Hate to say this....

[Hoboh]

Play as well as we might as a team the frightening thing is the big differnce between us putting in a backs to the wall performance in which the Arse may have finally run us over and winning is Sturrige? the boy is way out of our league and will be sorely missed next term. His runs and movement are putting fear into oppomants and it works tremendous for our options, Cahill we get by Sturride wear the hell will we replace him from?

But who gives a shiney? we beat the Arse!!!

[Lord Kangana]

Meths?

[Prufrock]

Still not sure he ain't a tad billy big balls. Hope to god we keep him, but if we do, he needs to learn to pass the fecker. THEN he will be a top player.

[Salford Trotter]

Play as well as we might as a team the frightening thing is the big differnce between us putting in a backs to the wall performance in which the Arse may have finally run us over and winning is Sturrige? the boy is way out of our league and will be sorely missed next term. His runs and movement are putting fear into oppomants and it works tremendous for our options, Cahill we get by Sturride wear the hell will we replace him from?

But who gives a shiney? we beat the Arse!!!

get £20m+ for cahill and hopefully Eddie lets OC spend £10m on Sturridge....wishful thinking I know but given that I can't see Sturridge playing week in week out at the Bridge and it could be a case of "rather the devil he knows" if the deal is right.

[hi there, i'm chris]

I remember hearing the same things about Wilshere.

Whilst Sturridge might be different to that because he's getting goals, we'll be fine without him if needs be.

[Prufrock]

Wilshere is the future of England's midfield. Sturridge is not quite that level. Cracking player, but not, IMO, quite good enough for the very top. Jermain Defoe/ Darren Bent sort of level. Hopefully that means we have half a chance of keeping him permanently. More than Jacky anyway.

[LiOC]

get £20m+ for cahill and hopefully Eddie lets OC spend £10m on Sturridge....wishful thinking I know but given that I can't see Sturridge playing week in week out at the Bridge and it could be a case of "rather the devil he knows" if the deal is right.

Was thinking this the other week. 50m on torres plus they have a few good strikers and can see abramavich going striker shopping instead tbh. He doesn't want to warm chelseas bench and as long as we have the cash, can see us being a likely choice for him.

[Athers]

Still not sure he ain't a tad billy big balls. Hope to god we keep him, but if we do, he needs to learn to pass the fecker. THEN he will be a top player.

I can't decide sometimes if his extra touches are because he really is just that single-minded he always wants to get himself a shooting chance, or he's just desperate to impress... Gotta say though that his two 'final ball' passes for Lee today were excellent.

Give him the benefit of the doubt and say it's the decision making of a confident young player.

[BWFC_Insane]

Wilshere is the future of England's midfield. Sturridge is not quite that level. Cracking player, but not, IMO, quite good enough for the very top. Jermain Defoe/ Darren Bent sort of level. Hopefully that means we have half a chance of keeping him permanently. More than Jacky anyway.

I see what you're saying but I see it the other way around.

Wilshere as good as he is, still has to add an end product to his game for me. Goals and assists on a regular basis if he is to be that complete world class midfield player.

Sturridge has that end product already see his goals plus two sublime passes for Lee yesterday. The second especially being top draw.

Sturridge has to show that he can be as good when he's not a big fish in a small pond. And yes he has to learn to sometimes get his head up and not try to go all by himself. But that for me will happen.

Whether Wilshere makes the step from stunning youngster into truly world class footballer I think is up in the air. Had a lot of the ball yesterday but I don't recall anything he did ever truly hurting us once!

[TKIZ!]

Still a 'difference maker' is Sturridge. It was like when we had Anelka, someone who can give the oppo something to think about. I agree that Chelsea will want to go Striker shopping because it's still Abramovich's vanity project and unfortunately I don't think he thinks Sturridge is a star attraction enough for Chelsea

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Gotta say though that his two 'final ball' passes for Lee today were excellent.

Give him the benefit of the doubt and say it's the decision making of a confident young player.

This. But also as Chris says - we were expected to struggle without Wilshere, who's a better player. Not that Sturridge is in any way poor - and his pace with and without the ball gives defences a problem no other first-team Wanderer seems to. Expect more pace to come in during the summer.

It puts the pressure on to keep finding crackers but we're becoming a favoured destination for managers to send their top not-quite-there-yet players. (One as-yet untapped market might be Liverpool, given Dalglish's alleged fondness for his fellow Glaswegian manager and our relative proximity.)

As for signing Sturridge, he'll surely go back to Chelsea and stake a strong claim. Anelka, Drogba and Lampard are all 32/33 by next season, so their medium-term future is Malouda/Torres/Kalou/Sturridge (plus any new signing by any new manager). We're more likely to get him in summer 2012, after another year of benchwarming, for half the price. And he'll be much gladder to come. Play the long game.

