Quote of the day

"We don't share quite the same philosophy. For him, it's more crosses, a bit of a more direct style, whereas I'm more the kind of player who likes to play short passes. I like to pass and move, a little bit like Swansea when we played against them. I was very impressed with the way Swansea played football. That is the kind of football I like. That's the philosophy I learned at the French academy at Clairefontaine."

Not everyone's currently got a beaming smile on their face, it seems. It's not surprising that HBA, now he's fit again, is champing at the bit for regular first-team action (which I felt he deserved after the critical opening goal against Bolton), but more concerning is the suggestion that the Frenchman has a problem with our playing style - even if his caricature of the Silver Fox as a hoof-and-hope merchant is rather unfair.

The way both Big Lad and substitute O'Best played on Wednesday night presumably means they will be in pole position for the striking berths for tomorrow's tussle with Blackburn, but with Ba now off on international duty HBA is likelier to get an opportunity to come off the bench and stake a claim for a permanent place in the side. Head down, mouth shut.