Rich

Shak was immense.

These lot never disappoint

I'll be there too mate, on the advice of toonarmymia off here. Should be good

"Europeans"

Clueless journo wankers.

Wish he would just think "fuck it" and take the shackles off altogether. He did a great job to get us so high up earlier this season with a pragmatic, hard-working approach, but he's in severe danger of undermining everything if things keep going as they are. We can certainly go back to the more cautious selections/tactics where necessary, or if it backfires spectacularly, but sometimes you just need to stick your best players on the park in their correct positions and say "have a fucking go at them lads". Don't abandon the basics altogether, of course, but due to the nature of our support - particularly at home - if we were to go this way I think he'd certainly win back/win over a lot of people who are starting to lose faith in him/have never had faith in him. It's not always about simply working harder than the opposition, you need to get your better players on the ball and involved in the game in the right areas. We keep showing glimpses, but there hasn't been a game for a good while now where we can honestly say we've "controlled it" and looked like the "big team". I might be wrong but I can't remember Demba having a chance from open play in the last two games, for instance. Get the ball down from the 'keeper, spread the centre-halves and push the fullbacks on, move it sharply and get some fucking options for the man in possession. We are well capable of doing it if the leash is slackened a bit more and the lads are allowed to/able to play without as much fear.

I've been a good lad and have avoided berating Simpson for a while now, in fact I've made a pointed effort to seek out the good aspects of his game and to just be happy when he puts in an adequate performance... but I cannot wait until he's out of the team for good. All the decent defensive work he did on Monday went out of the window with that pea-brained effort in injury time, which basically sums up why he isn't nor will ever be good enough for where we are now as a football team. One of those "goal-line clearances" was going wide an' all, by the way. He has been the weakest link out of our regular starters since the Championship season and it beggars belief that he's still starting every fucking game with his relative absence of heart, responsibility and technique. Yes you'll occasionally get a decent cross out of him, yes you'll occasionally see him put a good tackle in and in fairness you'll regularly see him winning headers and (less-regularly) making last-ditch blocks on the line but he gets praise when he reaches the bare minimum level of what should be expected of a modern-day fullback. He's lowered expectations to the point where stuff that the likes of Beye and Enrique made look a formality and did time and time and time again gets him a seven or an eight out of ten when he does it once in every five matches. I include myself in this as well, by the way, as someone who is pleasantly surprised every time he has a passable game. He still offers next to nothing going forwards, he still looks petrified with the ball at his feet and he's still not quick enough or strong enough to compensate for these deficiencies in his game, although I have to say I didn't ever expect this to change. He's arsing about over a new contract, he very rarely accepts responsibility for his errors on the field of play and he's coming across as a wanker more than a "decent lad" these days, which certainly wasn't the case a year or two ago. He's been able to get by as a passenger for long enough now, but if we really want to capitalise on our surprising performance as a team this season and push on even further he needs bombing off altogether. Keep the likes of Ryan Taylor (we don't appear to have a choice here), Tavernier and Ferguson as support options to Santon and a new left-back and let Simmo head to Blackburn/QPR or somewhere equally garbage for more money and a longer contract. I can't see him sticking around here as second-choice.

Do the math here, eh?

Theory is sound, team is pretty much as expected. Excited to see if we can translate that to a performance for the first time in a while. Howay!

i know he is on the ball, never took any notice of him off the ball.....help ? Has a tendency to be a bit lazy/big-time from what I've seen in terms of workrate - particularly recently and for someone who plays the position he does - I've always liked him overall though as a footballer. I've said it before but I do think he needs a change of scenery and something to get him fully motivated/at it again. His next move is massive.

I forbib you.

It's the yellow bibs when they're set up playing an XI-on-XI training match that tend to be the indicator. Nothing else matters, that is the pinnacle of bibdom right there.

They're heart rate monitors as well, fwiw, the Catapult ones.

Assume it's because he's wearing one of those vest things. Like a few of the other first teamers. Someone needs to up their training bibs tekkers like, Coloccini not starting either? Guthrie playing too? (Ah, just seen Wullie's post )

Where has Abeid starting come from?

Rare that I get to be pleased by a Sunderland goal, but that'll fucking do.

Used to hate getting nutmegged as a nipper, for it to happen to a professional three times in twenty minutes (or whatever it was) is absolutely laughable.

He's also been lying about Tiote not getting hit in the face. Class.

So it's just me then who thinks that Tiote is developing a dangerous habit of doing the famed Scottie Pirouette far too often these days? He's done it a few times in the last couple of games when he had enough space to drive with it forward. I guess it might have something to do with the huge gap between midfield and attack we're complaining about. He's actually doing it far less than he used to, not that it was always a bad thing in the first place of course.

We "nicked it" 1-0 last season with a 4-4-2, playing the exact same XI that had beaten Sunderland the week before at SJP. Wouldn't be too upset to see the team that ended today starting at the Emirates, although I'd have Santon in there for Simpson if it was me picking (naturally).

It was in the face man. His chin wobbled like a bastard.

Oi! Stop ruining a beautiful sentiment with your cynicism