Memphis

Pavlyuchenko misses an easy chance. Poor, poor, poor.

Malbranque missed a sitter for the shit. Should have been 1-0 up.

Yakubu just had a golden opportunity blocked off the line by Ridgewell. Everton just cannot score.

(barring that free kick of course - it was plush)

If someone's first taste of football was this Wigan/Wolves match, they'd never watch again.

Did it bother "Nature Boy" Ric Flair when he cheated to win his world championships? Of course not. http://www.gifsoup.com/view/155630/ric-flair-woooooo-o.gif (in all seriousness, I would be a bit troubled but ultimately doubt that it would prevent me from being orgasmic over the cup win)

He wouldn't, but you and I both know he's the Osman to Hughton's Moyes, so...

I can only hope that he's going to put Jonas in for Routledge. Maybe something like: Krul (shudder) Williamson Colo Enrique Tiote Jonas Barton Ben Arfa Nolan Carroll Need ball retention here. Gotta grind out a result if we're going to get one.

Those quotes really do smack of a manager digging his heels in against better judgment. Stubbornness has been the undoing of many managers at many different levels, and so it could prove here. I do like Hughton a lot but if he's unable to see that Ben Arfa is much more than an out-and-out left winger and that Nolan's effectiveness last year was elevated by his competition, then he will not be a success. My hope at this point is that it's merely a case of temporary blindness rather than a permanent thought process. Unfortunately, Nolan's continued failure is the only way to disavow Hughton of his notion that Nolan's the fulcrum of the team (apart from injury, I suppose).

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/8420810.Hughton_says_he_will_stick_with__key__man_Nolan/ Hard to argue against Nolan's undue influence after reading something like that.

Love the demeanor, love how he represents the club. Love him 6 days a week. But match day...he's still not convincing.

Tries very hard but isn't very good. Not his fault he's playing. He shouldn't be. Often appears to be making important plays because his positioning is so bad he puts himself in dangerous situations far too much. Time for anyone else.

I don't think it was so much that Ben Arfa was particularly good (he was merely OK), but his substitution signaled the tactical naivete of Hughton - seeing Ben Arfa's flair as a weakness against Stoke rather than a strength. And that's why I'm still a bit worried about Huhgton on match day, although I love the man the rest of the week.

I like Hughton a lot but he certainly bottled it here. We let Stoke take the initiative and never tried anything to wrest control back. The players also seemed to get lulled into a false sense of security, then completely collapsed mentally. I think we've still got a lot of learning to do at this level.

Disappointing on all counts. Mentally weak. That's the issue at the moment. Didn't respond when they got stuck in.

Don't know how we're going to control the midfield now. Tiote was immense.

Shola for Tiote???? Big risk here.

Impossible to predict an outcome now. Could go either way.

Can't say they didn't deserve it. We've collapsed. Mental strength needed now.

Enrique's Tioted Fuller's shoulder...

Big test now.

Our intensity level has dropped in a big way. Everyone seems to have floated out of the game. And it was a terrible touch from Perch that set that whole sequence up.

WHAT A MISS!!!!!!!!!

We're starting to get a little disjointed with our passing. Stoke pressing more.