KaKa

Owen has been missing chances much easier than the ones we have had today and when he isn't missing them he is invisible. Why all the clamour for Owen? No thanks. Not till about 10 mins left maybe. The two upfront have run Arsenal's defence ragged today let's give them more than a half to build on it please. At least we look threatening today. Had we played this pairing against Hull I doubt we would have looked so impotent. Martins taking the penalty has been the only big mistake. He clearly lacked the confidence to do so. Should have been Nolan.

Looked like hamstring. Nah. He was holding his groin dude.

Taylor is finally growing up. What a player he has been of late.

Nolan has made a huge difference. Martins and Loven have been a brilliant pairing. If only Nolan had taken the penalty.

What a save from Given!

Actually, he's been a success when he's played. He's just not played anywhere near enough. But hey, his fault, he got those injuries on purpose so he could go and tend to his horses. Can someone please tell me who out there gets injuries on purpose? No one does. Dyer didn't but was labelled a crock. Owen has been a major crock and has cost us a ton more money than Dyer ever did. Even Owen has himself admitted that he didn't help himself by rushing off to play for England when he wasn't 100%. He is more at fault than most actually. It's been a disaster.

Nomvete georgeous penalty!

Do you not think he already has adapted? He seems to still have the ability to pop up in the right spots, although he can't score the 20 yard run and shots anymore. Problem is we don't see it very much because he plays so little. Up front he hasn't adapted his game. Still someone who poses the threat of scoring goals, but on average delivers absolutely nothing to the team and will miss the odd chance that drops to his feet. Pretty much the type of striker who could get a team relegated, not through any direct fault of his own, but because a team that isn't equipped to supply him is a team that is playing with 10 men every time he fails to score. Even Ameobi, one of the worst strikers in the league, is quite possibly a better option in the team next to Martins if Owen doesn't suddenly start tucking them away. His spell in midfield is where he did adapt his game. Keegan knew what he was doing when he effectively removed Owen from the frontline - given his lack of clear pace, Owen was far more dangerous running into the box off the ball unmarked. Unfortunately, for obvious reasons, we weren't ever going to see him play in that role this season. Excellent post. Ironic that the final insult of this whole Michael Owen saga is that he will probably help cost us premiership survival by being a must start even though he is so ineffective in this team. It's the sad truth. Yeah, get Shola in there asap. Loven and Oba upfront thanks.

Do you not think he already has adapted? He seems to still have the ability to pop up in the right spots, although he can't score the 20 yard run and shots anymore. Problem is we don't see it very much because he plays so little. Up front he hasn't adapted his game. Still someone who poses the threat of scoring goals, but on average delivers absolutely nothing to the team and will miss the odd chance that drops to his feet. Pretty much the type of striker who could get a team relegated, not through any direct fault of his own, but because a team that isn't equipped to supply him is a team that is playing with 10 men every time he fails to score. Even Ameobi, one of the worst strikers in the league, is quite possibly a better option in the team next to Martins if Owen doesn't suddenly start tucking them away. His spell in midfield is where he did adapt his game. Keegan knew what he was doing when he effectively removed Owen from the frontline - given his lack of clear pace, Owen was far more dangerous running into the box off the ball unmarked. Unfortunately, for obvious reasons, we weren't ever going to see him play in that role this season. Excellent post. Ironic that the final insult of this whole Michael Owen saga is that he will probably help cost us premiership survival by being a must start even though he is so ineffective in this team. It's the sad truth.

So he finally admits he shouldn't have gone to that world cup. Loads of us on here said it at the time and knew it was a bad move that we felt would cost us and it did. He has been paying for it ever since. An injury doesn't have to be your fault for you to be injury prone Michael. You are injury prone. You have been your whole career only now it has become almost comical. So fed up of this guy it's untrue.

Ah right, because sliding across to tap in a ball that was already half a foot away from going in over the line anyway demonstrates this. Not saying he's not a good player, just that that goal isn't exactly a shining example of Bent being a great goalscorer. Seems to work just fine for Owen.

Don't be absurd. Have you forgotten how bad their midfield was at the start of the season when this Jenas was in midfield? Mostly down to Palacios and Lennon's form. nothing to do with Jenas. Sorry.

Milner playing the position he will end up playing in his future. Right back. Gabby on the right now with Carew and Heskey up top and Young on the left. Could be interesting this last half hour. Villa could get back into this.

