SuperMikey

Well, my first game with Saints went t*ts up, finished 10th and got sacked, although we would've been in the play-offs had we not had the -10 points. I've got over that though, and started a new game with Saints. Found some amazing frees, namely Iliasu Shillia (CB), Ze Rui (AML) and Serhat Akin (AMR/ST). Mark Wilson (DRL/WBR) is also a bargain at 600k from Celtic too. Only played a few games, but we've wiped out our 10 points after 4 games (3 Wins, 1 Draw) and just knocked Sheffield Wednesday out of the LC. COYR!

Granted, Kuffour went down a bit easily when the ref spotted what was going on, but Gobern was all over him, and was holding him back. Blatant penalty, and a cynical error showing why he shouldn't be played in defence again!

Thought we were a bit sloppy after going 3-0 up to concede twice, and concerned that we're not playing the ball out of defence, just hoofing it up the pitch. Having said that, we were the better team and deserved to win. They obviously sounded out Lambert as the dangerman before the game, they swarmed over him all game! Lallana looked great, as did Antonio and Connolly. Bring on Charlton!

Gobern gives away a funking penalty!

Biffy Clyro - Only Revolutions *jizzes in pants* Not the same as the earlier albums, certainly more Puzzle than Blackened Sky, but I love it all the same. You can definitely hear some Marmaduke Duke creeping in to some of the songs too, notably 'Born On A Horse' and 'Know Your Quarry'. Some 'fans' are already *****ing that they've gone too mainstream and gotten worse over the last few years, but I don't see that. They are still a fantastic band imo. Anyone go and see them at Guildhall last month?

If Thomas is fit, play him. I think Perry is too old and slow, 10 years ago he would've been a key player for us, but not now.

I play him up front, as a Target Man (support), with a nippy striker (Nathan Tyson in my case) and that seems to do the trick. 29 goals in 50 games this season, can't argue with that! Especially considering Tyson has got 32 in 49, just a shame about the defence!

Things have taken a turn for the worse at SMS. Our form has been very sketchy of late, very inconsistent, and we're losing games we should be winning. Also, we got thrashed 8-1 by West Ham in the FA Cup 5th Round. Eek. Job Security: Insecure. Doubt i'll last much longer, which is a shame because i've got Amr Zaki coming in June on a free and 2 Irish regens with premiership potential coming in from St Pat's Athletic too!

Or on a free in January!

Glad to hear that, Neil Mellor is a good player, and certainly a good buy for 95k on the game. He's quite a similar player to Rickie Lambert though, and Rickie is a lot better I feel, so I didn't get Mellor in the end! I've suffered a dip in form recently, losing on penalties to Southend in the League Cup and then getting beaten 3-1 by Dirty Leeds in the League has meant that we've now lost 2 of our last 3, and the board is on my back!

Say hello to the yummy sister as well! Oh, wait...

No, kept Lallana, but he's only a bit player. Schneiderlin and Hammond are keeping him out of the team! He's worth £2m at the moment though, so might flog him in January or at the end of the season if I can get a decent amount for him. I think the formation's been successful, we'd be top of the league if it weren't for the points deduction, currently sitting 7th, looking peachy. Got a game in hand over Bristol Rovers as well! As you can see, goals certainly aren't a problem, Tyson and Lambert work really well with each other, with Tyson getting 19 in 27 so far, and Lambert with 17 in 28. Play Lambert as a Deep Lying Forward or Target Man and get him to support, and then play Tyson as an Advanced Forward and you're going to score plenty of goals. Has anyone found the best way to play Saga yet? He seems to have little impact for me goalwise, but he usually pops up with a late assist when he comes off the bench for me.

BoB was the best TV show ever, hands down. No questions asked. Hopefully The Pacific will be good as well, it certainly looks promising. What I liked most about BoB was the interviews that they cut in with the real soldiers in the episodes, which gave the shows a real feel of history, and set it apart from other WWII series'. I also liked the fact that when I watch it back now, I can see so much more than I would've done the first time I watched, it was a very well layered creation. I have the utmost faith in Spielberg et al to do this well, and I say roll on March 2010!

"some Russian sh*ts in black jumpsuits with lemon piping.."

I usually line up like this:

It's a long shot, but I think he's a great player, and he CDAJFU no doubt! Another good target could be Ibrahima Sonko from Stoke, I think they're looking to replace him with someone else in January because he's not been playing well so far this season. I think he's punching slightly above his weight in the Prem, but he was a revelation for Reading in the CCC and L1 (I think he played for them in L1). Ask any Reading supporter for their opinion on him and they'll give you a glowing review. Sign him up Pards! In fact, sign both of them up, because Jaidi won't last much longer than another season or two before he starts to fall apart, he is 34 bear in mind. Sonko and Sh*ttu at the back would certainly soil the shorts of a few FL attackers!

