I know we aren't starting from scratch but lets say we were. How many of our team would you choose to have ? The reason I ask is that there have been a couple of comments today about how we missed Robert Lee, and how Barton held the defence together on his own, and how Speed was all over the place batting in midfield.

We are going to finish 13th or 14th in the league. This having become our natural place in the order of things for the last four seasons.

If I was starting from scratch I wouldn't have a midfield dependent on a 35 year old player. He has slowed dramatically over the last few seasons and now is just a good positional player who can block things. This is fine but it isn't really enough if we wish to be any more than a team who blocks the opposition. He offers nothing positve at all, it is just coming up to 3 years since he last scored a league goal for us. Comapre him with other sides top defensive guys in Keane (yeah I know) and Viera and even Hamann. For me his replacement is the priority signing for the summer.

Barton is a lovely lad, will run til he drops but really just isn't up to it now at Premiership level. He has all the attributes that a gnarled old pro should ahve he just can't seem to get them together. Compare him to Stuart Pearce or Lee Dixon or Winterburn or Irwin who are all older than him and all still performing better. Luckily we have Griffin to replace him.

Gary Speed puts himself about and is committed but seems to me to disappear in games. If we are to compete with the best then he just can't be included in that strata. He offers options at set pieces as he is good in the air, but I struggle to recall any tiem he has either beaten a player or passed the ball into an attacking position ("hurt the opposition" as Big Ron would put it).

The combination of Lee and Speed stalking the half way line leaves us always outnumbered in attack. We all want Solano to stick wide which means we have one spare midfielder to support our currently static forwards. This means three of us on to four of them, before any of their midfield comes back to help, lets say 3 on to 6, no wonder we can't score goals.

Up front I'm not happy either. Cort and Shearer have not really played together this season so it's an unknown as to how it will work. The concern I have is that when they have played on their own they have looked very similar .... strong, static, capable of scoring at the back post. I feel fottball has moved on from the days that a big strong forward won you things. Liverpool have the perfect specimen but have also three hugely mobile options. Man U don't have one, Arsenal play with mobility as the key. For us the only fowards to have shown any skill, or willingness to move around have been Gallacher and Ameobi. Gallacher is a superb squad player but doesn't score enough any more. Shola has been half of our brightness this season. He is local, 'still learning' so seems to be able to be discarded are put on the bench far more readily than bought in players.

If I was starting from scratch I'd be looking at Given and Harper, although they need to be louder. Griffin I'm happy with. Quinn and O'Brien I have only seen a few times so I don't know. Dabizas looks fine but he always did until his confidence got the better of him. Hughes I'm happy with. In midfield Dyer is a must, Solano is a maybe, Bassedas is a maybe, the rest leave me cold. Up front I need to see a fully fit Shearer otherwise he's not worth it. Cort scores but I haven't really seen him enough to be sure. Ameobi only has to improve a wee bit to be great.

-- Anonymous, April 22, 2001

Answers

To have some constructive input id have to say (without being 'bitchy') it would be a fairly good idea for NUFC to start from scratch(ish)

Personally I think Hughes is class, why he wasn’t playing yesterday is anyone’s guess, probably a better right back than Barton imho

You can only play with one right winger, so realistically you may as well cash in on Solano as (and even YOU know it, no matter what Hall & Sheppard say) your in a bit of £$£ bother.

Speed is canny I reckon (but must be about 30 now?), you do need a left winger and a defensive midfielder and a new striker, as well as a new "Commanding" centerback as I reckon Dabizas is a joke and although Griffin, Hughes, O'Brien & Quinn all have good qualities (All under 21, all British, All promising), they have very little physical presence at all, leaving you to be fucked up the arse when you play V Niall Quinn, Duncan Ferguson, Harston, Heskey etc

-- Anonymous, April 22, 2001

Its good to see that when Bassedas is allowed to play more centrally he looks as if he could turn out to be a decent player. As Shearer said on Sky at half time, he aint no left sided midfielder.

-- Anonymous, April 22, 2001

Starting from scratch is a difficult concept to contemplate. If we were really starting from scratch, on a CM sort of basis, a lot would depend on what I was expecting to have to pay for many of our present squad.

On a more realistic basis, I feel the following are worth a place in our squad going forward:

Keepers
Given & Harper - they are both just a little short of absolutely top class keepers in that neither of them commands his box, but they are adequate.

Defenders
Griffin, Hughes, O'Brien, Dabz, Quinn (must prove himself next season), G & S Caldwell.

Midfield
Dyer, Bassedas & Gavilan(for one more season in the hopes they come good, otherwise they go), Speed (probably one more season only, could be used in a trade)

Strikers
Shearer (100% fit version) Cort, Ameobi

That is a squad of 16, 14 really as Gavilan & Gary Caldwell can't realistically be considered part of the 1st team squad yet, although I expect Caldwell to come into contention for the odd appearance as next season progresses. If Gavilan doesn't break through next season he would have to go.
We need to bring in a big centre-half, another LB, another striker, and three midfield players. Barton, Lee, Acuna and Solano will probably all stay, although I'd look to cash in on the latter two if possible to finance some of the other incomings.

