Shak

Haha Blunderland more like!

He was shocking til they went to 9 men. Was by far our best player. Which isn't to say he was amazing, but while the rest of the team just stood around looking bored he was quite sharp I thought.

It's a damning indictment of the man that he has absolutely no idea how to use our most talented player. Shola ahead of Ben Arfa. Rubbish.

So fucking disappointed with that lineup man.

Pissing me off now this, dropped after that performance against Stoke.

I'd rather see Gouffran through the middle and Remy on the left, he's much better drifting in from a wide position. Aye could be an option alright, I'm thinking more about when we want to use one of the wingers to help protect a full back.

Gouffran and Sissoko both in the side is a little too defensive for me. One or the other with HBA/Remy on the other flank would be what I'd like to see us do eventually.

Jon, you think Gouffran is our best player? Seriously? Solid, versatile, hard working and tidy player who's going through a purple patch in terms of goals at the moment. He creates very little for a wide player, almost never runs at the fullback or causes problems down that side. Ultimately I'd be looking to use him as a squad player, to me he's an upgrade on Jonas, certainly not someone we should be looking to build our team around. If he keeps producing goals like he has been lately then he'll deservedly keep his place, but if they dry up like I'm expecting I'd imagine people will be getting on his back soon enough.

Not gonna give him too much grief tbh, our performances against the top teams has been good this year and we've done it mostly setting up like we did today. Just didn't go our way today, a crappy goal at a shitty time was our undoing and it's hard to fault him for that.

I mean if you prefer your wide players kicking the ball backwards every time they get it and not trying to create anything then yeah, Gouff was better today.

Aye, Gouffran was ripping them to shreds like.

He can die of AIDS alone in the cold and dark, useless.

Infuriating defeat. Fuck.

Someone run on the pitch and hurt that ref FFS.

Yeah.

Hope that ref gets home to find his house has burned down.

Pathetic.

Fuck this ref.

Good sub.

Sexy time.

Gouffran you fucking coward.

He's shite.

I can just imagine Obertan being stupid enough to think he should be playing.

Generally doesn't contribute an awful lot in general play tbh, tidy and hardworking with a goal in him is kind of his schtick. Long term him out, HBA in with this system might be our strongest side.

Anyway, solid half. We've looked good without particularly threatening to create much. Think it's gone pretty much as Pardew would have planned, we've just not nicked a goal. It'll be interesting to see what we do if it continues like this. Both sides have been compact defensively but itll open up second half, hope we go for it.