Bailey

Yeh and possibly Krul/Tiote but they certainly arent mugs and they should be able to hold their own so to speak. Their biggest problem is that they are managed by Pardew!

City one up. Fortunate deflection but more than deserved. I paued the TV on the replays and its scary to see how poorly positioned the Newcastle players are.

Sod 2 hours I take it back now. Tearing Newcastle apart down the right.

This Man City vs Newcastle game looks on paper like it should be a good one. Newcastle have got some very good players and they should be hard to beat with that line-up. Havent seen City in preseason but it doesnt sound like they have been firing and they have set up quite orthodox on paper. I think I would be happy if they set up to us like that. I might take that back in a couple of hours though!

Good signing.

Yeh Wilshere is still miles ahead. We have only seen that level of performance in one competitive game (maybe 2 if you include Arsenal last year) and whilst he has the potential to be one of the best English players in the league, Wilshere is already there. Wilshere would also win hands down on the who is the biggest diving, moaning bellend competition between the two as well.

I think we should do a similar thing, although maybe with Kagawa as well just in case they say yes Felli was one of the best performers at the weekend. Nothing wrong with his focus.

What an absolute piss take.

I thought Palace were really poor. They had the quality of a pub side and Gabbidon didnt seem to be able to pass the ball within 5 yards of a teammate. They did show a lot if fight though. Spurs on the other hand didnt seem fully wound up, they certainly werent very cohesive for most of the game. However they got the win with a clear pen and it will be interesting to see how they play next time. The Chelsea vs Hull match is quite entertaining though, as Chelsea are all over them. Hull seem to be able to pop it about but as soon as they get pressured they fold and Chelsea flood forward. They look very sharp and by far the best of the title contenders so far.

I dont think anyone is expecting him to play to that level week in week out. He will make mistakes and look sloppy but I have confidence that Martinez will utilise him to his best effect.

Exactly. Also if you look at his stats from yesterday they too show he was one of the best performers. Fourth Official retweeted as people on there were talking out of their arse as well.

Diarra would be brilliant although his wages will price us out of him (and probably them all tbh).

Espinoza is no where near good enough to play for Everton.

I know, both goals were very fortunate albeit they were finished clinically.

I think people are suffering from short memory syndrome Mogsy! Firstly none of the goals were down to issues with our defensive system and I actually thought it worked very well. We didnt really give them a sniff. Secondly any one who is saying Felli was half assed out there today is talking out of their arse. He put in a great shift today, especially the first 70mins and whilst I think he should have gone in for the challenge he put in plenty of other good challenges throughout the game. Dont forget 2 others should have made that challenge before he got to Felli. Finally Osman isnt past it. He certainly didnt have his best game but wasnt as bad as some of you are making out. He took one for the team today and injuries permitting we shouldnt see him in that role too often. Its obvious we need a player in that position and hopefully Martinez is working on it. He will be a very useful squad player, but that is all he should be. Today was far better than I expected, especially away from home against a side that had such a good home record last season. Not many teams will go there this season and play them off the park like we did.

I thought he was good too. Did exactly what we needed him to and whilst I do think he could have got himself involved a little more, his performance was much better than he showed towards the end of last season.

I see Ki only started on the bench for Swansea today and I know Steve_E mentioned him previously. They have brought in a lot of players and I think he would probably be a starter for most Premiership sides (including ours). I'm not sure he would be available but I think we should maybe make some enquiries considering he is exactly the type of player we need and he is used to playing in a very similar system that Martinez would use.

Yeh they won well in the end but again they were up against it and just managed to pick Swansea off. Welbeck scored a cracking goal but again I dont think he really contributed that much in general. He is a good player but I think he is the type of guy that scores in the 3 or 4 nil wins as opposed to the 90th minute winner. Defensively they werent very solid and unsurprisingly they sat back and invited Swansea onto them. They defended the penalty area well but if Swansea had RVP and Utd didnt then Swansea would have won that game. He really is a top class player and I would dread to think were Utd would have finished last year without him, let alone this year. Good start for Moyes though and exactly what he needed.

I actually think Martinez would love to have Rodwell back here for that role and whilst he never set the world alight here, he isnt that type of player and when he remained injury free he was one of the best and most consistent players at the club.

I'll let you off seeing as it was a dummy run

Man Utd winning 2-0 but both teams have been all over the place in this first half. Swanse have dominated possession and could have scored a few themselves but Utd have been clinical. If this first half is anything to go by Swansea will be dangerous but definitely beatable and Man Utd look soft and that they will again be relying on RVP.

Yeh I agree with a lot of that Romey, especially about Jags because a couple of times he lost his marker. On the flip side RVW does look like a very good player and he will pose more of a threat than other strikers.

As its a loan though I dont think it matters how old he is. If we were looking to buy him I wouldnt be happy but as a loan I think ita a good option.

Everton 3 - West Brom 1 Pienaar

Do I not get any points for predicting Ross to be our first scorer?