Memphis

Embarrassing how we allowed them to control the match with nothing but effort and desire.

We were so slow, so plodding, so unbelievably leaden in attack it was embarrassing.

Pardew's managed 6 points from a possible 18 against those. That's pitiful especially considering how shit they've been.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz1XhaBT45I

 

:lol:

 

"We luv u forreva and eva!"

I don't speak Spanish but according to a commenter on Deadspin, this was the translation:

"GOOOOAAAAAAL The US of A PUTS us in the playoffs!!!!!" USA!

"It is because of the USA that we are being placed in the playoff ...BECAUSE OF THEM , NOT DUE TO YOU..NOT ANY OF YOU in the green shirts ....IT WAS THEM!!.NOT YOU!..THEY DID IT!!!!!NOT YOU! remember this forever..... KEEP THIS CLEARLY IN MIND FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIVES! You do NOTHING for the shirt, you do NOT put the effort, you have NOTplaced us in the playoffs , you HAVE NOT placed us in the WORLD CUP ..YOU WOULD NOT HAVE KEPT US ALIVE....IT WAS ESTADOS UNIDOS, NOT YOU.! .NOT YOU AND YOUR ARROGANCE/CONCEIT.....NOT YOU AND YOUR INFAMY....NOT YOU AND YOUR MORONS/PUNKS....

....

"IT IS A FAILURE.....and UNDESERVED -to go through to the playoff- WE HAD NO ARGUMENTS to earn the playoffs, THE USA, WITH SUBS , WITH MANY SUBS as the visiting team shows us once again what the USA is all about ....how to play the game with dignity, how to approach the sport..Mexico is a horror, just terrible....A FAILURE....

......

THE USA HAS SURPASSED US ..They are better than Mexico in SOCCER ....THEY EVEN HAVE THE LUXURY OF PLAYING THEIR SUBS and KEEPING US LIVE.... I hope our coach wears the pants and resigns..He has failed as coach...."

Ouch.

http://s21.postimg.org/ybymlydzb/avgstart.jpg

Average positions so far - our fullbacks are basically playing as midfielders - the system is almost a 2-3-2-2-1 in open play...

                            Krul

              Williamson      Coloccini

Debuchy              Tiote                  Santon

                  Cabaye  Sissoko

Gouffran                                    Remy

                                  Cisse

14 shots, 10 on target that half. Geez. What kind of sorcery is this?

We've been here before, but that was a wonderful half of football.

Cannot complain at all. Tiote/Cabaye looking so much more in control in the middle. Definitely a better Tiote today than I remember in a while.

Remy's absurd. And if Cabaye had hit that FK from 35 yards out...

Lukaku is amazing but we are a train wreck.

We have created nothing and stopped nothing.

Don't even know what the system is but it has managed to fail at everything.

Could have been 5 or 6 easily.

This setup is not working.

They're utterly dominating the midfield with ease. Doing all the moving Pardew seems to always talk about but never achieve.

Final ball has been shocking.

Edit: what the fuck was that in defence? Colo and Krul both atrocious.

We are shit.

Amalfitano and Sessegnon were superb. West Brom more or less dominated the second half - only Nani and Januzaj looked threatening at all for Man Utd, but they were a shadow of what you'd expect, even when van Persie was on the pitch. They have a real problem.

Both Manchesters have issues in central defence - Rio and Nastasic were horrendous and cost their teams goals. They each do look more vulnerable at the back than I can remember in several seasons. Hilarious to watch their supporters now.

BRILLIANT goal from West Brom, and well deserved, my goodness they are battering Man United at Old Trafford.

Rio at fault again as Olsson hits the bar off a corner - every time I turn my attention to MANU/WBA, West Brom are attacking and looking a threat.

Just absolutely did Rio up and down, ran right by him, waited, waited, waited, WAITED, then chipped De gea cool as you like, a truly stunning goal...

AMALIFITANOOOOOOOOOOOOO

(the good one, not ours, wowowowowowow)

Good half a yard offside

Nice finish though, not in any way deserved but still.

Beautiful, classy finish from Bryan Ruiz to equalise for Fulham.