You need to rename the file and put an '.exe' filepath at the end of it. e.g "fm10demo.exe" It'll work then - I had the same problem as you.

Trotman is a must sign, he's working so well with Jaidi at the back it'd be a shame to lose him, because we'd have to put the work back in to gelling our defence with a new CB, or settling for lesser quality players such as Perry and Thomas, who aren't on the same level as Trotman. If Preston are as precariously balanced financially as I hear they are, i'm sure they'd take 500k for a player who was warming the bench, can no longer be considered a 'youngster' and has had a spat with the manager. Whilst I also rate Lloyd James, I don't think he's the best long-term solution for RB. He certainly has talent, but whether he could cut it at a higher level is to be debated. My opinion is that Murty has had it now, unfortunately for us, and James should be viewed as a back-up. We need a pacy RB who can attack and overlap, but will not be caught short (for want of better words) when it comes to defending. Would also love to see Jason Puncheon here, I really rate him. He would definitely be a force in this league, he would be key in the CCC and could probably even play a part in the Prem, if we do get back there eventually! If unforseen circumstances prevented Papa from joining us at the end of the season (which is what we should be definitely aiming for), then we should aim for this guy. Pace, technique, attitude, he's got it all I think. One thing though, I don't think we should get rid of Holmes (Arizona, i'm talking to you!). He's been unlucky with injuries and spent a lot of time on the treatment table, but that doesn't make him any less talented. Fact is, he's the best naturally left sided player at this club barr Harding, and he needs the chance to prove that. Lallana is not a winger, and while he's playing fantastically in that position at the moment, he's not going to be able to maintain that form forever. Holmes needs the chance to step in and show what he can do. I do agree about your other choices though, Perry is far too old (37 now is he?), Saga clearly wants away, and the other 3 are just bad.

Papa may be having an off day today, but don't under-estimate the way that he has changed our play over the last few games. We wouldn't be in the form that we are if he wasn't at the club, his width is vital. Imo we should play a 4-4-2 in the second half, take Wotton off and bring Connolly on, because he is a goalscorer and that is what we need. Wotton won't be as effective in the CM role as he is at CDM. ----------Davis------------ James--Jaidi--Trot--Harding ----Morgan--Hammond----- Papa----------------Lallana ----Lambert--Connolly------ COYR!

Agree with what TDD said about winning our homes games, but don't forget that MK Dons are a team in form and confidence is high in their team. I think it'll be a scrappy game, but we'll scrape it 2-1 in the end. We really need to watch Jermaine Easter though, because he's bloody quick, and could worry Jaidi and Trotters at the back.

Completely agree, Olly is a gifted player and he's suffered a lot from unfair treatment from the fans. Throwing him in at the deep end at CB in the CCC in a relegation side was not a good idea for a lad that had barely any first-team experience at any club. The red cards are definitely food for thought, but bear in mind that young Matt Patterson got a red card against Man Utd last season for a completely stupid challenge that was 5x worse than either of the fouls that lead to Lancashire's cards, yet people were very quick to forgive him when he poked in against Millwall in the first game of this season. Centre back is an incredibly hard position to play compared to somewhere like on the wing or as a striker. You can put a few wild crosses in as a winger, or hit a few shots off target as a striker and people will forgive you 9 times out of 10. Do the equivalent of that as a centre back, people won't be so willing to forgive and forget. One mistimed challenge or a missed header or tackle can land you in hot water. The reason we're doing well this season at the back is the sheer experience we have at the back. Jaidi, Perry, Thomas, these are all very experienced players in the english leagues, and then we have the raw talent of Trotman, who is a very good prospect. He does need to put the work in to improve his game, both the technical and physical aspects of it, but he certainly has the potential to be competing for a first-team place at this club in the next few years. Bear in mind he's only about 19/20, there are only a very small number of players in the english leagues who can cement their first-team place at that age and with very little experience. Not every player can be like Rooney and be a key player at the age of 17/18 or whatever he was at Everton. Olly needs the experience and knowledge he'll gain from this loan spell to better himself as a player and grow. I, for one, wish him good luck and hope that he thoroughly enjoys his time on loan at whatever club he's going to, and that he comes back stronger and better because of it. Oh, and he's from Basingstoke too, which makes him even better

I'll certainly be watching tonight, I usually only watch every now and then. It'll be interesting to see how Griffin handles the inevitably aggressive questions towards him, and to see the rest of the panel striving to put him down at every opportunity (because face it, that's how they're going to win popularity in this situation).

Call Graeme Souness, he'll know what to do.

There already is - was introduced in FM09.

Oh come on Ponty, you must miss something. Don't you miss not being a grumpy bastard?