Chindie

Isn't that just a nice way of saying 'fat'? (I've never met you, but a few friends of mine who are girls say 'curvy' is just a polite/nice way of calling someone 'fat') Wow, tactful.

NRC did well. I still think he's a rather limited player and still would be one of the first players you'd probably look to get shot of to move onto better things, but yes he has games where he proves his worth and Saturday was one of them. He provides bite and energy, but not much else.

Isn't the original printing of Atlas Shrugged supposed to have a 70 page rant disguised as a speech that basically says Objectivism owns all? I think you've made te right decision Jezza. Rand was ****ing nuts. Still reading Transition, getting more into it and the plots really starting to bite.

You could easily be burnt at the stake for uttering heresies like that. I'd agree, the Fleetwood Mac version pisses over the Priest version froma great height. Incidently, Fleetwood Mac, a band I'd generally written off, have some stonking tracks I've discovered, can't believe I never really bothered with them. This reminds me of a debate I've often had with a mate who says that a cover version can never better the original, as the original is the intended version and anything else can never, by definition, be a better version.

Fleetwood Mac - the Green Manalishi (with the Two Prong Crown)

He's not a RB although he doesn't disgrace himself there. At CB he's pretty damn good. Glad he's done quite well this season so far even out of position. And I couldn't have been happier to see him score yesterday.

Atlas Shrugged is a hateful book. I think I got even less of the way through than you. Look up some of what Rand believed and save yourself the time.

I feel I should know more of the Sylvester in joke... Anywho, I managed to catch most of the game on the radio so no point rating us, but we seemed to play very well. Caught the last half hour on a stream and we really did look good, threatening without being particularly threatened, taking it all in our strides. And I'm chuffed Carlos got a goal. And Carew's sounds a classic.

Tuuuuune

Really happy for Carlos to get one. Lets have 6!

Pah, anyone can do that in the lower leagues. Heck, I've played enough Football Manager, I got Wycombe to the Champions League.

May I ask what is wrong with Aston Villa? Or is that another topic? its too late, and anyway if you watch the games and don't know I'd find another hobby. I do watch the games and can see flaws in our side, yes, but what you said seemed all the more mysterious as if there is something fundamentally deeper that we can't see that you do, I was hoping you might furnish that. Unless it is just the tuff on the pitch in which case even then it's not as simple as saying you can see whats wrong on the pitch, else we wouldn't have half the debates we do on here.

May I ask what is wrong with Aston Villa? Or is that another topic?

I'm not saying he's a vital cog to our side, far from it. I think we predominately bought him because MON likes big man up front and Carew was looking buggered for a long while so he wanted some experienced big bloke in, went for a Heskey he knew well, was reasonably priced and performing for England. It hasn't worked. What I am saying is that this bollocks about him a crap useless lump is just that. He has his uses and I think Martin hoped to make use of them from the bench or while Carew was out. It hasn't worked and he should probably go. I don't think he's lost hunger or anything, I think he's just being a professional these days and trying to do his best, he's just now at a side where that won't happen. He made a mistake coming here, but I can't blame him or Martin for trying it. It's not like either of them bought him and went 'He's our new 20 a season striker'. Everyone knows he won't score many. He might score 10 in a stonking season.

Are you being serious ? - Two of our better performers, should be taking a lead of our biggest non performer ? If you can't grasp the concept of a player who's talents lend him to help other players shine, isn't getting any other players come to positions to help them shine, then this entire conversation is pointless. For what it's worth, I think AVFC-POB has a point, Milner and Young especially could, once in w hile, come inside and use Heskey to add to their own game. They don't though. Probably aren't asked to tbh but it'd be nice to break up a play once in a while like this. And yes the Fonz could do something similar but he doesn't have the experience/nous that Heskey has of doing it, and they are different players to begin with.

You make the defence move with your presence, opening gaps in the back line. For example a defender would be marking a striker, who would move off, the defender will often follow if man marking and if the other defender isn't thinking/the other striker is smart enough, he'll run for the gap that;s made and exploit the space. That's a very simple example but it's more or less what Heskey's made a career of. He was very good at it. More or less every striker can do it to an extent and have the goals as well, but Heskey was limited in the sense that he was very good at that aspect but had the finish of a toad.

I haven't got the stats to back it up but I know Houllier was very keen on him and has been quoted as saying that tactically Heskey was vital to that Liverpool side and was involved in a lot of good. And Owen IIRC is supposed to have often remarked he enjoyed playing alongside him. It's a shame we don't have an Owen here, as Gabby doesn't think like a striker playing off a big man terribly well. And indeed we tend to not to have the guile as a side that is needed to make the most of Heskey. If it had worked out he'd have been a useful player to us I think.

I do believe the assist v wolves - was his first assist for villa He's not been a success here, as I said. I also didn't say he directly set players up, he'd make space for them and so on, which wouldn't be classed as assist, would it?

Heskey played on the wing more than once for Leicester and Liverpool. He can play there. I still can't believe people just think striker = goalscorer. He's never scored many, no, but he's often helped other strikers score more, particularly at Liverpool with Owen. Thats why people buy him, to anchor attacks and play off him.

He works well with Rooney for England (we score more goals with that partnership than any other), and I'm sure O'Neill was hoping that side of his game would show with Gabby as well, unfortunately it hasn't. He's a good player at what he does, which is often much more off the ball than on, but the way we play and so on hasn't let that side show, and when it has we've not had the style to make use of it. I suppose you could make parallels with the donkey working DM, a lot of people used to wonder what the none eye catching CM doing loads of simple stuff was doing on the pitch, then it dawned on them that he was doing a lot of work that allowed others to shine.

This'll likely be another bloody game I'll miss. We should win really, we can win, knowing us we'll draw. Again.

He's been a bad signing in that it sadly hasn't worked out. Sometimes it just doesn't. I think most people can/could see why we bought him originally, and I seem to remember more than a few saying they were happyy with it. BOF I can certainly remember having a comment when asked what striker we felt we should buy saying 'I went for Owen, but was surprised how long I was considering Heskey for'. He's been a bad buy, yes, and probably MONs worst purely from the amount he's played, the amount spent, and the little he's offered.

Finished Pratchetts new one the other day, Unseen Academicals. Not one of his best but not bad. Read a bit of Transition by Iain Banks on the train today, got about 100 pages in and very intrigued by it, I can see it becoming a proper favourite if it continues in the same vein.

Got my article for the uni paper done, sent off to my mate in the editing department. Now I get to pack up stuff for a weekend back in Brum, woohoo.

Van Basten - Absolutely no experience of English football at any level. Failed as Ajax manager, pissed off a massive amount of the Dutch squad etc etc. Laurent Blanc - Playing CL football with Bordeaux and winning titles. No Prem experience. Paulo Maldini - So utterly ridiculous a suggestion as to be a waste of time discussing. Has absolutely no interest in coaching at all. I mean, seriously? Do you even know what you're saying? Honestly. Its funny you say there are hundred when everyone you've mentioned has been utter arse gravy. Gordan Cowans? Legend he is... no wait... whats the point.