 

Fulham have been a shambles but Ruiz has gotten them out of jail. Should be 0-2 or 0-3 but it's 1-1. Jol will be out soon.

 

They really are shit. Imagine if we'd been dominated at home by Cardiff like this. (It doesn't really require too much imagination)

It doesn't.

Kacaniklic had been HAULED OFF in the 40th minute for Ruiz to show just how abject Fulham were. It was one of the worst 35-40 minute stretches I can remember just in terms of a team clearly not giving a shit.

I don't know if Fulham supporters are capable of incandescent rage but Jol is on borrowed time. Don't know his odds for the chop but he is a strong shout.

Beautiful, classy finish from Bryan Ruiz to equalise for Fulham.

Fulham have been a shambles but Ruiz has gotten them out of jail. Should be 0-2 or 0-3 but it's 1-1. Jol will be out soon.

Absolutely loved Adriano about 7-8 years ago w/ Inter, but he got awfully uncool and unfit real fast. Thought he was going to do it all.

Mancini at Roma, too. Loved him. Stepovers for days.

http://s16.postimg.org/nsniotr85/hull.jpg

That says it all really. Clearly the plan was to target Debuchy in particular (and the combination of HBA/Debuchy as well) and it worked a treat. The bulk of Hull's attack came from their left for a very good reason. Whether the answer is Santon on the right and Dummett on the left, or MYM on the right and Steven Taylor back in the middle - I don't know. But Debuchy needs to have pressure applied to his starting place; he's just not been good enough, no matter his reputation before arriving here.

First half played some nice football and just about deserved the lead despite some ropey defending.

Second half was abysmal yet again. Absolutely no response to Hull whatsoever - completely lost the ability to move the ball quickly, got stuck time and again trying to pass down the flanks, ended up firing a long ball over the head of Cisse or Remy, goal kick. Rinse and repeat.  Cabaye was a non-factor and Sissoko faded, leaving us with no threat in the middle of the park and an off-his-game HBA and a where-has-his-game-gone Cisse up front. Remy faded, too, but was lively at times. Tactically found wanting again, with our first choice 11, mind. That's a worry. Seems as though a counter-attacking 4-3-3 is all we've got, and anything else forces us to revert to Pardew's 4-4-2 that is incompatible with the personnel we had on the pitch.

Krul 6

Debuchy 2

MYM 4

Colo 5

Santon 5

Anita 6

Sissoko 6

Cabaye 5

HBA 4

Remy 8

Cisse 4

HBA was poor today, not just by his standards but by any standards. Was at fault for their first goal, was unable to do much at all on the attacking end.  Our lack of quick movement and passing contributed to him getting caught in bad positions often, but still, he's been so important for us this year, so when he's off, we're off.

Debuchy was also really bad. Made several really poor decisions in the attacking areas and was worse defensively. Here's what Hull passing looked like - notice how much it's weighted down their left side...

http://s16.postimg.org/nsniotr85/hull.jpg

Deserved to lose, did lose. Very disappointing performance.

Wow...no one picked el Mohamady up at all on that set piece, horrendous defending.

Promising style-wise...

291 passes from us in the first half - 274 short, just 17 long

KLOPP SMASH

Lost Agbonlatwat for his missed sitter, but very good other than that. Seems to be settled in the side.

 

Think he let Luna get into a similar position too. He played well today though, I like the way he plays with Ben Arfa.

Debuchy to Ben Arfa has been our most frequently completed pass over the last two matches - 26 different times, more than any other combination. 15 of his 25 passes on Saturday went to HBA.

Unbelievable individual goal from former Manchester City youngster Vladimir Weiss for Olympiakos against PSG. Started on the right, nutmegged the LB, nifty footwork around the CB, slotted it home - worth a watch.

I had a great time in Miami a couple of years back. Great food, had phenomenal nights out, genuinely don't know what's not to like. Don't know if I would want to live there but, a bit like Vegas, for a week or so it is fantastic.

Orlando is OK if you like amusement parks and strip malls and highways. Spent a fair bit of time there and apart from roller coasters, which I love, there weren't a lot of highlights.