Cronky

Woodgate, Beardsley, Gazza.

Some of the criticisms seemed a bit misguided. He confuses 'leaks' with 'briefings'. Then, at times, he says the club didn't do proper preparations, but also says they acted prematurely. I've heard so many explanations as to why Emery turned the job down. Uprooting yourself and your family from Spain to the North East is a big decision, and maybe he thought better or more equal opportunities would come his way if he sat tight.

Interesting. I do think we need a different sort of DM to Hayden, and of our squad, Hendrick looks like the only player that may be worth trying. We don't have any alternatives for that position. The barrier is that Hendrick does not seem to have adjusted to the pressure of playing for us. He's seemed reluctant to take on any responsibility and initiative, and DM is a position that requires both. If Howe can get him into the right mindset that would be impressive.

I'm very unsure as to how Eddie is going to handle the next few games. He likes his teams to play possession football with a high press, but at the moment I don't think we've got the players to do that.

We'll have to wait and see. But ultimately the one who pays the piper calls the tune.

Unfortunately, we still have the same system as existed under Ashley, where the people who run the club aren't the ones holding the purse strings. It's bound to produce delays in decisions, or sometimes indecision. I suspect that Staveley has agreed terms with Eddie and his backroom people, but we now have to wait for the PIF to sign it off.

Agreed. And that one signing has looked like a player who'd rather be somewhere else. Another problem we have in the next window is that the other Premiership sides will be extremely reluctant to sell us or loan us anyone. It's in the interests of all 19 to see us go down, and this is a heaven-sent opportunity for them to make it happen. We need a manager with good connections to the foreign market.

I have my doubts about Martinez, but there are no ideal choices in the situation that we're in. Looking at the quality of the current squad, and the fixtures coming up, by January we could easily end up with only 10 points, and be about 9 points behind the team in 17th place. That will take a lot of turning round, and we will need to attract some good players in the window. This is a poor squad and I don't buy the idea that a new manager can turn things round without new signings. The idea of a caretaker like Hodgson doesn't sound too practical, because I'm not sure that the players that we want and who we can realistically attract are going to sign for a guy in temporary charge. So we have to try and find someone asap who can both handle a Premiership relegation dogfight right away, and also build a team for the future. Those are two different tasks, and I'm not confident that a very attack-minded visionary like Fonseca is going to handle the first one. Martinez has Premiership experience, he's worked with Jones before, and so together they might be the best option. I think Martinez would take the job if it was offered. The other candidate I like is Gerrard, despite his inexperience as a manager. He projects confidence and ambition, and his reputation as a player might just help in attracting the players in January that we desperately need. Rafa would fit the bill on both counts of course, but for family reasons alone, I can't see him leaving Everton.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001140s Profile of Staveley on Radio 4. About 15 minutes

There were lots of other factors in our collapse, but Gillespie calls it right in that article. The original team had a beautiful balance about it, with Sir Les leading the line, Gillespie and Ginola on the wings, Beardsley and Lee linking midfield and attack, and Clark in a holding role. When Tino arrived, Beardsley was pushed out wide to accommodate a Ferdinand - Asprilla partnership, and we didn't have the same fluency going forward.

Wise selection, I'd say. It looks like a more defensive formation, with a back five, and Fraser in for Willock. Fraser has pace and a decent work rate, so he'd suit a counter-attacking game. Back to basics is the right call.

That's exactly what it was. But it's not as though Bruce has broken rank before, and, accordingly, they ought to have considered that, in this instance, he may have had an important reason for showing his frustration. It's not always the glamour signings that make a difference to a team. Bruce is trying to play a more attacking game, but it will only work if we have the midfield enforcer that we lack at the moment. One was available at modest cost. Reverting to a more defensive approach feels like a step backwards, and quite possibly won't succeed this time, because it's a tacit admission of failure. That's not to mention the way in which the clubs around us have probably boosted morale by their signings. I feel more frustrated by the failure of this signing than any other in Bruce's time at the club. It's a real wasted opportunity.

This feels like the consequence of the remote style of management that operates at our club. Balancing the books is fine, but there has to be some flexibility at times. Whatever one thinks of Bruce, he has always been loyal to the ownership of the club. He has no record here of rocking the boat and using public pressure to get his own way. Choudhury was clearly an important signing for him, and one that wouldn't have broken the bank. Within their game plan, he has earned their trust. If they have looked at him as another manager just throwing his toys out of the pram in order to stretch the budget as much as possible, then they've read it wrong. Of course, if you want to see a crack in the relationship between owner and manager, then you'll be happy.

It looks like the Choudhury deal was all set up, but Ashley has stuck his oar in, as he is inclined to do. The lad is no world-beater, but he's what we need at the moment, and Bruce recognised it. I fear that those among us who want to see the club go down will get their wish. We can't defend.

Hayden is a cross between a centre back and a central midfielder. Choudhury has the sort of quick movements, energy and agility of a DM like Kante, though obviously not in the same league. Unlike Hayden, even when he gets beaten, he can recover to put in another challenge. Our defence doesn't get the right protection, and he can do a decent job for us there.

World class.

Hard-tackling, mobile defensive midfield player who does aim to get the ball forward. Nothing great, but just what we need. You'll see.

I think we'll sign Choudhury on loan on the final day of the window.

Given that the emphasis seems to be on bringing in a defensive midfielder (rightly), I can't quite believe the James Rodriguez rumour. I dare say the ability is still there if he can be motivated, but if we're really cash-strapped, I can't see this as a priority signing.

That Villa team doesn't look half as threatening without Grealish. On paper, at least. A bit surprised to see Willock starting, after the rumours about his fitness.

Wherever he ends up, he now needs to be playing regular first team football.

Well, the teams that are better than West Ham will take us to pieces with that set-up. I'm not sure how we'll fare with the teams that are worse. But you're right. We don't have a decent player for the anchor position. Shelvey and Longstaff are lacking defensively. Hayden is poor in possession and isn't that quick. Hendrick wouldn't want the responsibility and seems to opt for a peripheral postion. There are signs that we're trying to bring in someone for that role, and it would make a big difference if we succeeded.

On the plus side, compared to last season, we played with a lot more aggression and passed the ball better. We did carve out quite a few chances. Shelvey did well in that anchor position, which allowed him time and space to use the ball. Unfortunately, he has no pace and can't tackle, so defensively our back three were very exposed. It was alarming how much time and space the West Ham attack had within our penalty area, even in the first half. That was the by-product of not being able to close down their midfield, who were able to feed the ball in at will. I don't know what the answer is. A player in that anchor position gets a lot of the ball, and it's great if you have a player who can use it. On the other hand, they need to help the defence as well. Willock will improve our attack, so when he's fit, maybe the best bet is to keep trying to play positively and hope it comes off more times than it doesn't.

Didn't look that impressive on a You Tube scouting expedition. Marked reluctance to pass the ball too.

My impression is that the clubs who can afford him, don't particularly want him. He's very good at running with the ball, but not so great at linking with his team mates. At the level and style in which we are playing, he makes a big difference.