thunderball

This. I suppose we shouldn't forget Fulham are no mugs, they properly turned over a good Spurs side last week.

I was looking forward to the rest of this season. Now I just want it over. Friedel, Gabby, Petrov, Downing and Young can all go as far as I am concerned, there must be better out there and have run out of patience, they need new challenges and we need a change.

He's here, he's there He's every **** where Jean Makoun, Jean Makoun He's thin, he's black And never passes back Jean Makoun, Jean Makoun With spi-key hair And a nice line in knitwear Jean Makoun, Jean Makoun He makes more passes Than Hugh Hefner's had lasses Jean Makoun, Jean Makoun He's here to stay Until we win the league some day Jean Makoun, Jean Makoun and so on.....

As long as Jean II Makoun stays in the summer I dont care who leaves. My only regret is that he's not 25 because we could build the team around him. If GH picks up more like Super Makoun, I can't wait.

Never mind. Play like that and the futures bright. Positives: Makoun, Makoun, Makoun........ oh and Friedel, Bent, possession, movement in the middle, thought Walker was OK too Negatives: GH's positive starting 11, 1-0 after 50seconds, Collins & Dunne, lack of penetration, GH willing to sub and shake it up. This is where we kick on, this is the business end of the season. I'm up beat.....

I getting my Makoun shirt tomorrow! This boy is the future, WOW! Confident, Simple, moves after he's released ready to receive again - terrific, what a breath of fresh air, a different class to what we've got. Got to get more to Bent, doing nothing at the moment. Downing or Albrighton off Heskey on (can't believe I'm saying that!)

If he's fit chuck him in, as Mr_Dogg states, he's played United before and bossed the match - he's 28 and had more experience at top level than most of our squad put together. He was bought for these occasions. He's going to be rusty but thats expected, and also need to learn how he 'fits' and our system. But tonight is as much about industry and breaking up play. The rest of the squad have only had one more game with Bent so they the sooner it clicks the better. He'll get a look even if he doesn't start as Petrov will run himself into the ground after 60 minutes. Its NRC Bannan Makoun across the middle with Young Bent and Downing ahead of them for me

United won't win this, its a seat of the pants desperate battling draw or win (single Bent goal) for us. We have something to prove now and our season only started a month ago, Man U's first defeat is long over due..... Last time Makoun played them he ran the show, hopefully he's up for it tonight. MOM: Young putting himself out there, just edging Makoun.

Of course there is a human story, but there always is. Part of the sacrifice of being a footballer is never really settling, but that's the nature of short term contracts. I just have little sympathy with someone who plays the game we all love, gets all the pampering and priviledge that goes with it, and pockets a quarter of a million pounds a month. Stephen Ireland played a little part in the story of our disasterous season. Don't expect many to feel sympathetic just because he "trained when he was asked", that's the minimum you give for your £60k a week? And regarding wiping the slate clean and the subsequent loan, the club cones first, and I would suggest we needed Bradley's steel more than Irelands indifference at present, and that takes priority over indulging him during our fight for survival? I really hope he finds confidence, returns and is a huge hit, but most people would swap his lot at the drop of a hat.

Catch 22 really though, if he does well and settles in Newcastle then chances are he'll probably want to stay. Not necessarily the worst situation though assuming the price is right, hard to see him wanting to come back here unless he finds the grass isn't always greener but if he does badly then his confidence will be as low as ever when he comes back to us. Surely we can't lose? He gets himself together at mostly their expense, and comes back improved or if he settles, gets sold to barcodes for some ridiculous money after receiving, but not being able to spend, the £35m for Carroll. If he's shit, he comes back as he went out, only they fund his wage and thus cut our losses until he goes in the summer. I did wonder for a while yesterday if they wanted to keep him we could part-ex Carroll in the summer, but no chance of that now!

He won't go this window. He will get a decent chance in the team in the run-in, and GH will decide whether he can use him next season. If he fancies him he stays, if not they'll cut their losses and buy quality in the summer, GH won't mess around. A lot will depend on Young staying. However they both may go and would expect another Bent style marquee signing to continue he push.

Not sure where to start with this one? He looked good to me, got booked early and as a DM was always going to struggle thereafter on his debut, especially with the pace of the PL. I reckon the £5 or 6m we paid will be good business, especially at the reputed £35K/week. He is not an impact player like VdV, nor a creative like CA. CA will cost £10m at least in this window, VdV would cost £10m+ and an equivalent I would suggest would be £18+, but I don't know of any in this window?Wages for VdV or CM will be on another planet to JM. We were shipping goals like no-one business prior to JM's transfer and with NRC likely to be off its replacing one with a potentially better one. He will take four games to get up to speed, but I reckon we are going to love this boy. Finally, I reckon RL would have bought an CM, aswell as JM if one was around for the right money, so I don't believe its a case of one or the other. We have plenty of creativity in the current squad.

Credit to GH he has emerged from a VERY difficult period with a smile and collectedness which has surprised me. Solid performances so far this year, and a clearer (and exciting) indication of where he is going with Villa. I fully expect him to continue to tweak the line-up and formation, but expect major surgery in the Summer if players can't fit the system. Most encouraging of all we are seeing some real performances from players, all seem to have lifted their game - this surely puts to bed the notion of dressing room unrest, I am convinced all those on show want to be part of Houllier's project and Villas furture.

