JFK-1

If I remember correctly when they beat Barcelona in Glasgow and Rod had his greet about it Barca had already guaranteed top spot in the group. I'm hoping this time round they will be slugging it out with City for top spot till the last day making every point vital for them. And if that be the case their final match is away to City who would totally crush them if it were also not just down to points but goals to top the group.

Would that include potential loans?

Was just thinking that when Barcelona front loaded with Suarez and Messi come to town to play against that defence of theirs Rod Stewart is likely to have something else to cry about.

Well the manager did say he had others in mind and thinking again about loans I don't suppose it's beyond the realms of possibility that if Senderos replaces either of Wilson or Kiernan that a loan could replace the other. Only time will tell. And there is also the fact that apparently they played Crooks at CB with the under 20's the other night. Are they likely to do that unless there were at least some idea of playing him there in future?

I'm in two minds about that. On the one hand it would provide them with some more millions but on the other as you say perhaps dragged off to remote hellholes on Thursday nights with Sunday football to follow which is a factor that would suit us.

Chances are they will make noises about competing but in private wondering if they can nick third spot from Monchengladbach.

I was wondering about that too but how could they be fitted in? Wouldn't they have to be quite exceptional to play in this team? And who would send a player out on loan if he weren't going to be played?

I'm guessing certain others would swap places with them.

I would estimate there would be a lot of debate about that just here far less in the head of the manager.

Record reporting he is undergoing a medical and the signing is a formality if the docs give him an OK. I doubt he would be taking this medical if there were any other offers on his horizon. It suggests everything has been agreed. So there we have it, he's our CB.

The manager did say he had others in mind which I guessed from the way he was presenting it might be back up contingencies if the Senderos deal doesn't go through which if that's the case then Senderos is his main focus for the CB position at this time.

Well looking at that i'm guessing there likely wont even be a dogs chance in the Europa league for them this year which though it deprives them of a bit more money might have suited us with Thursday night matches in remote locations being in store for them.

It's irrelevant what "many on the left" would advocate. What is relevant is what hamas would advocate and that's nothing but the COMPLETE destruction of Israel and genocide of the Jews to boot. THAT'S the bottom line and if you had any idea what you were tallking about on this issue you would know that Israel was being attacked by them BEFORE any land you claim to be the bottom line was at issue. What was the bottom line at THAT time? What would 'many on the left' advocate if Israel had an openly stated intention to utterly destroy Palestine and genocide every last inhabitant? You think that would go down well with 'many on the left'? I would guess not yet when it's coming in the other direction that's OK and no big deal. Absolutely unbelievable. That's exactly the mentality Israel is facing and 'many on the left' want them to accommodate that?. That's some bizazro world thinking right there. As for any siege mentality they are creating it for crying out loud. They declare war on Israel then you come along and say poor Palestinians, they declared war and are now suffering for it? To the extent that Egypt too not just Israel is trying to keep them contained. You grasp Egypt has built a wall on their border with them? Do "many on the left' have the same issues with Egypt? I don't think you're operating in the real world on this issue. I think you're inhabiting a fantasy world 'many on the left' have created with no thought at all of the realities. And incidentally i'm on the left on almost everything but this.

Interesting but I don't suppose definitive evidence of how they intend to use him.

But that has no use in the present does it? In the present we have to contend with what actually is not what might have been and that present contains a Palestine ruled by an entity which unashamedly proclaims an ambition to genocide the Jews and no intention whatsoever of negotiating any two state solution which makes any mention of a two state solution meaningless. http://www.palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=433 Yet some think the onus is on Israel to accomodate THAT? Commit national suicide to accommodate a nation for people who have never been a nation? Unbelievable absurdity. The following video which is from a hamas kids TV show illustrates exactly what they're teaching to the next generation and are we to think there would be no screams of horror if Israeli TV were teaching such things to Israeli kids? And notice there is no mention of Isrealis. Just Jews and this is waht they are teaching to kids RIGHT NOW. Yet it's Israel who is the problem? Again, unbelievable absurdity and I simply can't fathom the processes of anyone who would take the side of this mentality. [video=youtube;0ORAM-usqhQ]

Yeah we can only wait and see how he turns out. I think he was signed as a defensive midfielder so might be able to fill two roles at the same time? Playing DM and falling back as an extra CB when required? Only time will tell.

Maybe they're simply not good enough? Maybe he is more capable of being moulded? I mean I can't say obviously that's simply hoping for the best possible outcome because he could make a great CB if he could be trained into the role. He has the physical attributes required in abundance and apparently has a great touch for such a behemoth of a guy.

OK i'm going 2-0 Rangers FGS Dodoo which I just edited because Garner isn't starting.

Well if the manager really is now trying to tie up this deal he has obviously decided that Senderos is better than anything we currently have and that nothing better is likely to come along before the window closes. if all that be the case it makes sense to get it tied up as quickly as possible because we're quickly running out of opportunities to get him some pitch time before September 10th. As has been mentioned in other threads they have a greater need to win that match than we do. Even a draw for them on their own patch is a win for us and a crisis for them.

