Mick

He's got a challenge for his place, pity he's at Brighton.

I think Jonas gets so much stick because it's easier to defend dropping him while still playing Nolan.

Krul, 7- He didn't have that much to do and I thought that he came out quite a bit in the first half to gather crosses. Perch, 5.5 - I've stuck up for him so far but I could see him going to s*** before they scored as his kicking was diabolical and he should have been our first player to come off if only to protect him as the fans were really getting at him in the second half. The Milburn (not level 7) are s*** for getting at our own players and have been for years. Williamson, 6 - He was like a headless chicken with the ball at his feet and was very shaky and too often gave possession straight to one of the Stoke players. Coloccini, 8 - He had a brilliant first half and looked class with the ball at his feet. He was the only player at the back who communicated with his fellow defenders and was let down by others around him. I remember a touch of class from him when the ball came to him and he flicked it forward over the attackers head. Enrique, 8 - The bloke is class and I don't think he could have done anything to change the result. Routledge, 6.5 - He's quickly becoming the new jigsaw, he beats his man then goes to pieces Tiote, 8 - Probably our stupidest substitution for a long time as he was running our midfield and he was playing box to box and from left to right. Barton, 6.5 - He was picking the ball up off our defenders and doing everything right until he passed the ball and was one of many who struggled to find a team mate. Ben Arfa, 7 - He didn't do much flash but I can only remember one stray pass which went to the opposition. Most of the time he played a simple ball and gave away very little. He put a couple of brilliant balls into the box but it was like looking for a needle in a haystack as Carroll was the only player in the box. If we are going to get the best out of him then he has to play in the middle. He shouldn't have been the first of our players to leave the field. Nolan, 5 - I can't see what anybody sees in him, at one stage he moved no more than two yards during a period of play which saw the ball pass within a couple of feet of him. Somebody played a brilliant ball to him and he just stood waiting for it and might as well of sat down as the ball was cut out by a Stoke player who had to make up miles of ground on him. I don't know what incriminating photographs he's got of Hughton but I'd love to see them. Carroll, 6 - He played up front on his own and had none of his own team mates around him. Jonas, 6 - He gave everything he had when he came on, he should have been on for Nolan with Ben Arfa moving inside. Shola, 5 - He's currently playing in the wrong division and has proven that for the last 10 years, he did all he could when he came on. Hughton, 5- Baffling substitutions but thanks for turning up. People can defend him all they want but the facts are that we were winning before he changed anything and we were no better for the substitutions.

You're at the wong end of the scale with that one.

I agree and have been saying it for a while now, he has no end product and I don't know how Jonas gets more stick.

Hughton let the fans down today with his baffling substitutions, Ben Arfa may not have been as good as he was against Everton although in his defence, most of his passes found a player in black & white. Tiote looked to be our best midfielder from where I was sitting.

I'd expect expect more movement from a corpse.

He's been outstanding in the first half.

It looks like the smallest away following so far with 2 or 3 rows.

I'm sure the Nolan making subs is a piss take, somebody mentioned it and I said I'd heard Nolan telling Hughton to get Smith off because he was shit. I don't think anybody took it seriously, at least I hope they didn't.

Who said Hughton wasn't good enough after the Blackpool match?

I don't think pressure got to us, I think we just expected an easy game and because of that we didn't put the effort in when in front of goal.

I did think about adding "at best" at the end of the post, I wouldn't want him in my team at all.

People are worried about the throw from Delap, I hope that he plays because other than that he's very average.

The transfer saga was a classic setup for a massive anti-climax but it didn't go that way, he lived up to the hype on here. When was the last time any player tried as hard to come to our club? I can't think of any in all of my time watching us, which is quite a while.

I'm still at the excited stage, I love watching good footballers and we haven't really had one for years who could do the unexpected. The good thing about Ben Arfa is that unlike people like Jenas, he seems to want to live in a goldfish bowl instead of trying to keep out of the limelight. He’s nothing like Malcolm Macdonald as a player but he reminds me of him the way he goes on as Macdonald liked to be the centre of attraction.

He's bound to have a below par game or two and like you I hope people keep off his back when it happens as it happens to every player.

He's passed over the chance of another possible Champions medal back in France to come here so you never know what he'll do. I can't wait for the match and I don't know when the last time was that I felt like that in the Premiership.

They are noisey, I'll give you that.

If we play as well as we can then that will be a good result for them, have faith.

OK, I thought it was a bit late for that even if it's early for Septembers.

Why not the goal scored by Ben Arfa?

Try walking around Stoke with a Newcastle shirt on when we play at the Britannia, I think you'll change your mind.

Agreed, but the same horrible bastards are totally different away from football, a lot of them are actually canny people.