Scoop Junior

Sylvia is not a natural footballer. He has great skills and is a terrific athlete with his high leaping and his strength and power, but he has never really displayed the pure football instincts that the top players have. Things like awareness, peripheral vision in tight contests, the ability to deliver a handball in traffic to release a teammate. I didn't see him play in the under 18s but I wouldn't be surprised if it was his brute power and strength that regularly resulted in his high possession totals, rather than genuine footy nous. There's no doubt that recruiters would look at how a player gets his possessions at under 18s level and consider the reasons why that player is getting a lot of the ball or isn't getting a lot of the ball. This would be far more important than simple stats like how many contested possessions or clearances a particular player averaged over the year.

I don't regard Betts as the type of small forward we need. He is more a lead-up player and would get a fair share of his goals from marks. He can crumb, and he has pace, but I don't think he is at the same level in these two attributes as the better small forwards in the competition. I also think he lacks that element of magic and X factor that the better small forwards have. We have marking power in our forward line but a genuine lack of pace and X factor at ground level. Betts, for me, would not fulfil this role.

Bloody Arsenal!

How about Rooney breaking his foot in the first game like Brock McLean did. Then Ronaldo sent off and missing for three games. Saha and Solskjaer already injured. No firepower whatsoever, just like the Dees without Neitz, Robbo, etc. 2007 has not been a good year for my teams! I like the Spurs, they've got a good squad and they really should push for 4th this year.

Cook was a PSD pick, Powell was traded. I don't think Moorcroft even lasted 5 minutes. Craig Smoker - great start to 98, booted 4 at the Gabba in about Rd 3 and didn't do much after mid-98.