Mark - Now that LA Galaxy have a big-name Manager, if you owned the NY Red Bulls, whom would you try to get as their Manager? And, is that different from whom you think they can realistically get?

Bobby – Perhaps the biggest problem that the Red Bulls ownership has is convincing someone that they will be given time to turn this team and move it in the right direction. After a while if managers keep on getting moved then the type of manager that you are going to attract is not likely to be the one you need.

No name jumps out at me at the moment but whoever it is has to have some media savvy. The Red Bulls ownership needs to see the manager as someone who fits into an overall plan. The plan will then dictate the type of manger that the club needs to go after.

ManUtd2006 - I agree with one of the above bloggers about having a preliminary round of qualifying in Europe because seeing Germany thrashing San Marino 13-0 is a nuisance. Say the bottom 16 ranked teams to compete for 4 to 5 spots in a small tournament in order to give them something to fight for if not the Finals. What do you think on that?

Doing so, bigger teams do not have to play up to 14 matches to qualify because it is grueling to the players, managers, and clubs concerned.

One more question, I did not watch the MLS Cup Final because there are better things to watch on TV. Did Houston play well enough or Revs had a bad day?

Bobby – It makes sense but it is not likely to happen. The extra games (even against minnows) brings in extra television and gate revenue for UEFA and the national associations and they are not about to give that.

There is another even simpler way of reducing the number of games and still allowing the small nations to compete – logistically playing a 16-team tournament to get down to four teams or so is not necessarily as easy as it might sound.

The alternative is to go back to the World Cup qualifying system from the 70s and before. Fourteen groups instead of seven and only the top team qualifies. It would drop the number of game needed to six or eight. The chances of it ever happening – nil.

I enjoyed the MLS Cup Final - a much, much better game than last season. The Revs owned the first half but the Dynamo turned it around in the second.

Henry14 - Alan Hansen -1989 I was part of a Liverpool side that would have won the championship had they limited Arsenal to a 1-0 win at Anfield. It proved a very awkward match to prepare for - Arsenal knew exactly what they had to do - and in the event we conceded a second goal and lost the title.

Bobby – That might be the case but Arsenal knew they had to win 2-0. Croatia knows that they have to turn up – no matter the score they have already qualified. The issue is really down to the finals next summer.

Here is a piece from the Daily Telegraph that maps out possible seeds.

“But victory over Croatia does have a huge significance in terms of the Uefa co-efficients used for the Euro 2008 finals draw in Lucerne on Dec 2. An England triumph would improve their co-efficient to 2.318, taking them ahead of Croatia's 2.273 and, most significantly, replacing Slaven Bilic's team among the four second seeds for next summer.

As No 2 seeds, England could be drawn in a group with first seeds Austria, Switzerland, holders Greece and either Holland or Germany (depending on results tonight). England would then avoid the talents of Italy, the Czech Republic and either Holland or Germany.
A draw tonight would leave England with a worse co-efficient than Croatia and would condemn McClaren's side to a place among the No 3 seeds, seriously complicating their hopes of a safe passage to the knock-out stage”.

Getz76 - How did Alex Prus let Smith off with only a caution after an intentional head-butt? I think someone needs to send the man a copy of the laws. I understand not wanting to "ruin" a cup final, but there is no place for that.

Bobby – I thought he was very lucky to stay on the park after doing what he did. I think there is also another angle to the incident. If I was Craig Weibel then I knew from that point on that I had the beating of Khano Smith. Smith reaction was one of frustration coming right after the Houston equalizer and was a sure sign that he had lost the upper hand. From being a potential match-winner in the first half he became a frustrated figure on the left wing in the second as Brian Mullen played a bit deeper to help Weibel out.

Verbal97 - Speaking of Scotland's future, has anyone heard anything recently about this McCarthy kid that supposedly some teams were after this past summer?

Bobby – Well if it is James McCarthy of Hamilton Accies (I think I wrote a bit about them a few weeks ago) then it is a case of The Republic of Ireland’s future rather than Scotland. He qualifies for the Republic and has already played for the Republic at age group levels. From what I am told he continues to impress (a 17-year-old I believe) and Hamilton are currently sitting at the top of the Scottish First Division. Under manager Billy Reid Hamilton have a number of good young players who are making an impression.

RINGO – 1. Is this the worst "transfer" of recent times? Steve Bruce to Wigan for 3m pounds! 2. Will McLeish still be in charge when WC qualifying comes round? Will he be able to resist when a premier league club comes calling? Birmingham perhaps?

