HalfTimePost

ALL HEIL **** GODZAN. Courtesy of @Guzaniacs

All that needs to be said is: Guzan let 12 goals in the last two games. And didn't put a single foot wrong throughout. Given looked awful at Norwich, no confidence, lack of practice, Guzan made some fantastic saves vs Chelsea and Spurs, it's the defence that needs to be sorted.

For the 8th transfer window in a row what we really need is a new DM. And if by some magical twist of fate we're able too, i'll take Barry back as we have yet to replace him. He's still more than capable and will still be our best player imo. Realistically, who else is going to have him? Spurs - Nah can't see it, they have Sandro and he isn't really a AVB type sigining. Liverpool - Not really Rodgers' M.O. and they have Allen and Leiva Arsenal - Again, not the type of signing i'd expect them to make. Newcastle - possibly, but again cant see it unless they are desperate if they lose Tiote, v. unlikely though. Chelsea - No. Everton - Possibly? Sunderland - Most likely i can think of so far. Think Barry and Westwood would make a decent partnership and them two, defensively minded players but who can pass would be great to protect the back four and spring attacks and let a new AM (still hoping, illogically for Aaron Hunt) run riot without having to worry too much about defensive duties. -----Westwood---Barry------ Aubameyang-Hunt--NZogbia --------------Benteke---------- would be pretty good, even better if we can get in a proper winger where NZogbia is there rather than a second *puts on FM Hat* Inside Forward opposite Aubameyang. One thing I liked about us under Houllier was that we had Young on one side ( a very direct player) and Downing, a much more traditional winger on the other side, it gave us variation and the ability to try different things against the fullbacks by swapping sides. Bent flourished with it and I can only imagine Weimann would do too. Disclaimer: Yes I know Barry, Aubameyang and Hunt are all unlikely siginings.

Aubameyang is a very quick player who can play on the wing and upfront, like Gabby who can score.. Everton, Stoke, Sunderland, Liverpool, Us, Newcastle could all do with a player like Aubameyang. Southampton and QPR if they feel like investing again too. We aren't his only option

-----------Guzan--------------- Lichaj-Lowton-Clark-Bennett ----------Westwood----------- -----Bannan-------Delph------ -------Graham-Ireland-------- -------------Benteke----------- Bench: Given, Herd, Williams, Carruthers, Bowery, Albrighton, KEA And then sit back and pray.

Charles NZogbia will not sign for Alex McLeish again, no chance. He hated being here last season.

Presuming I had the talent to play at a high level id be ****. I'd have a great game and come on VT to see how much i was being praised and then that'd be it, i'd end up checking after every game and before you know it i'd be near suicidal the way some on here slate our players

Dont need to be Premier League Experienced, i'd accept experienced players from foreign leagues

FWIW, I dont think Aaron Hunt is realistic, but boy would I love to have him here. Where did everybody on here talking about him start? Was we linked or was it just pie-in-the-sky dreaming? This season Stats: Aaron Hunt 2.5 Key Passes per game 2.4 Dribbles per game Wins 3.1 fouls per game 1.8 successful crosses per game Passes per Game 45 Pass Success 82% Stephen Ireland: 0.8 Key Passes 0.1 Dribble Wins 0.8 fouls per game 0.3 crosses Passes per Game 27 Pass Success 78% Charles NZogbia: Key passes 0.8 Dribbles 0.9 Fouls 1.9 Crosses 0.5 Passes per Game 11 Pass Success 75% Not saying he's as good as these...but: Juan Mata Key Passes 2.6 Dribbles 0.4 Fouls 0.6 Crosses 1 Passes per Game 55 Pass Success 86% Santi Cazorla Key Passes 2.7 Dribbles 2.6 Fouls 1.7 Crosses 1.1 Passes per Game 68 Pass Success 89% David Silva Key Passes 3.1 Dribbles 1.1 Fouls 0.8 Crosses 1.5 Passes per Game 58 Pass Success 86% Stats from WhoScored?

