The only place to be

Before then going on to explain the differences in regards the fans and the media. We're also not in a league with arguably the greatest club side of all time, which helps.

That's a great way to ruin two keepers in my opinion. What's the criteria for rotation? He's too good to be an understudy anymore so we have to make a choice.

Sometimes things just don't work out. Sometimes you enter a situation where the things that need to be changed can't be and when you try, you burn your bridges. Real Madrid is a very tough club to manage, almost unlike any other. Here at least he will get the support from the supporters and also the media and in reality, who else is there at this moment in time?

Not sure what the future holds for this kid. Two great keepers, one with maybe 3-5 years left at the top and one with 15 years. Can't keep loaning him out for the next few seasons.

I agree. I just don't agree that we need that if it costs £50 million. I'd much rather build a team with cheaper parts like a Rooney or Lewandowski.

Fair enough. Maybe listen to the people who watched Scholes in the decade before you started following the English game.

How many assists is that this season? 2? 3? He's a great player no doubt but is he the best for this team, for this particular set of players and at the price quoted? £50 million for a 27 year old who hasn't played in the Champions League for 3 years is a massive risk.

Why do you feel the need to denigrate a player like Scholes when you've admitted before that you really haven't seen him play that much? Are you that insecure about Lampard's legacy that you have to attack someone that most of us wouldn't consider a direct rival? Trust me - Lampard is a great enough player in his own right for you to ease off the quite frankly ludicrous attacks on Scholes.

I was going to say you were going a little bit overboard, but he's a young, English left-back and that's something we've always had trouble with. Coley has been the main man for years, but before that it seemed like we were buying a new one every week (Doriga, Hall, Dow, Barness, Phelan, Baba) and apart from Soxxy it's been a tricky position traditionally. Plus I don't particularly rate either Nditi or Wright so why not go for it? Berts is a capable deputy and Van Aanholt holds some promise but if I had to put money on which of the three makes it then I have to go for Shaw both right now and in the future, which is something considering he's the youngest of the three. Plus if we can get him now it saves us the trouble of tapping him up later.

Everton is a tough game, but there are a couple of factors in our favour. They've got very little to play for as winning or losing doesn't affect their league placing. They also blew their emotional load last weekend with that great farewell for Moyes, and whilst they might want to give him a result as a send-off I think that last game took a lot out of them. Still, it'd be nice to win this game. I'm not averse to playing in the qualifiers because it adds some competitiveness to your pre-season and that sets you up well for the new season, but that can come back and bite you on the arse a few months down the line. I also think something could still happen with Spurs and Arsenal (reading the reports of Arsenal's spending, I think it's better for us if they do miss out on the CL because I don't see Levy spending whatever happens). So it's got to be a pretty strong team Cech Azpi Ivanovic Cahill Cole Lampard Luiz Moses Mata Oscar Torres Gone more for the team I think Rafa will pick than I would pick. Back four picks itself really, if we go with Luiz in midfield which I think he'll use to combat Fellaini. Rami is out and I don't see him giving Mikel any game time. Up front I've got a sneaky feeling he'll give Torres another run-out considering his performance on Wednesday and also to try and end the season with a couple of goals. Ba hasn't been setting the world alight in recent weeks and whilst it might be his 'turn' I do think Torres will get the nod. The bench will be interesting. Would love to see Romeu get 15 minutes at the end if we're leading and maybe Ferreira too but that's a big if. Think Benayoun is also nailed on for an appearance whatever happens. Just want a nice victory, in the sun with the trophies and maybe even the youth team getting on the pitch at some point, so that we can actually enjoy the lap of honour in what I really hope is the last game of the season.

And now look at the odds of a move to United start to lengthen. £300 quid to shift the odds. £3000 on United at 4/1. Well played sir. Well played.

So some bloke on Twitter puts a £300 bet on something and that makes it true? Another 0 on that and I might give a shit. Plus, we've got Hazard - I thought we were about making stars, not buying expensive ones.

Interesting to see AVB say that. I've given him some stick before, but I reckon he should come back to the Bridge and work in the scouting department. Might be the only way he gets to see Gareth Bale next season.

