The Prophet

I'd go Williamson-Campbell against Chelsea. Taylor has done absolutely nothing to justify a start.

Embarrassing. So lets disregard our positive performances/results, because clearly the negative ones are a far better indicator of our potential as a side this season under Hughton yeah? For no reason other than you being afraid that thats the case. You couldnt be further from levelheaded atall. If you can look at our results (especially our home results - which is mostly what JH posted) without being genuinely worried about going down, you either aren't a fan, or you aren't sane. Apparently disregarding negative performances is alright, but disregarding positive ones is just about the most insane thing you can do. Change the f***ing record man. Today was a brutal punsihment of the short comings of our squad. We lack depth, but then what promoted side doesn't? Without Tiote and Barton we were left with a limited midfield which got completely over run and throughly outplayed by an in form Premier League outfit, it was a bad day at the office. The most important thing is we show something in the way of s responce against Chelsea. As far as the home form is concerned, we've struggled to break sides down but every man and his dog predicted that would be the case without a creative midfielder. While the Blackpool performance was completely unacceptable people seem to have forgotten Blackburn, Stoke and Fulham are established Premier League sides. While they have less quality in their squads than some the way they set up makes it more difficult for promoted, almost naive sides such as ourselves to turn them over. I honestly think we're more suited to playing likes of Everton, Spurs and Villa who will come out and have a go. We've just come up, we'll hit form in dribs and drabs, we'll suffer hidings like today and it will be incredibly frustrating. However I'm still confident we'll pick up enough points to survive relegation come the end of the season. Today was nothing at all to do with the manager? f*** me. Hughton didn't help himself but his hands were tied to an extent. Personally I'd of gone for Guthrie in the middle and Routledge out wide but other than that it was about as good as we could of hoped for. It was suicidal to play Smith, Nolan and Guthrie in the same side but he obviously feels Routledge isn't up to it. Guthrie on the right didn't work last year in the Championship so he bought Routledge & improved the situation. I can see absolutely no reason for Guthrie on the right to be the better option of the two against even better players in the Premier League, particularly when it's been obvious every time he's tried it this year as well. Hughton's limited in the changes he can make by our squad, but the fact he refuses to make even the most obvious ones which are actually available is f***ing infuriating. Aye, still can't help but feel a midfield of Guthrie and Nolan would of still been completely over run today, at least we'd of posed more of an attacking threat.

Would anyone bite if a massive bid came in for him in January?

Perhaps you need to lower your expectations. Aye, I forgot I expect us to win every game and get the Champions League Straw man-tastic. The amount of times my opinion has been exagerrated like that in this thread is ridiculous. We should be doing better against the so-called 'mediocre' teams - I'm not saying we should have won them all, but we should have at least won one. Now if that makes my expectations too high, then I guess my head is in the clouds. ...but exactly the same time your putting those offering a potential explanation for our form into a 'well we think this is good enough' bracket. It isn't good enough but I've already posted I think we'll pick up more points against more open sides. It's not the quality of the opposition we're struggling with it's the way they're setting up. You may not agree but we simply don't have enough cutting edge in the squad to deal with it.

He wasn't, but he did his usual party trick of completely disappearing from the game. Harsh to single him out when the rest of the midfield did exactly the same. Yeah, I'll admit that. Like I've said I haven't seen him contribute to the team effectively at all since the Mackems game. Aye, Blackburn played three centre backs to nullify his bursts into the box while he didn't really impose himself against Fulham I'll never forget that goal last year against.. Blackpool was it? Where he literally just very lightly jogged past 2 or 3 players and tapped it in. Aye, didn't even break into a sweat.

Perhaps you need to lower your expectations. Aye, I forgot I expect us to win every game and get the Champions League Straw man-tastic.

Perhaps you need to lower your expectations.

Embarrassing. So lets disregard our positive performances/results, because clearly the negative ones are a far better indicator of our potential as a side this season under Hughton yeah? For no reason other than you being afraid that thats the case. You couldnt be further from levelheaded atall. If you can look at our results (especially our home results - which is mostly what JH posted) without being genuinely worried about going down, you either aren't a fan, or you aren't sane. Apparently disregarding negative performances is alright, but disregarding positive ones is just about the most insane thing you can do. Change the f***ing record man. Today was a brutal punsihment of the short comings of our squad. We lack depth, but then what promoted side doesn't? Without Tiote and Barton we were left with a limited midfield which got completely over run and throughly outplayed by an in form Premier League outfit, it was a bad day at the office. The most important thing is we show something in the way of s responce against Chelsea. As far as the home form is concerned, we've struggled to break sides down but every man and his dog predicted that would be the case without a creative midfielder. While the Blackpool performance was completely unacceptable people seem to have forgotten Blackburn, Stoke and Fulham are established Premier League sides. While they have less quality in their squads than some the way they set up makes it more difficult for promoted, almost naive sides such as ourselves to turn them over. I honestly think we're more suited to playing likes of Everton, Spurs and Villa who will come out and have a go. We've just come up, we'll hit form in dribs and drabs, we'll suffer hidings like today and it will be incredibly frustrating. However I'm still confident we'll pick up enough points to survive relegation come the end of the season. Today was nothing at all to do with the manager? f*** me. Hughton didn't help himself but his hands were tied to an extent. Personally I'd of gone for Guthrie in the middle and Routledge out wide but other than that it was about as good as we could of hoped for. It was suicidal to play Smith, Nolan and Guthrie in the same side but he obviously feels Routledge isn't up to it.

