A'Villan

If he has a good IQ for how attacks develop then he should also understand what's required to interfere with opposition threats early on and before they have momentum and space. That's the impression that I got from hunting down and watching whatever highlight reels I could, I think his ability to read the game combined with a knack for timing is what stood out. It comes across like he does the simple things well and has a solid grasp of the fundamentals, seems he knows how to keep the game ticking at a favourable rate in attack. At a glance his technical ability is there and adequate to play in the Premier League, however he is fairly modest in his use of these skills, I've not seen him overdo an attempt yet. It'll take some time for him to get used to the standard of the Premier League as well as getting familiar with the movement expected of him in a new role. Getting familiar with the abilities of his teammates will take some adjusting, if he's already executing well, no matter how basic the move, then he's on his way to worthy contributions.

It's a new start for Smith despite him being at the club getting on to a year now. New league, new standards. I think it worth remembering the shaky start he had last season. We can only endeavour to uphold successful traits of the team dynamic that can carry over from last season and be applied here and now. As Smith tries to create a team. We can't actually replicate the past as it's a different campaign with different dynamics, at best we find situations where we can capitalise if we find ourselves in a similar scenario. Sure, we've got some players who will be deciding in how we fare this season, that were also pivotal in our promotion season. Even those players will need to reinvent themselves now. As we saw at Spurs, the remaining chemistry of the team built last season is going to need to improve if we want to overcome the best at this level. That means we can't just rinse repeat. New identity and approaches are required to be implemented and maintained with a view for ongoing development if we are to hit our targets and goals of becoming a PL force. Smith will need time and patience again.

If errors like the one Elmo made that led to Moura dispossessing him on their attacking flank and having an attempt on goal become commonplace in each match, then Smith's hand is kind of forced into giving some game time to the other players vying for the opportunity to start in their respective positions, unless it's evident in training that improvement won't come that way. Smith should, and I'm guessing will, only go with the winning team developed over last season as long as training would suggest that this is our best chance at achieving the tactics and targets we set ourselves for each week. Taylor and Elmo will only survive as long as they give Smith the idea that playing them is a safer risk than the alternative and experimenting. I expect to see both full-back positions tinkered with over time as long as the guys not starting give Smith the impression they are worth trying. Like Luiz coming on to replace Conor. I don't suspect the team from last year (what's left) will all continue to be first choice by the time we're a few months into it. Conor, Elmo and Taylor will move to bench. Even El Ghazi is not nailed on for this season. The wingers brought in are not established but have every training session to give Dean the idea they are worth a start. New chemistry will have to take shape to get us to where we want to be in my opinion. And that will involve inevitable changes for another team to emerge.

This is the way it works in Australian basketball outside the top tier. The second and third tier are not guaranteed promotion even if they win the league. You apply to the association and give your business model, including information on your squad and the potential it has to compete in a higher division. The association makes the final decision. The fee for joining a higher league is obviously higher than for a lower division, and all teams pay the same fee. Hardly corrupt, unless I'm missing something.

Best contribution to this discussion. Made me burst out a chuckle.

The last time I really believed in an Arsenal team was when they had Song, Fabregas, Nasri, Van Persie, Arshavin, Wilshere, Sagna, Clichy, Vermaelen, Koscielny etc.

The comment that I remember was that he was the better purchase out of him and Maupay, despite Maupay's goal tally. If he's better than Jota as well, ace.

REALLY liked what I read about Benrahma from the Brentford fan that popped in discussing him. Came across to me like we'd be purchasing someone from the championship with the potential of Ashley Young or Delph.

I'll take your word for it as you're the scout, but you're right on one thing for certain, he's come a long way since Bolton. Europa League team of the season, La Liga player of the month, back-to-back Europa league runner-up, Copa Del Rey winner, throw in a few goals for Spain..