Two other things re Chelsea (and old-Blade-striker-offspring): Danny Philliskirk will join Sheff U permanently in summer, which may make him rue turning us down; and Jack Cork, whom Coyle took to Burnley, is available so don't be astonished to see us linked.

[BWFC_Insane]

Gotta say though that his two 'final ball' passes for Lee today were excellent.

Give him the benefit of the doubt and say it's the decision making of a confident young player.

This. But also as Chris says - we were expected to struggle without Wilshere, who's a better player. Not that Sturridge is in any way poor - and his pace with and without the ball gives defences a problem no other first-team Wanderer seems to. Expect more pace to come in during the summer.

It puts the pressure on to keep finding crackers but we're becoming a favoured destination for managers to send their top not-quite-there-yet players. (One as-yet untapped market might be Liverpool, given Dalglish's alleged fondness for his fellow Glaswegian manager and our relative proximity.)

As for signing Sturridge, he'll surely go back to Chelsea and stake a strong claim. Anelka, Drogba and Lampard are all 32/33 by next season, so their medium-term future is Malouda/Torres/Kalou/Sturridge (plus any new signing by any new manager). We're more likely to get him in summer 2012, after another year of benchwarming, for half the price. And he'll be much gladder to come. Play the long game.

Two other things re Chelsea (and old-Blade-striker-offspring): Danny Philliskirk will join Sheff U permanently in summer, which may make him rue turning us down; and Jack Cork, whom Coyle took to Burnley, is available so don't be astonished to see us linked.

If someone said, right now we could have for 5M a choice of Wilshere or Sturridge, I'd take Sturridge every single time.

I'd be stunned if anyone would pick Wilshere.

[TKIZ!]

Gotta say though that his two 'final ball' passes for Lee today were excellent.

Give him the benefit of the doubt and say it's the decision making of a confident young player.

This. But also as Chris says - we were expected to struggle without Wilshere, who's a better player. Not that Sturridge is in any way poor - and his pace with and without the ball gives defences a problem no other first-team Wanderer seems to. Expect more pace to come in during the summer.

It puts the pressure on to keep finding crackers but we're becoming a favoured destination for managers to send their top not-quite-there-yet players. (One as-yet untapped market might be Liverpool, given Dalglish's alleged fondness for his fellow Glaswegian manager and our relative proximity.)

As for signing Sturridge, he'll surely go back to Chelsea and stake a strong claim. Anelka, Drogba and Lampard are all 32/33 by next season, so their medium-term future is Malouda/Torres/Kalou/Sturridge (plus any new signing by any new manager). We're more likely to get him in summer 2012, after another year of benchwarming, for half the price. And he'll be much gladder to come. Play the long game.

Two other things re Chelsea (and old-Blade-striker-offspring): Danny Philliskirk will join Sheff U permanently in summer, which may make him rue turning us down; and Jack Cork, whom Coyle took to Burnley, is available so don't be astonished to see us linked.

If someone said, right now we could have for 5M a choice of Wilshere or Sturridge, I'd take Sturridge every single time.

I'd be stunned if anyone would pick Wilshere.

Sturridge, hands down for me

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

If someone said, right now we could have for 5M a choice of Wilshere or Sturridge

(...)

I'd be stunned

Wilshere will command higher fees. YHIHF.

[Prufrock]

Wilshere every single time. We know how hard it is to find the all round central midfielder who can play in a two. Sturridge is good, but pace and goals aren't as rare, if more expensive. Put it this way, I don't particularly rate Defo, but I'd rather have him than Sturridge, and certainly I'd rather have Darren Bent. I also think Wilshere would command a higher fee than Sturridge when it came to selling them. At 19, young in a young team, he has been outstanding for them, ran it against Barca. He was a bit quiet yesterday, but he has had a cracking season.

[Lord Kangana]

Give me either. Its not like you could be pissed off with getting just one. So pehaps "stunned" was a little hyperboloic.

[bobo the clown]

In the end I'd take Wilshire. Not that I'd turn either down.

But Sturridge shows what we've all known for years ; ... we need a fast, pacy striker.

I actually can't recall our last truly fast forward ... unless it was Steve (Roadrunner) Taylor ?? (Isiah Rankin does NOT count)

[thebish]

In the end I'd take Wilshire. Not that I'd turn either down.

But Sturridge shows what we've all known for years ; ... we need a fast, pacy striker.

I actually can't recall our last truly fast forward ... unless it was Steve (Roadrunner) Taylor ?? (Isiah Rankin does NOT count)

Vaz Te!!! come on!

[hi there, i'm chris]

Michael Ricketts??

He could skip past players like they wern't there when he could be arsed.

[bobo the clown]

Michael Ricketts??

He could skip past players like they wern't there when he could be arsed.

... and it was a big arse !!

Not quite Defoe, Andy Johnson territory though.

Vaz Te ..... maybe I should have been more specific .... " ... and stay on his feet from time to time". My fault, sorry.