Bobby – 1. If they stay up – no. But will they stay up? I find it difficult to fathom – mediocre manager who has received outstanding support from his board and has never produced anything except mediocre results.
2. I hope so but there is the temptation of big money in the Premiership. I would hope however, that Scotland would win out over Birmingham particularly given their current “take-over” situation.

oldcoach - Interesting interview with Don Garber. I have never been much for the hipster marketing that he subscribes to but it is hard to deny the business success that MLS has seen during his tenure. If you project out 10 to 15 years, where do you think MLS will be?

Bobby – Ten to fifteen years from now – a league of24 teams that is so solid that nobody questions it. Involvement is multiple club competitions both domestic and regionally. No articles that start “Soccer is really growing in America. In Europe and South America it has a following like baseball or NFL” or similar rubbish.

A steady stream of players coming through with the best players still heading to big teams in Europe (and hopefully to South America and Mexico). From a Canadian point of view four of the twenty four teams north of the border.

Craigy_f – 1. Would you want Usmanov as an owner of a club you supported?
2. What next for Scotland? A new manager or stick with the current set up for 2010 qualification.
3. How much would Dixie Dean be worth in today's money - say in the summer of 28 after he bagged the 60 goals.
4. Do you think Bruce is right to leave to try and resurrect a 'dead horse’?
5. Who do you think will try to finish second (in euro 08 qualifying) and how will they do it? Or have they already done it?

Bobby – 1. I think it would disappointing for any team to have someone like that own a club but it seems that as far as many fans are concerned as long as the new owner spends money and the team wins then an owner’s background does not come into it.

2. Stick with it, although the expectations need to be controlled. A good Euro campaign does not entitle a team to place in South Africa in three years. \

3. I think all that can be said is that his price would be a record one no matter the era.

4. I think Bruce’s move shows his lack of faith in his own ability. He’s leaving Birmingham a bit early because his contract is not being renewed and instead he has opted for a long term deal with a side that has a big relegation fight on its hands. A more confident manager would have ridden out the Birmingham situation confident that if his team performed well there would be no shortage of clubs lining up to sign him if Birmingham didn’t.

5. It looks so tight that a number of teams still have a chance to get what many expect to be the one remaining top seeded position. I’m not sure that the situation can be as easily managed as it sounds and even then you still run the risk of being seeded two and drawing a difficult group. I’m looking at the likely 16 qualifiers and even the teams likely to be seeded fourth are going to be very tough. 

Wyofc - Do you think after next year the league will comment that the Designated Player is working so well that they will grant all teams yet another DP slot? Allowing David Beckham and Landon Donavan to play on the same team and be the most marketable team worldwide for MLS and becoming the face for MLS.

Bobby – If that decision is made then is going to have to be for the better of the league as a whole not one team – otherwise it will just backfire. The last time I checked they were playing on the same team this season.

With due respect to Landon Donovan, whether or not he plays for the Galaxy or not isn’t really a concern for football fans worldwide. The vast majority don’t care. I think you are vastly overestimating the world’s view of him. And there interest in MLS for that matter. MLS needs to continue to grow in North America – thinking worldwide is getting way ahead of themselves.

Getz76 - Nice broadcast last night as usual. Any truth to getting you on-air for Wednesday night? It will give me something to watch while the turkey is in the brine. What does everyone think of McClaren's decision to go with Robinson in goal? I still think there are at least three healthy England keepers in better form (James, Green, Carson). Why did he bother starting Carson in the friendly, then? I know it was not exactly a stiff test versus Austria, but it seems like the man can deal with a cross!

Bobby – Thank you but I will not be on the FSR tomorrow night. As for the goalkeeping situation it sounds as if Scott Carson will be starting.

A bumper crop this week.

Ulsterson - I know you have been an ardent critic of the Glazers financial model used in the purchase United. As a United fan but not much of an economist I have tried, with marginal success, to follow your analysis and critique. I understand the concept of "bad debt" you have been warning against but I still don't see the upside, financially, for the Glazers if they don't keep the team competitive.

You have, since not long after or perhaps even before the takeover, come just short of predicting financial ruin leading to on field failure as resources for talent dwindle. As obviously smart business men, I cannot see the Glazers allowing the Team/product to suffer because of their financial scheme. Further, the purchases of late would indicate they do realize the necessity for success on the pitch for there to be success at the bank.

There is no question that their involvement in United is not based on a love of the team or even the sport itself and the debt situation does look dire on paper but could you please further explain any possible hustle we should be leery of? If you could, a "for example" of a possible scenario, in which they could make money at the expense of the team’s quality. Or, is it just a very risky gamble?

Bobby – You are right the Glazers have to keep the team competitive because the issue for them (at the moment) is a revenue shortfall rather than an expense problem. They bought the team believing that they could generate more and new revenue streams. The increase in revenue would then be used to pay down the large debt load.

