ohmelads

I'd have Routledge and Guthrie in for Barton and Ameobi. Nolan switch to up front. I'd also have Campbell or Taylor in for Williamson. He's not been bad but we're leaking too many goals at home, 9 in the last 5 games.

I'm disappointed but still hold out hope he has improved. He will never be a saint but so far this season he had controlled his temper well. The situation at Wolves was ridiculous and the ref didn't help, a lot of players would have lost it there. He has let himself down and let the club down but all we can do is see how he comes back from this. We do not have the luxury of selling a key player at cut price in January, anyone who thinks we do should have a good look at our squad. If he can maintain the form and restraint he's shown in the last 10 games, he will be valuable to us. If this happens again, we will probably have to move him on at the end of the season. The problem is that people see him as a walking red card. If you were in the opposition dugout, of course you'd be instructing your players to wind him up because it could well pay off. What happened at Wolves was disgraceful and many refs would have sent one of them off. But he is going to be targetted in every game. For now as a club we have to get on with it, and assess the situation at the end of the season. Let's just hope Guthrie or Routledge can fill his boots over the next 3 games.

You need to get in behind teams like that, it is much easier to defend what's in front of you. We need either quick passing and movement (a la Arsenal) or a winger beating his man and getting to the byline. That's how to unlock defences like these. One you get to the byline it is panic stations for defenders because stuff is happening all around them, they have to keep their eye on the ball, watch out for the cross (high or along the ground) or the cut back and it's much easier for a striker to pull off them or an onrushing midfielder to find space in the box. It also forces defences very deep into their own penalty area, so even if they clear the header, you may have someone on the edge of the box who can smack it into a crowded penalty area with the keeper unsighted. How many goals do you see like this. We only have Gutierrez who looks capable of getting to the byline and we all know about his ability with the final ball. Teams like Chelsea even get the full backs bombing forward and overlapping but this is risky for a team like us who could be easily hit on the counter. Teams are scared to counter the likes of Chelsea in numbers because they want to always have men behind the ball and make themselves hard to beat - they don't want an end to end game. Quite simply the wingers have to do better (Routledge and Gutierrez) or we need new wingers. Routledge is more likely to get in those positions than Barton or Guthrie but lacks the final ball and defensively leaves his full back exposed. In short, we need a decent right winger, and then we can have a balanced midfield and go at these teams from both sides.

Still looks a top player but I hope he learns from this because it cost us badly. He has done it a few times before last night and got away with it. It seems like he tries to play the perfect game but you can't always play your way out of trouble. Needs to adopt a more safety first approach. Hopefully a one off.

I agree with Ronaldo too. I'm pleased with Williamson but he does make a few mistakes which fans have given him the benefit of the doubt for. As I just mentioned in the home form thread we have conceded two goals in 4 of our 6 home games - it's not good enough, we can't be needing 3 goals to win all the time. Perch can't be a scapegoat any more. Coloccini for my money is a better defender and all round player than Williamson. I would like to see Taylor or Campbell given a chance alongside him. I'd give Campbell a go, as I think he'll be a better organiser and Taylor can provide competition with Simpson at right back. The truth is we are conceding sloppy goals and we can't keep saying "he's steady, done nowt wrong" when we concede two at home every week. I'm not singling Williamson out but I think we may have better options on the bench.

I'd be more worried about our defending at home than our ability to get goals. We have scored in every home game bar Blackpool where we missed enough chances to win, and we have handed out two batterings against Villa and the mackems. Contrast that to our defence, where we threw away a winning position against Stoke and gave ourselves a mountain to climb against Wigan, conceded two cheap goals yesterday and have only recorded one clean sheet in 6 games (7 if you count the cup), and in that sole clean sheet they missed a penalty. We have conceded two goals in 4 of our 6 home games, that's just poor defending. It means in 4 of our 6 home games we needed three goals to win and that's a big ask.

No, it was not what they told us. What they told us what that they couldn't do anything because the ref had seen it. Ah, that clears it up. My mistake!

If the referee didn't see this then the FA can't do anything. At least that's what they told us when De Jong gave Ben Arfa a double leg break.

