How big an improvement is this?

[friedk]

Last season

Up front -

Crouch, Kuyt, Bellamy, Fowler

Wide players -

Gonzales, Zenden, Pennant, Garcia (until injury)

This season

Up front -

Crouch, Kuyt, Torres, Voronin

Wide players -

Kewell, Babel, Pennant, Benyaoun

Considering our defence and central midfield are already good enough, I think these improvements will bring us significantly closer to the title.

[Van Halen]

Possibly Mancini to add to the mix???

[rage]

i think we're a quality right winger short. Yossi is good to have in the squad but garcia is the better impact player.

Still think we lack pace upfront also. but saying that torres is an improvement on bellamy and voronin could surprise us all yet. Well apart from all of u in the fan club with missing numbers.

[almudawi]

naaaaaa I doubt it

[almudawi]

Possibly Mancini to add to the mix???

naaaa I doubt it, dont think he'll be coming. Hienze on the other hand might come

[Iceman]

i think we're a quality right winger short. Yossi is good to have in the squad but garcia is the better impact player.

Still think we lack pace upfront also. but saying that torres is an improvement on bellamy and voronin could surprise us all yet. Well apart from all of u in the fan club with missing numbers.

Just because you don't see them..............it doesn't mean they don't exist

[CMK]

Last season

Up front -

Crouch, Kuyt, Bellamy, Fowler

Wide players -

Gonzales, Zenden, Pennant, Garcia (until injury)

This season

Up front -

Crouch, Kuyt, Torres, Voronin

Wide players -

Kewell, Babel, Pennant, Benyaoun

Considering our defence and central midfield are already good enough, I think these improvements will bring us significantly closer to the title.

Truly agree with you.
The mancs have been strong on their attacking power over the past few seasons, this season again they have been increasing their recruits on their wingers and strikers (if Tevez joined) which I don't see will improve alot on their attacking side. Owen Hargreaves might have joined them but the mancs will still be weaker in the midfield and defence compared to ours and the chavs. IMHO, Rafa is moving to the right direction by adding in more attacking power. Although we can't see how Torres will help us on the goals right now, at least it is a good sign that we are getting in one of the most exciting prospects (together with Babel). Maybe we won't win the title this coming season, but I can forsee us seriously challenging the title.

Can't wait for the season to start again. YNWA.

[kc0505]

Seems like Rafa has finally accepted that pace is required up front to win the premiership. Voronin, Babbel, Torres and Benayoun all have great pace.

[Morph]

Seems like Rafa has finally accepted that pace is required up front to win the premiership.

I think he's always been aware of that, you make it sound like a lightbulb just came on above his head or something

[Reds08]

Truly agree with you.
The mancs have been strong on their attacking power over the past few seasons, this season again they have been increasing their recruits on their wingers and strikers (if Tevez joined) which I don't see will improve alot on their attacking side. Owen Hargreaves might have joined them but the mancs will still be weaker in the midfield and defence compared to ours and the chavs. IMHO, Rafa is moving to the right direction by adding in more attacking power. Although we can't see how Torres will help us on the goals right now, at least it is a good sign that we are getting in one of the most exciting prospects (together with Babel). Maybe we won't win the title this coming season, but I can forsee us seriously challenging the title.

Can't wait for the season to start again. YNWA.

Completely disagree there. United and Chelsea have both improved their squads significantly. Malouda, a fit Joe Cole and defensive and midfield cover have made them far stronger in my opinion. Think Malouda could be a top signing, don't think he will take long to settle. If Robben stays fit they have a very, very strong squad. Big problem for them could be Drogba, Kalou, Mikel, Essien going for a month around Christmas.

On the United front, delusion again has reared it's ugly head. At the end of the day, if they went into games with last season's team ie. Scholes, Carrick, Giggs, Ronaldo, Rooney, Saha, that is still formidable. Having Anderson, Nani, Tevez, Park, maybe Smith and in particular Hargreaves, again that is significant strength, you can't argue with it. A Ferdinand Vidic partnership is on a level with a Terry Carvalho, Carragher Agger partnership.

You have to fear both have improved more than we have. Thats not to say that we haven't improved, but have we improved enough?

[lfcruleus]

Truly agree with you.
The mancs have been strong on their attacking power over the past few seasons, this season again they have been increasing their recruits on their wingers and strikers (if Tevez joined) which I don't see will improve alot on their attacking side. Owen Hargreaves might have joined them but the mancs will still be weaker in the midfield and defence compared to ours and the chavs. IMHO, Rafa is moving to the right direction by adding in more attacking power. Although we can't see how Torres will help us on the goals right now, at least it is a good sign that we are getting in one of the most exciting prospects (together with Babel). Maybe we won't win the title this coming season, but I can forsee us seriously challenging the title.

Can't wait for the season to start again. YNWA.

