Yorkie-Geordie

I'm his wife.

If people can't see the obvious improvements from Martins this season, then their ability to change their mind on a particular player is questionable. Martins' all-round play has improved considerably this season, and i think we can thank Allardyce (aswell as the fact that he's actually training with competent strikers nowadays) for the up-turn in fortunes. Martins was a confidence player last season. Scratch that - he was a competent goalscorer. He scored in bursts, only when he was feeling good. All you have to do is look at the timing of his goals this season to tell that he's matured as a footballer. Instead of being all at once, they're more evenly spread out - often coming off the back of matches where he either hasn't played, or has simply played poorly. This wouldn't have happened last season. If Roeder was still in charge, and Oba would have been on the bench like he has, he'd have slumped terribly. Martins is one of the key benefitors of the new 'revolution'. Then you can look at the quality of his goals. They're actually strikers goals. People have picked on his movement and his touch every single day that he has been here, and while his touch is still questionable, his movement is the key factor of his gameplay that has been enhanced considerably. The Man City goal and the Spurs goal provide the most obvious evidence for this - excellent movement across the defence, and a sublime touch in the Man City case, which set him up to smash the ball in, each with excellent finishes. Then Wigan, an inch-perfect cross for Owen to head home in the dying minutes. Would that have happened last season? I really don't think so. Martins is a gem and i'm thrilled that we've kept him in our squad thus far. He's going to be excellent, i think. People overrate him, yeah, i'm probably guilty of that - but the slating he gets is just plain daft. He was top scorer last season, by miles, and given Owen's evergreen injury problems, he's on course to do so again. Just get behind the guy.

Now that I like. That looks okay as a shirt, but just imagine one of our players wearing it...Keiron Dyer for example. Urgh. Anyhow, that shirt's gorgeous. It'd look sexy on Martins.

Milner's probably absolutely fucked. I hope he gets another week, or a few days at the very least, off - while the others are beginning pre-season. The lad deserves it. For our sake's aswell as his.

Bollocks.

Sorry fella, the auld degree is important though Didn't realise how much work id actually have on this year, Nah that's fine mate. Will be nice to see you contributing again!

You haven't written an article/whatever for donkeys, NSG. If you do have access, you should be booted.

OUT: Steve Harper - £500k Pavel Srnicek - £0 Stephen Carr - £500k Titus Bramble - £0 Craig Moore - £0 Celestine Babayaro - £1m Olivier Bernard - £0 Matty Pattison - £500k Albert Luque - £3m Antoine Sibierski - £0 O'Brien, Huntington, Edgar - Loans IN: Scott Carson, Liverpool - £4m Glen Johnson, Chelsea - £5m Oguchi Onyewu, Standard Liege - £2m Curtis Davies, West Brom - £7m Tal Ben Haim, Bolton Wanderers - £0 Leighton Baines, Wigan Athletic - £7m Gabriel Heinze, Man United - £5m Mikel Arteta, Everton - £8m Giles Barnes, Derby County - £2.5m Darren Bent, Charlton Athletic - £9m Given, Carson, Krul Johnson, Solano Taylor, Onyewu, (Huntington), (Edgar) Davies, Ben Haim, Ramage Baines, Heinze Milner, Barnes Arteta, Parker Emre, Butt N'Zogbia, Duff, (O'Brien) Martins, Bent, Dyer Owen, Ameobi, Lua Lua Given Johnson --- Taylor --- Davies --- Baines Milner --- Arteta --- Emre --- N'Zogbia Martins --- Owen

Our juvenile tickets will be a tenner... Blackburn's, for their Leverkusen game, are £1.

Has he played a game for Arsenal through the middle yet?

Down the toilet tbh. Badum tish.

