Eddie

I said he looked like had run out ideas yesterday, whilst in recent weeks he has failed to make any changes to our very one-dimensional play despite the fact that it looks as if teams have figured us out. Now he may not be out of ideas, I hope he isn't, it was just my impression of him during this particular match.

Souness certainly had more money, but he also brought in more money through sales. Even with that taken out, he probably had a bit more, but not a huge amount. Also, I know that he was lucky to have Duff and Dunn (first version) in the team to sell anyway.

I haven't been to a game this season, but I have seen every full game on TV. I know it isn't the same, I know it means I only see him when the camera is on him, but seeing as the cameras they use that are shown here are generally quite a wide view I can see him for probably 55-60% of the game. I don't think he's lazy, it's an easy tag to put on him though.

I'm not saying Hughes isn't the better manager, but so far Souness has achieved more as he has a cup to his name.

Well depending on where you live and the theory you have subscribed to, global warming could bring a drop in temperatures as well.

Why? In Petrov City have one of the in-form left wingers, they'd have no need for MGP. I suppose they could be friends because of the Sweden-Norway sort of connection, but it all seems a bit of a stretch.

There is nothing to say that Benni doesn't want to be here at the moment. Oddly enough the only forward who has actually stated that he wants to leave, and by that I mean Jason Roberts, is a player most are calling for to be in the side (rightly in my opinion). The penalty wasn't a half arsed attempt, I don't even see why someone who didn't want to be here would have a "half arsed" penalty, doesn't make sense, it's the easiest thing he will have done all day. He simply scuffed it and the keeper went the right way, had the keeper gone the wrong way it would have looked like a decent penalty as it was in the bottom corner. He doesn't always go the same way, he either goes that way or reverses his foot at the last moment and pushes it to the bottom left (keeper's side), but you are right he does generally keep them low, which is really what most people are taught and told to do. As for not adding graft, he adds a lot of graft in my opinion. He drops back into midfield, which is tactically wrong, but he does it because he is trying to get on the ball. The easy option would be to stand up front waiting for it to come to him, but that isn't what he does. When the team is playing well Benni is magnificent, unfortunately for him his style of play doesn't fit in well with a team that is totally out of sorts and struggling to put two or three passes together. Santa Cruz still does ok, although not nearly as well when the team were in good form, because his size allows him to be something of a target man and hold it up, Benni can't really do that against defenders who are generally bigger than him. His flicks and tricks are a part of his game, he doesn't do them in dangerous areas. Sometimes they don't come off, but if you want the piece of great skill (for example the good flick that put Santa Cruz through on goal against Newcastle the other week), then you are going to have to accept that sometimes they won't work and he'll give the ball away, it is true for any player who doesn't simply get it and pass it. Benni is the best goalscorer we've had at this club since Shearer, by a mile as well. His technical skill on the ball is probably the best I've ever seen in a Rovers shirt and he is amongst the most skilled in the league. Now as I have said on other threads, it is easy to single out individual players and place blame there, but really the problems we are having at the moment are down to the entire team (although mostly the defense). I don't see why people are up in arms about McCarthy not playing well, yet very little criticism has been aimed at someone like Warnock, who gave the ball away on the edge of the area at 3-3. As for what I've said in the Hughes thread, it is based on what I have seen from seeing the full match on tv. You're right, I didn't look at Hughes for 90 minutes, but the camera actually cut to him every couple of minutes. If someone who was there says that he was very active on the touchline then I'll believe them, but from what I've read and from people I have spoken to it actually seems like a few have commented on the fact that he seemed somewhat resigned on the bench. If you read what I wrote you will actually have seen that I didn't call for Hughes out, as for my comment about being there first, it was simply that for the last year or so I've taken quite a lot of flack from people for saying that I haven't been totally comfortable with our team, particularly the massive gap that we have in the centre midifeld. Now the majority seem to be catching on, sadly Hughes has been the slowest in this respect and it is his opinion that matters most. If you don't agree with me, say it, but don't go down this personal line that you and so many others seem unable to avoid when disagreeing with someone on here. Or should I agree with you and then you'll like me? You're right, don't question Hughes, best manager we've ever had and things are perfect...while we're at it, let's sell the second top goalscorer from the premiership last year. I don't want Hughes to go, I simply think we are in a big trouble at the moment and it will be a big test for him. If he passes it then he will have shown he really has what it takes, if he fails then he will just be another manager like Souness or Reid who have put a side together that has done well for a season or two and then not been able to deal with it when things have stopped working. It's not a call for him to go.

I'm very worried about this. When you look at him on the touchline he looks like a manager out of ideas. Now, if he wants to be a manager who doesn't say anything to his team and simply lets them play, that is fine, but I don't think that is what is happening. He looks like someone who is lost and doesn't think he can do anything to change it. I think we're in big, big, big trouble here.

Some of you have no idea what is in the best interest of the club.

He's not lazy, but he is playing very, very badly.

I don't want to say "I was right and he was wrong", but quite frankly myself and several others have said that we have needed a central midfielder for 18 months or so now, he's made no effort to solve the problem. Oh, have to add, not a hope in hell for the man of following on from Ferguson at the moment. Several candidates are streets ahead of him and he's not really done much to catch up lately.

I've had one problem with my xbox and Microsoft were great about it, so I wouldn't worry. Also, based on a friend's experience, if you put a bit of pressure on them with a nice complaint (if you see what I mean) they may even throw in something free.

You really think Mourinho would be so good as to deserve 6 million a year? For me the FA have dodged a bullet in that one.

It was supposed to be "move for".

Lulinha will never more as little as that.

N'Zogbia is a really good prospect. Martins is a good player, as is Owen. I also wouldn't mind Emre or Milner. They have a good bunch on players, they just aren't a good team.

It would be interesting to see if those who did it were for or against the treatment of Bentley.

On the day and over the course of the group they were the better side, but are you seriously saying that you think they are the better team? If you want I'll happily place a bet with you on the world cup qualifiers.

Clearly a superior side? Lay off it. They're a decent team, but England have a much better squad of players and will be a much better team if they bring the right man in. They hardly set the world on fire with their results in the Euro 2008 qualifying group.

They're doing ok, but he spent a lot of money this summer, so even for a newly promoted side they should have a better team than they do.

Beckham was quite good the other night, for me only he and Crouch can be somewhat proud of what they did, he is however only 32.

Agree with that, the talent is there, that isn't the excuse. England, on paper, are as good as any side in Europe, but for whatever reason, be it the management, the mental side, the tactics, simply do not perform anywhere near to their potential ability when or to the standard that they play at when they play for their club sides. I'm sure people will respond to that by saying that they simply aren't good enough, but I can't accept that as Manchester United or Barcelona are a tougher task than Russia or Croatia. Had Gerrad been playing for Liverpool last night he would have taken over that game and pulled the win out by himself even if the other 10 players had refused to play, once he puts on an England shirt he seems to lose all of that; he isn't alone in that sense.

I think that was only if he got a job in the next 6 months or something along those lines, which he didn't manage. As for being in the big bad world, you can still sometimes have a bit of honour and fall on your sword, he wouldn't be the first.

Why would Wenger take that job? Arsenal are flying at the moment and look good for the next few years. It's a job he'll never be fired from and whenever he wants it he could probably just ask for the France job. The England job is a fantastic one, the money is great and the support and potential make it second to none on the international scene for me, but if you have a very good and very secure club job I wouldn't touch it.

Not a chance. If you messed a job up as badly as this then you at least have to finish it in the right way.