Wholy guacamole! Here's mine: Australia

Anyone ever been? What was your experience like? Please share. Ever since I saw the snowboarding film The Art of Flight, I have always dreamed of going there. I hear that the Argentine part is more of the tourist destination, and that it's the Chilean side that's where it's at.

The only game I play, and it's been that way for some years, is FIFA16. I used to play Counter Strike: Source. Clocked up around 3000 hours and played in Australia's 2nd highest division, had a shot at some money. The better players back then raked in between $10-30k. I remember logging into the standard De_Dust_2 server and clocking up 30 kills with no deaths at times. All you need was a 3:1 KD (Kill/Death) ratio in order to be accused of hacking. So needless to say I got that a lot.

Is anyone in here in a position to tell me about Inky Johnson's football career? I know his story from his motivational talks, he's great at those, but I don't know much about him as a footballer. Not that I know anything about American football.

The path to solving the Da Vinci-ogan code it would seem

What LondonLax said.

One site has Belgian league ranked 8th worldwide, and Championship ranked 20th worldwide. Don't Anderlecht play in Europe as well?

Apologies if this has been posted elsewhere, or if this is the wrong place to post. Farewell tribute to our time in the championship:

Add to this Serie A has reestablished itself as the third best league worldwide, whereas the Super Lig is down at 9th. Don't mind me.

I don't know. They've beaten Juventus, Bayern and Real in pre-season, so if that's any indication of things to come they're looking likely to emulate their achievements of last season. But let's not forget that Spurs lost to Southampton, Burnley, Crystal Palace, Wolves and Watford last season. They will make mistakes again this season. They also very nearly lost to a team which had an average age of 24 and who had half of the squad under that same age. Ajax over two legs nearly went through. I only really know Tadic and Blind from that Ajax side, but both were starters and I think we have players just as good. We will cause Spurs some problems I suspect. We have a back four that on paper looks a lot more solid than last season, I can only hope, as outside of Mings I don't know, that they will be quality in the Premier League. Heaton, how about that save against RB Leipzig? With nearly 100 Premier League appearances, and once an understudy to the great Edwin van der Sar. I'm confident here. With that in mind, we have what looks like a defense which can allow our other players to focus on having an impact in the final third and produce threatening attacks. El Ghazi averaged 10.5 goals a season in his first two seasons with Ajax. Scored some great goals for us and I can see why people said he reminded of Cristiano at times. McGinn scored some wonder goals and wasn't far off with some of his attempts that missed either. Absolute terrier who will harass Tottenham and win contests. How did our last striker from Belgium fare? Okay, who knows how Wes will fare, but he's a big unit, exact same height as Tammy, only more solid. Tammy had 25 last season. Even Hourihane, if he plays, scored or assisted 19 goals last season, was contender for goal of the season, and will convert from the inevitable free kicks we win. I won't go through the ENTIRE list, and last but not least, we have our very own Grealish. Spurs will get a taste of what they missed out on shoved down their pipeholes. We also have Dean Smith at the helm, which makes me all the more confident we can at the very least make it a contest. Let's get it! UTV!

Is Belotti's 15 goals and something like 2 assists in the Serie A for Torino really that greater an achievement than 30 goals in the Turkish league? I know the Turkish league has Pape Cisse (who despite being good at Newcastle, his ambition far exceeded his talent) and Hugo Rodallega (forgot he existed) as top scorers.

Will watch the opener I reckon. Both title contenders, although outside of Leonard and George I'm not very familiar with Clippers roster. I'm told they are solid. Christmas Day is going to be absolutely nuts! Doubt I'll get around to watching any of it though. Can't remember who's playing who but it's going to be a great day of basketball.

Deadline day hasn't come yet but from what I've seen I expect Luiz and Heaton to be infuential. Mings has the potential to be but I fear he might cost us a few goals if he tries to be cute with his close control when pressed by opposition forwards. This isn't the championship.

Apparently front runners for Coutinho loan. I haven't seen Coutinho in a few years (noticed he's getting some stick), but I'd rather see Son than Coutinho in our first match!