Eddie

Well, considering that left back isn't Neill's best or natural position he did a pretty good job for the team there. It's unfair to be critical of him for not being the best when played out of position. He was a very good player.

Hughes can do no wrong, he deserves credit for things he didn't even do...

I'm not saying he wouldn't be off if a bigger club came in, but I think there is certainly a passion there that goes beyond the simple employer-employee relationship. I think it is a general feeling amongst our squad at the moment and you don't see it all that often.

I think anyone who saw the passion with which he celebrated MGP's goal the other night can tell that he doesn't see us just as an employer.

I thought it was ok. It was an interesting idea, generally well written and it made you think, but I'm still not a big fan of the style and that is what prevented it from being a good book for me. I can see how some would really like it though.

Never happens.

Maybe I just don't have a problem telling people when I disagree with them on an internet messageboard? Or is that not what they are for?

He's a very good player, I think people forget that he is only 22. You'd be jealous of any other international side if they had him and you'd worship him if he played for Blackburn. He's got a temper, but he actually seems like a decent person when you see him interviewed and things. The problem is that the culture in modern day football almost encourages the bad traits that you see in him and others.

No, but if you look at him overall it is still good. He hasn't been great this season, but he hasn't had many games. If in 5-10 games the poor form is still there then it is a problem. Every player, no matter how good, will have bad patches. So far he's had 5-10 badish games, some better in there and some quite poor, but it's unfair to then simply dismiss what he achieved last season.

As the second top goalscorer last year surely that makes him the second most consistent striker in the league?

Oh no sorry, you're right. I'm sure the man is very insecure and reads this board every day hoping that we say nice things about him.

I very much doubt that he could be seriously concerned by a topic on an internet messageboard. Anyway, if he were I think he would at least take the time to read it and he would see that despite some recent criticism no one is actually calling for him to go. He's probably the third or fourth most popular manager (at his club that is) in the premier league. I'm sure he's aware of that.

Difference is though alan that they were only in a group game. I know even the great sides go out early in competitions sometimes, but to go out at this stage against that quality of a side is really horrible.

I just don't see it. That would have been a huge increase and a stupid move for a player of his age. On top of that you have to consider that everytime a contract is discussed the figure 40k is usually said to make the player one, if not the, highest paid player at the club. I just think it is a mistake somewhere.

We discussed this when news about the new contact first broke and I just can't believe it. I don't know whether there has been some confusion over how much he earns over the course of his contract, NZ dollars, US dollars or whatever, but we surely can't be paying him that much.

He had a spell like this last season too. I think when he feels we aren't playing well he drops back to try and become more involved in the play, which actually just means that he can't be where he should be and it hurts us. As soon as our game starts flowing like it did towards the end of last season he pushes further up the pitch.

Roberts deserves it. He had a good run at the end of last season and has done well when he has come on this year. He really deserves his chance.

I think Benni is an easy target. It makes everyone feel better to say that because of him we aren't scoring goals and aren't maintaining pressure. The real problem is that we aren't doing enough with the ball and we aren't creating chances. We don't seem to know what we are doing and we can't even play to our own strengths. Benni missed a chance today that he normally would have taken, although it wasn't exactly easy, so in some respects he is to blame, but that doesn't explain the following 80 or so minutes where we were pretty much hopeless.

Just saw 28 weeks later (things can take a while to come out in France), have to say it wasn't good. The first one was great, but this was just a movie where everything that could go wrong did go wrong and I never really enjoy that unless it is very, very clever. A real let-down after the first one.

What odds would the doubters give me on Benni scoring this weekend then?

Yep, that's the problem. You couldn't tell Benni he'd been dropped because of poor form and not drop MGP and Bentley at the same time. Can we really afford to do that? I think all three deserve a little bit of time now to show what they are made of, then drop them if they don't start performing. Hard to call Bruno Berner a mistake. He's a back-up left back who's never had a real chance to show us what he can do. To my mind the only really poorish signing Hughes has made is Ooijer. I think he's a good player, but at his age that was not a good price.

I'd still stick with him for one game more. I would be very clear to several players that their place was up for grabs now, I think a few of our big players have underperformed in almost every game so far (Benni, MGP and Bentley).

If someone could actually find how much ground Benni covers in the average game I think a lot of you would be surprised.

I was happy, but he wasn't my first choice. I really wanted Strachan or O'Neill, but things have worked out well so I have no complaints. I also wouldn't have minded had Dowie got the job.

Cultures are different and so are races and sometimes stereotypes are pretty much correct. Having said that, the vast majority are simply the product of ignorance. If you want to say that generally Asians are usually shorter, blacks are usually faster or any other stereotype that can be backed up by clear proof then that is fine. What I don't think is acceptable is someone saying that "blacks usually work less hard", "you can't trust Eastern Europeans". I will do as much to defend those people as I do to defend some stereotypes that are widely held concerning British people. There is a difference between recognising the fact that cultures and races have differences and holding some ignorant belief that you then use to judge them all.