STM

I find it hard to judge Carroll. In some respects he played the perfect performance last night. However, in most games i just don't think he looks capable of scoring, especially away from home. I'd like to see him with a consistent partner, home and away before making up my mind on him. Strikers with aerial threat are a rare thing, that's why i think we need to use him properly.

The other day i commented on how i though Williamson's positional play might get found out, however i must say i was totally wrong. I'm so tempted to go overboard with how good i think this guy could be. He reads the game so well, is brilliant in the air and technically very sure. At this moment in time, i haven't seen a weakness but it's early days.

Don't see where the goals are going to come from with him TBH. He looks a handful and someone who will work hard, which will benefit his chances.

Harper Simpson Williamson Colo Van Legend Guthrie Nolan Routledge Jonas Carroll Lovenkrands 0-3 Needless to say Hughton may not go with this side.

New signing. None of the current lot are really good enough, although Carroll in particular could earn it. Even if one of them got the number 9 they would need a new partner anyway because we are in desperate need of at least one top class striker.

Another lucky performance from Hughton.

He was better with Guthrie alongside him. Still not excellent but better.

Spot on the whole lot. I found it very difficult to rate our individuals tonight. They have done themselves proud.

It's his room mates cousin. Yeah, you're all sad bastards. Better than being a wannabe know-it-all gobshite. Aye but you saying that makes you just as bad. Leave the lad now.

Aye

Aye lets see what effort he puts in on the pitch eh.

What makes you think he is quality? Good to see we are still trying to pick up good youngsters. What makes you think he's a good youngster? I didn't say he was, i said we were trying.

I'd prefer Kadar, he's deserved it too.

Last person we want to lose TBH.

What makes you think Colo won't make it?

What makes you think he is quality? Good to see we are still trying to pick up good youngsters.

Barton's return will be welcomed with open arms TBF. Even if some people don't rate him on here, he's still better than Butt and more productive than Nolan. IF (and that's a big if) Barton had been fit for the first half of the season, i reckon he would have got a similar amount of goals as Nolan and more assists.

Journal reckons smith is struggling with an injury. Please don't make me watch Nicky Butt.

Kilkline almost could be considered a perm. Very curly at least.

Saw enough CAUTION in the Leicster game to last me a lifetime and he just stood there perplexed and then made changes way too late. It might happen that we miss automatic promotion by 2 points, cause it's going to be close...We will lose more games as teams are less in awe of us than the start of the season and they've worked it all out...Hence Leicester continued to attack with 10 men cause they could see we were essentially toothless. Butt and Nolan basically have almost no movement and no ability to dicatate anything other than a pizza order on the phone. I'm astounded there are people in here who refuse to see that CH doesn't really have the mental and tactical tools to help us in the PL it is quite evident already, we are just scraping by at the minute....Sooner or later we'll lose 2 or 3 games close together. It sounds like you're really criticising the players more the Hughton. I hope he plays Guthrie in the middle now he has Routledge, that's pretty much all he can do to improve central midfield. I bet he starts Nolan and Butt against Cardiff and I also think they will beat us. Won't happen. I wouldn't put too much money on that if i was you.

That's a fair point, but draws are a lot more valuable than defeats in more ways than just points. To a footballer, and to a certain extent a manager and the press, a draw is a decent result, you didn't get beat. It doesn't destroy confidence like defeats can do. I think this might be part of the reason that we aren't trying harder for wins - it's definitely part of the reason why I can't criticise our approach too much. Sensible points. It also suggests we have a platform to build on. Once of the hardest things to do is construct an organised defence and remain unbeaten.

To me the CM is just too slow. No creativity going forward and overrun when defending. We dont have a box to box midfielder and we desperately need one. If we could find someone that could link with both the defence and forward line we would look a whole lot better, especially going forward. The major problem here is that the "senior professionals" Smith/Nolan are the problem, and they seem to have quite a bit of power right now. There aren't many about these days either. If Hull go down i'd look to take Bullard at a knock down price. Perhaps someone like JJ will come available in the summer too but you are right... we need legs.

I don't particularly think we are in a better position than West Brom to stay in the premiership but i don't think we are any worse off either. It's just some are suggesting if we played a more fluid attacking style, then we would stand more chance of staying up, which isn't strictly true.

"Good football" is a bullshit term. I want "effective football". Do you think Stoke play that brand of "bad football" that you think will fail in the premiership? I can confirm to you that they don't, FFS they even use throw ins to lump it long! I'm not saying i want us to use this style of football, i'm saying that it can work and it's nonsense to think it can't. We don't play effective football though, not when we have the ball anyway. We've conceded 16 goals in 27 games, that's why we're top. In attack we are pretty much directionless, and get by mostly on capitalising on mistakes from our opponents, the type of mistakes that aren't going to be as easy to come by in the Premiership. Stoke at least have a good collection of players for the style of football they want to play (a bunch of big fuckers + a guy who can throw the ball miles). We have a bunch of tall strikers who, barring Carroll, are pretty much shite in the air. And yes, eventually that brand of crap football will be found out and I expect Stoke to be gone from the Premiership in a few years. We are top, how can you say we don't play effective football? We play more effective football than every other team in the league. It's just ugly and defensive that's all.

Excellent; Harper Simpson Williamson Colccini Van Aanholt Smith Nolan Routledge Jonas Best Shola Is what i expect, although he may start with Shola on the bench. It's hard to predict who he will play up front.