Cronky

Yes, they were trophy signings who they didn't need, and messed up the shape of the side. You wonder whether they were really Mourinho's decision.

I think Coppell's being sensible. If Reading are fighting to keep their place in the Premiership, the last thing they need are midweek trips to Tblisi or whatever. The UEFA cup seems to be designed as a tournament to give pay-days to minor clubs and only becomes interesting half way through. Even then, there's not a lot of prestige for winning it. I won't miss it next season at all.

spot on mate I think Chelsea went for it in the second half, more so than Liverpool I didn't see it quite like that. Liverpool threw everything at Chelsea in the first half, and for the rest of the game looked by far the more tired side. If Chelsea had been a bit more positive, they'd have got the goal they needed. Basically, Liverpool fought like their lives depended on it, and Chelsea seemed to be playing within themselves. They stuck to their usual methods, and the occasion required a bit more. Mourinho looked very shaken. He's never had to face failure before in his managerial career. Now it looks like both major trophies have slipped away. He doesn't seem to be handling it too well at the moment. His team looked very uninspired against us, and he wasn't bold enough in his decision-making tonight.

Very pleased. No lover of the scousers, but I can't stand Chelsea and their Russian millions. Mourinho looked nervous and not himself throughout the game. They never really went for it and deserved to lose.

Shola's a target man, and he's strong enough to hold the ball up well, but i'd dread to see him in this formation. It'd be worth a try with Owen. I was going to suggest Shola, but I didn't fancy all the grief I'd get.

I like the formation, and I agree with several points of your analysis. I'd agree with Dr S though - Owen is the potential stumbling block. Ideally you'd want a target man, or at least someone who's good at holding the ball up.

I can't imagine Chelsea not scoring, and I can't imagine Liverpool getting three. Liverpool put so much energy into the first half hour, you worry about their stamina. Mind you, I said there was no way Man U were going to come back against AC Milan....

It's very difficult to tell how it's going to pan out. Shepherd isn't the only one who's going to have a say. The Halls will have their opinions, and there may be another takeover bid on the horizon which is going to complicate things further. There may be a lot of negotiations behind the scenes. Either way, if Roeder is going to be sacked, Shepherd must surely follow him if he has any honour. He's turning us into a laughing stock and damaging the reputation of the club. His continued presence would act as a deterrent to anyone of ability joining us. Or to put it in a negative way, I'm quite sure that Freddie will be ducking and diving to save his own skin, and that's going to complicate matters.

Well, who knows, but this wouldn't surprise me at all. The absence of post-match comment from Roeder suggested something was going on. A number of players didn't seem to be concentrating last night. I thought Roeder had the players' respect, but he now seems to have lost it. He cocked things up at Alkmaar, then publicly lashed out at the players and started making all these noises about how they were playing for their futures at the club. Completely the wrong reaction.

I didn't see much of Defoe and Keane, but I imagine it didn't work for the same reason that Owen and Martins won't work. Two finishers, rather than a creator and a finisher.

Allardyce would insist on a long contract and the power to pick his own staff and reform the club from top to toe. I don't think Shepherd will go for that. Man City will give him the authority and scope that he needs, and they'll land him for that reason. Hope I'm wrong, because I think these rumours that Roeder has lost the players is probably true.

Martins an intelligent player? He's got the football brain of a ten year old.

If they play together, one of them has to drop deeper, and neither of them are any good at that. You just wonder how much time Roeder is going to waste finding that out. And bringing on Shola so that they both get buggered up by having to drop deeper isn't a solution either. I'd play Shola and Owen.

We lost to a very ordinary side tonight. There was plenty of space to exploit so there can't be any excuses. Dyer and Bramble played like they'd rather be somewhere else. Sib played surprisingly well in midfield. Taylor looked very solid again. After all the subs in the second half, we lost our shape completely. It's a good job we weren't playing a better side, because we'd have been thumped. Martins was poor, but with Owen there he has to go a bit deeper, and he just doesn't have the ball control to do that effectively. At least half a dozen times he lost the ball under no pressure at all. I hope Roeder doesn't try to get out of the selection dilemma by trying to play Shola, Martins and Owen together, because it didn't look at all good. In the end, though, we had enough chances to get a draw. That's how poor Reading were.

