The ZZ and Kepa Connection

With ZZ's first competitive game now behind him in a 1-0 win over Chelski Reserves it won't be long before Pards deems him ready and up to speed and unleashs him onto the Premiership. Lets just hope he adjusts to english football better than sad Omar Pouso's 57 minutes against Portsmouth back in September. There's been a bit of banter about ZZ's yellow card received on Monday for diving, sorry simulation, but Pards has been more impressed by the smile on his face - must be the shock at trying what they call Chinese food in the UK - and says that his main strength is his technical ability.

The reserve game report noted Zheng's growing influence as the match progressed and ignoring his technical abilities, observes instead that he is a player with vision and deftness, and is keener going forwards than back.

And talking of diving, what better place to see it, in Europe anyway, than dear old Spain. There's even a section about it every week in the football round-up on a Sunday evening - Was the ref Right or Wrong? And give credit where's its due, some of them are very good at it, the players that is, not the refs. Did he touch him, was there a nudge there, or did he simply dive? Countless replays seek to establish the answer and even then its sometimes a matter of endless debate, which of course is very popular here in Spain.

So its obviously very pleasing, and a bit of a relief, as far as the Kepa transfer saga is concerned to note that Curbs has been sold the blurb hook, line and sinker. It was obviously a right old wind-up from the word go on Pardews' behalf to get the Hammers to waste some of their many millions. Looked like it was going wrong when Man. City got interested but at last Curbs took the bait. Ask yourself, whoever heard of a Spanish forward, especially one from the sun-basking regions of Southern Andalucia, Marbella in fact, surviving and being a success in English football? What are his figures? 22 goals in 87 games and more than half of them in the reserve side.

Remember Mendieta, Luque, Morientes and even Reyes, also from Andalucia, an argueable success at Arsenal, got homesick after a couple of years and went home. Why, you've only got to talk to a Spaniard in the street and they'll all tell you they can't wait to get home to get some real cooking and some sun.

No, better to forget the Spanish, we're got better players at the Valley already. Why, even Lisbie's scored 19 from 67 appearances........