Wullie

Who'd replace Simpson? Perch? I'd have Ryan Taylor if he's fit. For all his faults, we've rarely looked as if we can go without his delivery this season. Having two full backs who can't deliver the ball naturally is really hurting us, so if not Taylor then Santon absolutely has to move across. Maldini, Lahm, blah blah blah - he's simply too one-footed to play left back imo.

All those players play well, week in, week out. Are you seriously saying that Ben Arfa does? I don't think he does. He's easily the most talented player we have, but his form is wildly erratic and playing him from the start in a game like this would have been a big risk. I can see why Pardew thought it wasn't a risk worth taking that is my point, I am simply criticising the people on here who seem to think that everything that happened today is down to Pardew's decision not to have Ben Arfa in the starting line up, it wasn't. The following isn't a response to you mate, just a general point: I'm not going to get into an argument about this because I've stated and explained my point now to an extent that I think anyone who is reading with an unbiased opinion and an open mind can understand what I am trying to say, they might not agree, but I hope that they would accept that it's a valid opinion. If I carry on I will find myself in an argument with people whose opinions are so biased that they simply can't see the other side of the argument and that's a total waste of my time, so I'm going to stop now, I've made my point, take it or leave it. He doesn't play week-in, week-out, so no, he can't really play well week-in, week-out. I don't think his form is wildly erratic at all though, can't see where you're coming from in the slightest. Erratic however would still be better than utter shit every single week, like Obertan.

I think that's fair. The most important thing for me is how we react in the Wolves game, though. If we're consistently winning games that we 'should' win, then we can afford to lose to the likes of Spurs. I'm not saying for one minute that the performance or result was remotely acceptable today, btw. I totally agree, that's what has got us where we are, picking up points against "everyone else" even though we've generally looked poor against really good sides, Man Utd at home aside. Perfect game to follow up with really, Wolves are dreadful and we should be putting out the strongest side so far this season - full strength other than Steven Taylor. No excuses. We should also remember that every side in the top seven other than Man City has also taken a considerable kicking at some point this season from another around them.

Even the QPR home game, first twenty minutes, they could have been out of sight. Results have certainly masked performances at times, you've got to give the manager credit for that in Tiote's absence but you've also got to say that something like today has been coming - in fact it already has come because we were embarrassed in the end at Fulham as well.

I like Ryan Taylor but fucking hell. He couldn't even get a game in our midfield when we were in the Championship.

I don't have any more of an obsession with Ben Arfa than I do with Demba Ba, or Cheick Tiote, or Yohan Cabaye, or Tim Krul, or Fabricio Coloccini. I just think they're clearly our best players and should be in the team as some of the first names on the sheet. How is that an obsession?

Fucking hell.

Did he even go to the Blackburn FA Cup game? Abeid and Ben Arfa were absolutely outstanding and to keep faith in the likes of Obertan and Gosling defies all logic. Yes the squad is weak in places but it doesn't help when players that should be guaranteed starters are sat on the bench - then you're creating the problem yourself. Obertan over HBA, as far as I'm concerned is Perch over Coloccini, Elliott over Krul, Shola over Ba, that's the gap between the abilities of those two players. It's insanity.

The other crumb is that it was only 5. I was genuinely fearful of double figures for the first time in years. Dunno like, first half hour of THAT Arsenal game, I had double figures down as a dead cert.

We take far too many kickings away from home under him, games where we're simply not at the races and can barely fashion a chance or get the ball and where we just collapse when the opposition scores. In fairness, one of those was Blackburn and we won the game.

Lovenkrands!

Yep.

They want Harry Redknapp to get a stye? Weird chant.

GOSLING?? Frigging hell. This is really bottom of the barrel stuff now.

Jesus Christ, I'll be bloody glad to see Cheick back.

Ferguson.

Surprised Ray Stubbs isn't busy trying to find some footage of Ba or Cisse doing something he doesn't like, the fat headed turd.

Ben Arfa and Abeid on now. Our use of the ball when in possession has been atrocious and that's what's at the heart of this. Yes our defending has been dreadful but what do you expect when you give them the ball again and again without them having to do anything special to win it back?

Should never ever be seen before 85 minutes. Abortion of a footballer in every department.

We need players who can play football, you utter halfwit.

Fucking disgusting.

Should be pro-active and withdraw Obertan and Perch for Ben Arfa and Abeid now. "Let our hair down" ffs.

Obertan's a disgusting player.

Playing Obertan and Perch is basically waving the white flag before kick off: "We are bloody terrified of you" Shameful team selection.