Kasper

Gouffran has been horrible. So uninvolved.

This is going exactly as expected.

Aye, if we get pressed from the back we resort to lumping it high all day long. Can see that happening today.

Mitrovic is on the bench. Congrats. He'll probably be as involved but won't have to run as much.

Rafa knows our striker won't touch the ball so better just stick the shittiest player upfront.

It has actually been enjoyable. Which is nice.

Diame has been so half arsed.

Let's hope that helps their nerves.

Someone, anyone, to look a little bit like a footballer? Still waiting...

Gayle is off with zero touches on the ball in 32 minutes.

Horrible passing, horrible touches, horrible movement. Wake the fuck up.

Maybe the crowd gets them nervous. Just be quiet and maybe they'll manage to pass the ball 5 metres for once.

Colback seriously. Retire.

The ref seems a bit clueless as well. Perfect.

Every game I've seen on TV has been terrible so expecting very little.

Somehow reminded me of this masterpiece https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/do-i-want-to-be-jermain-defoes-pa-609

Brighton are buying the league.

Well I guess that something we can agree on is that he needs a plan B. Whether that is because he doesn't have a proper plan b or because the current plan b isn't working is pretty irrelevant for anyone who isn't writing a book about this season.

You have? All I've seen is lots of talk about substitutions Does that mean that if we go in the next game with a different starting 11, it's also automaticly a different game plan? What I actually want is you to tell me is how have you seen the game change when we've made those changes? If we've banged our head on the wall and decide to put Perez on then what is the different way the team is supposed to play to unlock that defense? Changing a player to another one isn't a change of game plan if it doesn't change the way the TEAM plays. You can easily identify things from our first choice game plan (which is a nice change at this club) but I struggle to see how our game plan changes if that doesn't work. You mentioned "playing to their strenghts" but could you elaborate on that a bit. What does that actually mean and how is it going to help us? Feel free to use yesterday as an example. Or even a theory of what should happen will do. What that Liverpool fan has said is more interesting though. It might be that it's not about the lack of plan B but more about the apprehension to deviate from the first choice plan. Add that to what he apparently has said about only working with one system so far but wants to have 2-3. Work in progress. I get that, but it doesn't mean we're dealing well with these situations right now. You're asking me to go in depth on how Diame and Perez have different strengths and abilities? Or how you would play to those, seriously? You want that to be explained to you? I cba tbh, you're passing basic ignorance off as a desire for insight imo. The differences between the two and the way that you play to their strengths is unbelievably obvious, and I don't believe for a second that you don't already know that. You're now asking me 'how have you seen the game change when we've made those changes?' when, yet again, your original point was that 'Rafa has no plan B' not 'Rafa's Plan B doesn't work'. They're different points. 'Rafa has no plan B' is something I would argue with. 'Rafa's plan B doesn't work' is something I wouldn't really argue with at this stage, because his plan B hasn't really worked so far when called upon at Newcastle. The crucial point though, is that he does have a plan B. Whether it works or not is another matter. I'm asking you how have you seen the game change when we've made those changes because I have seen very little. And how can you call it a change of plan if it doesnt change things on the pitch? Isn't it then the same plan with different players? e: And yes I know how they are very different players but you're completely ignoring the actual question. How are we as a team planning to turn that difference into a goal scoring chance? I don't see it.

If Mitrovic does get sold, we will be buying a striker. Probably Wilson. Probably another 15m to sit on the bench. Why? So we should have two strikers, one good one and one s*** one? Price is irrelevant, we need a squad. Mitrovic isn't good enough and Rafa presumably wants to replace him. How have you come to the conclusion that Mitrovic isn't good enough to be playing for us? We have players in our starting 11 who appear un-droppable who have put in much more shitter performances this season than Mitrovic has. Mitrovic was playing Champions League football prior to joining us, less than two years later and he's suddenly not good enough for the f***ing Championship where the likes of Glenn Murray score regularly Whether Mitrovic is good enough for the PL is a different story, but we're not in the PL. Considering we are struggling to break teams down a lot at the moment, it's incredible that he has not played much football at all. When he has started games this season, Blackburn aside, he has played well and scored goals. I sort of hope Mitrovic is sold, because he's been treated like a scapegoat by many for little reasoning and his career is stagnating at a key stage for no reason. He'll go off and have a decent career with someone else and we'll probably look the c***s when he's scoring regularly at a higher level than this - especially if we sell him this January and fail to go up. You're laughing at Glen Murray scoring regularly in this division, but he is a natural goal scorer whatever else you might think of his game. Still not convinced about Mitrovic, although tbf he hasn't really had much opportunity to prove himself this season. He had one real chance to prove himself when Gayle was out. During which he had 4 goals, 1 assist and 2 man of the match performances in 3 games.