The problem is where does the revenue come from and is it realistic to think it can be amount to the $100m or so in annual payments needed to pay the interest on the debt? Generally the revenue sources available to United fall into the following categories; ticket sales and hospitality, television and prize revenue domestic, television and prize revenue Europe, merchandising and sponsorship.

If you look back to when the Glazers borrowed to take the club over (it is more accurate description than bought the club) it would be fair to say that none of these revenue sources have dwindled and most have in fact increased. Prices and capacity have increased at Old Trafford; TV and prize money for the EPL up; Champions League is still producing; there was word that they got more for the AIG logo on the jersey than from the previous sponsor.

But even then they renegotiated the debt and reduced the interest payment at a cost of a longer term repayment schedule. Think in terms of your mortgage – it’s the kind of thing you do when you find that the monthly budget can’t be stretched far enough. 

So the plan/hope is that the team can continue to be successful (and tap into an ever increasing pool of Premiership and CL money) but that is a risky assumption on two levels and in terms of continued succeess one that Leeds made. (Although in the case of Leeds they had nothing else to fall back on. Leeds also got caught with assets/players bought at inflated prices whose value then plummeted as the impact of the Bosman ruling took affect.)

Ticket prices will continue to be a place that the Glazers will feel they can generate much more money – Carling Cup this season as a prime example – because the stadium is playing to capacity. Demand high – a chance to raise prices.

The tricky part kicks in when the revenue increases don’t meet the money needed to pay the interest on the debt. It is at that point that the temptation might be to cut costs and pray that the product isn’t impacted. To date there has been money spent on players but it seems doubtful that it has been anything close to the numbers that have been widely reported. The deals for Anderson and Nani seem to have been done with relatively low initial payments with more to follow if certain targets are hit. The Hargreaves transfer involved more money up front but the same concept.

The other risk is Ferguson and who takes over from him. The Glazer deal is structured around a timeline that far exceeds the number of years that Fergie has left. He may think he can go on forever but he is 66 at the end of December and the day will come. The likelihood of a seamless succession appears to me to be a hope rather than the certainty that the Glazers need.

When you add up the finances, the risks inherent in what appears to be the Glazers assumptions, as well as the general uncertainty and risk that is involved in any deal, it seems to me that for this to work it needs an incredible amount of luck.

There again, they could always sell the Tampa Bay Rowdies or United for that matter. There would be no shortage of buyers for either team. If United was to be sold then the fans should be looking for a philanthropist not a businessman. 

RINGO - Dundee, six points behind Hamilton (who the hell are Hamilton anyway?), and you don`t like to brag on your hometown, so here`s your chance.

Bobby – A bad loss to Hamilton a couple of weeks ago and a draw with Partick Thistle on Saturday only increased the gap at the top. Keep your eye on Hamilton Academical. They have a very aggressive youth policy under manager Billy Reid and it is beginning to pay off. You will see the bigger clubs starting to pick off some of their players next summer.

Hamilton plays Dundee United in the quarter-final of the CIS Cup on Wednesday and it will be a very interesting game. Craig Levein seems to have United cooking.

Dasayev - Interesting that on more than one occasion Jol pointed to the absence of Ledley King as a reason for Spurs' poor defense. Is there any truth in that? What is Tottenham's record with and without King over the past few seasons? How many goals do they concede per game with and without him? They also recently lost Davids, who seemed to set the tone for them when he played.

Bobby – The statistics show that Ledley King is very important to Spurs. I looked at Premiership records over the last two seasons with King in the side and without King.

In 2005/06 King played 26 matches and Spurs averaged 1.00 goal against per game. That happened to be the same as they averaged over the entire 38 game schedule. However, the points per game with King in the team were 1.846 per game and only 1.416 without him – the season average was 1.71. That means with Ledley King in the side Spurs were 30% more successful.

Last season the goals against with King in the team for 21 games were 1.29 goals against per game and points gained were 1.81. Without Ledley it was 1.59 goals per game and an average of 1.29 points gained per game. Averaged over the full schedule Spurs conceded on average 1.42 goals per game and gained 1.58 points per game.

The difference a fit King made last season – an incredible 39.8%.

Source - premiersoccerstats.com

Davids was a peripheral player for Spurs – even two seasons ago. Last season he started six games and Spurs lost 3, drew 1 and won 2. The season before he started 28 games and played in 8 or Spurs’ 9 losses. Average points with Davids starting were1.57. Average when he did not start 2.1. 

