Mattoon

Especially when the logic doesn't make sense. Obertan was brought on over HBA to help protect the left side and it actually ended up weakening us. In that instance, there was literally no excuse for not bringing on Ben Arfa. there was like, personally I'd have brought colo on and tried to push the full backs on 10yds or so especially as they caught santon loads with the ball played inside him. really can't see any reason FOR bringing ben arfa on last weekend. When you have a team pushing forwards and leaving lots of space to exploit behind, I would think a player like ben Arfa would certainly be worth considering as part of the mix. they didn't really leave a load of space for a ben arfa type player to exploit, that would call for movement and someone to work along the line or at least someone to work off the ball. not ben arfas strong points If a team is pressing forward for an equaliser there is always space behind to exploit. Why would you need someone to work along the line to do that? You just put someone with some pace and ability to run at a stretched back four and an eye for goal. Get one of the other 11 to cover the lines. because if you just keep lobbing the ball over in the hope that that player will get to it first it will more often than not come straight back at you, far better try and play it for possession and in that scenario ben arfa isn't what you need. Why do you need to lob it in the first place? I can remember when we last finished in a CL place one of our best outlets was Solano who used to pick the ball up from deep defensive positions then thread the ball through to Dyer who broke forward at pace in loads of space to exploit against the opposition who were pressing forward. dyers (and solanos) movement was far superior to ben arfas, more of it and much more intelligent. ball at their feet, good as they were ben afa would murder them but doing the basics to get the ball in that situation I just don't think he'd be good enough at it. oh aye, and usually that was when we were chasing the game rather than the oppo chasing the game. at that time I was quite happy going in to the last 15 level or trailing by one as we had the legs to do anyone, as a team we don't now. The reason I mentioned Solano is because without someone who could keep his head and play the ball out from defensive positions, Dyer would have looked pretty much a passenger as well. That's where the problem lies, we don't do that strategically, because as has been mentioned by mrmojorisin, we aren't coached that way. Our set up is still most effective when we hit the ball long from the back, and in that scenario HBA isn't going to look good, and you can understand why Pardew prefers Obertan. i fear you are massively over simplifying things, we had a team who were comfortable on the ball and had numerous "get outs", as much as I like cabaye,anita and tiote has recovered some form, neither are what you'd call an escape ball which means the escapee has to do more than what ben arfa gives off the ball. also as I've said dyer gave himself better options to be passed to because of his pace and movement, ben arfa doesn't come alive UNTIL he has the ball which is too late in this situation. got to totally disagree with the idea that we are most effective when hitting long balls from the back, we've been at our best this season when dominating games and then being organised when out of possession. HBA has got his faults which I've brought up myself, namely holds the ball too long and doesn't track back very enthusiastically, but I wouldn't put lack of movement off the ball down as a weakness. He's one of the few who regularly shows for the ball, the problem is he doesn't give it back once he's got it. But on the break against a team pressing up the pitch I haven't noticed him being any less keen to get behind the defence than Obertan. I'm sure he'd far prefer to run at tiring defences when the games opened up than go up against two defenders as is usually the case when he starts. I don't think Ben Arfa holding onto the ball too long can entirely be blamed on him, if anything its the lack off movement off the ball from other players which often prevents him from releasing it. Put him back on the right and give him Remy or Gouffran to feed into in the centre and I think you'd see a different game from him. That is presuming he isn't told to keep the ball and show us a bit of "magic"

Absolute drivel again, where has anyone said we should be controlling these games or that we shouldn't be soaking up pressure?? I have no problem in us being dominated at times by better, more experienced, more expensive teams. However that shouldn't rattle us to the extent it does, we should be doing more when we do break down an attack and regain posession rather than it going sideways/backwards or just plain losing it because we have no movement or options. That said, yes we rolled the dice and rode our luck at times but we got a smash and grab and I'm happy with that. There's still a lot of work to for us to move forward, a couple of good results does mask the fact that Pardew isn't the long term answer.

Right you fat fuck, we're on a high after two good results, everything's calm, it's international break time, your move dipshit!

Hopefully the time out will have him coming in guns blazing against Norwich after the break, something to prove here. Think he needs his chance again now.

One salient piece of information missing there, Remy IS available for transfer, Chelski have absolutely no desire to let Lukaku go other than on loan. After the whole "cutting the wage bill" quotes on S***** D***** news it worries me that his wages will be our only stumbling block, Ashley doesn't like the going rate. Still he'd be perfect for us so hoping we hold on to this one!

Pretty accurate depiction of the game tbf. We rode our luck and made the "magic" happen. Think we should go in for Harry Potter in January.

Now the dust has settled on this one, I think we were all pissed off with the starting line up and what appeared to be a defeatist attitude towards the game, Pardew even came out and declared our tactic for the game! Kudos though, he did what he set up to do and we won, I don't think anyone on here would have predicted the outcome, even after half an hour. BUT, this is meat and drink Pardew, it worked this time, it always seems to work against Chelski, my problem is a lack of plan B and reactive substitutes/tactics rather than proactive. Had we conceeded first I couldn't say I'd be any way confident that a similar result would have been possible. I'll take the win and well done Pardew, however it's probably just another peak in our usual "mixed bag" season. Here's to Pardew proving me wrong, but not holding my breath.

You should be politician or an arse licking snake. You decide. Not to detract from the fact that we're in agreement that the football is much better, disregarding the accurate stats from last year.

Not sure if its ok to laugh at that On the stats argument (again) I, amongst many others, said at the time I could see with my own eyes that the "football" on display was a load of horseshit. The long ball stats just reinforced what I was seeing with my own eyes. It wasn't used as a crux of an argument or taken as gospel as stats are contextual and don't tell us much concrete, unlike my eyes. Hence the reason I don't take any stats as written fact, because... My eyes tell me all I need to know. That analysis was supplied by my eyes.

7-1!

It's a curious insight into mentality, if you didn't already know that.

The only thing which might have been agreed about was that we were probably the biggest offender, I doubt anybody regarded the numbers as being "fairly accurate." Most of used our eyes to agree that it was abysmal rather than treat the stats as gospel, funny that.

Totally expecting a loss, but knowing our lot we'll walk this one then get schooled by Norwich!

Love for that to happen but he's not got it in him or he'd be there after 3 years.

If they can't increase the ban, dock them points, dirty mackem bastards.

Maybe he's trying to make himself a more attractive proposition for Palace?

Fastest goal of the season and by a keeper from his own box to boot, one for the books!

Tbf the wind caught that and caught him out.

Par to the norm that tackle, fucking disgusting, deserves an extended ban for intent. Flash backs of Wigan last year there!

Sorry Dave can't agree with that, he was meandering up and down the touch line without a clue, mostly away from goal. If Anita wasn't buzzing around like a wasp on steroids making space it'd have come to nothing. Anita crafted that and did all the work.

Norwich were just awful, Ruddy was diving around like a sack of shit, should have easily saved at least 2 of those goals. The defence was shocking too, no desire at all in that team. Hughton can't have long left at this rate.

Substantially better with Anita on, how he doesn't get more game time beggars belief. So we beat Chelsea whilst Norwich gets dry humped by City, what are the odds of an ugly 1-0 loss? Not expecting anything next week against Spuds.

Did well today, can't knock him, kudos. However until he can do that on a regular basis and learn to keep his fat cockney gob shut, he's still a shyster! Pre/post match comments deserve no credit for the game alone. Total gobshite!

a bored, fed up, apathetic NO board turn to name puns on match day!

Hoofcastle United