Cronky

Colo's should have been an indirect free kick for dangerous play. Refs don't often give those inside the area though. Either that, or Webb couldn't see just how high his foot was.

He doesn't relish a physical challenge, and trying to beat a defender to a near post cross usual involves a bit of a tussle. He prefers to stay in a gap between defenders in the hope that the cross will elude them and he gets a free header.

We could drop Jonas but he does a lot of good defensive work and that might upset the balance when HBA comes in. Whatever, I'd see Cisse as an option rather than an essential member of the team. His link up play is poor, and he doesn't challenge properly for the ball, either in the air or on the ground. He lurks in the gaps between defenders, waiting for chances. That's fine, but then we've got to expect him to put more of them away than he's doing at the moment. Gouffran looks a better all-round player than I was expecting. It might not work out better, but I'd certainly be prepared to give it a go.

I love the story of how they bought Samba. Fernandes asked Redknapp to write down a wish-list of centre backs, money no object. The list included the likes of Vidic, but Fernandes managed to come back with Samba. I saw a bit of their game yesterday, and Samba looked overweight and ponderous. Strikers with a bit of pace will find him out. It doesn't look like they've done their proper research.

Centre back is such a crucial position that I can see why Pardew doesn't want to try out a new player and a new combination in a new league in the position we're in right now. We've got the two Europa games coming up and I'm sure he'll use that opportunity to give him his chance. The other question in my mind is what sort of a defender Mbiwa is - a Colo or a Taylor or one who can do a bit of both. Getting the right combination would be very important.

Fernandes did not have a plan, other than to buy the best possible first team as quickly as he could so he could bask in the admiration and gratitude of the fans.

I don't think we're getting enough from Cisse. I'd play Benny out wide as usual and move Gouffran into the centre.

The second goal feels like a real turning point. We looked a beaten side, and then we hit them on the break with power and pace. A fortnight ago, we wouldn't have stood a prayer of scoring a goal like that.

Add - We scored on the break.

Really like Gouffran. He's always looking to do something positive.

An interesting take on the theory of relativity, but not an accurate one.

I'd heard that West Brom were only prepared to do the deal if they got Hoilett in return, but QPR refused.

Surely the money is coming from the owners rather than borrowed with the club as security. They'd never get an overdraft or loan for that kind of dosh. It's the fact that now 175% of their turnover is being spent on wages. Don't have to be a maths whizz to see at some point. Shit hits the fan. I was just assuming that if the plug gets pulled, it would be by the owners, rather than the banks or any other creditors. I also wonder whether at least part of the money is coming from Mittal. I wouldn't have thought Fernandes was wealthy enough to take the risk on his own.

Surely the money is coming from the owners rather than borrowed with the club as security. They'd never get an overdraft or loan for that kind of dosh.

Has Simon Jordan spent too much time in the hospitality room?

Wilshere - magnificent performance yet again. The new Zidane.

The reality is he could easily have missed. It wasn't a particularly powerful shot, it was straight at the keeper, but fortunately it went through his legs. I still don't think his form is particularly good. I don't think we should rigidly adhere to the mentality that it's all about the rest of the team creating chances for Cisse. We shouldn't be afraid to try other options ie Gouffran. Cronky what happened man The "reality" that he could have easily missed can be counter-argued by the "reality" that he could have scored from previous situations which he did miss. If you know anything about football, and I'm certain that you do, you'll understand what the goal meant for his confidence last night. Make no mistake, it was an emphatic finish. Well that's true, but I was simply stating a fact. He got himself into a good position, but it wasn't a great finish. It’s simply a matter of assessing what’s in front of us, rather than what we hope / expect to see. Perhaps Cisse is the best package available to us at the moment, but I don't think that's set in stone, given his overall contribution. And looking to the future, if we want to progress, we may need to look at better options.

The reality is he could easily have missed. It wasn't a particularly powerful shot, it was straight at the keeper, but fortunately it went through his legs. I still don't think his form is particularly good. I don't think we should rigidly adhere to the mentality that it's all about the rest of the team creating chances for Cisse. We shouldn't be afraid to try other options ie Gouffran.

tactics probably the same as the first but they never responded from the whistle in the second half. the players never responded to the higher pressure and tempo. Probably the same? Or looking at all of our other performances under Pardew, were they probably different? Given that we almost always concede initiative if we're winning. looking at today we didn't have the ball enough to see if we'd changed tactics. one thing for definite, cabaye and sissoko had nowhere near the movement looking for the ball and working in the second half, or was that pardews tactic, stand still 35yds out and don't even trail back ? I think this is a point that needs to be understood. Obviously Pardew didn't manage to shore things up at all, but the game fragmented and turned into a situation where almost no gameplan was going to be implementable. Yeah, I don't think it's worth criticising the substitutions. They didn't improve things, but we were in trouble before and he needed to try to make some changes. In the first half, our pressing game looked better than it had all season. In the second half, it disappeared, right from the start. We backed off and let them pick a pass / long ball at their leisure. And when we recovered the ball, the man in possession seemed to have no options.

I sort of agree with you about Debuchy, but it's a very hard instinct to fight (the need to close down). It just doesn't enter your head that the guy is going to flop to the ground, even though it probably should. Debuchy was put under severe pressure by Gabby's pace though. Agbonlahor for Bent was the sub that changed the game. Their attack had a lot more pace and movement after that. I thought the Debuchy tackle was rank amateurish. His opponent was running away from the area, there was no immediate danger and he only had a 50-50 chance of getting the ball. It was a ridiculous chance to take, like a park footballer with a rush of blood to the head. Debuchy has looked vulnerable defensively ever since he came here. It's a different game and his positioning looks dodgy.

Debuchy needs to get his act together. It was a really stupid tackle and that could have lost us the game. He looked vulnerable throughout. We still need some kind of counter-attacking threat when the opposition piles forward like that. All we did was hoof it away, and of course it comes straight back. Krul saved our bacon really. Not for the first time.

With the two new lads, we're getting far more movement going forward. Our pressing game looks a lot better too. We're definitely two goals better than them. Villa are really crap.

All the signs are that Ashley does not want to go through the experience of relegation again, and has made an exception to the usual strategy to address that. I can't see him letting anyone go, unless a replacement is lined up. Not this time.

I suspect we've made an enquiry and been given a price.

The first time I saw him was 1968, Man U v ourselves at Old Trafford. It was the weekend after he'd first been voted Footballer of the Year, and unfortunately he decided to put on a show. Man U won 6-0 and Best got a hat trick. He just beat man after man until he was fouled. You dreaded seeing him in possession because there seemed to be no legal way of stopping him. If the game had been played today, we'd have ended up with seven men. I think he was inconsistent and a bit greedy, as you'd expect from a maverick individual, but when in the mood he could destroy a team single-handed.