Memphis

Whether you like the man or not, this situation is a rather extraordinary - and largely unfair - test of man management.

If we go through a January window having lost our top scorer and our (until recently) excellent CB and club captain, that's about as bad as it gets. Especially given the circumstances of each. Normally losing a player of Demba's quality would net you more than 7.5m. Normally your club captain wouldn't suddenly decide he has to go to South America. We are not normal. I can only hope the French connection in the dressing room is very strong indeed. Hope Yanga-Mbiwa or Sakho is on the way along with Remy, M'vila, whoever else. Otherwise we are really, seriously le fucked.

Some of the French journos on Twitter are mentioning that Montpellier's president is inviting offers for Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa. Should really be in for him if so...

Gutless selection. Gutless play. What's the point?

Are we so thick as to not be able to make a last-minute change and let Cisse play through the middle? Fucking come on. Get Shola off, put Cisse up top, move Marveaux or Anita out right, bring Bigi on. We need serious help.

Really let himself and an injury-depleted side down in extraordinary fashion today. Looks less than a fraction of a shadow of the player he was a year or so ago.

It's matches like this where Tiote's strange decline as a footballer is so obvious and so painful.

Krul 4 Simpson 1 Colo 5 Perch 3 Santon 1 Tiote 2 Bigi 6 Obertan 6 Cisse 4 Marveaux 7 Ba 8 Passed it well, attacked nicely, especially given the personnel on the pitch. But fucking Messi/Ronaldo/Maradona/Pele/Zidane couldn't score enough goals to cover our back 4.

Just an incredibly deflating match and week. Two mostly encouraging, bright, excellent attacking performances with key players missing UTTERLY CRUSHED by amateur hour defending. It took a lot of balls to keep coming back again and again against Arsenal only to be let down by horrendous mistakes. We can only hope heads don't drop too much after a scoreline like that.

Atrocious "match". But that was an absolutely crucial three points. QPR are so so so so so bad it's almost unimaginable. Watching us is certainly a chore, as others have pointed out. You do it out of duty rather than excitement. You grit your teeth and try to get through it hoping that something better will eventually come. A midfield of Tiote/Perch/Anita cannot possibly create any chances for strikers. And so it turned out. Santon was probably the best hope for a decent ball. Obviously Ba and Cisse don't work together well in the best of times but without any service they were destined to starve. Cisse's clearly had enough of whatever shit is going on - uncreative midfield, played out of position, Ba, whatever - and I can't blame him too much. I actually agreed with the subs - if we're going to play stark, barebones, uninspiring football, then Sholer is the man for that job. So it turned out. Marv and Obertan were decent as well. Marv has to play if HBA and Cabaye are not in the side. Literally no one else has an ounce of creativity. Just hope January brings some much-needed reinforcement. Help is needed pretty much everywhere.

Don't know which I hate more - watching Williamson lumber around like a beast of burden or hearing SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTT every time we are within 40 yards of goal.

Pardew looked mental and desperate on the touchline. He knows full well how shit this performance is and who's going to take the blame. Suspect we'll hear about injuries but that's not the issue today.

Pitiful effort today. Team looks knackered completely. They're tired and jaded and so is the majority of the fanbase. This is the most dispiriting performance for me in some time. Even with the injuries an issue, the tactical approach and execution should have been miles better.

Looked in to me.

And Kompany's form has been a little spotty this season. Did you see his poor decision-making which led to Milner's red card against West Brom on Saturday? He hasn't seemed to be himself this year - and Man City have yet to keep a clean sheet in either the league or the CL.

Should every club with commercial associations with businesses of questionable morality be ashamed? Or publicly shamed? Honest question, I am torn on it myself. But there are few companies who are without blemish, even if most aren't as repellent as Wonga.

I heard a rumour that Pardew is trying to convince Wonga to change their APR from 4214% to 442%, especially for domestic loans.

Maybe now we'll stop playing so many Wong balls.

Gael Bigirefinance?

Getting bummed in the Wonga right now.

http://www.inquisitr.com/wp-content/2012/02/panic-buttons.jpg

Doesn't look as if a single one of our players is up for this at all. Formations/players/whatever - none of it matters when Man Utd are playing with so much more pace and intensity right now. Mentally we are atrocious right now.

Cannot even get the ball. If we resort to longball at this point, we are going to get humped.

Pardew's a good manager, players seem to like working under him, gets on with Ashley and Llambias, don't really see the problem here. God knows this club needs some stability. Rather it be too long than not long enough (/that's what she said). Happy with it.

Everton look a lot like we did last season. Good group of settled players, full of confidence, good system, passing and keeping it for fun.