From 5 to 8?

[Rampant Rob]

Players don't suit this type of league?

So the likes of Jordi Lopez, Angel Rangel, Guillem Bauza, Gorka Pintado, Andrea Orlandi, Albert Serran were all failures for Swansea then?

In answer to your question:

Jordi Lopez - 15 games in 2 seasons. Failure - Yes

Guillem Bauza - 49 games in 3 seasons. Spells at Hereford, Northampton and now Exeter. Failure - Yes

Gorka Pintado - Rarely a starter, usually a subsitute. Now plying his trade with AEK Larnaca a Cypriot team. Failure - Yes

Andrea Orlandi - Barely played in the successfuly Swansea team. Now dropped down to Brighton. Where he rarely starts. Failure - Yes

Alberto Serran - 30 games in 3 years. Now playing for AEK Larnaca in Cyprus. Failure - Yes

Your not the scout for AEK Larnaca by any chance Bris??

Haven't got a clue....

[Alph]

I rated Bueno. He's a luxury, as in when things do get a bit scrappy hes useless, but he gave us some quality moments when used correctly.

Anyway, I thought 7 pts was a fair ask from these 3 games. 6 not too bad. But 4? Four!!!

No need to scratch our heads at why our seasons always end with a win column having a slightly lower number than the lose column.

Away = Rare win, regular sloppy defeat.

Home = good few wins occasional sloppy defeat.

Key word = Sloppy. Waste good points by having many performances that never leave 2nd gear.

Completely annoyed by 4 pts. Because it'll happen all season. Sloppy 2/3 points lost over 3 games.

[Duracell]

You're completely underestimatinghow important tactics and styles of play are to suiting a players needs and his own style of play.. You can't expect a creatrive genuis like Xavi to control a game when the ball is pumped over his head.. He finds spaces very little players can, but if the defneders don't have the ability to pass him the ball and the other midfielders have little movement his game is going to break down..

Bueno in a passing side was far better than Bueno in a hoofing side.. Don't get me wrong, Will Hughes will certainly pick up his game playing alongside better players.. Bueno would play better in this DCFC side than that of 2 years ago..

There are more players in our side better equiped to suit our style of play.. Theo can look useful if Coutts is only going to play the ball down the line for him to chase.. Bueno needs the ball at his feet, he's not going to chase hopeless balls down the line nor is he going to 'put himself about'

There aren't any sides at this level capable of buying Bueno.. He plays for a midtable La Liga side where his abilities shine... He was linked to Wigan (under Martinez, a footballing style of manager) when it was evident that in a side that can create space and pass forwards he was a quality player at that level.. Why would anyone have tried to buy him after Xmas.. They couldn't afford him nor was he the type of player you'd want in a hoofball side.. He would have flourished at Swansea or Wigan..

He doesn't need to be a physical player.. I'd put a huge wager that this Valladolid side would walk over a physical Stoke side.. Bueno suffered from poor players around him, nothing to do with his ability which he has in abundance in comparison to the rest of the NPC.

I'm not understimating how you need to match needs to players. Xavi would look good in any side, he has that much talent, but obviously he'd do a lot less sitting in the middle of the park for Stoke...that's obvious.

Problem is with Bueno, is that is completely all or nothing. Either the team finds him time or space, or everything about his game stops. His first touch, his footballing brain, even, on occasion, his ability to complete a very simple pass. I'm not denying his talent. But he's over-reliant on a certain style of play, and his head drops and his ability evades him when things aren't played to that style. You answered my question for me. Wigan wouldn't go for him because they saw what happened over the Christmas period.

Why don't Arsenal walk over Stoke? Surely they're better than Vallodolid. I completely agree with you on your footballing principles, Bris. Don't make the mistake in thinking that I love hoofball, or that I think English football gets it right. But I can believe in the technical game, and at the same time, accept that teams can be effective with other methods.

Vallodolid execute their game very well, but I really don't think they'd walk over Stoke. Very few teams do, passing game or not.

[Bris Vegas]

In answer to your question:

Jordi Lopez - 15 games in 2 seasons. Failure - Yes

Guillem Bauza - 49 games in 3 seasons. Spells at Hereford, Northampton and now Exeter. Failure - Yes

Gorka Pintado - Rarely a starter, usually a subsitute. Now plying his trade with AEK Larnaca a Cypriot team. Failure - Yes

Andrea Orlandi - Barely played in the successfuly Swansea team. Now dropped down to Brighton. Where he rarely starts. Failure - Yes

Alberto Serran - 30 games in 3 years. Now playing for AEK Larnaca in Cyprus. Failure - Yes

Your not the scout for AEK Larnaca by any chance Bris??

Haven't got a clue....

Erm, they were all starters for a team that finished in the top half of the NPC.. 2 now play in the PL..

You said players like that can't cut it in the PL, I just proved you wrong..

Are you saying Valladolid or Celta Vigo wouldn't walk the NPC? It has nothing to do with who the opposition is, it has everything to do with your own team-mates, your clubs style of play and your managers coaching style.

Tell me what Idiakez had the better season.. The one who played under GB and was the focus point in midfield for passing and recieving the ball, or the one who played under Phil Brown and had the ball sail over his head every few minutes?

People really don't understand how important the manager and team-mates are to certain players.. Jermaine Pennant was absolutely wack in La Liga but was a star for Stoke.. Why?

When a manager walks through the door he has to look at his current players and try to mould the perfect tactics and style to suit them (Hodgson and Di Matteo were great at this).. When the window opens managers can then move players in and out and form their own squad with their own style but they need players to fit this style..

It isn't beyond the realms of reality for a manager to bring in 3 or 4 players that would heavily influence his style of football and play the way the manager wants them too.. We should know.. In the space of 2 seasons George Burley transformed a disfunctional hoofball side under Gregory into a passing and moving style with good technical ability in midfield.. He needed to completely reshape the side to match his style..

[Rampant Rob]

Erm, they were all starters for a team that finished in the top half of the NPC.. 2 now play in the PL..

You said players like that can't cut it in the PL, I just proved you wrong..

Clearly your idea of a starter is different from mine. Starting a handful of games is not my definition. Conor Doyle has started 1 game this season. Key man for us no doubt! Angel Rangel is the only regular out of that list.

[Catch 23]

I certainly think the squad is missing a bit of foreign flair and class, but which foreign players has Clough brought in? Sunu, Priskin, Cywka, Bueno...all either useless or lazy or inconsistent. Bueno was magnificent at his best, playing alongside Commons and Green etc, but against a side like Burnley or Millwall whose method to stop him was to hack him out of the game, he was far less effective. Not to mention the three or four months in which he hibernated over the winter. Players like Idiakez, technically excellent but also consistent, are rare at this level. Will Knockaert be good all season? Who knows.

A foreign player would be a dream for Clough if he could find one who was smart, technically proficient AND consistent. Certainly those types of players would be perfect for PL level, but are rarer here. I really hope we find that bit of extra class from somewhere though (get your passports out, talent scouts!)