He's barely featured at CB. He's a victim of the strange thing MON has about full backs. NRC has looked very good there, I think In fact, i think we've played very well today, bar their goal, other than our inability to put the ball in the net. Right back might just be Reo-Coker's best position. His lesser qualities on the ball are not as glaring but his strengths i.e. his strength, tackling, work rate and pace really shine. Come again? You don't think Reo-Coker has pace? Come on man! 'Bent does Reo Coker for pace' What pace does Reo Coker have? I don't see it. Wow ... okay. If you don't see it then I guess you don't see it.

Phase 1 - Phase 2 = Phase -1. So that's a negative, so no.

He's barely featured at CB. He's a victim of the strange thing MON has about full backs. NRC has looked very good there, I think In fact, i think we've played very well today, bar their goal, other than our inability to put the ball in the net. Right back might just be Reo-Coker's best position. His lesser qualities on the ball are not as glaring but his strengths i.e. his strength, tackling, work rate and pace really shine. Come again? You don't think Reo-Coker has pace? Come on man!

Darren Bent scores goals. Period.

No one and I mean no one in the universe on the whole has more crosses and shots blocked than Milner. Its a phenomenon.

He's barely featured at CB. He's a victim of the strange thing MON has about full backs. NRC has looked very good there, I think In fact, i think we've played very well today, bar their goal, other than our inability to put the ball in the net. Right back might just be Reo-Coker's best position. His lesser qualities on the ball are not as glaring but his strengths i.e. his strength, tackling, work rate and pace really shine.

I think we've played pretty well today, we just can't score. We played very well against Stoke but turned off in the last few minutes. The mistake for us was not buying a more prolific striker in January. Agbonlahor is woefully out of sorts, but there is no alternative. We'll finish fifth, we just don't have the goals in us to finish fourth, I worry. We've also missed Martin Laursen. Drop Milner. Move Gabby to the right for a few games with Heskey and Carew upfront and Young on the left and you would be back scoring goals in no time.

Been impressed with Cuellar today. Haven't seen him play centrally before, but seems to read a lot of dangerous situations very early and has been clearing the ball all game. Reo-Coker has been really good at right back also. Can we officially declare that Modric is not that great? People talk about no end product from Jonas? Bleeding heck Modric is almost as bad but cost an arm and a leg. Never seems to get the final ball or shot quite right Modric.

O'Brien was 10 million? What's that got to do with it? You could say has Coloccini had 8 years in the Premiership? S'funny isn't it... we'd say that Coloccini, Bassong, probably Taylor aswell - are all better than Andy O'Brien, Andy Griffin or Aaron Hughes. Rightfully... yet it's the latter that has actually appeared in the last 16 of, what is essentially, the world elite competition. People bitch and moan about our squad constantly, and whilst i agree it's hardly brilliant... what a good manager could do with it beggars belief. To be fair, how good would Coloccini & Bassong look if they had the likes of Robert, Solano, Speed, Dyer, even Jenas in front of them instead of Duff, Smith, Geremi & Butt? People always underestimate the midfield's role in a good defence unfortunately. "People always..." You've no idea how condescending/patronising you are at times Kaka. I'm fully aware, actually. Cheers. Didn't mean to come across that way at all. Wrong choice of words. Wasn't directed at you personally. Just meant that a lot of times the midfield isn't taken into account when iit comes to a defence's performance. Alright, sorry. No worries.

Not only was Owen not fit but he was playing rubbish leading up to his injury, so I really don't know what the hell the motivation to put him back in was. I remember predicting that Owen would return just in time to hamper us further by being thrown straight into the team though being undeserving of it. Same bollox every time.

O'Brien was 10 million? What's that got to do with it? You could say has Coloccini had 8 years in the Premiership? S'funny isn't it... we'd say that Coloccini, Bassong, probably Taylor aswell - are all better than Andy O'Brien, Andy Griffin or Aaron Hughes. Rightfully... yet it's the latter that has actually appeared in the last 16 of, what is essentially, the world elite competition. People bitch and moan about our squad constantly, and whilst i agree it's hardly brilliant... what a good manager could do with it beggars belief. To be fair, how good would Coloccini & Bassong look if they had the likes of Robert, Solano, Speed, Dyer, even Jenas in front of them instead of Duff, Smith, Geremi & Butt? People always underestimate the midfield's role in a good defence unfortunately. "People always..." You've no idea how condescending/patronising you are at times Kaka. I'm fully aware, actually. Cheers. Didn't mean to come across that way at all. Wrong choice of words. Wasn't directed at you personally. Just meant that a lot of times the midfield isn't taken into account when iit comes to a defence's performance.

Not the best midfielder in the world, but if someone offered him back to Newcastle for £5-6m in the summer I'd have him back in a flash. Well you'd better have some really top players surrounding him because he does nothing else.