Craigy f – 1. What criteria do you use to choose a game of the week?
2. Do you think Ramos can turn Spurs around between now and January?
3. What result(S) surprised you this weekend?
4. Can you give your opinion on Benitez's personnel and tactics against Arsenal on Sunday?
5. What was your goal of the weekend?
6. What was your miss of the weekend?

Bobby – 1. Whatever appeals to me. 

2. It depends what you mean by turnaround. If you mean get Spurs out of the bottom three then the answer is yes. The next four games are very winnable before they hit Manchester City, Portsmouth and Arsenal. If you mean can they make a run at 5th (I think the pre-season proponents of Spurs finishing 4th would concede that such a scenario is unlikely) then they have to start averaging over 2 points a game. That is a tall order.

3. I thought Milan would bounce back against Roma and I was surprised at how Valencia rolled over against Sevilla.

4. I covered that off on the Monday show and also in the response section of the weekend preview blog.

5. Sevilla’s third by Fabiano against Valencia.

6. Solano’s second fluffed header when Cole’s shot rebounded off the Portsmouth crossbar.

JayAlves - Why does the EPL only allow 5 on the subs bench? and is it the only league to allow 5? Sure makes it annoying in FM to have such a short bench especially since one is a keeper.

Bobby – Ah interesting. I wasn’t aware that there were premier-type leagues than allowed more than five substitutes on the bench.  Sorry to be ancient but I remember the days of no substitutes. The first breakthrough was a player had to be injured and you only had one sub available. If the keeper went down injured it was just part of the game.

CIAO - Was Jol really quoted saying that the defensive problems were due to King being injured? If so, I'm glad they fired him because knowing King is injury prone he could have brought in a suitable back up. The new appointment seems very promising, but I think it will be a hard year for Spurs. They will be lucky if they place 5th. I think they will be in 6th or 7th place on the last day of PL.

Bobby – See previous response that I think clearly shows that Jol had a point. You are being hard on a man who it certainly appears did not control who was signed and who was not signed.

Weah11 - How do you pick the articles you put up on the blog?

Bobby – A combination of factors. Articles that I think are good reads; pieces that are maybe counterintuitive; articles that might be a bit unusual; and James Lawton columns to upset Craigy f. I try to avoid player interviews as a general rule.

Sleeper000 - I was curious as to what you think about the current Eduardo situation at Arsenal. The guy is incredibly gifted yet lately, he is not getting any playing time whatsoever. It seems to me like he has been relegated to fifth choice striker.

To be honest I was always nervous about Eduardo moving to Arsenal and this is not due to lack of skill. On the contrary, I think Eduardo is the most gifted forward on the Arsenal squad. However, I could never stop thinking about what happened to Croatian megastar #### when he moved to Arsenal. Whenever #### started, he would score goals, and then one day Wenger decided to start Henry and ####'s career was over.

Do you think something similar is happening to Eduardo? Now that Walcott and Bendtner are doing well, is this pretty much it for Eduardo? What happened to "It is Eduardo's time to shine"? Could he really be struggling that much with getting accustomed to his life in England, that he does not even merit a spot on the bench? I personally highly doubt that. What are your thoughts?

Bobby – As others have pointed out Wenger generally does not rush new players into the side. There are also many examples of his patience paying off.

I don’t think comparing this situation to ####’s is necessarily a fair comparison. I stand to be corrected but my recollection is that ####’s best years were behind him by the time he came to Highbury. Otherwise Real Madrid would not have let him go so easily.

He had a great World Cup in 1998 but it was a bit of an anomaly compared to his club form. There is nothing in his record post-Arsenal to indicate that letting him leave was a mistake. In retrospect replacing a 31-year-old #### with a 22-year-old Thierry Henry paid off don’t you think?

Craigy  f - Correct me if I'm wrong but can't a player still play for one country after playing for another country at u20 or u21 level. Freddy Adu can still play for Ghana at full international even though he's played for USA U20 MNT.

Bobby – You are right about the first point but not on the second I think. Adu has been capped at the full international level for the USA has he not - back a few years ago against Canada I believe.

Sleeper000 - You mentioned yesterday that you would start Taylor for Portsmouth. Who would you drop then? Certainly not Kranjcar who is doing so well for the team. Anybody who would drop Kranjcar is obviously not too familiar with his talent. I'd hesitate to drop Hreidarsson either since he compliments Niko so well. Your thoughts?

Bobby – I don’t recall saying that I would start Taylor. I noted he was being kept on the bench and had only started three Premiership games this season. He was Portsmouth’s second top scorer last season with 8 goals as he was the season before with 6.  Given his talent and in particular his left foot I said he could be an in-demand player come the winter transfer window. Maybe a Portsmouth fan can fill any other details.