And we'd have won the league too, if it wasn't for those meddling billionaires - OTT [R]

As an England fan, it bothers me that these squabbles have any bearing on squad selection. We have enough trouble producing and nurturing talent without adding "Mustn't be a douchebag" to the selection criteria.

PL clubs seem to be 2 for 2 in doing whatever it takes to protect their players.

Tevez taken out by Cuellar on the edge of the box only 2 minutes in, could have been a red on another day. Will make this harder for Sunderland having to survive the rest of the game.

Well Kolarov scores from the freekick, poor goal keeping helped. Game over

Looking at the fixtures this could potentially be a really shitty weekend.

Can someone advise me on the aim/benefits of Zonal marking on set pieces? It seems to just give the attacking team a bit more of a run up when attacking the ball and resulting in a lot of defenders jumping from a standing position.

The idea is that it stops players pulling your players out of position and leaving spaces for the opposition to ghost into. I suppose it can also limit confusion and tactical blocking. There are pro and cons (like the static one you pointed out) to which ever tactic is used.

I guess I'm beggining to see it's pros as well as it's cons, it just seems when it fails it fails badly.

Rio Ferdinand (wikipedia) --
Club\Manchester United (13 titles)

• Premier League (5): 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11
• Football League Cup (2): 2005–06, 2008–09
• FA Community Shield (4): 2003, 2007, 2008, 2011
• UEFA Champions League (1): 2007–08
• FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2008

Individual

• Hammer of the Year (1): 1997–98
• PFA Premier League Team of the Year (5): 2001–02 (Leeds), 2004–05, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09 (Manchester United)
• Premier League Player of the Month (1): October 2001
• ESM Team of the Year (1): 2007-08
• FIFA World XI (1): 2007-08
• London Youth Games Hall of Fame: 2009 inductee

John Terry (wikipedia)

Honours

Club -- (13 titles)

• Premier League (3): 2004–05, 2005–06, 2009–10
• FA Cup (5): 2000, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012
• League Cup (2): 2005, 2007
• FA Community Shield (2): 2005, 2009
• UEFA Champions League (1): 2012

Individual

• PFA Player of the Year: 2004–05
• FIFA World Cup Team of the Tournament: 2006
• FIFPro World XI: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
• UEFA Club Football Awards Best Defender: 2005, 2008, 2009[108]
• UEFA Team of the Year: 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009
• Chelsea Player of the Year: 2001, 2006

Same number of titles....many more awards for John Terry and much more prestigious (JT is PFA POTY once while Rio makes the team of the year). And now JT's leaving the English team with his playing credentials intact and the complete support of his club, while everyone everywhere agrees that Rio is rubbish -- old, creaky and slow -- and Utd agree that his retirement would be for the best.

Same thing happened with Paul Scholes I believe -- pushed aside in the England team. Same thing with Carrick.

Are our players substandard?

Just saying "JT" makes the psychotic episode above above worthy of deletion.

The proof is in the pudding. Rio is slower, he is creaky and he is getting old.

And Utd is right. His retirement from the English NT is for the best.... for him and for the club.

The last three posts are bewildering. Am I in the twilight zone?

Same old Arsenal.............

West Ham go ahead 1-0

What a fracking goal. Bullshit card though.

I dont undersand the negative reaction on this board when Diame gets brought up in a transfer thread or such.

He's good. He's better than majority of our midfielders. Im not saying we should sign him, but he's a good player.

I think the problem us that people don't want minor or mid level upgrades. If we're going to sign someone why not just go all out and get world class.

People fear a team full of compromise transfers.



Giroud scores against a team with two of my Fantasy Defenders, well FU, might go to bed at half time, 4am doesn't feel so good

Also when he scored all I was thinking is that I don't look forward to facing him with west ham, he's the exact sort of player that gives us trouble with our make shift midfield

He's not the type of partner we'd want for Carrick and United have better options to play a 3 man midfield with.

What exactly would Diame be needed for?

What would any midfielder we all have been waiting for, be needed for?

Diame can pass. He can score, he can physically impose himself in a match. That last bit, only Anderson [barely] can do that.

0_O

Martinez would've been a decent deputy for Carrick.
Vidal would've been a good partner for Carrick.
As would have Witsel.

What much needed niche would Diame fill? If he plays next to Carrick in a midfield 2 he's not creative enough and his interplay isn't up to scratch. If he plays in a midfield three he'd be taking up space that could be occupied by a more creative or technical player.

Scholes, Carrick, Fletcher, Powell, Cleverley, Anderson, Kagawa, Rooney can pass.
All of the above can score.

I'll admit, Diame is more physical than any of United's midfielders but I don't see that as the sole reason to sign him.

WBA still in a CL spot after 7 games (obviously a long time to go) but wtf?

Wonder if they'll push for Europa League, would love another team capable of bumping Liverpool another notch down.

QPR what a joke, their squad should be good enough to at least be out of the relegation zone let alone off the bottom.

He would make us tougher, harder to penetrate through the middle? He can also drive forward in midfield with he ball. His passing is just above average.

Yeah, like Joe said, there's not much point in signing a squadie when virtually all of our other midfielders apart from Carrick are squaddie material. We should be going for stand otu quality. But then again, I think Diame is better than people are giving him credit for.

Offside surely?

It matters (I think) that Utd players get credit for how good they are. It doesn't happen though. I think that's a problem and that it affects our ability to attract elite players.

One interesting thing in all the JT/Rio stuff recently is the discussion of how Rio wasn't allowed to play for England while his missed drug test was being arbitrated -- and how, in contrast, JT was allowed to play and play and play. For a year. There's a whole bunch of those situations too -- lots of them concerning Rooney.

At some point, you'd think that the club would stick up for its players.