Recent content by jts73

I think he signed a 5 year deal at Chelsea & at the end of this season there will be 2 years left.

If Chelsea are going to sell him then it's likely to be this summer - they might be waiting to see how he performs in the World Cup to see if they can hike up his price. At the start of next season, he'll only have 2 years left on his contract and we've all seen from the Baines articles that...

Fellaini might be available shortly if we need another CM.....

There's always Heitinga!

Has Howard really got a 2/3 saves record on pens? Saved 1 at Villa but conceded at West Ham & Man City.

I wouldn't play Barry at LB against Stoke. If Baines is injured then I'd look at Oviedo and give Baines a bit of rest before Man Utd & Arsenal back-to-back. Barry's aerial strength will be useful against Stoke though I'd certainly encourage McCarthy to play higher up the pitch as we could do...

Hated Palace in the early 90s - mostly because of their tactics in the ZDS Cup final in 1991 and there seemed to be a bit of niggle on the field with them for a few years after that. They're a bit of a nothing club, bit like the surrounding area itself and they strike me as being a nothing team...

I might be tempted to go for a 4-5-1 with Heitinga in the middle to block supply into Dempsey or Holtby. That then frees up Gibson & Osman a bit to attack and hassle Dembele when he has the ball. No idea who should be on the other flank if Mirallas is passed fit.

I've thought for a few weeks that Osman & Pienaar look knackered and in need of a rest. I'd love to see Barkley given 30 mins or so instead of Ossie alongside Gibson & Fellaini so he can make mistakes but have experienced players to help him out. The same for Oviedo as a replacement for...

The 1st half at Villa earlier this season was as good as I've seen us play for years. Faded a bit in the 2nd as the game was as good as over but I hope that we can keep our foot on the pedal this time. If we can start in that same way, get an early goal then it could be good for our goal...

Gravesen was a real Jekyll & Hyde player for me. He was either brilliant or a waste of space and you could often tell from the 1st 5 minutes which it was going to be. Like some others, I preferred Carsley - more consistent & provided the balance to that team.

Haven't seen Dorrans play for a while but he was good a couple of seasons ago. He's had a few injury problems as well as personal trauma (his kid died in 2010) which has held him back but he's only 25. He'd be worth a gamble if the fee was reasonable. Gives Moyes another Weedgie in the squad...

Part of his performance tonight may have been 'revenge' against Newcastle & their fans as that's where Nolan broke his leg. The salt of the earth Geordies were then booing Anichebe for trying to play on despite having a broken leg. As with everyone else, just hope he keeps it up for the rest...

Newcastle seem to have a fairly decent home record - at least in comparison to their shocking away form this season. I haven't seen them play much but something has happened to their defence and their RB Simpson has just joined the injury list (I don't know if Debuchy will be in the squad for...

I'd be OK to see Vellios get a game against Wigan with Jelavic back for the Chelsea game. We could also rest Jelavic at Cheltenham as well, particularly if we have a fuller squad (Mirallas, Fellaini) by then.