Lotus

Well, yesterday says different. He started and was fine for the 1st half.

He was pretty decent 1st half. Then his legs went. No need for the vitriol imo. He should have been subbed when he tired. He wasn't. Not his fault. His age has caught up with him and he can only go for so long.

Very much agree. We do play some decent football at times. It's really a marked improvement how we move the ball up the pitch. It's done with intelligence and purpose. Our efforts are very much hurt by not really presenting a danger in the box. npw..

Shows how bad Pardew's perception of the situation was. He basically read it as the exact opposite.

Really? Didn't know that. Wonder if it's genuine interest or the usual media b0ll0x.

How about Ante Coric? Young Croatian 10. Looks a good prospect.

We'll be better organised, of that i'm sure. Worry about our goal scoring ability as ever. Would be nice if a forward had a good game!

Only watched the highlights but massively encouraged by how we used the ball to work towards shooting opportunities. Such a difference.

We were a decent striker away from a point. Not a top four type striker or even a top 6 type. Just a decent one. The fact Ashley won't allow it will cost us in games like this. On the whole i thought we controlled the ball pretty well.

Something he got right then.

Him and Beye were Allardyce siginings weren't they?

I would think we have the personnel for a midfield 3. Shelvey......Hayden......Merino Hayden sits, if Shelvey pushes up Merino can drop back and vise versa.

What a client base :lol:

So, he was good except knowing what to do and when. Wonder why the rest of the footballing world didn't batter down the 26 year old's door down when he was available on a free....

He had more than muscle. He was just error-prone. He could be the best and worst CB you'd ever see, I don't think it was down to being thick really. Maybe a lack of confidence/certainty in what he was doing. He was long, long, long way from the best CB i've ever seen. I mean, so far away it makes it embarrassing.

How anyone can have a hard on for Bramble i'll never know. What use is a bit of muscle when you're as dense as he was. I wanted him to do well but he clearly didn't have thimbles worth of the composure and awareness needed to make the right decisions when it mattered. The fact he went to Wigan and Sunderland afterwards speaks volumes.

Thought he always looked an extremely tidy player whenever i've seen him. Not the fastest but surely worthy competition to Shelvey. Really surprised we're not bidding too.

Are the goals wider?

Goal against Ipswich. When every one of our players touched the ball from the kick off and then we scored.

NE5 from here (if any of you remember him) used to call Benitez a fat spanish waiter and said he wouldn't have wanted him anywhere near the club.

Yeah we looked much better as a team with him on. I just don't think Rafa will want to be carrying too many strikers in the squad next season who can't guarantee goals. I wouldn't argue that.

He'd have looked even better if some of his team mates were making the moves he was seeing.

Contributed to overall play far more than Murphy though.

Someone fingered the thumb?

Being 3-1 up at home against 10 men is always going to be pretty easy like We did try to even it up with Colback on the pitch mind. I dunno, he brings out the best in Shelvey, like.