Theregulars

If I was an opposing defender I'd be happy if I saw that Cisse was voluntarily dropped for Shola. Shola's a derby hero, no doubt, but he's a significantly inferior player.

I still can't believe we exist in a reality where Shola Ameobi starts as a Premier League footballer, not least over Cisse. On the basis of a hoodoo that he scores against Sunderland quite regularly.

I think the only type of win we can realistically expect is a really tense, ground-out 1-0 where Krul makes a boatload of saves and we get lucky as fuck.

I'm so convinced all Papiss needs is a goal. He's also not really that blameworthy, we aren't creating enough chances for him. My fear is that Pardew prepares us negatively to nick a point. Man for man we're better than that lot (if our first XI is fit...) and we should play as such. I would say, in Pardew's defence, Coloccini's been out all year and I think he gets us going a little bit by spraying it around from the back. I also think he inspires a lot of confidence in the midfield - could the reason that Cabaye and Tiote have looked poor be that they are worried there is nobody who can mop up if they fuck up? It might not even be totally conscious, but I know if I was in our midfield and Colo was behind me, I'd feel a lot more confident about tryingg something different or bombing forward. They may even have been instructed to hang back a little bit by Pardew himself, we don't really know. When you have Coloccini playing I think you're more confident that being caught going forward isn't such a dangerous siuation, because you know Coloccini will either mop up himself or instruct the other defenders in what they have to do. I think the above also appleis in relation to Krul. I think confidence in those behind you to help you out is something that's never really mentioned in analysis but is actually really, really crucial. Certainly we've looked a much worse side without Krul and Colo, just so much more average. It may also be why we survived without Steven Taylor most of the year last year; while he's a decent player, those two are good enough to make Williamson get on well enough. Alternatively that could be utter bollocks and we just played above our station last year. Either way, we have to play our best players, which means Cisse and Ba both play, because however much Shola is a hero in these games, Cisse and Ba are in a different talent league to him, and have proved they are more likely to score. Shola will get on the pitch at some stage for his token Mackem-bashing, fear not. This is such a hard game to predict. If Coloccini/Krul aren't fit I don't see us winning. I think they're going to be so, so up for it, because they haven't won against us in ages, actually won a game recently and Fletcher's playing out of his skin. By comparison there's no confidence in our side at the minute (which I also attribute to not having Coloccini and Krul), and the only person we, and the team, know to be playing well is Demba Ba.

Totally populist move but at least we can put that Sports Direct Arena shit to bed.

Blimey. My apologies, it's just frustration. I maintain that the performance was crap, the squad investment is crap and we'd be fucked without Ba. I'm just bored of watching my club shoot itself in the foot for the umpteenth time; all the more galling when it looks like we were on the cusp of progress.

Pathetic. We'd be bottom of the league if we didn't have Demba Ba. Crap performance, crap tactics, crap squad, crap management, crap owner, crap investment, crap crap crap crap. Fuck off Newcastle.

Ferguson should teach Jonas how to do that.

This has been coming for a while, to be fair. We weren't ever going to get the same luck as last year, and we've been asking for it with the size of the squad.

Gutierrez has been embarrassing today.

Re: defensive crisis, it's what you get for not signing another centre half knowing full well that Steven Taylor hasn't ever played more than about 10 consecutive games in his career.

Again, just what we deserve.

We can't keep relying on Ba to bail us out every fucking week, though.

We've asked for it all day long. We asked for a weak team all day long when we signed nobody. Well done everyone involved.

The injury curs continues strong into it's Twenty-somethingth season.

Bigirimana's been fine, and he's a pleasant bonus this year, but Tiote and him aren't really what we need to create anything. If only we had any other attacking central midfielders in the squad aside from Cabaye (I don't count Gosling, he's toilet). Total bore fest.

Toss, as per usual. Reading are there to be beaten, it's clear to see they haven't got the players to avoid a season-long relegation struggle, but we just sit back, hump the ball long, cross it to nobody and invite them back at us. Not sure whether it's poor tactics, players not doing as instructed or that last year was just a one-off. Right now we look like a different side entirely.

Perchinho. Boss.

Didn't realise that result wasn't still on the cards.

Ugh... Regression.

Whoever coaches us for crossing wants a slap

Our corners have been so, so, so turboshit all season long.

Not sure why we play so negatively against average teams. We have the talent to rip them apart but just pass sideways and keep possession. Yet another indication that we aren't playing at all well yet.

Don't worry, Cheick will exert his revenge.

That's a horrific foul by Liegertwood.