Nobody

Still a dangerous team, underestimate them at your peril in a game like this. Their recent form disagrees that they are a dangerous team. Obviously both form and quality is far less important in a derby, but we really should beat this lot.

Great selection Pards Hatem and Shola on the bench as well, the mackems should be fucking bricking it.

Christ man, compare the amount of quality in our teams Really, the only position they are even close is the keeper.

8 goals in 30 Premiership games this season, 13 in 41 overall. Is that enough for you from a lone forward? How many of those were as the lone forward? probably like 10 How many of those were as a right winger? Probably like 5 How many of those were as a forward, be it a lone forward or as part of a front 2? Probably like 25 8 goals in 30 is not enough, whatever way you look at it, for your only striker in a 4-3-3 in a team aiming for European qualification. I find it funny that the people who are most critical of Pardew are the ones who are most forgiving when it comes to Cisse's underachievement this season, considering the fact that if Cisse had anywhere near the same chance conversion rate as last season, we would be comfortably sitting in the top half of the table. On your last point, the reason you should be critical against Pardew is because you have to be a pretty rubbish manager to not get a player like Cisse to score. Loads of us were saying in the first half of the season that we should be playing to his strengths, which was pretty much the opposite of what we did. We have started doing it a bit since Ba left and to no one's surprise both us and Cisse have improved. We have improved lately, but that's probably as much to do with our January signings hitting the ground running as it is with Cisse playing up top on his own. Of course Cisse has also improved as we have started playing to his strengths as you say. I'm not denying any of that; on the contrary, I have praised him in recent weeks for getting us the goals that win games. What I am doing is expressing a (valid in my humble opinion) concern whether it is enough. If you play a 433 and your sole forward has a 1 in 2 goalscoring rate (and that's being very generous as his goalscoring rate for the entire season stands at 1 in 3.8) based on a below average conversion rate, and then you combine that with there not being that many goals in other areas of the team (especially with HBA injured), then you'll be lucky to score a goal on average per game, which will see you draw or lose more often than not. The 433 may suit Cisse down to the ground, and indeed a number of our other players, but I'm worried about the number of goals we score in that system with Cisse (in this season's form) as the focal point. In there is the key point that what matters is the team winning games, not how many goals Cisse is scoring. Many seem to be saying that the way to improve is simply to get the rest of the team to make more chances for Cisse. A striker in his position should also be taking part in the creation of chances, and we may be able to land a striker who offers a better overall package. For most part of this season we have lacked a link between striker and midfielders. How deep do you want him to fall? For me Cisse's lack of goals have been more down to the manager than him or his teammates. Like Tooj has consistently said, we are terrbile in the transitional phase, both offensively and defensively and Cisse needs to fall down the whole time to help out. Until Sissoko arrived we didn't have a link between midfield and strikers as Cabaye was playing to deep and Tiote is a headless chicken. Asking for a better striker will cost us £15-20m something I'd rather we put into a good left winger who will create something himself a la Benny and Marv. As well as CB if Colo goes. Outside the top 6 there aren't many strikers who are better than Cisse. Even in the "top six", who would you have over Cissé other than RVP/Rooney and Suarez? Arguably Aguero, but I would have Papiss over Ba, Defoe/Adebayor, Giroud, Dzeko and Jelavic any day of the week.

God I hope Taylor is fit, as well as Pards starting the Gouff and Marveaux over Jonas.

8 goals in 30 Premiership games this season, 13 in 41 overall. Is that enough for you from a lone forward? How many of those were as the lone forward? probably like 10 How many of those were as a right winger? Probably like 5 How many of those were as a forward, be it a lone forward or as part of a front 2? Probably like 25 8 goals in 30 is not enough, whatever way you look at it, for your only striker in a 4-3-3 in a team aiming for European qualification. I find it funny that the people who are most critical of Pardew are the ones who are most forgiving when it comes to Cisse's underachievement this season, considering the fact that if Cisse had anywhere near the same chance conversion rate as last season, we would be comfortably sitting in the top half of the table. On your last point, the reason you should be critical against Pardew is because you have to be a pretty rubbish manager to not get a player like Cisse to score. Loads of us were saying in the first half of the season that we should be playing to his strengths, which was pretty much the opposite of what we did. We have started doing it a bit since Ba left and to no one's surprise both us and Cisse have improved.

I genuinely can't believe some of the posts in thread

Simple, I like it.

NSIS I'd have said Cabaye but while he disappeared over both legs Cisse turned up. Cabaye would look the bees knees if he played for a club like Man U tbh. Cissé would get a ridiculous amount of goals for any good attacking team like.

I can't imagine many things being more dull than watching someone play CM Gutted that we're out, but still so very proud of this team and the fans. Huge respect to Benfica and their fans for being pure class from the moment we were drawn together to now, well after the games have been played

So, looks like Krul Debuchy Taylor* Yanga-Mbiwa Haidara Cabaye Tiote Marveaux Sissoko Gouffran Cissé Elliot, Williamson, Perch, Anita, Ben Arfa, Jonas, Ameobi Only questions really are whether Taylor is fit and if he shoe-horns Jonas in there somewhere. Any chance of R.Taylor being fit for bench duty? Would love to have as many mackem-destroyers on the bench as possible tbh Still, there's so much quality in that starting XI, as well as game changers on the bench, that I really can't see anything but a home win.

Please, please, please let it be Barcelona v Dortmund in the final. Please.

Swedish commentator yesterday compared his cameo yesterday to Messis' for Barcelona against PSG, and it was a fair comparison as well IMO

Poor by his standards, still kept the ball most of the time and kept things going. Worked his bollocks off.

Fuck that, I want him on the ball all the time

I sure as fuck did. Marveaux for Ben Arfa, going after what he said on French tv after the game tonight he's nowhere near fit enough for 90 minutes.

Which of the offsides were stupid/downright incompetent tonight? Not one, is the answer.

If he's not offside for that first goal, he doesn't get a foot on it. He simply doesn't have time to get back on, and as soon as the ball is played, he goes for it. Just like he should.

Krul Debuchy Taylor Yanga-Mbiwa Haidara Cabaye Tiote Marveaux Sissoko Jonas Cissé Don't think Hatem is ready to start yet. The mackems will be shitting themselves if we've got him and Shola warming up when we are 3-0 up

Not sure considering how long he's been out. Marveaux definitely should have though.

Oh btw, the fans tonight Must've been absolutely rocking when we went 1-0 up.

Hope you stick around, want to congratulate you on beating Chelsea

Don't like him (or anyone) moaning at the refs, but apart from that, he is just fucking outstanding.

I don't agree whatsoever. The first real good team we played and we went out. No discredit either. I think he's done well, but he hasn't overachieved in my opinion at least. Don't like his approach to football but he's a likeable guy and I'll give him that. Anzhi are definitely a good team like. Not as good as Benfica, but we did well to get past them.

Was that three nutmegs in the build up to our goal? Be afraid mackems, be very afraid.