Despite it being an away match we will still have a vocal support in there who will be even more vocal if we get into our rhythm and go at them which would also silence their own hordes. The atmosphere wont be a million miles away from that the team experienced at Hampden and we have solid pros such as Barton in there who have played in front of many a large hostile crowd and some people are actually motivated by that kind of thing. I want to see Garner up to speed and starting in it because he's the type who can really noise up both their players and their support and I think he may revel in it. We need a referee like the one at Ibrox on Saturday who was turning a blind eye to many Motherwell transgressions because Garner in particular is apparently an extremely physical guy who will be getting right in about them in a big way and we don;t want a large part of his game negated by an early card. And on that topic many have stated that we have been lacking a physical presence like that up front. Well Garner has been labeled by people who have played with and against him as a "human battering ram"

Anybody know where he played last night? Do we think Davie Weir could perhaps mould him into a potent CB?

I would absolutely love to see that because though I haven't seen every minute of every match in what I have seen Rossiter has proven himself to be a little terrier. I still don't recall seeing him losing out when he goes in on an opponent who has the ball and that would be mightily frustrating to whoever might be the target of his attention in their own midden. Bettered by a teenager. Prior to the season starting the majority opinion around here is that there was no way Rossiter would be a regular starter but rather that he was back up and 'one for the future' Yet there he is becoming a regular starter and quietly earning rave reviews arguably more so than any of the more experienced and illustrious names recently signed. Whoever is targeted as being subject to his attention in the match with them is going to be harassed non stop run into the ground by a teenager who can run all day and that alone could become key. And as has been mentioned if we can just start taking our chances then we will be right in there. Hopefully Joe Garner is the answer and given that Mr Warburton who must have had the last say on making such an outlay for him obviously thinks he can do a job i'm greatly encouraged. We also may still get a new CB before this match and when you consider that just a couple of men can make a vast difference to a side i'm remaining positive and even more so after watching them being played off the park last night when they came within an inch of total humiliation. Imagine the scenario today if that penalty had gone in. That's how close they came to an outcome which would have seen a meltdown of epic proportions this morning. The wailing and screaming if we beat them on their own territory would also reach impressive levels whereas if we lose then that's only what they and the media expect to see. We have nothing to lose and they have everything to lose. Let's go into it with a positive outlook and understand that no matter what happens we are still on course for the major priority of European football next season. On an aside i'm just irritated than at a time when we want matches in quick succession for the purpose of achieving optimal match fitness and gelling that there will be a 15 day break with no competitive matches after Friday before facing them. We need to take what he has in mind as his starting 11 to Linfield on September 3rd to maintain their fitness and sharpness as much as possible.

It's not about numbers it's about a mentality that has no intention of co-existence in any two state solution which makes it absurd to even raise it and even more absurd when phrases such as "ethnic cleansing" are bandied around in support of that mentality when that very mentality openly states in it's own charter an intention to commit genocide. There is a simple solution, stop attacking Israel and there will be no retaliation. Stop electing terrorists groups who state in their charter that they will not stop until every last Jew on the planet is dead. Anybody think electing that was ever going to result in anything else but the current situation? Does anybody anywhere think that electing that was ever going to result in any negotiated settlement? Bring the Israelis to the table and the first thing on the agenda is oh by the way vacate every last inch of your country then prepare to be killed where ever we may find you. Any possible starting point is that Israel has a right to exist and exist in peace and that's never going to happen with an islamist terrorist group running the place and keep in mind an islamist terrorist group freely elected by the poor benighted population when there were more moderate alternatives. As for raising so called 'intellectual giants' as a reason to support these terrorists I view that as a lack of independent thinking and a failure to personally examine and critique the situation. It doesn't take an intellectual giant to discern that negotiating with a group who have nothing in mind but genocide is irrational. A valid comparsion would be that they may as well have negotiated with the Nazis to organise a more efficient manner of getting them all dead and in the ovens. The guy in this short clip is a respected intellectual and the harridan he is talking to is absolutely typical of the hamas/Palestinian mentality and in fact the mentality in the entire region and beyond yet there are still people who claim to be impartial supporting her and her like in part because some 'intellectual giant" does? That I find disturbing. Especially when there are infinitely more 'intellectual giants' to choose from who would maintain the opposite view and I prefer to examine the easily acquired data myself and form my own opinion rather than have someone else give me an opinion.

Hapoel had 69% possession and 17 shots plus a missed penalty in this match. Make no mistake they had a lucky escape and though that doesn't help us now it illustrates they're there for the taking.

You have to win games to get points. On this showing that's a dubious prospect given that even right now we can be 100% certain there will be infinitely more formidable opposition than Hapoel waiting in the group.