alexf

I suppose the bonus of having hatem on the bench is that we always have something to look forward to if we're playing crap.

Happy Gouffran is back but Cisse in for Hatem Cisse needs some epic performance here

I can't really tell what's going to happen tonight. My head tells me Spurs will win comfortably and it will be another pathetic, uninspiring defeat that Pardew brushes off because of "injuries". However it feels like we're due a win and for some reason I sense an upset. Plus Spurs often struggle up here. So draw it is then.

I remember after he left the first time, we were all taking the piss out of him and this thread would get bumped every time he would open his gob in public with his ramblings. Little did we know he would later return I will always be on edge about another possible return until either Ashley goes or Kinnear is dead.

Hatem did suffer a double leg fracture to be fair. He was never going to be quite as good as he could have been after that. He definitely had Hazard levels of acceleration in that Everton game. He's still quick now when he wants to be but not what he was. Hazard wasn't being rated as high last year as he is being currently. He started well when he joined Chelsea but then faded badly and was incredibly inconsistent. Just shows if a player has the right manager who can help develop them, as well as playing regularly and avoid injury then they can go on and potentially become far better than they were even 1-2 years previously. Hazard is developing perfectly at the moment, Hatem unfortunately has probably missed his chance now where he could have kicked on and become a top player. Probably when he was messing around in France falling out with managers etc.

Stop trying to apply logic to Nile Ranger

Almost feel bad for him, imagining him sat at home all reading those tweets. Sinking in for the first time that he isn't the geordie hero he thought he was.

So a loss tonight would bring a nice even 57 wins and 57 losses during his time in charge?

Means fuck all. How much pressure did we put Chelsea under really? Apart from the odd counter we were well and truely getting bossed out there so ofcourse their defenders won't have made as many tackles etc.

Conveniently, the stats don't show when a player doesn't track runs which lead directly to goals. Santon is a good footballer with the ball at his feet, we all know this. He can dribble with confidence and can pass. This doesn't make him an option in defensive midfield when he lacks the key attributes of tackling and tracking runs. All this is, is Pardew setting up the fact he will be playing in midfield again tonight probably. What a plank.

I thought I remembered someone on here saying they had seen him

Since I'm pretty sure that Pardew will feel that we won't get anything tonight either, he could easily play De Jong to give him some much needed time on the pitch, especially since we have a 10 day break after this game. What would be the point in playing Shola? Is he going to score the winner? You could apply that to nearly every game he's been involved in the last few years. Yet Pardew still plays him. He loves the guy.

Pretty sure he won't start tonight. Genuinely believe Pardew played him against Chelsea as he didn't expect us to get anything and wanted to give him 90 mins. Shola will start, as in Pardew's eyes he'll be fresh and raring to go.

Hope Hatem tears them apart tonight if he's up for it. Unfortunately I'm not too confident of that. Plus he's up against Rose, who is probably faster than Hatem, so he may have a tough time getting the better of him. If he's even selected that is.

Pardew rested him against Chelsea so he was fresh and ready to go tonight

Can see both Haidara and Dummett getting done by Lennon on that side. Also horrible feeling he'll put Santon in midfield again and play MYM at right back. The sensible thing would be to drop Taylor and put Santon right back. But he won't do that, especially after publicly saying he didn't know what Mapou was doing, giving that penalty away.

Really? He's obviously an improvement on Pardew but not sure he'd be the change people are craving.

Once again plays into that theory of "keeping the best players on the pitch, to help promote the premier league product" As if Man City, Chelsea, or any of the "big" teams need the extra help off officials anyway. The way it's always been in this country with the "big teams" getting preferential treatment is disgusting.

Chirst if he likes it here now, imagine how he'd feel when things are actually going well

Yep utterly predictable

I always remember a time he was a pundit on a live game for us because he was injured. Think it was when he was wearing that ridiculous waistcoat. Anyway he was trying to lay into one of our players for being dumb. He was trying to say "not the sharpest tool in the box" but he ending up saying something like "not the brightest tool in the shed" or something equally muddled up. Fair enough if you get a bit confused once but he then repeated it about 2-3 times

So Toure not charged but Bellamy is. I predicted that as soon as I saw the incidents. FA is so bloody corrupt.

Results this season say different Nah but anyway, I hope him coming off early against Chelsea was because the game was lost and Pardew was saving him for Spurs. I'd hate if he was back on the bench because of his performance. He was always going to struggle against that Chelsea team, they were too strong and I'm pretty sure like most of our team he spent the majority of the game deep in his own half.

nah would still only be one match wherever it was on the pitch, even though it's far worse than anything Remy did.

Like I say, I refuse to believe. It's too tragic to even think about