long as performances don't drop then they should be able to do what they want (drink/smoke) but I can see the club's point of view too.

But they are under contract and as such "owned" by their clubs while under such a contract. I get exactly where you are coming from and fundamentally I agree but if I was a club owner paying God knows how much I would want that "asset" to stay off the booze and fags. A drop of booze here and there isn't a bad thing but fags are nothing but bad.

No its true that we don't know the whole story but he has hardly shown anything in the last 2 years, broken promises or not. He is a professional footballer, in a very privileged position and even if he has a dust up with the owner or manager he should be playing his best for his teammates and the fans.

They do get paid millions to keep themselves in the best shape possible so if that's what the club's ask of them it's fair enough!

No worries gents. I should have been doing better things but I am an excellent procrastinator! Stats are all contextual. For example Lukaku has probably done better in the air because he has had more chance to. Of the two this season I have obviously seen Lukaku more but when I have watched Spurs, Kane hasn't really been getting into the game where you would expect him to. Lukaku is in a poor side but he is making the most of the opportunities he gets whereas Kane is not playing as well in a much more productive team. On the whole, they are similar players, both have their positives and negatives and they probably would do a similar jobs for their teams. Based on this season though I would expect Rom to have scored more goals than Kane if they played for both Everton or Spurs but I would probably also expect Kane to keep the ball better and bring others into play more possibly creating more possession and more team chances. Either way there wouldn't be much in it. What we do know is that Troy Deeney is not the man we want to replace Rom!

I think he would flourish in an inverted 3 man midfield. 1 sole defensive midfielder and two box to box. Gana, with McCarthy and Barkley would be great.

I wouldn't touch anyone that has forced his way out of a club like that and had to be dropped because of his lack of effort. Fans give up so much to watch the games and support their teams and this twat is happy to waste his talent in the reserves or on the bench because he wants to earn as many millions on another teams bench.

Comparing Kane and Lukaku again, Ai think Kane has scored 3 pens too, not sure about Lukaku? I can't remember any. Fwiw Lukaku has scored from outside of the area but Kane hasn't yet this year. Both have scored 1 headed goal, Kane one extra with his wrong foot.

I thought I would try and go for a couple of similar players in a similar style of team play. Benteke 16 games 8 goals (0.5pg) - includes pens - 2 I think 15 chances created 45% shot accuracy 63% pass accuracy 51% duels won - 56% aerially Palace 159 chances created 50% possession 75% pass accuracy 20m pass length Deeney 18 appearances 4 goals (2 pens?) 21 chances created 47% shot accuracy 58% pass accuracy 41% duels won Watford 137 chances created 48% possession 73% pass accuracy 20m pass length

Lukaku 17 appearances 10 goals (0.59pg) 25 chances created (1.47pg) 66% shot accuracy 64% pass accurancy 47% duals won, 41% aerial. Harry Kane 13 appearance 8 goals (0.62pg) 19 chances created (1.46pg) 57% shot accuracy 72% pass accuracy 45% duels won - 33% aerial Spurs 248 chances created 55% possession 83% pass accuracy 20m pass length Everton 181 chances created 50% possession 78% pass accuracy 21m pass length So if Lukaku scores almost as many and creates more chances in a team that has created far less, had much less possession and a longer passing average yet is only just less accurate with his passing. Plus this lazy Lukaku sod wins more duels, significantly more aerially. Get rid... not a team player at all.

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No he doesn't, especially on long balls. He does alright from crosses but not when we go back to front. It's like he doesn't read the flight properly, probably in part because of what StevO said.

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That's a lot of money... he must be bloody good! Has anyone actually seen anything of him?

Yeh I enjoyed the Accountant too, although normally I'm not a fan of Affleck. He was brilliant in that though and in Gone Girl. I think he is probably better the more difficult the role is. In light hearted or more commercial movies he is pretty terrible IMO.

Shy talk - shall not mention the words "clown shoes" in one post ?

If you played for a team that dominated it wouldn't be so bad because the likelihood is that you would be on the ball again petty quickly but it games that go end to end you have no chance of regularly getting yourself into the 'right' position and the more you try the worse it gets. At least if you just play as a lazy attacker or sit deeper and more as a midfielder you will be in position half the time.

I have seen they are after Rowett and Coleman. I don't know much about Rowett but whilst Coleman has done well with Wales he isn't a very good manager and not someone you would want to get you out of a relegation battle. If Wales didn't have Bale I doubt they would have qualified or get as far as they did.

If we are going to go back to front then I think I would go for a big standard 442. Get Valencia alongside Lukaku, two of Mirallas/Lennon/Gerry wide and the legs in midfield of Gana and Davies. Knock it long, bully their CB'S, whip balls into the box and get the centre mids running marathons box to box. Joel has to start.

It's knackering too as you are constantly ahead of the ball. When we get on the ball he is looking to break forward but when that move breaks down at the next pass, he is then the wrong side of the person he should be marking and then he has to acknowledge the turn of possession, stop, turn and then get back into position. I play at the back and defending in that position is easy, when I pushed forward in the game for a bit of fun, I could easily get into space and make myself available but then when they won the ball back I was out of the game completely.

That's crazy, has he even been in charge for 10 games? Terrible manager though, and probably best to get a new man in before the window opens rather than after it has shut.

Vikings is my favourite show at the moment. Far better than GOT for me, the stories, the acting and the fact that they don't kill off the main character every episode! I hadn't realised that the new series had started though so will need to get on that!

No it doesn't need to be defensive but we are a defensive team. We just smash it forward and hope it sticks. We don't use wingbacks to create an extra person (or two) in midfield and therefore extra passing options. We do it so that we have more bodies up front, more at the back and almost no meaningful midfield!

Formations like 442 451 352 etc should always be viewed as a defensive shape and if we were defending, which we do a lot of at the moment, then both Baines and Coleman would be playing as deep as the centre backs and therefore 5 at the back. I didn't really see any evidence of either of them getting any further forward than they normally would (against Leicester) or even starting any further forward than they normally would.

I would agree.