I'd rather have Edgar in the team than Carr, not only because Carr's shit but because there's no chance of fitting him in a defense with Nobby. However, i feel that Solano is going to have to push up to midfield, allowing Milner to slot in at left-wing, nullifying the Pattison effect. That also allows Dyer to advance into the striker position, where he is significantly more effective than when he is in his 'natural' role, as a midfielder. Given Carr --- Ramage --- Huntington --- Edgar Solano --- Parker --- Butt --- Milner Martins --- Dyer Although, i can't see it panning out like that. I can imagine Nobby will continue in defense, probably at left-back - with Dyer coming in at right-wing and Sibierski, sadly, filling in as Martins' partner for a third game running. That team is absolutely insane, tbh. It's madness the amount of absentees we've got. Going on my opinion, and using my 'ideal' first team (with everyone fit and available), i'd be making atleast 5 or 6 changes to that. It's shocking is our squad situation. Krul, Taylor, Moore, Bramble, Babayaro, Bernard, Emre, Duff, N'Zogbia, Owen, Ameobi... all unavailable. And yet it seemingly hasn't incresed the efforts in the transfer market. Looking forward to that one player, Glenn. Can't wait until he wishes all our troubles away. We'll be sorted with that one player. To be perfectly honest, i'd rather see panic buys than no buys. Anyhow, onto the game. I think we'll come back with a fantastic performance, personally - after that deplorable outing on Wednesday night. The players will be back and fighting. However, the result and the performance though are two different things, and with West Ham bouncing, getting better with new signings, and typically with a poor away record - i wouldn't be surprised to see them come away with atleast a point. Even though i tend to predict more optimistically than this... Newcastle 2-2 West Ham Hammers to equalise twice.

It ain't Babel if it's four or five years... Babel's only twenty. It was three or four players last month. Last week it was two players, albeit loanees. Today it's one player. Oh the joy.

11.11.98 Blackburn h 1-1x 1-1 34,702 League Cup Round 4 Lp Given; Barton, Pearce; Hughes, Dabizas, Batty; Georgiadis, Hamann, Shearer, Dalglish, Glass(Speed) G: Shearer Crap game... we lost on penalties. Shearer blazed a penalty miles over the bar in normal time, then three minutes later, Given saved a Blackburn one.

Because he can play anywhere across the back line. He's out of contract in the Summer so won't cost much. He's a better LB than Babayaro. He's a better RB than Carr. He's a better CB than Bramble, Moore, Ramage, Huntington and Edgar. My point being that Liverpool, etc, are all after him and we're not going to get him, so why bother wasting our time going in for him in the first place?

What's the poiiiiiint???

Well, whoever the next local team was. Kind of a no-brainer really... However, if Newcastle were diminished say tomorrow - i'd support Derby County.

Ally, firstly - apologies for snapping. You say that his his braces, his goals - they're all goals however many he scores in one game, have overrated his contribution. However - is a striker's main job not to score goals? If we want Obafemi Martins contributing in any particular department, it's in the goalscoring one, especially when you look at the other players clasp that position as their title. I'll stand by what I said. His attacking contribution, under the relatively difficult circumstances (to be fair), has been absolutely superb. And to LeazesMag... I'm N-O through and through anyway mate so...

Hyperbole much? Aye steady on. 8 league goals by January is nothing particularly special. He's improving a lot, but you've gone WAY ott saying he's been absolutely superb. Don't think he's adapted that quickly anyway, he scored 1 between August and December. Thats 3 months to get going. Oh shut up, Ally. Had any other poster have said what i said. Any other poster. Martins has scored ten goals and has assisted in five, in his circumstances. That's a superb turn-out, absolutely no two ways about it. And btw... i said "it's" absolutely superb, not "he" is absolutely superb. Learn to read.

I live in the market town of the club of which Mathie manages!

It's certainly pleasing to see that we have, of the big three, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea left to play only once* - and all three matches are at home. *That's excluding the Chelsea FA Cup game

No-one gives a fiddler's fuck what you said before. Sooner N-O is back up the better. Agreed on both accounts.

who wouldnt?? we beat them 8-0 and even moore scored...

Half way into the season: 10 goals. 5 assists. Those are the kind of stats that the Henrys, the Rooneys, even the Shearers posess at this stage. And this guy is 22, in a new version of the game, in completely new living quarters and a generally totally different situation altogether. He doesn't have the right to have adapted this quickly, let alone do so. It's absolutely superb. As negative as this may sound when first thought, i cannot wait for next season.

Did he? I didn't know that one was on the telly... So?