ohmelads

Sound logic. Just worried this lad isn't the natural left back we've needed for ages. Hope I'm wrong.

Nowt wrong with loan deals, we used the loan market well last time we went up and it seems like a lot of promoted teams do. I'd rather see us sign a natural left back though. We've gone so long now using makeshift full backs, no left side threat and an unbalanced team which makes our attacks very predictable. By all accounts this lad is just another makeshift full back. I hope he can form an attacking partnership with whoever plays left wing this season, because we will need to break stubborn teams down and will need someone overlapping down either side.

Cabaye downed tools trying to engineer a move to Arsenal in August but in the end he stayed and was probably our best player for half a season. When he did leave in January we fell to pieces. Different players and situations, but ultimately Sissoko's one of our highest earners and occupies a position where we're short on quality. I'd be worried about his attitude and the fact he may pull out of tackles for fear of injury preventing a move, but if Rafa feels he's okay then play him. Rafa was able to get some of his best form out of him late last season. I'd still look to sell him and spend mind, just saying we looked blunt going forward at Fulham and could have done with his pace and power.

It was a tight game which could have gone either way but the ref had a big say. Poor performance overall from us, but we still did enough for at least a draw. The problems were evident before kickoff when you saw the squad. We only have 2 natural wingers in the squad and hardly any creative players. A winger is a must. Hopefully Diame can add some spark in midfield. Hayden looked decent. Colback and Anita were awful. Gayle never got in the game and looks a strange signing which still leaves us needing a proven goalscorer. Even stranger when you consider McCormack went for similar money. Ritchie looked bright. Too early to judge Hanley and he didn't have a lot to do, but I'm surprised to see Mbemba dropped. Playing with 3 DMs against a side that came 20th is a strange one for a team supposedly chasing promotion. Shows a lack of faith in Shelvey and Aarons and exposes the lack of attacking talent in the squad.

Questionable attitude, but he was messed around for a lot of the season playing in different positions. McClaren never seemed sure what to do with him. If they can find a position that suits him and play him in the right system, he could do very well. He has the technique and an eye for goal and seems to suit counter attacking football. They're getting a talented player but for the prices being mentioned it's a big gamble on their part. At his best he looked like a top player, but he was also poor for the majority of the season and the 11 goals stat hides that fact. They're gambling on his potential to deliver in a better team. I think he has the ability and I'd rather keep him than Sissoko if either were possible, simply because he's a better footballer. From our perspective, it's a good deal provided he's replaced. In spite of the 11 goals he was invisible in so many games, to the point you would forget he was playing. It's not like a key player is being taken out of our side. It's a good opportunity to bring in a player who is more suited to our needs - we're still lacking in creativity in a league where teams will mostly set up to stop us playing.

He takes up wages that could be spent on a player who will provide genuine competition for places and offer more throughout the season. One of the (admittedly many) reasons we went down was having the highest injury list in the league two years running and first team players feeling complacent. We don't have much creativity and this is one area we could bring in a player and let De Jong go without adding to the wage bill. I hope I'm wrong, but if we keep him, chances are that what has happened the previous two years will continue because these are the types of injuries that are likely to recur and he's shown a history of it.

When you think about the wages he must be on, and the number of games he's likely to play, it makes sense to let him go. Having said that, it's probably easier to keep him than it would be to entice a player of similar ability to the Championship. All things considered, I'd stop taking chances and just move him on. Our squad looks good enough to go up but if we get the number of injuries we had last season or the season before then we might not. For that reason I'd get him off the wage bill and replace.

If we're leaving nothing to chance, then we need to go out and get a proven goalscorer. It's vital we get up first time around. Gayle's only scored a handful at this level, and Mitro and Perez are yet to prove they can hit double figures. Perez and Mitro both look more comfortable laying it off as opposed to finishing moves. Yes, it's a lower level and you'd expect them to do better, but we need to learn lessons from last season and if we're pinning our hopes on those three and Armstrong, we're taking a risk.

You can be slow and still dominate games from midfield. Stamina seemed to be the issue for him. Hopefully he can sort himself out because he has plenty of talent.

Amazing athlete but a limited footballer and that's why he's so inconsistent and doesn't develop. At times he can fly past players or burst through tight spaces and it comes off, but at other times it doesn't and makes him look like a one trick pony. When it doesn't come off or he doesn't have any space to affect a game, you just see his poor awareness and ball control. He'd be very useful in the Championship but he's also very replaceable. If we can sell him and bring in two quality players who want to be here, it's a step forward.

Know nowt about Hanley, but we defo need another CB. You're only as strong as your weakest link - we can't be dropping points because we've got players out of position at CB and teams launch it long and catch us out. You see it with the top PL sides - when they have inadequate cover at the back, it often derails their season.

Strange move. They've been one of the worst teams in the country this year and only just survived. Scored even fewer goals than we did. He'll probably come to regret it.

He'd probably look very decent dropping down a division but we can't afford to have players missing more than half the season on big wages.

If you line up with 2 DMs in a must-win game against a team that has lost 11 on the bounce, you don't deserve anything. They were there for the taking. As for the Villa fans, they're embarrassing themselves and manage to come off looking even more desperate than last time. Leave them to it. We've got our own club to worry about.

He'd be mad to stay whatever "assurances" we give him. Besides Championship football, a glance at how the club has been run under Ashley for nearly a decade will be enough to put him off. Only obscene money would persuade him otherwise, and Ashley won't pay it. He came because we presumably offered very generous terms short-term and a get-out clause if the shit hit the fan, which it has.