Steady debut with flashes of promise. Once he gets up to speed his style of play will define our midfield dynamic and hopefully add the possession, mobility and speed of thought required for us to make the most of our front line. It wouldn't surprise me to see a more mobile back four either, but Collins, Dunne and Cuellar have really responded making that decision a hard one.

And any Manager should deserve that chance, especially given the turmoil, disruption and injuries GH was confronted with when he arrived. In the 08/09 season MON won only 2 of his last 17 games, but he had a great run up until that point. If the run of results would have been back to front he may of gone at Christmas. Lets see where we are in May.

The way GH has carried himself this week has done him and the club the world of good, there nothing like a bit of sh*t flying around to galvanise the club and allow us to close ranks - thank you Holloway, Bruce and the British Press. Solid performance, the side is now a team and they are playing for the club and manager - they now have to perform if they want to start which makes a change. Hopefully maybe one or two fresh faces in the next two weeks will keep everyone on there toes. Bold decisions today, payed off wonderfully, top marks to the defence and so pleased for Bent and the Management. We can all see where we need to improve, and hopefully sentiment or loyalty will not hold us back. On wards and upwards. PS fair play to Man City, they are one solid unit nowadays.

Seeing as they turned us over proper at theirs, there's a score to settle and the form watchers will have this down as a dead cert away win so I reckon we'll win this one, I can just feel it.....

In Irelands defence, he joined when we were in turmoil. KM must have had his doubts because he only had a couple of cameo appearances (I know he wasnt fit), but the team just hasn't been settled at all, so its difficult to see where he would be a natural fit. I would honestly rather see Downing leave (or drop out of the 1st 11), Young move back to the left and Ireland find his feet 'in the hole' in a 4-5-1 or a 4-3-3. Whilst Downing is a decent player, and been one of our best this season, his purchase was always strange to me, Young hasn't really been the same since - surely if it ain't broke, don't fix it?

The best thing for Ireland and Villa is he goes nowhere in January. For all the clamour about Adam, lets not forget we have Ireland and Delph in our own squad - the envy of most in the prem. Hopefully we will can now kick-on and get a few results, and settle into a system and if he stays put and knuckles down his chance will come when we are not fighting for every point. I think Bent and Makoun's arrival, together with a renewed feel-good factor will work wonders on his fragile mind-set.

Even at a straight £24m & £80K/wk I could justify it in the f*cked up world that is the current Premier League. The press need a story, they'll be onto something new by the weekend. At last it looks like we are making that last step towards a credible top team, the step that Spurs made when 'Arry arrived. To know there is more to come makes me even happier.

All his penalties in exactly the same place, surprised no one has realised this yet? Shhhhhhhhhhh!

I've just had to switch him off and put corrie on as he's done my nut in the tool... :evil: I just switched him off too - he's on crack tonight, somethings wound him right up! Collymore: "£18m on a striker is all eggs in one basket, blowing the kitty on one player" Two minutes later: "what's wrong with a cheeky £20m bid for Andy Carroll and Benzema on loan?" He also says we need strengthening in every department - duh? He forgets Walker, Makoun and doesn't he know about Adam, Figerola and Samba. I thought Stan was 'connected', VT have better insight than than Collymore!

He certainly wasn't playing on the wing - just because he pops up wide doesnt make him a winger. Theres not much of an issue here is there? The sooner GH gets a decent striker the better that will settle this, and I'll nail my colours to the mast: I not a big fan of Gabby - great in the squad but should should aspire to better to move us forward, for me he hasn't kicked on from beginning to blossom two seasons ago.

In fairness, that line-up yesterday was the only choice with Young and Heskey missing, and I suspect Gabby was picked not on form because he can't hit a barn door at the moment, but because he is a senior player now with a good record against the blues and understands what the derby is all about. It was about 11 players with as much experience as we could muster to go into a battle. It didnt really strike me as though playing Gabby on the left (Downing?), he was popping up all over the place, his first missed shot was him drifting in from the left, but he also popped up all over the pitch. Houllier wants to play a 4-5-1 or 4-4-1-1 like the majority of teams finding success at the moment, and Gabby was in the hole with JC the target man? I do feel the GH knockers are grabbing at anything - for me Gabby and Carew were lucky to start and if we had alternatives they wouldn't have played. If all our forwards were earning their money this season we wouldn't be where we are now and I would go as far as to say that our predicament is more their fault than the manager - they were doing a good job at losing and letting in goals for KM before GH arrived.

Big_John_10 I respect your views, and would be happy to debate all of what you raised but this is a Houllier post not MON. My views on MON won't alter and genuinely think it was time for change. But I'd rather look forward than back and I am sure you want GH to succeed as much as I do. He gets my support for now, and I am looking forward to remaining season. I would make the point that as a club we seem to be doing a lot of dirty washing in public for some reason this season, which hasn't helped, the club have a PR problem which need sorting.