A note of optimism

It's been a scrappy season so far, but there have been some periods of good football, and I think if we can sort the defence out, we've potentially got a very good side on our hands.

Assuming our injured players recover, we'll have Owen, Martins, Shola and Dyer as strikers, which gives us some good combination options. Out wide, there's Milner and Duff, with Zoggy and Solano as back up. In the middle - Butt, Parker, and Emre to choose from, with Dyer capable of doing a job there as well.

The real problem area is the defence. A lot rides on whether Onyewu can be the centre back we're looking for - decisive, dominating and providing leadership. That can make a big difference to a team. If so, he could combine well with either Bramble or Taylor. And of course behind, we've got either the best or the second best keeper in the Premiership, depending on opinion.

Which only leaves full back. I don't think Carr is quite as bad as he's made out to be, and Nobby has done a great job in that position, but we could still do with improving there. Left back is probably the weakest position in the side, and a good replacement may be hard to find.

But overall, a couple of decent full backs may be all that stands between us and stepping up to the next level. That, and maybe a central midfield player like Barton, who's simply a bit better than the three we have at the moment. At the moment, we're very reliant on Dyer for our inspiration.

It may sound strange to suggest this, on the back of some dodgy performances, but things may be about to get a whole lot better.