PaulC

Problem is Butler didn't even keep wicket for Somerset in first class cricket but guess he will for Lancashire. These warm up games count for little really! I think they are making a mistake if they push Root to 3, he had his problems opening the batting in the summer and he was looking ok at 6. Bell wants to bat at 3, he has the experience and he should bat at 3.

yep chances were created in previous games but none of our strikers were able to finish them off. To be fair we created little today but Sunderland defended pretty well unlike last year.

Yes he didn't get much of an opportunity but did put over one brilliant cross which neither of our two strikers made a run to the near post for.

We did ok at the backend of last season when the strikers were scoring goals but when your front three have only scored two home goals all season that's where the problem lies.

I'm not going to over react because he single-handedly kept us up last season. He is very short of confidence and badly needs a goal. The service he gets is poor though.

Dissapointing but guess it could have been worse.

I still wouldn;t take him off. Gabby and Weimann wont last 90 minutes I expect Tonev and Kozak to make an appearance in the 2nd half.

I agree its all too frenetic! Only Westwood has that composure in the middle of the park. Delph looks rusty and has given it away a few times.

We just lack composure. We need to slow it down a bit and stop giving the ball away. Benteke does look out of sorts. Nicely set up by Westwood, last season he would have finished that. I think we should have had a penalty from that Westwood shot. There was enough distance between the shot and the point of impact. But guess we are lucky to be level. So lets improve 2nd half.

I would have thought at 21 and Lambert liking young players then I think he will be given every opportunity at Villa. Delph is 24 so he still has plenty of time.

Well he isn't the greatest positionally, but can cover this with his pace to burn. If his positioning gets better with experience, he'll develop into a really strong defender for us. Yep the one thing you need above everything else as a fullback is pace. The rest you can work on!

Puts me off eggs though.

So its not just muscle. No wickets in the 2nd innings against a side that has barely played any first class cricket. Does not look good for England if Bresnan is our saviour.

That's the team I would go for as well. Hope we are not too narrow though like we have been in some home games.

Seems likely that Ballance will get the nod to bat at 6 and Root likely to step up and bat at 3. The well respected cricket journalist who used to write for the post George Dobell suggests as much and George is rarely wrong except for his views on Jim Troughton

Hope he does get back in our squad because he's the type of midfield player we don't have and he might be a better option than sylla.

Agree. Not quite there. Obviously, he's showing nerves but also improvement compared to his first few appearances. He will start scoring on these long shots eventually and every fan in the PL will want him. Yes lets hope so Con. I think we'll see the best of a lot of the summer signings later in the season. I think Tonev will come good. The one signing that is some way away from first team selection is Helenius, Maybe next season we'll see more of him.

I think you are right. i don't expect Luna to start. I'd start with the team that finished the game against WBA myself providing Gabby, Delph and Weimann are all properly fit. I think Weimann is possibly the fittest of the three at the moment.

Weimann thinks his a special talent. Those shots go in the net in training. If that early one had gone in against West Brom we may have seen a more confident Tonev. He's not a starter for me yet I think.

You can't really compare him to bale. Quality-wise you can't, but that was Zatman's point. Positionally you can. Two wingers who also like to finish their attack with a shot rather than a pass. I think that's harsh. He's not the best or the worst. He burst onto the scene and sides have figured out his 'plan A'. He now needs to go to the next level or risk becoming Aaron Lennon Mark 2. He's still raw and he'll be fine. He's not the best or the worst. Therefore he's average like I said. I said he'd get figured out quickly and he has. Youre right, he needs to add something different to his game. I think he's better than average. He can go inside or out, two footed and has pace. So he has a lot going for him. He is not two footed, watch him when running with the ball, all his ball control is with his left foot. Maybe but he can shoot and cross with his right, which gives him the option to go either way, with the pace he has as well I think he can be a top player. Be honest if he played for Villa you would love him!

1/10 I'll take your word for it and not bother then. Parkland was 4/10, JFK 8/10

I think his main asset is his pace but maybe I'm wrong.

Have to check that out then. Two Costner films in 2 days and haven't seen him in a film for 10 years.

They owe Birmingham City council big time though don't they!

came close tuesday