Joe Hart is a good call. Ashley Cole was world class maybe two or three seasons ago but he's probably a bit old now. Rooney's the most frustrating. On his day he's phenomenal and would justify his place in any side but he just disappears in far too many games. But yeah, Joe Hart for sure (don't tell him, though; his egos getting a bit out of control as it is.)

gareth bale might be "world class" someday, i know hes not english but hes from the uk

I'd say Jack Wiltshire.
For me, whenever I see him play he is by far the best player on the pitch
I could see him in the barca team easily, and he is only going to get better as he gets older

I think Bale might already be world class but, as you say, he's Welsh. Wiltshire could be, one day, as I think could Gary Cahill and definitely Leighton Baines. In terms of where they're at right now, though, I can only think of Joe Hart.

I just bought it in my local bookshop. I skimmed through it on the way home and I do think you'll love it. I'll let you know how I get on with it. If you see it, I'd also recommend Gianluca Vialli and Gabrielle Marcotti's book, the Italian Job. On the surface it's Vialli's autobiography but it's really a discussion of tactical and cultural differences between the Prem and Serie A, with insights from big hitters like Mourinho and Fergie. I think you'd really like it.

thanks man. im gonna get the kindle version (obviously shipping would kill me). i'd be reading it already if i wasn't dealing wiht a couple of ugly deadlines (free tomorrow! free tomorrow!). aghhhhhhh........

The only odd thing I've noticed so far is that while written in 2008, there's no real mention of Guardiola's Barcalona. It only seems to go up to Mourinho's Chelsea. Although given the sheer amount of attention Barca have received in recent years, that may not be such a bad thing. And if you like diagrams of obscure Uruguay formations from the 50s, you'll be in absolute heaven.

My local shop also had this, which I've been meaning to read for a while but will probably get after I've finished Inverting the Pyramid.




I also saw this, which you may be more up your street:



My new years resolution may be to read as many nerdy football books as I possibly can.

You can't get much more geeky than this surely?

Oh that's beyond the pale. You can't have a book about something like that with such a serious cover. At least the cover of Inverting the Pyramid makes it look a bit like a Bill Bryson book.

So a three game ban for Fellaini. Will that be the last we see of him at Everton, I wonder?

*puts fingers in ears* lalalalalalala. The rumours are that Chelsea are after him. CHELSEA? How the fuck can Chelsea need another midfielder.

If they did want him they better cough up.

we are gonna thrash Chelsea 2-0 on Wednesday!

Absolutely. Another attacking midfielder is the last thing they need. I actually wonder if Abramovich is reluctant to sign anyone big before his next 'proper' manager is in place. His priority right now seems to be finding a way to offload older players and, perhaps his one unavoidable big spend, getting a replacement for Torres. But there's no such thing as common sense with Abramovich so who knows?

Some more food for fans of all things tactical (from the author of Inverting the Pyramid)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/b...trends-of-2012

And of particular relevance to the 'decline of defending' debate and whether it's just a Prem thing, this quote seems on point:

"In Germany, possession-based teams in Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund continue to dominate, while both Manchester United and Manchester City seem deliberately to be attempting to play more of a possession game, something that has come at the cost of defensive stability. Where United's lack of a dynamic presence at the back of midfield last season seemed the result of misfortune, it now appears to be policy"

Speaking of which Di Matteo got manager of the year the other day. TAKE THAT ABRAMOVICH!

If you do I'll eat my hat and trust me it's not a very tasty looking hat.

....Goddammit.

nah its not gonna happen but meh its only the league cup.

Bad news about Barcelona coach Vilanova

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2...surgery-cancer

Draw for the last 16 of the Champions League look like it'll be an early exit for both English teams:

Real Madrid v Manchester United
Arsenal v Bayern Munich
Celtic v Juventus
Milan v Barcelona
Shakhtar Donetsk v Borussia Dortmund
Valencia v Paris St-Germain
Galatasaray v Schalke
Porto v Málaga