Fat Sam will have his players going in hard. We better not pick up any injuries. We need to get at them, they will be negative.

The club needed a striker and a winger and we got Ben Arfa. It was a smart move because Hughton didn't have the cash to bring in two players. In the little we saw of him, he loves to cut inside and I think he'd have more success there, playing off Carroll as a second striker. He can drift out wide and get crosses in or go through the middle, and has the pace to beat defenders to Carroll's flick ons and the shooting to stand back and win knock downs and have a shot. I think he'll be a good partner for Carroll and given the lack of talented forwards I think this was a big reason he was signed. It'll be a while before we find out though.

He doesn't do a lot wrong on the ball. Quite a tidy no frills player. Excellent movement and finishing in the box, no disputing that. I still have my reservations he can keep this form up though due to the fact he drifts in and out of games. Doesn't seem to cover a lot of ground which is key as a central midfielder in the Premier League. If you lose the midfield battle you usually lose the game. I just wonder if we are witnessing a purple patch. Bear in mind he had a couple of games up front at the start, he hasn't always been in midfield. He struggled to get involved against Arsenal. All in all though, he's done pretty well. A couple of superb performances, a few dodgy ones. In the team on merit at the moment because goals win games and I fancy him to score more at the moment.

I think we have lots of mediocre cover. It's good in the sense that we don't have to bring on untried kids like in recent years with Huntington, Ramage and so on. Nor should we be looking at moving players into positions totally alien to them (I seem to remember Carr playing as a DM once). All of which cost us points in the past. But then, in recent years not only did we lack cover but we were decimated with the worst injury lists the Premier League has ever seen, sometimes 10 or more first team players at a time. Were we just f*cking unlucky under a series of managers, were we just signing crocks or have our training methods improved? That's one for another thread. Enrique, Tiote, Gutierrez and Carroll would appear to be the key players for us. If they get injured it'll hurt us. In particular Enrique, who is very solid on that side and probably the first name on the teamsheet (you could argue Tiote too, but really who in our current squad is ever going to dislodge Enrique?). Where are we weakest? I'd say right wing. Up front we have plenty bodies who can fill in, even if they are mediocre. Lovenkrands and Routledge will do as cover on the two wings. But we can't keep putting Barton or Guthrie out wide because Routledge isn't good enough.

Agreed. In Korea I never saw anyone wearing those shirts. A good few people wearing Arsenal jackets, who to my knowledge have never had a Korean player. I never saw Celtic shirts worn in Korea or Japan either, despite Nakamura, Ki Sung Yong and Cha Du Ri. Wearing football shirts is not that common in East Asia, and I don't imagine it brings in much revenue at all. Those clubs with Korean players are always on TV in Korea, so perhaps there is some TV money but I don't imagine it amounts to much for the British clubs. Many games are often on at stupid-o-clock in East Asia due to the time difference. Park Ji Sung was signed simply because he's a good player, as was Lee Chung Yong. I'm aware that proven Premiership players don't come cheap and I agree Ashley would be unlikely to release the kind of funds necessary, but I put his name forward as the kind of player the club should aspire to sign if we want to build for the future (as is Ashley's stated aim). He is exactly the sort of player we need, a young talented right winger who will also work hard for the team. He adapted very quickly to English football and I still think we are a bigger draw for players than Bolton. It's not a ridiculous suggestion, though I agree he wouldn't be cheap. If we stabilise in the Premiership this season we'll be looking to improve our first team which means looking at players like him or cheaper unproven foreigners. We may land another Tiote or fluke another Williamson on the cheap but to improve on your first team you generally have to spend a bit, espescially when you're in the Premiership.

Lee Chung Yong, the Korean right winger for Bolton looks pretty good when I've seen him. Still only 22 and adapted quickly to the Premier League. Sort of player we could attract, would fit the team's work ethic and who would have his best years ahead of him.

I wonder how much of it is due to the fact Barton has been on the right since he came in and offers much more protection than Routledge. Loses fewer balls than Routledge as he doesn't try to skin his man and is tactically more aware. Nevertheless, Simpson's played well in his own right since coming back. Hope he can keep it up.