I said they aren't the answer and that Adam doesn't add muscle, which he doesn't - he can't tackle, can't break up play and he's crap in the air. He's a Hollywood-ball-passer who can take a Freekick. He's just a tall Barry Bannan. We need (IMO): Somebody who can break up play, intercept the ball, win a header, make crunching (non-delph-like) tackles, muscle players off the ball and then make a simple pass to Westwood to start an attack. Adam can't do this. Somebody like Cheikh Tiote (obviously not him). Reaching for the stars a bit but Etienne Capoue would be great. William Kvist, Liam Trotter, Moussa Sissoko, Pirmin Schwegler, Heiko Westermann would all be players that could do this better than KEA is being made to (he's more of a forward midfielder anyway) Somebody who knows how and when to pass like Ireland (and can do it) and also knows how and when to dribble like NZogbia (and can do it), it's no good only being able to do half of the required job for that role behind the striker if we play no wingers. Aaron Hunt has been mentioned a lot on here, he'd be a very good choice. German attacking midfielders are brought through the ranks being taught how to play centrally, on the left, and on the right. By their nature they can drift either way. With us only playing one AM/Winger behind the strikers then a young German (or somebody who plays similar - IE when Kagawa was bought by Dortmund) should be on the shopping list... Considering we have Lambert and Henke at the club, this should be an obvious signing in January. [*]A proper CB, especially if we persist with 3 at the back, Douglas' contract expires in the summer. Alderweireld is in the Belgium National Team with Benteke (and can drift to the right if we go 3 at the back Alderweireld-Vlaar-Clark/Baker would be a very good back 3. Huddlestone and Adam are not the answer and I'm sticking to that, we have Bannan anyway so have no need for another wasteful MOTD-Passer like Adam who offers nothing else, Huddlestone looks okay in a midfield with Scott Parker, Dembele, Sigurdsson, Sandro etc but thats only because he has those players around him. Delph, Bannan and KEA would look good if they had players like that around them. Okay, maybe not KEA but Delph and Bannan have had some good performances this season but they need proper midfielders around them. Guzan, Lowton, Vlaar and Westwood are the most important players in the team, they are consistent, young, filled with potential etc. If we can find some more players like these and Benteke we are on to a winner but they need to be the right type of player in my opinion. Theres no point finding another no-mark midfielder like the two mentioned, we need a big bastard defensive midfielder and somebody with a bit of spark about them.

Charlie Adam and Tom Huddlestone are not the answer. And the last thing that Charlie Adam adds to a team is 'a bit of muscle'

For young German's surely CL-winning-with-Dortmund Lambert and having Henke at the club (former assistant manager of Bayern and Dortmund) must have some pull and certainly can't hurt us. And really should be some pull for all players. Newcastle managed to get Ba, Cisse, Tiote, Cabaye in arguably a worse position than us..

A win vs Wigan and we are 6 points ahead of the relegation zone. Wigan: 1 point from last 6 games 3 points from last 6 Away games Worst form in the league. Having said that their last 6 games have been City, Newcastle, QPR, Norwich, Arsenal, Everton but we really should be beating them. We've beaten Swansea already this season, will be very tough but with Michu being injured today they could be without him which would be a big boost for us. Then Southampton, and we owe them a kicking for earlier in the season. positively thinking - 7 points from next 3 and we are looking alright. Get some reinforcements in and we'll finish lower-mid table. Negatively thinking - anything less than 4 points and we're almightily in the shit.

Sell: Lichaj, Herd, Bent, NZogbia, Albrighton, Ireland, Dunne, Warnock, Hutton Buy: Martin Olssen, Alderweireld or Douglas, Dale Stephens, William Kvist, Aaron Hunt, Finbogason, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (PEA), Benjamin Corgnet ------------Guzan Lowton-Vlaar-Douglas-Olsson -------------Kvist---------------- ---Westwood-Corgnet--------- -----PEA-----------Hunt-------- -----------Benteke-------------- Bench: Given, Bennett, Clark/Baker, Stephens, Bannan, Gabby, Finnbogason. Easy. Just the £30m please Randy. Thankyou.

