The College Dropout

We've gone back to playing this stand off, slow, long ball football.

Since Perch came on we've stopped playing football.

We've lost that bit of tempo we had

From so close I reckon Ba should've scored that.... being Demba Ba like.

Cabaye looks fired up. Thought the system we have been playing has been good tbh.

Didn't think that was a red at all. Late yes but no force.

Le Tissier talking a whole load of bullshit.

That's never a red man. Never. A yellow perhaps but red? No force in the challenge at all.

Our reserves could probably beat Torquay in a League Cup match. Should we then start them against a Premier League side in the next match. Poland and San Marino are not in any way congruent and the results against them don''t have much correlation If you want to put in youth just for the sake of it, then I understand, but imo Cole is better than Baines and Defoe is better than Welbeck (who I don't rate particularly highly). I think Cole will still be better than Baines in 2014 as well. If Hodgson or any other England manager fails to qualify you, they will be sacked. Achieving qualification is simpler using experienced players rather than inconsistent, unproven young ones. International football is really a vicious cycle and many teams suffer because of it. Cole hasn't been as good as Baines for the last two years, nevermind better. And 2014? Yeah that's not true like. At all.

Torres is styling mehn....

Sigur & Defoe in a time is hilarious tbh. Shoot on sight policy.

FYP I'm consistently impressed by how good Oscar is defensively. They haven't had to hide him at all. The boy should be world conquering in a few years. Still does. Even in a bad game Tiote doesn't hide. Constantly seeks the ball. Oscar does a great job of preventing deep lying playmakers doing their thing.

Ramires going back to CM has been great for Chelsea. Great link between the back 5 defensive outfield players and the more offensive 5.

With Dembele and Bale in the side Spurs have the most athletic side in the league. Without them they look much slower and Chelsea are better than them technically.

Tiote plays with more authority, responsibility. That makes him the better player. Sandro is more talented though and has time to develop.

Another one for the HTT scrapbook. 5 years ago Kaka was the best player in the world and single handedly won Milan the champions league. It's an insult to put him in the same bracket as Lampard. Single handidly with Seedorf, Pirlo, Shevchenko, Maldini etc. He was never a true playmaker more of a forward/goal threat so HTT isn't that wrong. Same with Lampard, being a goal threat was his prime attribute.

Kahn was prone to a clanger in a big moment.

Definitely Defoe.

LOVED the way he beat players. Second to only Ronaldinho in that regard. Zizou always beat a player with skill and excellent balance. Watching taller players with no real pace beat a player is probably one of the most beautiful things in the sport.

On a 4-4-2. "If you do that, you only have one point of attack," he said. "Whereas if you have one guy dropping off, you have two points of attack." Old fergie.

This season they have not settled on a system. They played 2 up front on properly on the weekend granted but they deployed a 4-4-1-1 a lot last season.

How many teams play with 2 out and out strikers? Us and fucking QPR.

Didn't have a direct opponent on the weekend but he was okay. I don't understand why Pardew insists on him playing conservatively at the beginning of games. Get Santon forward and push the opposition wide players back. That's his strengths. He's a decent defender but if he's told to be defensive we might as well play Simpson.

Struggling sides. Norwich get outclassed as do reading so that's probably not fair. Stoke go long & QPR have been terrible. Agreed. Cabs & Tiote are good players but they will struggle against 3 other players. Even Redknapp knew you need a proper link man at the very least to compete in midfield.

We launch the ball from Harper, they win it in the aerial duel with the strikers and they go from their. Possession was 80-20 in the first 20. They got the ball and just ran rings around us. Our wide players out of the game. You have to compete in the middle of the pitch by all means.