Flip

What would your starting lineup have been? Marv for Bigi. Easy. Why not HBA for Bigi? Because HBA has been injured for a while. Well I would've started both of them easily if they were both fit.

I think some people have genuine concern for our style of play. If anything people who gives credit to Pardew time and time again are those who probably don't see football enough outside of our club. I'm not being harsh on Pardew tonight, he did what he was capable of, but I do disagree with his approach. This would be me, the style of play is the thing i hate. I want decent football, attacking football and it's never happening under Pardew. 2 years is long enough to see what football he wants us to play, and it's ugly mostly defensive tripe imo. Everyone is different though, hopefully in the future we will get our wishes bimpy. I just don't agree with anyone criticizing my view on football because I don't like the approach of our manager. Trying to look at the bigger picture as some suggest. Why would we let a far superior offensive team get at us instead of getting at their weaknesses from the off? I said it pre-game and I'll said it post-game, only a miracle would've gotten us through after Pardew set the team up the way he did.

There are other ways to play FFS! For 70 minutes we simply did f*** all. You don't have to open up and be all gung ho to win 2-0. But our idiot of a manager didnt know this. I know that but you must realise by now Pardew isn't capable of that? you are asking him to do things he isn't capable of. The plan was fine, sadly we couldn't take the chances we did have. That's the thing though, you can't have a manager who isn't capable of managing. It's not about Pardew tonight, it's about the club moving forward. Many of us are completely tired waiting for him to become something he's not that while most on here think he'll eat some type of magic potion and become that excellent next Sir Alex or whatever because he's a likeable guy.

This sums it up completely.

I think some people have genuine concern for our style of play. If anything people who gives credit to Pardew time and time again are those who probably don't see football enough outside of our club. I'm not being harsh on Pardew tonight, he did what he was capable of, but I do disagree with his approach.

I can answer for him. He loves it.

What would your starting lineup have been? Marv for Bigi. Easy.

I don't agree whatsoever. The first real good team we played and we went out. No discredit either. I think he's done well, but he hasn't overachieved in my opinion at least. Don't like his approach to football but he's a likeable guy and I'll give him that. Anzhi are definitely a good team like. Not as good as Benfica, but we did well to get past them. Right, we complain about or squad yet their squad is bunch of unknown Russians and couple of start players, where one didn't play more than 10minutes and we beat them when they had one man less too. Yeah Anzhi are s**** like, bunch of unknown foreigners! I remember the hilarity thinking Pardew might put one over Hiddink. As if that could ever happen LOL! Right, because that's what I said? Read again Cajuanito. I said that their or at least intended to say that their squad isn't better than us.

Nobody wins football matches without luck. Tell the best teams in the world that like

That's not football though is it. Contain another team when you have to win 2-0. I'll give my two cents about it and say he's in the know that he's incapable of managing this team offensively and therefore hoped to nick a goal and put pressure on them with the help of the fans. I don't agree with his approach or if his philosophy if he has any, but I'm starting to realize that he himself understands he's nothing more than an average manager and leaves everything down to occasional luck. Benfica are an excellent attacking team and I don't think we would've been able to stop them from scoring an away goal while putting pressure on them for 90 minutes. Given our limitations, the best chance we had was always going to be creating a window of opportunity to win the game rather than just going in all blood and thunder. The plan almost worked. It's harsh to call it fundamentally flawed. They are an excellent offensive team, so why let them come at us? Their weakest link is clearly their goalie, so why put the team out to not concede instead of trying to pile pressure and using the fans to help out? At hindsight I understand what you mean, but I still find putting pressure on them from the off and using the sold out SJP to support the players would've gotten them a bit shaky right from the off. We let them settle and feel the atmosphere a bit too much for my liking. Oh well, it's not much to discuss, we weren't bad, but the tactics weren't spot on either. Pardew did what he is capable off, extremely average manager who I hope is off in the summer. I hope he turns the club around as he has proven that ocassionally he can get stuff right, but noway was this a tactically spot on game oldtype.

Absolutely not. That doesn't mean I agreed with his approach does it though?

I don't agree whatsoever. The first real good team we played and we went out. No discredit either. I think he's done well, but he hasn't overachieved in my opinion at least. Don't like his approach to football but he's a likeable guy and I'll give him that. Anzhi are definitely a good team like. Not as good as Benfica, but we did well to get past them. Right, we complain about or squad yet their squad is bunch of unknown Russians and couple of start players, where one didn't play more than 10minutes and we beat them when they had one man less too.

That's not football though is it. Contain another team when you have to win 2-0. I'll give my two cents about it and say he's in the know that he's incapable of managing this team offensively and therefore hoped to nick a goal and put pressure on them with the help of the fans. I don't agree with his approach or if his philosophy if he has any, but I'm starting to realize that he himself understands he's nothing more than an average manager and leaves everything down to occasional luck.

Agree here. I don't agree with his approach but in hindsight I understand what he wanted to do. Still over the course of the season he has proved time and time again that he's not a good enough manager to take us to the next level.

We can't not win the derby with this guy. He's fucking amazing.

I don't agree whatsoever. The first real good team we played and we went out. No discredit either. I think he's done well, but he hasn't overachieved in my opinion at least. Don't like his approach to football but he's a likeable guy and I'll give him that.

I'm the same Cajun, didn't like the approach still don't agree with the approach taken, but the team gave it all. Now bring Sunderland on and lets see more of that Marv & Benny magic.

Went out to a better team in a worthily manner. Undeserved but that's football. They have too much quality across and we gave them two extremely difficult ties.

My thoughts too. I know it's the 90th and everything, but I would hope he could've done better there, but oh well at least we made a game of this. Benny and Marv are exceptional footballers, if they can stay fit I have no doubt we can compete for Europe next season again.

That's weak from Mbiwa. Fuck me.

I'm sick. I'm sick. I'm sick for real. Fuck me.

I'm sick. I'm sick. Confident we would've won by five if Marv-Siss-HBA had started.

Fucking MBIWA MAN?

COME ON !

Ref has been excellent. Will be a 10/10 if he puts 8 extra minutes on at least.