Wallsendmag

We need one of those anyway to play alongside Mbemba.

There isn't one at the minute. However a successful, ambitious NUFC is capable of attracting 60k+ crowds on a regular basis. We're at a very low ebb right now and have been for a few years but we're still attracting 50,000 to our games. 20 years ago the likes of Spurs, Man City and West Ham were pulling in 25-30k. Now Man City are filling a 55k stadium, West Ham are moving into one which they expect to fill and Spurs will have a 61k stadium in a few years. It's called ambition and foresight.

Problem is that only one of them defending would make us even more shocking than we already are. This. We can chop and change tactics, play one deeper and one more advanced or put another body in the middle with them but nothing can make up for the fact that neither him or Colback are good enough options at PL level. They get exposed week in week out. We'll never control a football match with both these in the team.

My main problem with him isn't the sitters he's missing but more the chronic lack of pace on him. He literally looks like he's running in treacle. Now I know people will say the likes of Teddy Sheringham, Wayne Rooney and Alan Shearer weren't the quickest of players but they excelled in other areas to make up for that. Our record of bringing on and developing young talent is abysmal so I just can't see the reasoning in signing a youngster with such an obvious definciancy in his game instead of buying tried and tested for a couple of million more.

Yep. 2 weeks ago he came on and turned a loss into a win. That's a player I want to persevere with. We haven't really got time to persevere with a misfiring striker though. It's hardly like we're comfortable in mid table. We're halfway through the season and stuck in the relegation zone. Austin would have been a far better buy for us as he's proven he can score goals in a poor side that doesn't create many chances for him.

People can have different opinions on players you know. You obviously rate him as do plenty others, I don't, same as plenty others. If we all agreed on everything what would be the point. Now be a good lad and stick your dummy back in.

We'll lose this 2-0

Don't see the relevance. The likes of Stephen Glass, Daniel Cordone and Clarence Acuna have all scored against Spurs for us as well and they were hardly footballing geniuses.

Not defending these two but part of this is due to the tactics - two deep centre mids almost on the toes of the central defenders every f***ing game gives the opposition midfield free reign to do as they please in the middle of the park. Agree with that. Tactics certainly didn't help him or Colback but because they are both poor it means we can't be flexible in the way we play. I've seen many a game where a midfield 2 have completely dominated an opposition midfield 3 but those two are never going to be able to do that. They literally have no physical presence to them either which is important in the PL in those positions.

He was decent 2nd half but the way Everton were just walking through him and Colback as if they weren't there in the 1st half was embarrassing. We desperately need an upgrade on him and Colback if we aspire to be anything other than relegation fodder in this league.

The more I see of him the more I really don't rate the lad. Aye he's decent at holding the ball up, as someone his size should be, but he's poor almost everywhere else and he looks so so slow and cumbersome. And to think we could have had Austin for an extra couple of million. He could have turned out the difference between staying up and going down. Could turn out to be a massive own goal from the club that.

Desperately need 2 new central midfielders. These 2 just get walked all over.

25% possession

Another awful start from us.

Same here.

racing at wetherby off anarl.......................the only crumb off comfort is that its due to stop come kick off Depends on which forecast you go off. Some are saying rain till 10pm.

Rain was torrential from 2pm yesterday and although it's lighter now it's literally never stopped since. Certainly a lot more rain than we had for the Villa game and we seen the state of the pitch then.

One decent stand and 3 old ramshackle stands which are dropping to bits. Only holds around 36k these days for safety reasons.

0-2 Lukaku to have a field day with our centre halves.

He's a grade A arsehole. Fully expecting the c*** to try and jump on screen in the new Krays movie Seen him in the Walls End pub a couple of years ago. Expected him to be a right prick but was surprised to find he's actually a sound lad. Spent about 20 minutes talking about NUFC with him and he was canny crack. Can totally understand why people who've never met him would think otherwise though.

Shaka commanded his area better and was better at taking crosses but Pavel was the better shot stopper and far more comfortable with backpasses although he gave us plenty of heart in the mouth moments when dribbling around the opposition centre forward. Then Given came in and was far better than them both.

Nah I'd rather we stuck with Elliot for the time being.

The swing in opinion on him from page 1 to page 426 man

If this is the case then why persist with it game after game? We could play a midfield three of Anita, Sissoko and Wijnaldum with Anita holding and Sissoko going box to box but over and over again we play this stupid 4-2-3-1 with Colback playing hide and don't seek in the middle. We'd get totally overrun in midfield playing those 3. For me it's vital we strengthen our central midfield in January because currently we get the worst of both worlds. Our back 4 doesn't get the protection it needs and there's also an alarming lack of creativity as well.

Walking down the players tunnel before the Belgrade Derby;