BOF

Ummm...you know that they've already done that with a squad size of 25? When was that? This article refers to it by stating that of the new squad of 25, 8 need to be home grown.

Though I'm a sucker for anything with Sam Rockwell in it. Hugely under-rated character actor now beginning to get some exposure with decent roles. It's quite a slow atmospheric film so if you have a short attention span it's probably one to avoid.

I think they should make a show named after a bird called Laura. Her surname can be Norder. And she's a detective who goes around solving stuff.

Well we're not likely to forget Kofi's name in a hurry so I'll definitely spot him wherever he re-appears.

Whaaaaaaaaaa???? He was scoring for fun in the academy!!

I wonder what the record is for the youngest player to appear in the reserves side. Am I to assume there's no chance of this fella making an appearance?

Damn English nicking our players How the tables have turned

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that. Always thought he was being kept in that team because he cost so much money (€27m for a teenager).

I think you missed the point Fran

People say that ironically as if to say you do win stuff with kids. Despite it happening maybe twice in 150 years of English football. I think, apart from statistical abominations, you win nothing with kids.

I agree Rev. Though I think it's different in the sense that - for the ridiculous amounts they earn, do you still chase every last pound you can get, like we would in our normal jobs? It's not facetious to ask is someone who earns £6m a year happier than someone who earns £5.5m? It's not like the difference between paying a mortgage for us - jumping from £50k to £100k. That can be life changing. But for them? Granted, the more you earn, the higher your running costs but at some point it becomes a little superfluous no?

It becomes impossible to differentiate between players who wanted to go there and players who went for the money. Even the ones who wanted to go there will have been paid well. So it's an impossible claim to refute for anyone trying to say a player wanted to go there. Adam Johnson I'd say wanted to go there because he was moving up a division to a bigger club. Whereas Adebaydonkey moved down the league to get paid a fortune. Is Johnson on a good wage? No doubt. But it doesn't mean he went for the money.

Screw you all. That was the peak of my powers. I thought it was awesome

Takes 2 to tango.

He doesn't usually play on the wing but his manager said yoplait where I tell you toplait.

We need to get away from monetary valuations being a kind of definitive guide to a player's ability. They are as pointless as using soccerbase as the be-all and end-all of a striker's ability. Villa was £30m because of his contract and because Valencia are crippled with debt. Barry was £12m because of his contract.

Ireland is already way better than Hendrie ever was.

Facebook suitably updated.

It could be different people. But I'm with you. No way on SWP cheers.

In cases like this I treat the thread as a 'player of the world cup to date'.

Well fran said that not me. I made the more general observation that he doesn't have Ireland's imagination or unpredictability with a ball and he doesn't. That doesn't mean that he doesn't have any. Just that in those particular departments we'd be getting the flair player and that is something we've missed since Merson left.

We're into giving examples of individual passes now!? What about all the drawn games where there was no incisive pass from anyone in midfield and absolutely no clue about how to break a side down? I would hope that a player worth £28m-£30m would have a selection of 'sublime' passes that you could recite. But I see this discussion taking the oft-travelled VT path of one side ridiculously trying to make out that the other side thinks a player is crap when nothing could be further from the truth. I'm just saying Ireland would be a sufficient replacement for one of our best players. There are pros and cons as with any deal but I think he would give us something we don't currently have. Milner is not irreplaceable.

I went for Sneijder. It was either him or Forlan. They've been 1 man teams but Sneijder gets it because Forlan has had some help from Suarez. The Germans have been too strong all over the place to give it to one individual. Germany are there because of their team play. Netherlands are there because of Sneijder. Seemples. Unless this has become 'team of the tournament'

I think those teams pretty much back us both up Scott. Even if we're coming to different conclusions from it. Of that top team, 4 need replacement in the next few years and we've already got 3 of them sorted. With only the goalkeeping position potentially needing attention. We still need to see if Siegrist will make the transition from (more than) promising youngster to top Premier keeper.

We need to avoid becoming a nursery too though Scott. Like an Arsenal albeit at a much lower level. We'll never nick the Fabregas' of this world regularly enough to be able to rely on it as an M.O.. Heskey & Carew may very well be gone - certainly one of them - this summer. And if MM's noises are accurate then our first team will be (semi-)regularly dotted with the yoof in 2010/11. I don't think Cuéllar & Warnock @ 29 (for most of the season, both still 28) need addressing for a few years at least. Delph is the natural replacement for Petrov with Clark stepping effortlessly in at CB. I think if you go through the squad as it stands we have good enough replacements for anyone who is ageing with the possible exception of Guzan for Friedel. There are question marks there that weren't there for a long time. But keepers are unique when it comes to replacing them.