How people can say the mancs will be weaker in midfield than us scares me, Its red tinted glasses, they had the best midfield in the country last year and have improved it defensively with Hargreaves. I truelly dont think people realise how good Paul Scholes is, they will struggle to replace him for sure much as they did Roy Keane. Defensively also they are at least as good as us, Vidic was excellent last year, they were a different side without him. Neville is still the best RB in the league (horrible **** that he is). I dont rate Ferdinand particularly but he is quicker than any CB at our club. Evra could be a weak link but so is Riise.
The big differences between us and them are in my opinion Pace and Clinicism, they simply dont **** about with the small teams they rip em and dont stop. When they concede you always know they will equalise especially away from home, do we feel the same way when for example Fulham go 1-0 up against us at craven cottage.
They have 3-4 match winning clinical quick footed and minded players that we have up till now only had one. Hopefully Torres will be another and maybe Babel in time. We need to be quicker on the counter away from home and quicker and more incisive at home (although home was pretty good last year).
I think it could be a belter of a season tbh, I am praying that Fergie starts to mess with a winning formula and it ****s them up, he will have signed 2 players this summer who will expect to be in the first team regularly in positions they did well last year, Tevez and Hargreaves, this may disrupt them for a while, hopefully.

[redblood]

Seems like Rafa has finally accepted that pace is required up front to win the premiership. Voronin, Babbel, Torres and Benayoun all have great pace.

Maybe he always knew, just didn't have the money and the players available to him.

[Reds08]

How people can say the mancs will be weaker in midfield than us scares me, Its red tinted glasses, they had the best midfield in the country last year and have improved it defensively with Hargreaves. I truelly dont think people realise how good Paul Scholes is, they will struggle to replace him for sure much as they did Roy Keane. Defensively also they are at least as good as us, Vidic was excellent last year, they were a different side without him. Neville is still the best RB in the league (horrible **** that he is). I dont rate Ferdinand particularly but he is quicker than any CB at our club. Evra could be a weak link but so is Riise.
The big differences between us and them are in my opinion Pace and Clinicism, they simply dont **** about with the small teams they rip em and dont stop. When they concede you always know they will equalise especially away from home, do we feel the same way when for example Fulham go 1-0 up against us at craven cottage.
They have 3-4 match winning clinical quick footed and minded players that we have up till now only had one. Hopefully Torres will be another and maybe Babel in time. We need to be quicker on the counter away from home and quicker and more incisive at home (although home was pretty good last year).
I think it could be a belter of a season tbh, I am praying that Fergie starts to mess with a winning formula and it ****s them up, he will have signed 2 players this summer who will expect to be in the first team regularly in positions they did well last year, Tevez and Hargreaves, this may disrupt them for a while, hopefully.

Thank **** for that. There is someone here who knows something about football. **** me.

[CMK]

Completely disagree there. United and Chelsea have both improved their squads significantly. Malouda, a fit Joe Cole and defensive and midfield cover have made them far stronger in my opinion. Think Malouda could be a top signing, don't think he will take long to settle. If Robben stays fit they have a very, very strong squad. Big problem for them could be Drogba, Kalou, Mikel, Essien going for a month around Christmas.

On the United front, delusion again has reared it's ugly head. At the end of the day, if they went into games with last season's team ie. Scholes, Carrick, Giggs, Ronaldo, Rooney, Saha, that is still formidable. Having Anderson, Nani, Tevez, Park, maybe Smith and in particular Hargreaves, again that is significant strength, you can't argue with it. A Ferdinand Vidic partnership is on a level with a Terry Carvalho, Carragher Agger partnership.

You have to fear both have improved more than we have. Thats not to say that we haven't improved, but have we improved enough?

I respect your opinion but I have to disagree with you. I made a mistake on my previous post by saying our midfield is better than the Mancs. I should say our central midfield (thousands of apologies). As for their defenders, would you swap Ferdinand and Vidic with Carra and Agger? I won't. Ferdinand is one fxcking dirty player who isn't as consistent as Carra but lucky for the mancs, he won't commit a single penalty even if he commits an obvious foul on any opponent players. And would you swap Scholes, Carrick and Hargreaves with Alonso, Gerrard and Mascherano? Again I won't. What we have been lacking all these seasons are some attacking players who have quick attacking mind and some good finishing. And Rafa is trying to improve this by getting in Torres and Babel. While what the mancs need the most is to improve their defence and a midfielder who has Roy Keane's commanding ability but that isn't happening at this moment IMHO.

I am not saying the mancs and the chavs are not improving this season, but I see that Liverpool is going two steps up and I strongly believe they have improved enough to mount a serious challenge on the title. Hope I can be proven right in the end of the season. YNWA

[-V-]

We still need something more. Another pacey attacker. We need a runner. Someone who can collect the ball and just go with it. 1 more direct winger and were sorted