Some ups and downs along the season, I expect us to at one point be seeing some fans questioning whether we could challenge for the top 7 and at another point see fans questioning whether we could still get relegated. I'm going with 13th. FWIW: United City Arsenal Spurs Chelsea Everton West Brom Liverpool Swansea Norwich Newcastle Fulham Villa West Ham Sunderland Wigan QPR Southampton Reading I seem to have forgotten someone. EDIT: Oh, I forgot Stoke, easily done. Put them in at 14th and move everyone down a space.

For the AMC slot I would love us to go for Aaron Hunt from Werder Bremen, think he's been mentioned on here a few times - has there been a link or is it just hopeful thinking? Theres also Hiroshi Kiyotake from Nurnberg, he only moved there in the summer from the J-League for 1m but he's absolutely lighting up the Bundesliga, he's very similar to Shinji Kagawa (in style of play and his career - both come from the same club in Japan). Would be very unlikely but you never know unless you try, they might want a big fee though.

Bastian Oczipka seems to be having a good season at Eintracht Frankfurt. Only moved there in the summer from Leverkusen on a 3 year contract and currently has 7 assists from 11 games, making him joint top with Ribery and Muller for assists in the league but he's done it from LB. Anybody know more about him? Wouldnt mind taking a young left back if he could reproduce that over here.

8 more years! 8 more years!

I'd say if a club came in in the summer for Benteke we'd be saying £20m minimum presuming he keeps this form up. I dont think a club will come in for him this summer though unless we get relegated. Westwood and Lowton similar stories, less value but just as important to us imo. If we can keep Clark, Baker, Westwood, Lowton, Benteke and Weimann for a few years and let them mature, bring in Gardner, Grealish and Graham into the squad, we start to look like a very good team for the future. I know it sounds hyperbolic but they have the potential to challenge for Europe presuming they all keep up their progression, it's very unlikely but I think they could be that good and with some good additions theres no reason we cant... in a few years.

A tall Weimann who could also do a bit of what Teke does for us. He's very good, im not sure that description does him justice, He'd do well here.

Not sure that would work, Gunna call them up later and ask if they'll allow me to have the booking history on my Client Ref number aswell, I cant see it but maybe somebody down there will have some christmas spirit...maybe

In January ideally I'd like: 1 LB - Lichaj is a RB, Bennett has been injured twice since mid-summer and Stevens, whilst played alright, has a lot to prove 1 CB - Dunne is leaving and I would like his replacement bedded in before the summer. 1 CM - Ideally defensive who can pick a great pass, Cabaye-esque, I would also accept somebody Tiote-esque. 1 AM - Ideally someone who can play behind the striker and also on the wing. (A young German would be ideal) 1 Wide-Striker/Winger - Aubameyang could do this, or a more traditional winger. 5 seems a lot to ask for in January though.

Been to all the games bar City, none of the tickets are on my Client Reference number though. Im ****.

That Paul Lambert aint half bad is he?

Whilst we've conceded less goals since changing I think we have still looked suspect, vs Norwich their passes in behind our defence were doing us every single time, they could easily have scored a few of those. And lets be honest Liverpool cut them open a few times as well. With Hazard, Mata and Oscar Chelsea have the potential to open us up just as much as Norwich and Liverpool did but they also have the quality to also hit the back of the net that those teams didn't. Hazard will be a big threat, he likes to dribble past players and (correct me if im wrong) Vlaar has yet to be dribbled past in the league this season, if im wrong and he has been he was certainly one of the last defenders in the league to be dribbled past. Vlaar will be crucial vs Chelsea if he is fit to play and overall he's a better defender than Herd. -------Vlaar-Clark-Baker Lowton----------------Who-evers Fit