James

I'm not sure I'd agree with the assessment that new players have settled in quickly. They have settled in to a level that makes them better players than most, but I don't think any of them have peaked yet, and one player having a bad game is often covered by a team mate having a good game. Cabaye has been hot and cold all season. Santon hasn't really established himself. Marveaux hasn't had much to show for himself. Ba and Cisse have been fantastic, but I reckon both are still improving, particularly with their all round game. Also you may as well consider Ben Arfa who is only just showing his best. So we have six players who are only going to improve next year.

Pilko is Peter Crouch Wullie is Jermaine Jenas. Lots of hype but doesn't actually do much.

JH is Steven Taylor, come through as a teenage prospect to becoming a seasoned pro.

Don't also forget that £7m is what we would receive, the cost for the buyer is close to £20m according to club sources.

Should probably be considered vindicated for choosing us over Liverpool.

I'm starting to compare our trio up top to Owen, Viduka, Martins during the Keegan days, only each player is much better than what we had. So for Owen, Viduka, Martins, see Cisse, Ba, Ben Arfa respectively.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17579377 Pardew - Ben Arfa is like Messi

Beautiful player. To sign fo a club in January, go away to the ACoN, then come back and hit 7 goals over the rest of the season is incredible and he has another 7 games left.

Enrique in goal for Liverpool at SJP, not shit, but glorious.

Life ban from SJP for him and all his family please.

Well it says at the bottom that other people write it.

Eight points Eight Points at Jose (or 11 or 5) Davide Santon/Ryan Taylor/James Perch whenever Jose Enrique touches the ball. Demba Ba/Papiss Cisse songs when Carroll gets it. Boo Suarez and Dalglish.

Similar to any piece on the BBC Sport website, a journalist will phone Lawrenson or Shearer or Hansen or whoever (eg David Coulthard in F1) lead the conversation, ask loads of questions, and then write up their own version.

I really think we would have got a centre back in January but the one we wanted wouldn't or couldn't sign for us then so our bid for Mariappa was a half arsed effort for a 4th choice defender. If so, two likely candidates: Douglas - wanted to stay in Holland until he is allowed to play for their national team. Mbiwa - release clause has a time window restriction.

Really hope he pulls through.

To be fair to Lawro his weekly predictions are actually ghost written by Chris Bevan who has put a very similar focus on an interview with Alan Shearer for Sunday's game.

I agree with others in that the last thing we want to talk about is selling, but tbh the quality of his goals so far and his phenomenal assists ratio just radiates class and end product of the highest order. Whether he can rein in his tendency to hold onto the ball too long sometimes is the only question mark. If he gets any sort of consistency over the next season there is going to be bids landing from all over the place because this type of talent is in limited supply. What we've got going for us though is that we've built up a nice French contingent here and the players seem to be very happy unlike Msr. Sessegnon I don't think players are in a hurry to leave whether it's Ba, Tiote or down the line Ben Arfa. Just keep the Frenchmen, of North African bloodlines away from him Regarded as the best player (in terms of pure talent) of his generation, which included the likes of Nasri & Benzema, but has been flawed & fragile genius on & off the pitch. Whereas Benzema in particular, who had his early off-the-field problems too, matured. Ben Arfa has built-up a lengthy rap-sheet, and has been slow to mature. The rap-sheet of petulance that plagued him in France, even before making the switch to OM, attracted too many notable doubters. Speaks volumes that somebody like Wenger who once targetted him and has worked before with prospects deemed to have lost their way (after previously impressing on the French Yth Stage) avoided him. It's highly probable that the bigger clubs (who are well aware of his natural talent) have been waiting years for him to finally mature. I have no doubt that in the wake of the injury he's had plenty of time to reflect on what has been a wasted career so far. The circumstances were unfortunate, but he's had the opportunity to assess & re-evaluate. A reformed & focused Ben Arfa, both as a person & player, is what the really big-spenders have been waiting for IMHO. You are the memorable Souness-hater The Shaman!

Exactly this. You can refer to his games missed and so on but he has had a lot of fitness tests and missed training sessions. If there is a back issue, these are the warning signs, the torn muscles would be the next stage. I am no club medic though so there is chance that he is ok, but it is something to keep an eye on, and the club should have sent him to a back specialist for a check already if doing there jobs right. Wouldn't want to see a Gerrard which went undetected for about 5 years, missing months every season.

His injury history this season has been slightly worrying as I remember Steven Gerrard having similar problems and having to have back surgery. Basically a back spasm that goes away and is forgotton about, but the back muscles then causing the thigh hamstring and groin muscles to strain and eventually tear. It is a degenerative condition only repaired with surgery and 3 to 4 months out, but is hard to detect.

Not just average players, Ben Arfa is a far more effective player too. Not that Pardew will be given any credit mind. We would be winning the league by now if that bottling cunt Pardew played him earlier. I don't understand you in this thread, Jon. Who you annoyed with? Just call them out because posts like that are getting annoying. I do think Ben Arfa should have had more time on the pitch this season but am glad we're seeing the best of him now. Goalscoring record's looking very decent as well. Looks like we need to ensure Ba, Cisse and HBA are on the pitch and furthest forward and not hoof the ball and we'll cause any team problems. If Pardew understands that then fantastic, today was immensely encouraging and I'd love to see us push on. Not just average players, Ben Arfa is a far more effective player too. Not that Pardew will be given any credit mind. We would be winning the league by now if that bottling cunt Pardew played him earlier. Dear me. At the end of the day Pardew has been beaten with a stick every single time he hasn't played Ben Arfa/subbed Ben Arfa/ commented on Ben Arfa so I along with some others are not expecting any real credit for how he has treated the lad. I just fully expect comments about how the lad should have been played earlier and how it was obvious (and as simple as) playing him instead of Obertan or Raylor would have better. He doesn't deserve any credit for how he's treated him because he treated him badly, fantastic performances in the position Pardew tried to tell us Ben Arfa 'doesn't have the relish for' doesn't change that. I think today showed it was right to say Ben Arfa hadn't been at his best and it had been right for people to be saying he could be playing better. Whether this is the start of Ben Arfa's turnaround is too early to say, it is only one game and a lovely sunny afternoon.

I'll bite... He was a world-class manager and even though we only finished mid-table, we played some good stuff and there were signs things would improve massively. But at the moment, we're 6th, top 6...SIXTH! Closer to 4th than we are to 7th, with a team picked up in much worse a state. In a much worse state? Really? We may have had better players, but we were at the bottom end of the table with morale at its lowest. Gullit was to blame for morale, we'd gone something like 5 games and at the bottom with star players left out due to a manager vendetta. Robson fixed that within 3 games. Whereas the team Pardew had inherited had just got out of the Championship. I'm not saying Pardew is better than Sir Bobby by the way, but I am saying that people are more willing to stick the knife in despite obvious signs of progress. Funny thing is too that it seems to be the same posters who are always stubborn about everything.

I'll bite... He was a world-class manager and even though we only finished mid-table, we played some good stuff and there were signs things would improve massively. But at the moment, we're 6th, top 6...SIXTH! Closer to 4th than we are to 7th, with a team picked up in much worse a state.

What were the Pardew haters saying about Sir Bobby during his first full season where a team with Solano, Shearer, Lee, Speed, Given were coasting along to 11th in the league?

Why he is seen as deep IMO, goes looking for the ball.

My favourite moment in the match apart from the goal was Lambert celebrating and then realising Tim Krul had saved it. Shows what an amazing save that was.