Tomo

I know you said that in jest but I don't have a problem with that policy. Ultimately in FFP era we can't compete with United and a few others flat out financially, so this is how we make up for it.The best one's (Courtois) will effectively come in as a free signing later down the line and the rest get sold for profit and fund moves for players we need (KDB paying for Matic in January for example). Clever way to make up for our lack of income in comparison to United, Barca, Bayern and the rest of the supergiants imo.

Basically we are all saying the same thing just In different ways

That's a big if, if his interview after the Chelsea and activity so far is anything to go by, it's not very high in hus list of priorities.

I think he might have Ivan and Luis with Azpi covering both, which will still leave more than enough games for Cesar. I seem to be alone but I think the Spaniard is better at left back.

A Chelsea man in the sky had control on the games, 2 years on and that's still the only logical reason i can come up with just how we pulled it off.

Have you seen John O Shea's CV? He at best is a good squad player for us but he doesn't want that, infact ask a Villa fan about his time there and none are overwhelmed. He seems to be over rated by us because he started in the best night in our history, so did Bosingwa.

Too much is made of the age thing, we have been signing players for the future for years and still are, the pressure to win next season us huge so it makes sense to sign one of the best full backs in the world right now.

We had no identity on the pitch in the team in the 3 years between Carlo's 2nd season and RDM/Rafa season, we still managed to pick up the knockout cup's due to the fact the team still could do it in one of games, but there was a reason we kept falling short on the league. Jose has set a blueprint for solid, counter attacking football and for the first time in ages it feels we are heading in a good direction. Im sorry but we will simply have to agree to disagree re the managers, money helps but the manager aspect is a lot more than the points you made, Moyes spent 65m to add to a team of champions and ended up taking them to 7th, below his old team, where he constantly used money as an excuse for not being able to take them any further, and to expand further his successor has argubly done just that. While money helps, a lot, if your shit at your job like Moyes or Sherwood, then you ain't going anywhere.

I agree to some extent, but managers actually make a hell of a difference, if any set of supporters should know that it is us. Scolari is a awful manager, if we didn't have a group of experienced serial winners in or around their prime's he would have ruined us, as soon as Rafa showed how to counter his tactics every one else followed suit and he had no answer.

He was horrific tonight, goes with out saying, however Dante, Marcelo, Gustavo and especially Fernandinho also looked like school boys out there. He should never have captained the side mind, he isn't a leader.

Easy, remind them they spent the money on Carroll and Henderson.

He can probably extend his career even further in Italy with the slower pace of the game. Good luck to him.

If we win nothing next season should it be considered a failure? probably, if we get say 90 points but someone gazumps us and gets 93 then im not sure, that's something you can't legislate for. However Jose should not be sacked whatever happens. With United and Spurs sacking there village idiots and appointing a world class and very good manager respectively, competition for top 4 places will be bigger than ever before, never mind the title, and if we sack Jose and then make a Scolari lite error, we could be in trouble. For aslong as Jose is around we at the very, very, very least will be competing at a high level and you know what they say, keep challenging for the big titles and you will get them eventually. Furthermore, if we are struggling to win the title under Jose, it will be even harder with someone else. With the competition getting fiercer than ever, having a competant manager is vital, and we have one of the best of all time.

3 to 4 years is a very long time in football, for perspective Ivanovic broke into the team 5 years ago, and it feels like he's been here forever.

Actually didn't Eto'o catch up with him in goals per minute? Eto'o contributions last season are criminally underrated and given the youth of AMs, experience was needed upfront. Ba 'outperformed' our strikers in 2011/2012 yet we know what happened when he put our shirt on. If Hernandez signs for Everton this summer he would probably score about 15, would that make him good enough to be our number 1?

Speaking of Gerrard every time I see them make a "my Xl for next season" Gerrard is still there as DM, even suggest Gerrard is past it and they go mental, I mean we accepted Lamps weren't the player he was, United did likewise with Giggs, it can't be that hard, can it?

Athletico did face packed defenses last season, they were further ahead in team development so found a way nine times out of ten compared to seven for us. And us struggling vs those defences owed to us making awful decisions in the final third more than how good the defenses were, hopefully with Cesc, Costa and the rest a year older that won't be as bad an issue next term. Im not saying other leagues haven't declined defensively aswell, but I do believe that the PL don't have the best collective defensive units either, 2nd place Liverpool shipped 50, 6th place Spurs lost 20-1 overall to the top two and 4th place Arsenal conceded two 6s and a 5 away against the teams above them.

Brendan will continue to get bent over by tactically astute managers who have teams on a level or better than his. Hes basically the second coming of Ossie Ardilles. I will be shocked if he ever tastes victory against Mou or Van Gaal.

The Spaniards and Brazillians got till something like 28th July after the confederations last year, im guessing Schurrle and co will get the same.

It would be hilarious if they only sign one defender this summer (they need a complete overhaul in that position) and at the same time stock up on players in positions they are strong in. I do hope Brendan sticks to his word about "only playing a certain way", imagine his philosophy of last season minus Suarez in the CL

Maybe Azpi will cover both right and left back with Ake being emergency cover beyond that. Maybe Ryan will still be here, his form for Villa from what I have heard wont have won him admires.All I know is PVA won't be here, if there is ever an anti Jose player, it's him.

PVA won't get anywhere near the set up under Jose, thankfully.

That's a myth, the only top defence in the premierleague is ours, and Costa won't be facing them. City's is ok, Arsenal's is sometimes solid but other times all over the place, Liverpool and Spurs defences belong on the comedy channel and as for the bottom half teams.................. PL defences were at there best tactically between 2005-2009, ever since 2011 the defensive quality has declined rapidly.

Everyday best player? Come on lets not sugercoat, Mata was partial to the anonymous game more than is let on, especially against City.

Some of the comments on here are absolutely hilarious, this is a world cup quarter final, the biggest stage of all, so many player's have rubbish games in these circumstances, it's such a hard tournament to light up, especially when you are often isolated. The reality is however he is superb, on another planet to anyone else we have, he creates chances, scores his fair share and even when he has an of day his talent is obvious, he is never going to smash the 30/40 goal mark because he isn't the type of player to shoot when others are in better positions. As for passive, with respect, please, he was carrying us for most of last season. He could become a 20 goal and 30 assist player, which would be more than enough.