Barnes is a much better player.

The point about the absence of promotion and relegation in top level American sport sounded very valid. An investment in an NFL club is far more secure, because even if you lose on the field, you won't take a big financial hit off the field. Do these guys really know enough about football to realise how easy it is for a club the size of West Ham to just get a bit unlucky and end up in danger? Having said all that, I think it's a risk we'll have to take at some point if we're going to get back up there. Either that, or we get left behind.

You could cheat a bit and put Laws at LB and Trevor Steven at RB. He played a few games for England as a right wing-back.

Keane has really impressed me. He looked calm when they were in trouble, and equally calm when they honed in on a promotion spot. He's worked under the two best managers that Britain has produced in Ferguson and Clough, and you do get this feeling that he knows what he's doing. Plus he's got an intelligent Chairman who understands what a manager needs, and financial backing that'll make sure they take full advantage of the momentum they've built up. A well run club with everyone pulling in the same direction. We could learn a lot.

The timing of his departure is extremely fishy. Bolton are in the middle of a very tight competition for a UEFA cup spot, and a change of manager is the last thing they'd want at this point. The reason that he's given sounds like BS. Even if he's been lined up by another club, I still can't see why he hasn't waited till the end of the season. I do wonder whether it's anything to do with all those BBC accusations.

I like what I've seen of him, but he seems to have a free role at Derby and he may have to adjust to a more disciplined position if and when he moves to the Premiership. Long term I think he'll come good, but he may find the transition tough. I suspect that in most games that he plays at the moment, he's the best player on the pitch, and that's going to change.

Slated? He's saying all the right things. Don't see how anyone can knock him for this, or any of his interviews. At least he's got ambition. Did you not see the reaction the last time he spoke to the Sun? One or two on here weren't happy. Like me. It may sound great to a lot of the fans, but I think his team-mates will be thinking that he needs taking down a peg or two. He's achieved nothing yet, and he's been playing very poorly of late.

The Chairman. He's a twatt.

Emre shows more quality than Parker on a regular basis. Everyone is entitled to his opinion. Parker is a runner, hard tackler, fighter with potential to play from one penalty area to another, with sufficient technical ability. He can also be a player with special assignments, for example to stick to opposition's most dangerous midfielder, or play very defensively and help real defenders. Emre is a totally different story. Player whose most imprtant qualities are dribbling, passing, organizing his team when attacking, shooting. Emre is undeniably enormous talent, but hasn't showed much. Game against Chelsea showed he can't organize Newcastle when confronted with quality opposition and when he's under pressure, IMO. I get this sense with Emre that he plays in little bursts. You'll see him charging forward at full speed in a very optimistic attempt to close a defender down and win the ball. Then of course he's knackered and can't get back in position. It's like he's following his heart and not his head. He's a talented player but not the most disciplined.

This is just a measure of how popular each manager is with the club's supporters, isn't it? Bit surprising that Wenger is rated so low. Those Gooners must have short memories.

Yonks ago, I remember watching Gazza in an away match at Coventry. He had the ball on the right touchline, well inside his own half of the field. Two or three Coventry players converged on him, and he suddenly launched this 40 yard pass with the outside of his right boot, which swerved right into the path of the left back (Tinnion, I think) who was breaking down the opposite wing. Tinnion crossed the ball first time to the far post, Cornwell headed it back and Darren Jackson volleyed it in. Quite the best goal I saw us score in the pre-Premiership days. But back to the point, that pass that Gazza produced was absolutely perfect, and completely opened the opposition up at a point when they seemed to be closing us right down. In modern times, the pass that Viana produced to send Bernard in, in that 2-1 home win against Chelsea certainly stands out.