Cronky

Duff. And I think if you asked the 20 Premiership managers that question, they would all give that answer.

I think what happens with a lot of young players is they have an initial impact, but then opposition players suss them out a bit, and it becomes a bit more difficult for them. At that point they need to work on their game and improve in order to continue to progress their careers. I think that's the point that Zoggy has reached, but he seems a bit stuck. I don't know if he's decided that he's already a great player and is in a kind of mini-sulk, or if he thinks he'd be better off playing for another club. Either way, he's been poor and isn't improving. His attitude doesn't seem right.

For me, the really difficult decision is around Emre. I like to see him play, but picking him alongside Butt or Parker in the centre doesn't seem to work very well. On the other hand, Butt and Parker aren't a very creative combination. I think we'll see - .................Given Carr....Taylor.....Bramble.....Ramage Solano......Butt.....Parker......Milner ..............Dyer......Martins What I'd like to see tried as a front six is - Parker...Butt....Emre ....Dyer.....Milner ........Martins or - ......Butt....Parker Milner...Dyer....Emre .........Martins That last one's a homage to John Barnes and his passionate advocacy of 2 holding midfield players. He irritated the hell out of me, but it may be an idea that English clubs could copy more widely.

It's 'barren', not 'baron'.

I can understand someone wanting to play Solano instead of Carr after tonight, although I don't agree with it. What I don't understand is the level of anger that's now being directed at Carr, like he's taken over from Dyer and Shola as Public Enemy Number 1. Has he had a really shitty game recently?

I just think a few people are getting a bit carried away after one performance. He did well in possession, but he wasn't put under any pressure defensively, either on the ground or in the air. Premiership teams work to try and expose full backs at the far post.

Carr isn't great, but he's a lot stronger than Nobby.

I think in the Premiership, Solano would get exposed in the air, if played at right back. He did well tonight, but I wouldn't chance it on Sunday.

We still had a lot of problems keeping possession - not much movement for the man in possession. Zoggy just doesn't look happy at the moment. Luque put in a couple of good crosses and supplied the corner, but still didn't convince. Solano did very well, but I wouldn't play him in defence in the Premiership, where his weakness in the air is going to be far more exposed than it was tonight.

I think the reason Man U have stepped up a gear is actually Ryan Giggs, who for some reason is playing the best football of his career. Interesting that Man U are still after Hargreaves, who does run around all day, upending people, but Carrick's passing is very good and as you say, in turnovers, that's very useful. I don't think a top team can afford to have an anchor man who's just a clogger, because a player in that position does see a lot of the ball, and if he loses it a lot or delays an attack, then that's a problem. Ideally, you need someone who can both tackle and pass to a top level (Keane, Makelele, Viera) but players like that are not common, and you usually have to make some compromise. I have to confess that I thought Parker was going to be a bit more comfortable in possession than he seems to be, and although he's done a good job, I'm a bit disappointed so far.

He played like a brick shithouse as well.

He wasn't very good, but it's nice to know that someone sorted out Vinnie Jones.

That was me. The Fast Show reference was deliberate, honest. At the moment, the answer to 'would he get it' is a resounding 'yes'. He's Freddie's blue-eyed boy, and could have taken over after Robson if he'd wanted. If there is a takeover, it'll be interesting to see whether they find some kind of role for Shearer. There has been talk of an ex-player joining the Board. If they have Shearer in mind, that would be a big mistake, because that could only undermine the manager's position IMO. With Shearer, he should either have a real job at the club, or clear off on to his own career path.

I'd rest as many first-choice players as possible. The Portsmouth game is far more important, and we need to put out a fresh team. Having won our first two games in the UEFA, it's unlikely that we'll fail to go through.

Clearly some will be disappointed, but I suspect that Roeder will use Milner rather than Zoggy in the first choice team that he uses for League games. And while I hate to agree with AO, Duff did a lot of good work on Saturday. Most of the time he was a kind of auxiliary left back. It's difficult for him to shine going forward, because we're not putting teams on the back foot, but at least he's reliable on the defensive side.

If Fabregas had been playing for the away side, he'd have walked. It's the sort of situation where home teams tend to get the rub of the green, because there's no pressure from the crowd.

Chopra just wasn't quite strong enough for the Premiership, and was easily muscled off the ball. It's a weakness that often separates good Championship strikers from the very top ones. Our old hero David Kelly was like that, I think. A great opportunist striker in the lower division, but easily snuffed out in the top league.

Wot about this - Parker....Butt.....Emre .....Dyer...Duff ........Martins

Possibly, but I don't think so. Like Ferguson and all the best managers, O'Neill has a knack of keeping players on their toes. The challenge for any manager is sustaining the players' interest after the initial novelty has worn off, and keeping their motivation on a high. O'Neill gets under the players' skin and keeps them going.

Yes, I think the players are behind Roeder. He wasn't my choice as manager, and I still have my doubts, but I do think he's keeping his cool under pressure. It looks like he's trusting in his own judgement and making his own decisions about tactics and selection rather than bowing to pressure. That can only be reassuring for the players. I think the pressure got to Souness more. The prime example was where he picked Dyer for the home game against Man U, when he'd had a hamstring injury only a week before. That wasn't smart and he paid the price. Although it was only a few weeks into the season, Souness seemed to be desperate for a result and that clouded his judgement. With Dyer and Martins' injuries, Roeder has been a lot more patient. In fact, assuming Roeder at least gets us out of trouble, I think it would be a mistake to replace him immediately after a takeover. The new man might then walk into a slightly resentful dressing room. He should have a season to prove his worth under a Board which is more professional in its approach.

Parker was good in defence, getting a lot of important blocks in, but poor in possession. It's becoming a bit of a pattern. I think you have to give Henry a lot of credit. Given knew where the ball was going and made a good attempt, but the accuracy and pace of the kick was pretty much perfect. It's great to have Dyer and Martins back, because they do set some problems for the opposition. But I'd agree with those who say we shouldn't get too excited by this result. Arsenal don't look likely to score from crosses, so if you can get bodies behind the ball and jam them up down the middle, then you can keep them at bay, which a number of teams have been able to do this season. Man U and Chelsea have a variety of ways of breaching a defence, so playing defensively is unlikely to work, and that's the difference between them and Arsenal at the moment.

For once, Roeder's ultra-defensive tactics paid off, so credit him for that. Some of the criticism of Duff I've seen is a bit harsh. He did a lot of work in defence and can't be blamed for not creating much. Martins did very well, feeding off scraps. Bramble showed again that, for all his faults, he's our best defender and doesn't deserve half the stick he gets. Fabregas's foul on Moore was a red card. It wasn't clumsy, it was nasty. If the ref saw it at all, he should have walked. Although we showed very little in possession, the spirit of the side looked okay. We might still struggle to break teams down at home though.

It seems to me that it's in the hands of the Halls. If they decide to sell, Freddie is dead meat.

No.

Actually they do sound like they come from genuine Chelsea fans.