Embarrassing. So lets disregard our positive performances/results, because clearly the negative ones are a far better indicator of our potential as a side this season under Hughton yeah? For no reason other than you being afraid that thats the case. You couldnt be further from levelheaded atall. If you can look at our results (especially our home results - which is mostly what JH posted) without being genuinely worried about going down, you either aren't a fan, or you aren't sane. Apparently disregarding negative performances is alright, but disregarding positive ones is just about the most insane thing you can do. Change the fucking record man. Today was a brutal punsihment of the short comings of our squad. We lack depth, but then what promoted side doesn't? Without Tiote and Barton we were left with a limited midfield which got completely over run and throughly outplayed by an in form Premier League outfit, it was a bad day at the office. The most important thing is we show something in the way of s responce against Chelsea. As far as the home form is concerned, we've struggled to break sides down but every man and his dog predicted that would be the case without a creative midfielder. While the Blackpool performance was completely unacceptable people seem to have forgotten Blackburn, Stoke and Fulham are established Premier League sides. While they have less quality in their squads than some the way they set up makes it more difficult for promoted, almost naive sides such as ourselves to turn them over. I honestly think we're more suited to playing likes of Everton, Spurs and Villa who will come out and have a go. We've just come up, we'll hit form in dribs and drabs, we'll suffer hidings like today and it will be incredibly frustrating. However I'm still confident we'll pick up enough points to survive relegation come the end of the season.

We have a paper thin squad, it was always going to be an issue once the inevitable injuries/suspensions flowed.

He wasn't, but he did his usual party trick of completely disappearing from the game. Harsh to single him out when the rest of the midfield did exactly the same. Yeah, I'll admit that. Like I've said I haven't seen him contribute to the team effectively at all since the Mackems game. Aye, Blackburn played three centre backs to nullify his bursts into the box while he didn't really impose himself against Fulham

Don't be silly man. He's brilliant when we win, unlucky/lack of options/lack of quality when we lose

He wasn't, but he did his usual party trick of completely disappearing from the game. Harsh to single him out when the rest of the midfield did exactly the same.

Guthrie doesn't have the engine to play out wide, simple as that.

As others have pointed out today was all about the midfield. A back four needs protection from those in front of them especailly away from home. Smith, Nolan and Guthrie should never be on the same park, no energy, no drive and limited ability. You could see the confidence draining out of the defence the longer it went on. Next game get Tiote back in, two natural wingers, two forwards and lets have a fucking go.

Today was a combination of having a paper thin squad and Hughton not knowing how to utilise it. The midfield was always going to piss poor but how many times is he going to play Guthrie out wide before he realises it doesn't work. Similarly Smith has no place in a Championship eleven never mind a Premier League side. I think we'd of offered at least a little more if we'd of pushed guthrie inside and Routledge out wide.

Alex played today, not sure how he went though. Ah read in the paper he was missing for a while. Must of been mistaken.

Chelsea will be missing Alex, Terry, Lampard and Essien.

Krul Simpson Williamson Campbell Enrique Routledge Tiote Nolan Jonas Shola Carroll 1-1

Can't blame the ref for the performance but he was God awful. The first is a penalty by the latter of the law but soft none the less. The second was offside and the fifth was never a penalty. It matter because goal difference could be important come the end of the season. Don't make me go on Kaizero on you and screenshot. He was level. He was walking back form an offside position, he was clearly off.

This basically.

Can't blame the ref for the performance but he was God awful. The first is a penalty by the latter of the law but soft none the less. The second was offside and the fifth was never a penalty. It matter because goal difference could be important come the end of the season.

I'm actually shaking with rage.

It's all about how we react now. Everything that could of gone wrong today has, we need to forget about it and turn our attention to Chelsea.

Outclassed today. The midfield has given nothing in the way of defence or attack.