Consortium of one

Have to give credit to him for persevering. We all had him written off and it looks like the club did too. He worked hard and seized the opportunity when it presented itself. Good on him. He has earned his spot on the team. He's like a swiss army knife and every club needs a man like that.

Player of the Season : Tim Krul Most Disappointing Player : Obertan Best Game Attended : Best Result : 3-0 over Man U Goal Of The Season: Cisse #2 against Chelsea Best Signing: Cisse Best Prospect: Santon Best Solo Performance: Tim Krul (a few games, IMO)

The game was played while I was in work. I recorded it and tried to stay away from any site that would spoil the outcome. Around halftime I couldn't help myself and came here. By the time I was driving home it was still 1-0. When I got home I came here for the outcome and then watched the game. Cisse had two brilliant strikes. The man has ice water in his veins. Coming off the last whipping, the fact that the club played with the confidence that it did, speaks volumes about the spirit of the players and their manager. Brilliant display.

I think we can keep pushing for CL places. With the club spirit, good scouting and a more methodical approach from Ashley there is no reason why we can't push for top 4. ManUre and Man City will be top teams. Arsenal will also be right there. Chelsea will still be aging and will lack the vision and patience to rebuild. Tottenham will lose Modric and Bale as well as 'Arry. Liverpool will continue to flounder. That will leave the door open for us, IMO.

Sounds like he'd be perfect as deputy for Cabaye.

The way Willo and Perch played if there is any doubt about Colo's fitness he should sit another game. No sense in rushing him back. Considering Perch's run of form, if Colo is 100% I'd like to see Perch at RB and Santon at LB. However, it's more likely that Pardew will go Simmo at RB and Perch for Santon at LB.

Must win game.

We didn't value the ball enough and gave it away too easily. Arsenal were closing down hard and we didn't handle it well, especially in the 2nd half. The players were often bunched up and the passes too quick and hard. I thought we defended well but began to wither under the pressure. Still, we deserved a point. Van Persie is playing like the best striker in the world right now but that is no excuse to act like a prick.

Great job by the club. Maybe Colo can buy the other half of that car now.

Gotta give credit where credit is due: He's given a good effort where ever he's been asked to play. He's played either fullback, central midfield and out on the right wing. Successful teams needs guys like Ryan Taylor. He's not the most talented or physically gifted but he's given his all for the club this season.

Right now, if Ben Arfa wants a starting spot it will have to be on the right wing. The club pretty much has to stay with the 442 as long as Ba and Cisse are healthy. That means that HBA has to track back defensively to help cover for Simpson. Obertan appears to be working harder but he passes the ball to the opposition too much. Raylor, at this point in time, plays better as a defensive winger.

Very tidy on the ball and looks to be playing with a lot of confidence. He'll get plenty of time to play, especially next year when we're playing in Europe.

Barton's a good footballer but is too high maintenance. Everything has to be right for him to really shine, it seems.

Impact sub!

Wow. Never saw this coming. Not only does it fill a need but it shows that maybe Fat Bastard does have some ambition.

Liverpool, Racistpool and Dalglishpool for me

Racistpool 1-2 Newcastle Ba, Ben Arfa for us

Points deduction and random executions, IMO.

And they aren't very physical either. I don't think Swansea has the beef to take advantage of the lightweight pair, though.

He's been miles better than I thought he would. I have actually come to admire his skill as a manager. He's come into a shitstorm of a club and keep things humming along quite nicely. I have a lot of confidence in him going forward.

I like the idea that Pardew is implementing a statistics based approach. Obviously he can't rely on stats completely but they can be an important piece of the selection and tactical puzzles.

Good point. I noticed that as soon as the final whistle blew, the entire Spurs back four stopped in their spot and immediately bent over. They must have been exhausted. In the first half, when we were controlling play i thought a lot of Spurs players were getting frustrated because they were always a step behind. We just lacked the end product to push them over the edge. Then the penalty and it looked like the Spurs regained focus.

I thought he played with more energy yesterday which is a start. Still, I think his long term future is more as an impact sub.

I was able to watch this game live and I thought we played good enough to get 3 points. The penalty wasn't really Saylors fault, he was put under pressure by a lazy pass which was surprising coming from Colo. Defoe's goal was well taken but Raylor showed his inexperience (or lack of talent) as a defender. I was glad to see come on and it looked like he ran well. He needs to play in place of Raylor though, not Simpson. Just about every single time Raylor was on the ball in our own half he hoofed it up and we handed possession right back to the Spurs. I thought Obertan played a more lively game. He and Jonas gave the club excellent width and Tiote, especially used the space to his advantage. Tiote was excellent both on the ball and in defense. Jonas' penetration and cross was a thing of beauty and Ba filled the channel perfectly. I nearly shit my pants when Shola scored and the flick pass to set it up was sublime. Watching the team, you can see that they are playing with confidence. They have a good first touch as a team, have good vision and are not afraid to express themselves on the ball. I was not happy with Krul constantly kicking it deep and would have preferred that he get it to the back line and build up play more often. Great game to watch.