Gallowgate Toon

Fires the crowd up and puts his own team under pressure. Absolute idiot.

Fucking moron.

Good to see the lads expressing themselves. Some really nice play going on.

Every time.

Gouffran's not that much off Ben Arfa's current quality, to be fair. Far less talented when on the ball, granted, but that's only a small component of what actually makes a player. He's still managed to produce impressive contributions considering he's being played in a totally alien position, which is ironic as HBA is let off the hook if he's not played on the right of a front 3. They offer completely different qualities but that shouldn't be misconstrued and I can understand why people might prefer what Gouffran brings to the side more than Ben Arfa, even if it's not something I personally agree with. Yep. HBA and Remy either side one of LDJ/Gouffran/Cisse. The midfield's uninspiring but there should be just enough quality in the front 3 to see us through to the end of the season. As we don't have an awful lot to play for, it'd be nice to experiment a bit for next year, I think HBA as a central winger (behind a lone striker) could be something that works if Remy and Gouff were the wide men, they'd tuck in when HBA roams wide. Plus, if Sissoko actually ever gets used as a box-to-box midfielder then he could fill the AM gap when HBA moves wide and we could then try and overload teams on the flanks more.

1-2. Remy double.

Watched some 11/12 footage before and seeing how well he was playing then is pretty damn sad. He was in great physical and mental shape with a lovely balance to his game. Worked his bollocks off and used to move the ball more intelligently too, I'm not sure if it's because the team played at a higher tempo then but he kept the momentum of attacks going by playing a lot of quick 1-2s, something we've rarely seen since the start of 12/13.

He was poor in the first half, like. Dodgy touch a few times and missed some simple passes, it's not like it was a positional thing as he is a DM by trade. He's much better going forward than Tiote though so he should always have been the one pushing on between the two.

I'd sign him up and would make it a priority to get a winger and a playmaker in. He's a good footballer with a solid touch, good movement and seemingly possesses a footballing brain. On top of that, he's also a flexible striker in that he could partner one of Remy, Gouffran or Cisse as well as playing as a lone front man. If we actually invested in a proper winger - or two - and a playmaker, I think he could be a really useful asset that would score goals and contribute a lot in general play.

Yeah, this was really baffling.

His first touch when the ball's coming in at difficult heights is usually excellent, it's the simple stuff he sometimes struggles with. I thought he did an admirable job and looked like a competent footballer again, just a shame he wasn't given a run in the middle when it was the obvious choice.

Once? 11? Muy bueno.

Once?

He does have end product though, he's got 5 or 6 assists this year. Said it before and I'll say it again, good player that's just a bit erratic. He did some good stuff today and some poor, which is OK considering he was out wide a fair bit. I think he just needs to be a little more disciplined in his running as he seems to be knackered a lot.

He was good apart from the miss, even though he was inexplicably put out wide. Seems to have a bit of hunger back in him.

Think if Pardew had done the right thing and played MYM instead of Taylor then Colo wouldn't be walking straight back in. I just don't understand what's happened with MYM, he played well in Colo's last absence and that incredible clearance against Spurs showed more heart for the cause than Steven bloody Taylor ever has.

Smashing goal from Quaresma, didn't realise he'd gone back to Porto.

I find Barça a little boring. They're technically fantastic but I simply prefer footballing teams that play good stuff but are a little quicker and more adventurous, like Dortmund.

Some people never learn.

We'll be OK, I think we'll find some form over the next few games and finish 8th. It just means absolutely bot all at the end of the day.

There's definitely something wrong with him mentally. He put in a great half vs. Fulham and excellent performance in away to Villa, made some comments about the Ballon d'Or and then put in an incredibly poor performance against Hull. That wasn't just a bad showing either, he was really weird, it seemed like he wasn't focused and was happy to let things pass him by. Perhaps he just can't handle pressure. I could see the justification in him not starting whilst we were in really good form but the time to bring him back in has been around for a few weeks. His lack of physical shape is just an indictment of the current state of the club, not really an awful lot to be professional for.

I'm not sure I'm 'broken' but I'm pretty empty about it all. I was angry after yesterday's s*** heap but far less than I would've been, even 4 weeks ago, the care is seeping out of me. Don't get me wrong, I've really enjoyed some games this season (in that good streak) but it just looks so bleak. The club's lack of ambition is appalling, there's no footballing project, the manager is bang average and the players are somewhat talented but, ultimately, gutless. They are an extension of the board, I don't think we have any 'bad' characters but we don't any really good ones (Cisse and Anita were the only players I actually saw trying to gee the team up after conceding, last night). It's not a foreigners thing either, it's just we don't sign footballers that respect us, just people with some talent who are looking to show their qualities so they can go to a bigger stage, there's little genuine care for us. Not that they should while we continue to model ourselves as some West Brom-esque club without any footballing ambition or plan. We'll always be this vacuous space of a club while we operate this way and it's just not something I feel like I can properly get behind. We're a business now, not a football club, the actual football is secondary and that makes being a fan a pointless experience.

I actually think he and Cisse could be quite a decent pairing. Not as good as with one of Remy or Gouffran but still decent, it would just be massively dependent on midfield service though. I do feel sorry for de Jong, he's obviously got quality as a footballer but he's having to adapt to a new league in a woefully uncreative side that has extremely limited wide service.

At least he actually tried, unlike a few others. Did some good stuff and some bad. No confidence.

Pardew said we'd finally found a way to cope without Colo, in November, with MYM and Williamson. Next time Colo's injured he doesn't play them