Tomaszk

Isn't it funny how different football looks to different people. Young's fault we lost then is it? Decent performance from Ash. I actually enjoyed watching it today, we looked like we were trying to do the right thing but just lost to the better team. Better players and better prospects at the moment. They won't make 4th this year though so next year will be different. I'll just have a pointless dig at our old manager for no reason and say that if he had been offered VDV for £8m he definitely would have said no

Hm Daniel Johnson?

Every season has had a good v bad chase going on. Season 2 had 2 intertwining ones. It's going to be really interesting to see what they do with it.

Robbed them blind. Deserved nothing from that. Fried - 8 Young - 5 Cuellar - 8 Collins - 8 Warnock - 4 Albrighton - 7 NRC - 6 Petrov - 4 Downing - 6 Heskey - 8 Young - 8

I think Sidders might play with Petrov and Ireland.

My opinion of Downing will hopefully get turned round today. The first thing we're going to have to is match their commitment, let's see if you can be up with the rest of the team Stew.

Maybe he means play a formation that utilises SI's skills to the max i.e. not a 4-4-2 with him and Stan as the CM'ers?? Possibly, but I don't like to hear players talking like this. He may have been very unlucky with what the journos are using from a longer interview to be fair, and I'm not having a go, he's been good so far I think. Decent performances, and a great attitude. It just sounds like he's saying he's playing the best he possibly can, and needs more help before he can possibly play any better. I'd rather he'd not mentioned getting the best "me" but rather the "team".

Not sure if I like commnts like that "He can get the most out of me" Sounds a bit like he's been reading too many papers saying manager might struggle to get him playing and believes it. It's something others can say, but I personally want our players to be driven and want to play well themselves, not let someone else sort a system that works round them. Having said that, I think Ireland has looked OK so far. He's got such good control of the ball and once we have a settled team I think he should shine.

Nail...On...Head. Young on the left, Albrighton on the right. Downing to make way for NRC. Bannan straining at the leash on the bench and given 25 minutes towards the end. ] Downing is better than Albrighton. Let's put the cat amongst the pigeons No he isn't.

Great win set up by a good bowl, getting that early pair out was so important.

Houiller coming in will set him back a long way I think. Especially if KMac leaves.

We need a goal, I hate how comfortable we are in a weird way. Looking great, but still one goal in it. I can see us tiring if we are going to be sitting deep for last 15.

Never ever easy to win there. Not an ideal first game, I'd take a point. Let's hope we don't get overrun trying to knock the ball around.

If anyone is unsure on Houllier (I certainly am), this brilliant, albeit bias, article might just calm your nerves. I am a lot more positive after it.

I'm worried. For me I'm at the stage of not having a clue who I do want, but knowing fully who I don't want. Houiller is one those I think would fail here. We've still got the core of a really strong side, if this manager has a bad first 4 months, God help us with when teams come-a-calling for Young and Gabs. You're kidding if you think Young will stick around if we're 12th and Spurs looking strong floating around 4th start making noises they want him. I really hope I'm wrong because it seems like Houiller is the one now.

Awesome signing for the Blues, so exciting. Imagine if he came here!

Well I'm glad we haven't appointed a crap manager and let him spend millions on shit players. He's just left... I joke, I joke. MON wasn't a crap manager, but he wasn't a brilliant one. He wasted a horrendous amount of money and left us in a shocking position just because Randy wouldn't continue to fund his gathering of crap players. We've been competing with the likes of Spurs and Everton spending similar to spurs and about 3 times as much as Everton and still have gaping holes etc etc... Manager is more important than getting anyone and getting some players in who will be no good come next season. Of course, if we now appoint Southgate, everything is irrelevant. Randy has inadvertently put himself under a LOT of pressure to get a top manager now. If the manager isn't a big success in his first few games, he will be under fan pressure from the off.

He was a fantastic player, but I'm pretty sure I haven't seen him once since he left Arsenal. The season on loan last year in Germany will have helped him regain his form nicely. Well at least we can be safe in the knowledge that even if MON was still here we wouldn't have been interested anyway

Just a suggestion who I can't believe is still available after the season he had last year. It would be another really late one as I was only reminded of him this morning reading about him having a medical at Hoffenheim. Gylfi Sigurdsson. He's that Reading winger who took Liverpool apart and did really well against us. He scored something silly like 23 goals from the left wing and could probably be got for £4/5m. Really impressive tricky winger I think. Not exactly what we need, but if you look at Young as a central in-the-hole player we've only got Albrighton and Downing for the wings atm. He'd be a millions times better than Stew.

Sidwell will do well somewhere else I just know it. It just hasn't worked for him here.

I'm rather terrified Curbs is lurking.

Betting suspended on Brown

Despite all the press (and fan) pressure on the board to get a new man in ASAP, I still think we need to be very careful and not rush. We all want the best, and Everton is only one game, only 3 points. If we rush and get the wrong man (like bloomin' Brown) it'll hurt is much more in the long run and come Jan Young will be off and the Gabby to City/Spurs/Liverpool bandwagon will begin to roll ready for our annual 'Best Player Leaves Every Summer' parade. Stating the obvious, it's a massive decision. I'm not quite sure someone like Hitzfeld would be the right man. He's got a good CV and loads of experience but imagine what it's like to be a player. You've had 5 years of Robertson and Walford making training really fun and improving players individually with a bit of 1-on-1 stuff, then got serious on matchdays with a psycho Ulsterman. I think Hitzfeld's brand of (what I imagine is) ultra-serious style may not fit our youngish squad, I think it would stamp out our yoof's exuberance. Not a clue who would work, but I know I'd rather have Hitzfeld than Big Bob or Southgate or Brown. Typing as I think now, and I don't really think a lower league man/lesser known manager would work either to be honest. The state we're in with the press hounding at us, waiting for us to crumble and our team be dismantled, we need a name. I hate that phrase - 'A Name'. But I think if a bit of a unknown came into the job, unless they had an incredible start, the morale would be at an all time low and certain players would be handing in transfer requests or counting down the days to Jan 1 so they can jog off to White Hart Lane.