I don't think it's time to give up on him. Missing easy chances is a concern but plenty of strikers go through these spells. Benteke was on fire last season but has missed similar sitters this season. It's a cliche but at least Mitro is getting into the positions, even when the team aren't playing well. He looks like he needs someone running beyond him, a bit like a Deeney/Ighalo partnership with strength and pace. Hopefully Doumbia can offer that, but given the "undroppable" midfielders we have, I don't think McClaren will start with them together. McClaren seems reluctant to play 2 strikers and none seem to perform up top on their own, so where we go from here, I don't know.

The time to lose hope is when results AND performances are sh*te. That's what happened under Pardew and Carver. We're playing alright now and deserved to win the last 2 games. The results are poor but the performances offer hope. Villa and the mackems don't have any positive performances to cling onto but we've shown enough. McClaren wasn't my preferred choice, but so long as we're dominating these sorts of teams I'll get behind him (in the absence of any realistic alternative). The league table looks miserable right now but we look better than a fair few sides in this division and we seem to be improving. Some teams started well but have faded, and will continue to do so. We're not gonna do anything amazing this season, it's too late for that, but at least there seems to be some sort of footballing philosophy as opposed to just hanging on for dear life and launching long balls to pacy wingers. It's a work in progress but there are signs there. Yes it's 1 point from 2 winnable games but any neutral would tell you we deserved 6. If we can maintain it the points will come.

If for argument's sake we can only bring in one first XI player then I think a CM is the priority. Anita and Colback try but they are both lacking too much at this level. We lose the ball too easily in midfield and it puts the whole team under pressure.

I've only read the comments by Carragher and Neville, but they're spot on that we just aren't taking enough risks. We don't get enough bodies in front of the ball to give the man in possession any options. Playing two DMs against teams like West Ham doesn't help. You could make a case for that against Man U or Arsenal but there's no excuse for that against West Ham, even away. We still seem to be in the Pardew mentality of keeping it tight for as long as possible and trying to nick something. When you go behind it is very difficult to change into an offensive mentality, especially if its in the first half because few managers will make substitutes then. You're left with a defensive set up until there are only 30 minutes left. Look how few games we've won coming from behind in recent years. McClaren deserves time to try and change the mess of the last few seasons, and we do seem to play it along the ground more. There have been a few, albeit limited, signs that the team has potential. He needs to learn fast though and have the balls to shake things up. We need two natural wide players to offer the team balance and width. Either move Sissoko or drop him. Cisse is ineffective on his own - play two up front or drop him.We don't see what happens in training, but Aarons and Perez bring width and creativity we're desperately short of. Like everyone else here I don't see Anita or Colback as the answer and I'm not even sure who is better but for the time being only one should play. I was surprised and disappointed to see McClaren stick with them. If anything positive comes out of this game, hopefully he'll finally change it. If we line up with those two at home to Watford, I'll be very worried.

You know something is up when a fan of the winning team is trying his best to defend a referee's performance, rather than talk about the game.

Even the still (which tends to make things look worse) doesn't convince me it's a red. There's no momentum there at all. He's stretched to get the ball, and is slightly late. Clumsy, yeah. But straight red?

It isn't a red card. Unfortunately he's a marked man as far as refs are concerned, and he will get reds that other players won't. He's gonna have to be aware of that. I can see how it looks bad if you think he went in for a leg breaker. But it's quite clear it's just a clumsy challenge. His studs are pointing down and he's gone for the ball. It's a yellow but it's never a straight red. You see those all the time.

Deservedly beaten, we looked OK after the first 10-15 mins, then the red card killed the game. Damage limitation was probably the right response, but the starting lineup and substitutions weren't great. Let's hope McClaren learns something from it. I think he was loyal to Obertan and Cisse for their end-product contribution last week. Cisse has movement, awareness and finishing but not a lot else to his game and in games like this he is just a passenger. Yes he may nick you the game but that's unlikely let's be honest. Today we needed a more rounded player who can work harder, hold the ball up, relieve pressure and kickstart attacks. Cisse ends moves but does little else. He's a luxury we can't afford in games like this. Obertan has raw pace and a shot on him but again little else. We still know little about Mitrovic but he ticks the boxes Cisse doesn't and they're the things we needed today.We haven't had decent hold-up play for years and when our midfield is being outplayed we need someone who can hold it up and offer an outlet. Swansea are a passing team but they have muscle up front too and can switch it up. When we're outworked or outplayed in midfield we lack an outlet up front because Cisse doesn't have the pace or the strength to influence games off the ball. What he does he does very well, but it is a very limited skill-set

It's been obvious for a long time that avoiding relegation on a shoestring is the plan. Ashley sees that as the only way to turn a profit, he knows it's a gamble but it's one he's willing to take. We've just avoided relegation by the skin of our teeth and we're going back into battle with a smaller squad and one loan signing who may end up behind bars. Ashley would be delighted with 17th place. It'll always be the same until he's gone. Until a large number of fans stop giving the club money he isn't going to drop his asking price and sell up.

I'm sick of second-guessing the fat c*** in charge now, but my guess is it's either that he's there to undermine the manager because the owner wants shifted of him but won't pay him off, or he's actually still fairly enamoured by the manager and is trying to take the heat off him. Or he just doesn't care that much as long as we don't get relegated and wants to give his mate a job and a reason to live. This still looks the only plausible explanation for Kinnear being here.