TRon

Yes he had his nervous moments, but as far as I'm concerned this gives us a very valuable back up central defender to call on which is a bonus. Zurab has looked anything but convincing in his last coule of starts so if one of our own younger players can step up all the better.

I'm using his full stint at Newcastle as the basis for my opinion of his footballing ability. He runs. That's it. He can't do anything else a player in his position should be able to. If he can run that's still a lot more than many in our side contribute. Most of them avoid the ball like the plague in all fairness.

Agreed. The crowd was very influential and the ref wasn't strong enough. Not only did he let them get away with some bad challenges, but every time one of their players fell over in our half of the field they got a free kick. He was a typical homer. Ironic that our goal came after one of our few fouls that he missed. At the beginning of the season there were quite a few favourable comments about the relaxed standard of refereeing in this division which I had my doubts about at the time and this has just been confirmed in recent matches. Chris Morgan and his ugly friend's "marking" was bordering on cheating yesterday. Served them right that our goal came from an illegal challenge by Nolan. The refs are fucking hopeless imo.

I think it is more frustration than anything else for a couple of reasons: Firstly as Gorilla pointed out in this thread, we have a "quality" squad, just not a very well ballanced one. One or two decent wide players in the summer would have seen us waltz this league imo. Secondly, it probably pisses people off to watch our midfield which is probably paid more than most Championship teams in entirety being constantly out-passed and out-run by more or less every team we line up against. Hence the complaints about the performances I suspect. It's partly down to personnel, partly down to cock-eyed team selections. It would be nice to se some method to the madness but there have been only a few games where we have looked in control.

But macca, isn't that where the tactically inept Keegan always went wrong? Strange that your incisive tactical advice seems inconsistent. Hughton's the only manager I know who would try to defend a lead by throwing on three strikers after playing with one for the first 80 mins. Still, at least Marlon won't blank him in training today.

This.

A look at the league table shows that while we are top, there are plenty of teams breathing down our necks. We have not been convincing to this point despite the results.

That quote from the Daily Mail sums it up for me. We are top but it's as much down to how poor the other teams are as to our own strengths.

he wasn't. he was poor. but he was no worse than the rest of the midfield and took more responsibility than the rest. The players who took responsibility were Coloccini, Enrique, Nolan and Carroll. Butt was a complete passenger. By the way, it's entirely possible the tactic last night was to use 2 players holding, we've been losing away games lately and leaking goals, you know. It works well if you lots of creativity on the flanks by the wide men and the fullbacks. Obviously we're lacking in those areas other than with Enrique, but if the idea was to keep it tight it's likely both Smith and Butt were holding players, I can see no other reason for selecting Butt ahead of Guthrie in the middle. This is the problem with picking players on seniority first, gameplan second. I would reckon that 95% of the posters here would have known that before kick off yet hughton continues to pick ther names and then hope everything will just work out somehow. The midfield was a shambles, and it wasn't entirely Butt's fault. It should be him or Smith, never the two together.

Less than 30secs. Impressive. Seriously though, it's becoming really tiresome. You think he's brilliant, we get it. Everyone else thought he was ultimate s****. That was also tiresome. You hated Nolan before he'd even started for us. I hated Harewood instantly, we're all tiresomely boring dicks, thats why there's a forum. I don't hate Nolan though. I just worried that opposition midfields would run rings round us with old or slow midfielders in our engine room. I never thought it would be the case at this level but I've been unpleasantly surprised

He isn't a liability in central midfield. He deserves credit for that.

Less than 30secs. Impressive. Seriously though, it's becoming really tiresome. You think he's brilliant, we get it. Everyone else thought he was ultimate shite. That was also tiresome.

He just needs some first team games behind his belt imo. Despite early jitters, he handled the game well I thought.

Why not? This division is utter shit so even when we get out-played (which happens regularly) we can pick up the results due to second rate finishing ability of the opposition. Long may it continue.

Harewood had 5 minutes during which all of the play was in our half man. thats my assessment of his time since he's been here, scored against qpr and hasn't tried or done anything else u see when he tried to control that ball on the counter attack, looked lazy imo An experienced player who's been put out on loan from a Premiership club to a Championship one should be busting a gut, trying to prove that his manager was wrong and that he belongs at the top level. Instead, Harewood seems to be sulking. Sulking got him onto the pitch even though we were in the lead and had two forwards busting a gut already out there. Senior pros certainly seem to run the show with Hughton "in charge".

I think any footballer who doesn't know how to move into space, make himself available and receive it at pace, hold it under pressure then run with the ball while actually moving forward shouldn't be playing either. Or they could always pull on the armband and call the manager "Chris". tell me how many times has he done that this season, let alone the last few matches stop sticking up for someone who clearly doesn't have the talent to play football at this level, if it's cos he tries hard, i could give a couple of million men in this country that would do the samething, and clearly this is something other clubs can see, cos no fucker has came for him at all, not even when we signed him 5 goals in almost 300 games for a midfielder is shocking imo football is all about QUALITY, hence why u get the likes of adebayor etc who are lazy twats, but quality footballers and play at the top robert was a lazt twat, but one amazing footballer Robert and Adebayor were indeed far better quality footballers. Let's spend £35m and sign this calibre of player immediately.

Why blame Alan Smith for the ludicrous decision to play two holding midfielders?

He's a good footballer with a lacklustre attitude that is ruining his game for us and therefore he isn't good enough. I honestly didn't see this lacklustre attitude. I think he got a bit pissed off with our attempts to sink below Sheffield's brand of football but he stuck with it pretty gamely imo.

I think any footballer who doesn't know how to move into space, make himself available and receive it at pace, hold it under pressure then run with the ball while actually moving forward shouldn't be playing either. Or they could always pull on the armband and call the manager "Chris".

Best post of the night Mick. Welcome back.

Must be worth his own thread. Looks like a good 'un.

That was pretty much how the team played. Wonder if it was a coincidence?

Yeah - can't argue really but he gives us an outlet/option that commits the oppo defence. They can't ignore him....maybe in a weird way he's a holding midfielder. I really don't mind when he's on the pitch. A winger is ultimately judged on his assists and goals. He offers us neither. Nowt but a cliche. Assists and goals are what you tend to look for in a wide player yes, but a player should be judged on their overall game. If a player gives the team something positive then he's worth having in the team UNLESS we have someone who can offer more, do we? You must have missed Ryan, Nolan, Butt and Smith controlling the midfield with their fluid pass and move football which totally perplexed their Sheffield United counterparts.

I bet you like Nicky Butt because "he tries" dont you?? 'Triers' and 'fakers'....f***ing hate them......Jonas was f***ing s*** tonight again...Love the way he looks astounded, gutted even, at being taken off......anyone who backs that weak-hearted c*** is deluded.....he's a LOSER.....and pure s***......in an s*** league...... f*** off man. He was one of the better players today, I don't know if you are being funny or are just plain blind. 'One of the better players'. Blind? Thick as mince you chap. Argentinian winger / first team / guarenteed World Cup place.....couldn't beat his meat chap never mind his man. It's woeful.....he is woeful......what the fuck are you watching and what do you see that I don't? Someone trying to control the ball and keep it on the deck under pressure. Not always successful I grant you, but for that you need players around you moving and wanting the ball, apart from the tireless Enrique. Go on then, point out the fluid midfielders running into spaces all around when he had the ball...bury the Argie slacker once and for all.

Reckon he thought they were there for the taking and as long as Harewood tracked back, we could put the game out of sight. Flaw in the plan is that Harewood is a shitcunt. More likely he was just trying to keep everyone happy. Harewood was clearly pissed off sitting on the bench.