Why not play Richards at centre back and see how he goes to my mind he is certainly better than Boyata and Garcia

Shame Rodwell is injury I think he looks very promising if only he could get an extended injury free run

I despair for the boy, he has talent, is big, strong and athletic; on the face of it he’s got most of the attributes to be a commanding box to box midfielder in the Paddy Vieira mold…… but……

Mind you, didn’t Steven Gerrard have the same sort of problems, until he grew into his body at around Rodders age? The club do seem to be taking things ‘easy does it’ with Rodwell, and are avoiding rushing him back despite the lads urgent desire to be playing.

I suppose they do have Javi Garcia available to keep the moaners chattering away contentedly and when he’s not around there’s always Yaya to stand in for him in the ‘stocks’ to collect a few rotten cabbages, so there’s no urgent need.

I was hoping that JG might get a run out but wasn’t aware he was not on the CL players list until I read VfaB’s piece. Still, whilst I don’t attempt to understand the Uefa gerrymandering over A and B lists and phony draws for post group stages, I’ll bow to his better knowledge of these matters and hope they get him listed and on the park. If not, why not Marcos Lopes or Emyr Huws? If we can’t feed a youngster into a game like this when will we?

Kolarov is fit, it was a sickness bug not an injury that kept him out against Spuds.