You have? All I've seen is lots of talk about substitutions Does that mean that if we go in the next game with a different starting 11, it's also automaticly a different game plan? What I actually want is you to tell me is how have you seen the game change when we've made those changes? If we've banged our head on the wall and decide to put Perez on then what is the different way the team is supposed to play to unlock that defense? Changing a player to another one isn't a change of game plan if it doesn't change the way the TEAM plays. You can easily identify things from our first choice game plan (which is a nice change at this club) but I struggle to see how our game plan changes if that doesn't work. You mentioned "playing to their strenghts" but could you elaborate on that a bit. What does that actually mean and how is it going to help us? Feel free to use yesterday as an example. Or even a theory of what should happen will do. What that Liverpool fan has said is more interesting though. It might be that it's not about the lack of plan B but more about the apprehension to deviate from the first choice plan. Add that to what he apparently has said about only working with one system so far but wants to have 2-3. Work in progress. I get that, but it doesn't mean we're dealing well with these situations right now.

I believe that every manager in the world is also a human being and sometimes operates in a certain way because they have certain tendencies or things they firmly believe in, habits even. Sometimes those things might be holding you a back a bit. He's a great manager but I don't consider these things something that couldn't be discussed and argued about just because Rafa knows best. If we believed he does everything perfectly whats the point of talking about anything other than how shit Colback is. It doesn't even matter who we sign. He's gonna be the best we can get because Rafa picked him.

Two things I'm interested in. What do you/he consider control? Ball control? If it's not leading to goal scoring opportunities are you really in control of the game? What does he do when the team is losing control? How does he react? What did he change in that Hull game? What did he change yesterday in the 10-15 mins before the goal when you could see us dropping a lot deeper than the first half (and giving them more control).

To play 10 so Mo could drop into cm. ? Post was directed at Kasper. It was KI who brought that sub up. I think it's a sub he has done a numerous times though isnt it? And I personally haven't seen what it has brought to the table. Think he was onabout Perez coming off for Diame. Aye, it was just a regular sub that's happened a few times as an example. I wasn't talking specifically about yesterday. Based on a quick look that sub hasn't happened that way around once this season. At least in the league. It absolutely has. Huddersfield and Bristol just off the top of my head and vs Cardiff, Sheff Wed and Derby they were both substituted for different players, but went into that number 10 position like 5 to 10 minutes later. What? I'm confused. You just cleared up that you're talking about Perez coming off for Diame yet you give examples of the opposite? But if we are talking about that sub then it's even worse example. I gave you an example of what Mitrovic coming on for Gouffran would bring to our game yet you gave none for Perez. How has bringing Perez on for Diame answered the problems we've had in those situations. How has that change improved us? What is the potential improvement there and what is the plan that swap is based on? Well I didn't, I wasn't talking exclusively about Perez for Diame but, wait for it, Diame for Perez too. I've also given those other examples where they replaced each other in the same position within the space of 5 or 10 minutes with each other, just in case you want to let your hair down and go full pedant. I've answered the rest as well, I've already said that it's 'different players with different attributes contributing in different ways to make different things happen.' Your original point was that Rafa doesn't have a plan B, you're now saying "How has bringing Perez on for Diame answered the problems we've had in those situations." which is more along the lines of 'Why doesn't Rafa's plan B work?' So you've changed your original point there, but to answer the question, Diame for Perez often sees improvement. The fact that it doesn't happen in Perez's case whether he's starting or coming on is because he's in absolutely shocking form. Why Rafa continues with him is up for debate, but my opinion is that it's a mixture of believing in his ability and there simply being no better alternative. Yeah you've answered that but if you're going to be so vague about the actual things that happen on the pitch you might as well say "I don't know". If there's a plan then surely it has to be based on some idea? If it's not, I wouldn't call it a plan. And I'd hope the idea is more than "they are different players". I gave an example of a sub that would bring something different (with actual examples of how!) and you compared it to Perez & Diame saying that Rafa often makes changes like that to change the game. I've yet to hear one real argument for that change other than "They are different players". I don't know how I could ask this question any clearer: How them being different players are meant to improve us when we're struggling. How is Perez answering the problem created when the opponent is defending with 5 center halves? I'm genuinely interested as I haven't seen anything.

To play 10 so Mo could drop into cm. ? Post was directed at Kasper. It was KI who brought that sub up. I think it's a sub he has done a numerous times though isnt it? And I personally haven't seen what it has brought to the table. Think he was onabout Perez coming off for Diame. Aye, it was just a regular sub that's happened a few times as an example. I wasn't talking specifically about yesterday. Based on a quick look that sub hasn't happened that way around once this season. At least in the league. It absolutely has. Huddersfield and Bristol just off the top of my head and vs Cardiff, Sheff Wed and Derby they were both substituted for different players, but went into that number 10 position like 5 to 10 minutes later. What? I'm confused. You just cleared up that you're talking about Perez coming off for Diame yet you give examples of the opposite? But if we are talking about that sub then it's even worse example. I gave you an example of what Mitrovic coming on for Gouffran would bring to our game yet you gave none for Perez. How has bringing Perez on for Diame answered the problems we've had in those situations. How has that change improved us? What is the potential improvement there and what is the plan that swap is based on?