You'd have to be pretty self-important tosser to think it symbolises anything anti-Celtic, anti-Irish or anti-anything. Anti-war is all it's about. I'm sure many people wearing them in Poland, Italy or New Zealand know nothing about Ireland's history and care even less. It's a universal thing, people wear them in countries around the world and it dates from World War 1. Scotland recognises poppies and people wear them. Celtic is a football club founded and located in Scotland with Irish roots, it's a club with a huge number of Scottish and English fans as well as players down the years. If these supporters (a few pricks with a banner) can't stomach the local culture and traditions, why don't they leave? I wonder if these same fans want their club to be in the English Premier League? I know the Irish don't wear them largely because it's less relevant to them but the people who made this banner have totally mistaken what poppies are about, so it's a pretty embarrassing protest to be honest. Just a few charvas trying to get attention and it's worked but for the wrong reasons.

If we sign one player in January it should be a forward. Might sound strange given we are scoring freely but surely it's only a matter of time before Best and Xisco move on and I believe a proper striker partner for Carroll would have finished off teams like Blackpool and Stoke. Preferably a Bellamy type of forward who has pace and will play off the shoulder of the last defender as well as work the channels. Ben Arfa would appear a good option for this role but we could do with another option espescially as we don't know when he'll return or how his condition will be. Ameobi's doing well at the minute but we'll see if he can keep it up. Lovenkrands, Nolan, Best, Xisco, none are convincing in a striker's role. A right winger is the other priority. Barton's done well out wide but it doesn't seem a permanent solution. Routledge doesn't really cut it. Barton has given the right back more protection and I believe it's shown in Simpson's performances.

It'll surely be an unchanged XI. He will be considering that there are three games in a week but you have to take each game as it comes at this stage and try and get the win. If we do that will give confidence for the next game. Around Christmas time you have to juggle players as there are so many games but I don't think it's necessary now. Same XI with early subs I reckon. Tired or injured players to be replaced for the Fulham game. It's all about keeping momentum.

Tiote, Enrique and Carroll are our most important players at the moment. If any get injured, the backup is nowhere near as good. Tiote's a key player for us. He's more than just a midfield destroyer who tackles and lays off ten yard passes, he's a deep lying playmaker and is essential to our passing game that we have in midfield at the moment.

Man of the match today. Looked world class.

F*cking get in!! When you look at the resources Hughton has you could forgive him if he packed the midfield, going route one all game and kicking lumps out of them. But he didn't. We may play to our height and power up front but it is amazing to think we have gone to Arsenal and won without resorting to Bolton or Stoke tactics. We went two up front, we matched their passing game on their own turf. Very few teams will go there and have as much possession as we just had. Many teams will not even try. The players had faith in their gameplan and to the end we battled to keep possession and pass it about. Off the ball we closed down space very well and never let Arsenal settle into their rhythm. A special mention for Tiote who was world class in midfield. Winning balls, closing down everybody, skinning people and playing one or two hollywood passes. Everything he did relieved pressure, bought space, frustrated them and got us back on the front foot. We may have a struggle to keep this lad because on current evidence he is destined for big things. We're 5th!

There's no point in that attitude. We're capable of a draw here if we play well and Arsenal aren't at their best. They've had a trip to Russia and back while we've had a week off on the back of a big result. Who knows, teams do go there and win, if you catch them on an off day or the ref gives you a chance, anything can happen. Arsenal will of course be favourites but the players have to be positive and go there believing they can nick something. It will be a different game to our second string against theirs in the cup last week.

I think he's the best right back we have, even if it's not his natural position. Simpson is doing OK so it would be harsh to drop him now, but I wouldn't be disappointed to see Taylor come in at right back sooner or later. He's a better defender and I don't see enough going forward in the others to convince me they offer more.

Wouldn't be surprised to see him play the same XI but with the formation reshuffled to a 4-5-1 with Barton moving into the centre and Ameobi and Jonas out wide.

I forgot to add the club released this statement right after the 4-0 home defeat I believe, a perfect time to put your manager's failings in the spotlight if you want shot of him.