Ronaldo

I'm not blaming Mapou for the goal. I just think defending set pieces should primarily be the responsibility of the CBs, especially looking at the rest of the team. If Colo and Mapou can't or won't compete in the air, we've got a bit of a blatant weakness to target and some dogshite teams will exploit it even if we're bossing the game on the ground. One of the reasons I wanted a striker like Carroll here, tbh.

He was, yes. With Mapou on the outskirts of anything approaching a challenge.

Having watched the Villa goal again we certainly can't afford our CB partnership to 'defend' like that too often. My only criticism of the pair of them in the past few games but it's a cause for concern.

I don't. He was great in the air from set pieces but from open play he was totally inferior to Les.

Shearer wasn't great in the air in open play. Les was.

It's garbage, tbh. Trying to dissect Cheick Tiote as a footballer is as pointless as offering an objective critique of Gary Glitter's sexual performance.

He can't retain the ball under pressure. It's nothing to do with Pardew or Essien or anything but Tiote being a pretty poor footballer.

Much better than Shearer in the air, not even fit for comparison. Hell of a striker.

, . Bellamy and Kluivert again? Grow up, man.

Forgotten how long Ashley's owned the club, like.

With the right personnel 4-4-2's a very solid attacking formation, especially at home. The end of conventional wingers and lack of out and out strikers has killed it, to an extent.

He was mostly decent in the Championship 4 years back so I'd say League One would be a good fit now.

I like him too, a lot actually. Nice guy it seems, and gives a 100%. But i do not think he is among our 11 best players at the moment. Agreed 100%. He also has his uses. He's great at retaining the ball and relieving the pressure on the defense. That doesn't put him ahead of most of our wide players but he has his talents and certainly isn't the abomination people make him out to be. Of course not. Slow, can't pass, shoot or cross. Not an abomination at all.

And quite silly, tbh.

All the hitting's out of my system for today.

Did he? I thought he went off virtually straightaway.

More than Demba Ba too, then.

Ronaldo, you are the anchor that gives my spirit license to soar. I know, dude.

It took an injury to Jonas fucking Gutierrez for him to play a team even Skirge would call the most sensible option. No way back for him with me. He's utterly useless at his job. And a cunt.

Course he does. That's why he cheated on the mother of his kids with a celebrity slag.

Did they ever go away?

Honestly, I don't know mate. I think his finishing is inferior to Cisse's, anyway.

8 goals combined in the 2 seasons before that mind.

14 in 34 the season before that. So not quite 1 in 2.