-- Anonymous, April 22, 2001

Yeah, I'd agree about Bassedas, that's what I've said all along. People were saying he was rubbish, but no-one had ever seen him play in the middle, always on the left.

In the last two games, he's played in the middle and looks a hundred times better. By next season he should be a certain starter for every game. He even seems to be getting stuck in some more as well which is good to see. One worry is suspensions though. He's already had 6 bookings this season and hasn't played most of our games, so for a full season he could be suspended for 4 or 5 matches, meaning we would need a ready-made replacement.

As for right wing, Dyer would be my choice as he's quick, skilful and can cross a ball well given a chance. He's also more consistent than Solano. If someone offers £6m for Nobby we should snap their hands off as it's a good deal. He only cost us £2m, although on his day he can rival Beckham for his medium range passing ability (although not on all round play and long range passing).

Griffin should have been played whenever possible this season. Most of the fans I know respect Barton for what he's done and th effort he puts in, but know that he's getting on a bit and Griffin should come in. He puts basically the same effort in but has more talent. If he had a good run in the team I could easily see him replacing Gary Neville in the England squad, who is a joke at international and club level.

I don't know whether Shearer is ever going to get fit again, I've got a feeling he could be in and out of the treatment room for the next 6 months. We need to buy a new striker. Cort and Ameobi together doesn't really work and Gallacher is going to be sold at the end of the season. Don't know who at the moment though. Neil Harris of Millwall seemed canny, but he has never been tested any higher than Division 2. I'm glad we never signed that Clinton Morrison from Palace. He hasn't exactly set the world alight since his run of form prior to the Mackems beating them.

Quinn looks better each game, his forward play is the most impressive. For once we have an option on the left hand side, meaning we don't have to rely on Solano to get the ball into the box. O'Brien has seemed decent so far.

My team would be:

Given Griffin Dabizas O'Brien/Hughes Quinn Dyer Bassedas Acuna A new left winger Cort/Ameobi Shearer or another

-- Anonymous, April 22, 2001

I agree with Mac b & Clarky. The defence seems OK if we let Barton go, we could do with a left back of quality as I don't see that Quinn uqite has it & I like the full backs to play a bit so would buy back Stevie Watson.

Midfield needs a lot of Work. Speed can go, I've never thought he was great, he reminds me of ME when I play - good header, zealos tackler, no pace & too scared to take anyone on &use his tricks in a real situation, he tries floaty passes that look good when they come off but really are a waste. I even look like Gary so I'm allowed to slag him off. Replace him with Lee Clark & £1m and we have a deal. left hand side we have nothing, Buy back Ginola for two seasons (OK we'll get one more good one out of him) & rotate him with a straight up & down speedy winger, Glass perhaps while we find the perfect foil. Other centre midfielders, I'd like Dyer in a more advanced role & I like Basedas, certainly he was a bit of craft amonst the toil. Right hand side remains Nobby for me or Dyer when he's in Peru. Up front I think we need a trick or two & Dyer could be the man to do it otherwise Juninio could be cheap. Then we have Cort/Shearer & Ameobi to choose from.

That is my bargain solution to the short term problem & gives us a season to bed some more talent in. Keith Andrews from Wolves, Prutton from Forest, stu Barrowclough's son from Barnsley (it might be Grimsby)

-- Anonymous, April 22, 2001

We need a hard working defensive midfielder who is disciplined enough to let the other three midfielders get on with the fancy stuff.

Bassedas will prosper in the central role when he has options either side of him and up front. He's the only player at the club who can see the angled pass into the box AND make it work.

Barton seems the correct option but the task will probably fall to Speed, who should be experienced enough to change his game in much the same way Rob Lee has managed to do. Let Speed be the threat from set pieces but otherwise he contributes little going forward.

Give Barton a rest. Griffin must play for the remainder of the season before someone tries to buy him and he wants to leave for first team football. There is an international place available and Griffin will see that.

Give Bonvin a chance. If you do well in the reserves you should get the chance to show it in the first team. Without those chances the players will not perform. First teamers need to have the pressure from the reserves and showing them that players can come in may buck up a couple of players.

If we win our two games in hand we go one point behind the mackems, there is everything to play for this season.

-- Anonymous, April 23, 2001

Our biggo problemo is that the we have loads of promising defenders and almost no promising midfielders or strikers.

-- Anonymous, April 23, 2001

Bonvin, Green, Kerr, Ameobi, Chopra, Offiong.

Green may have started a first team match this season if it wasn't for his shoulder injury. I realise that they are not going to spark much excitement at the minute but they have promise.

-- Anonymous, April 23, 2001