The only place to be

Because his fasting is apparently a possible reason for his shitty performances. Ergo, I'm criticising his preparation for these matches. Personal views about religion aside I simply think commitment to your work and teammates should be your primary focus (except of course family). But then I come from a different/more progressive culture.

I'm not ignorant of it, I just think it's a silly way for a professional footballer to prepare their bodies. I'm talking about science. I've defended Salah because he showed some nice touches last season, but his last two performances haven't been him looking short of fitness or things you might associate with a lack of match time. It's poor touches that are a little worrying now.

And? Are they going to bully us because our kit is a shade like our's? How insecure would you have to be for that to even register on your radar?

Pre-season is about fitness. How on earth can a player work on their fitness to the best of their abilities without a proper diet and being properly hydrated?

Van Ginkel seems to have calmed down a bit when on the ball but some of his tackles are borderline and could be a problem in the future. A better performance today but again, poorer in the second-half.

Stop moaning about me expressing an opinion. He's an employee of this club and he's not preparing himself for matches to the best of his ability. People love to use his religion as a defence but don't actually want discussion about that defence? Silly.

Fasting is not an excuse. He's a professional athlete who should look after his body the best way he can. Fasting during pre-season is moronic.

In my opinion, a bit. He seems a lot more agile but he isn't as strong. He's got that directness though that Rooney has always had where he'll just beat a man and shoot. He's excellent at making that bit of space he needs to get the ball off.

That's overly harsh. He actually played some nice balls in the first half but in the second everyone seemed a little knackered which isn't all that surprising. He still needs to work on some of his positioning but that will come in time. He's a prospect for sure though.

Not every player needs a loan. Some are just that good that they can skip that process and this might be that one. He can beat a man, has nice pace, can pick a pass, finish and seems to be fairly strong already. Reminds me a tiny bit of a young Rooney. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uu7wm9FB0Ag

I think I'd rather have Boga in the team than Oscar.

Think we've got something special in Boga. That goal was stunning.

Salah hasn't really shown a decent touch yet which is a bit worrying. You clearly aren't watching the match.

I just don't get the argument that Salah can get away with being this poor because he's fasting. To me that's simply not preparing for a football match professionally and isn't something we need at this club.

Nice first half performance...except from Salah. Again. Van Ginkel might need to watch how many tackles he throws himself into.

That back 7 is first-team calibre. Also Salah wearing 17 and Ake wearing 6.

Given the number 6 shirt for the friendly, and it looks like it could be his number next season because everyone else's looks legit.

The new number 17 apparently.

Deserves credit for keeping himself in shape in this way, but he's apparently very committed to his career so it's not too surprising. Now he's got to come back, know his role and work his bollocks off. Simple.

When our first kit is blue and our second kit is yellow, is a third kit necessary?

Actually doesn't look too bad on....but Andre, those boots mate

It's roughly about £4-5 million....ish. Academies aren't really designed as money-making exercises in the strictest sense. They're essentially a cost you write-off because they're seen as a necessary part of a football club. Maybe they're somewhat anachronistic, but if you can produce a top-level player then you're saving yourself £20-30 million as well as having that priceless connection with someone who has come through the club.

So no-one's mentioned this team's name sounds like arse pellets?

Because I watched a bit of him last season and whilst he's lost that pace and explosiveness, he's still 6'2", strong, good with his back to goal, a massive threat in the air and still has better technique than Lukaku and Torres. I would never start him because I don't think he has it in him anymore to play more than 65 minutes against a fresh defence, but if we're chasing a goal then I'd probably bring him on ahead of Ba, Eto'o, Torres or Lukaku. And he's also a pretty decent dead-ball striker, which is something we can't really sniff at right now.

He can do his coaching badges whilst at the club....part of which will involved taking training sessions and (prepare yourself) possibly touching cones. That might be the only thing you remember about Henry's return. He also scored the winning goal in two matches. I honestly think you've got some weird view of people's legacies that verges on the precious. Drogba can't do anything to tarnish his legacy...he's a legend. That's the end of the discussion on the matter. But in pure footballing terms he actually could offer us something that we're lacking, and that's something you don't want to talk about apparently.