mrfahaji

Or sold... Don't worry, the black box has our back. After all, when we lost Mane we wondered if he could be replaced and we ended up with the next Thierry Henry. Pretty sure I saw Henry use both feet from time to time though...

At 0-0, while I thought it was better than going out, I did wonder if failing to score in four of our six games merited progression... I do think the away goals rule as a tie breaker in the group is a bit ridiculous (head to head fine, but away goals should only be factored in during a knock out game), however it was perhaps fitting that we went out that way given we failed to score at all away. Too safe in every game, too safe tonight. We suck the life out of games even if we're not winning. Teams nearly always get A chance during the 90 minutes, and against us they invariably score it. Maybe a win would have papered over the cracks. This has to be a wake up call.

I've been on the fence about him for a while, recently I've been wondering why he never runs at players in more of a "he could be so much better" way. But today has put me firmly on the side of "he is bl00dy rubbish". Not sure how I've not noticed before, but he hasn't got a left foot AT ALL. To the extent that half the pitch is unavailable to him. Every time he has to cut back on his right foot, and he doesn't have any pace! He takes the safe option most of the time, and screws up the pass most of the time. Sims is already much better. Dreadful decision to take him off instead of woeful Redmond.

I think that's his point.

Can you stop providing stats like that, it's making me nervous! I prefer to stick my head in the sand, safe in the knowledge that just by being an English Premier League side we will, by rights, beat a team from... bless them... Israel. The last thing I need is some sort of 'expert' with hard facts and evidence suggesting that there might be reason for concern!

I thought it was his ratio of threads started to normal posts. RIP Dave.

I've seen Austin have a few good all-round games recently. Didn't see Palace or Hull, maybe he was rubbish in both. But when he came on for J-Rod against Inter (certainly in the San Siro, maybe at home too?) he turned the game because of his hold up play and tenacity in chasing down defenders. I know he's not "pacey" but I've seen him give defenders a run for their money at times. What he lacks in pace he makes up for in doggedness! I'm not saying he always has a great all round game (but let's face it, Pelle had some diabolical ones too), but I've seen enough games which counter the argument that he never has one.

Opportunity well and truly missed! (any excuse to bump this thread, scandalous that it had fallen to Page 2)

Agreed to an extent. Davis shows some forward thinking at times, and Hojbjerg occasionally drives forward, but not sure either does enough to make up for whoever is playing as the other midfielder. I think Davis & Hojbjerg are the best pair, but then JWP and Clasie can't play together in the alternative fixture. That may be why we have such problems!

Is it 'worrying' or 'expected'? I didn't see the game so can't comment on the performance, but it's not really a surprise that they were hungrier than us. It was possibly the game to save Pardew's job, and unless the players want him out they were going to bounce back from the farcical 5-4 reverse against Swansea. We, on the other hand, have just beaten Everton and Arsenal, so probably a little complacent against 'struggling' Palace - god knows most on here seemed to think we'd stroll it - plus we also have a crucial Europa game in a few days. It sounds like we were dreadful, and I'm disappointed we didn't make a better fist of it, and in general there are question marks over how good we are, but the one thing that doesn't surprise me from yesterday is that Palace were "up for it" more than us.

That would require that useless dimwitted ar$ehole having some principles. No principles, no intelligence, no idea. The only thing he has is bias in abundance and a massive chip on his shoulder.

But he's actually back up to the back up. When you factor that in, we probably shouldn't be expecting him to be that great. Half a season loan is a decent call, but only all the time we're rotating between competitions. Not sure if the second half of the season will be as demanding in terms of fixture congestion.

I'd tend to agree with that, but obviously A needed to be one of the options! Our attacking threat is pretty limited to consider Hojbjerg to be our fourth best option...! I guess that's the trade off for having players that suit more of a short passing, high energy game.

We shouldn't factor in points we "should" have got (e.g. a point at Arsenal) without considering ones we were a bit lucky to get (draw with Liverpool?) After the game last night I still think Long can improve and work in this team. His pace really puts defenders under pressure, he can stretch the game and he gets chances that other players wouldn't. His confidence is low, so naturally he doesn't convert, and this may also be behind the silly fouls and constant running offside. While I agree he hasn't been playing that well, he at least still shows signs of being a good player.

We all know that JWP is supposed to be great at set pieces, yet we never seem to score from them. I have definitely noticed some excellent corners and free kicks from him, but at also some poor ones. So is it that... a) JWP isn't actually that good at them, but he takes so many that a few of them are bound to be decent, just not enough to be a reliable source of goals. b) We don't have good enough players in the air to take advantage. c) Our movement (or general set play tactics) isn't good enough. d) We have been getting chances but players haven't been converting them. ?

Obviously it would have been nice to get Hull in the semi finals but I think the draw may have worked out ok for us. Liverpool are more likely to play an understrengthed team than United, and while they will still be a tough opponent, I can imagine a group of players not playing Klopp's style week-in-week-out might have trouble executing it effectively. United would probably have played for a 0-0 at St Mary's then gone full strength at Old Trafford. Plus I'd fancy our chances more against United at Wembley than a probably full-strength Liverpool.

From this comment am I right to think the "kw" in your name may stand for Kings Worthy?

Surely they can't be as bad as Southern trains...

Yep, would have been the icing on the cake.

Martina's positioning for the latest Arsenal "knock down" header was atrocious.

Was just about to suggest that Davis could have launched into a diving header and then Long pulls a miss right out the top drawer... Hope we don't live to regret that.

My guess would be that a) Long plays as the last man and does a more effective job of running the defenders down and keeping them honest, b) Long's pace is more dangerous on the counter, c) Long has been out for a while and needs match practice. Obviously that's true for Boufal too but perhaps his is more of an in-game fitness issue rather than match fitness.

Haha. Says a lot that Virgil's head smashed into Martinez's arm and Martinez might be the one with concussion.

Even with the deflection it looked like it was heading in until right at the end

I know this isn't in tune with the general sentiment after the team news, and I agree it's a weakened team, but given so many need rotating, is Van Dijk capable of playing EVERY game? He's one player we could really do with not burning out or getting injured, so I'm surprised (not because of his ability) he isn't rested once in a while.