Never really hated him. There are people I hate in football, some for personal reasons, but it's something I try to avoid because life's too short. The comments he made were when he was in charge of another club and they have a fanbase that needs constant reassuring because they're fragile souls. As a manager, I've come to realise he's somewhat limited in his tactical approach to games. His unwillingness to tinker with his setup is something I've criticised a fair bit, but he has also had moments where he has got it spot on. The team that Robbie put together this season was always going to struggle in my opinion. It relied too much on individual brilliance and lacked cohesion. Rafa didn't improve upon that much but there were games where we looked like a proper team (Fulham, Swansea, United and a few others). I'm just relieved that we're reaching the end of this sorry little chapter in our history in relatively good health. There are players who have grown in stature under his tenure and whilst that may not be down to him, the next manager will certainly benefit from their improvement.

I would love to see him tried in the double pivot. HIs vision and passing sometimes go to waste in wider positions and he's actually quite a tenacious little tackler for a 'creative no.10'. He could be that link between defence and attack that we sometimes miss and which forces us to resort to long, speculative balls forward. You'd want someone a bit more sturdy beside him (like a Khedira or Martinez) but I think he could be great there.

Weren't you the one who passed a comment on Scholes before, and then admitted you hadn't seen him play much? Look, I get that you like Lamps and you're trying really hard to let everyone know but his record is fantastic enough that you don't need to make comments suggesting he's better than Scholes or Giggs. They were different types of players for one thing, but all absolutely phenomenal in their own right.

Sorry mate, but I don't think you'll find a single football fan who thinks that.

Sorry, I'm a child but....

Still remember the time he got plenty of stick at the Bridge for his missus and her being a bit 'anal', and then scored right in front of the Shed and gave it all back. You've gotta respect that. Then there's the goal that Craig Burley set up for him in the FA Cup semi at Villa Park. The biggest star in football and still managed to write great Hollywood endings for himself. Up there with Frank as one of the best pros of his generation in regards his dedication to his sport. Not the most gifted footballer but very few players worked as hard as him on the pitch and off it. Always thought he might do a stint at the Bridge too. Oh well....hopefully his kids have his work ethic.

If he's got any ambition left, he'll leave. If he hasn't then we don't want him at this club. Malouda is in a slightly different situation because of his age.

Made more fucking effort trying to get his mits on that trophy then he did picking up his marking assignment in the away leg against Rubin Kazan. Didn't look like he struggled to get up for this Europa League match.

Can't really say he had a good game, but he did a job and we won. He's not a CM but we had no other options for that position. Maybe we could've gone with Rami in the middle and Moses wide, or maybe even thrown Ake in but it's been a problem position all season and he was probably as good as any.

When he came in, I said that if the season could end right then with us top four then that would be enough. By that criteria he has surpassed my expectations. The team that Robbie had was like an out of control train, high on power but light on direction. Should he have been sacked? He probably shouldn't have ever got the job in the first place. I don't think he's a very good manager in all honesty. Yes he won us the CL but Avram Grant would've had that distinction too if the penalty shootout had gone a different way. It's funny to think that that's all that really separates them - in fact if Avram had as much luck as Robbie did then he might've got the job too. I know there's all this stuff about treating legends well, but people seem to forget that we gave Robbie a job when he couldn't get fucking interview at a Championship club. But that laid the bed (alongside his comments when at Liverpool) for Rafa to come in and be hated by the support (not all, many were quite content mourning the loss of Robbie and grudgingly accepting Rafa's appointment because it was only short-term). The situation was made harder for him and the players than it needed to be and he has made more than enough mistakes on his own that I'll be glad to see the back of his tactics, but I will applaud him on Sunday. I never wanted him here and it will be cathartic when he leaves, but he's done a half-decent job for us.....but by god he needs to shake up his tactics once in a while. I would go absolutely mental if I had to watch a team managed by him over the course of a season.

I've been critical of his performances this seasons and I still have reservations over what this means for the midfield next season, but right now I'm just delighted that such a phenomenal ambassador for this club is sticking around for at least one more year. The club did the right thing in not just doling out a contract but taking their time and maybe even getting a better deal for the club. One would also hope that they've consulted the new manager and included him in the discussion, and if it is who we think it is then I trust his judgment.

Right now there's a gap as our main striker. It's not going to be Ba and it's not going to be Torres, so that means it's a fight between the new guy and Lukaku. He needs to come back for the pre-season and be assessed so why he's saying this shit now I don't know. I love the guy but just shut the fuck up for a couple of months.