Stottie

Lets just give QPR the money now!

Good little player. Always looking to get the ball forward If I saw it right, he won the ball that got to Remy for the first goal.

I reckon you've got to give Cisse ten games in a team that is reasonably creative. The one we put out against Citeh or Liverpool last season was taking the piss. Last time out vs. Fulham wasn't bad and today's was right up there, so you can count one or two games already depending on how strict you want to be. If there is no improvement in Cisse, we'll have to buy to replace in January, not to supplement (were such a concept possible for the current regime).

Great result. Shame about the Krul error otherwise another clean sheet for the lads at the back. The Agbonlahor miss was a howler, but that was the other chance we gave up all game. With Remy in the team, its much harder for teams to send out a midfielder to double up on Benny. And look what happens then.

Says it all!

The mackem WUM at the Guardian said he was seriously injured in the first half.

Which weirdly is the position he wants to play. Odd when he's such a threat in behind the striker imo. Stats aren't everything but Felliani has very high numbers for tackles won etc. when played as a DM. A team as good as Man U shouldn't be playing him further forward as Plan A when they have players as talented as Rooney and Kagawa who can link up more intricately with RVP. Even at DM you still get the aerial threat of Felliani at set pieces and the option of moving him forward later on like Yaya Toure.

Looking forward to this now! Its probably a bit much to expect everything to click straight away, so whatever happens, I hope this lineup is given more than a single chance. Assuming there is not some obvious inadequacy not present on paper.

We're at virtually full strength which still has some interesting permutations, but give us an injury or two and I'll be right there with you.

For a team with our number of fans, a better backup CB than Williamson, a better wide player than Jonas, and a better striker than Shola is not a big ask. No one is expecting a team of superstars and there are multiple examples of midtable clubs getting in better players than the ones I've indicated. What is a big ask is expecting to keep buying season tickets while showing little or no interest in providing a decent "product". fwiw, I'm a bit greedy so I'd like a better backup keeper too, but it's fourth on the list.

Cabaye-Tiote kind of worked until other teams realised that hard pressing would force Tiote into errors. The cat is out of the bag now.

Dunno but it'll be the kind of melodramatic bollocks you usually find on far-fetched soap operas and not in any reasonably run organisation. Especially not in reasonably run real-life organisations that depend on the good will of so many people. Football-wise, I dunno how much we can extrapolate from the last fifteen against Fulham, because Pardew is inept and Fulham were very poor, but there were definite positive signs there. Successive clean sheets too. Things could go reasonably well on the pitch so long as the key players are fit and actually played instead of lingering favourites like Tiote and Jonas.

Maybe the success in hawking Carroll around (according to Redknapp etc.) and still getting a big fee has got Ashiey thinking we can do the same here. It looks like its going to come down to a game of chicken on deadline day. If they hold out, Arsenal may yet get him for their original bid. Cabaye's energy level was bad enough in the 0-6 against the Scousers last season, so I dread to think what we'd get out of him were he to stay after the way we've handled this situation. France seem to think there is an AM in there, but getting it out of him is clearly beyond Pardew. He doesn't seem disciplined or defensively strong enough to double up in some DM plus deep lying playmaker type role. Even in the best case situation here, getting 20M for Cabaye on deadline day will not be a success because all we'll get to hear of is failed last-minute bids.

Another long season beckons. The reaction one was unlucky perhaps but Gouffran dallied too much on the first one when he was in. You've got to test the keeper there. I was surprised how poor W Ham were. Baffling subs that didn't go down well from fatso too.

That's the team to play. And the spirit!

For a DM, he left Silva in acres in our box for the first goal. They were lucky that the ball ballooned up to him (off yet another Taylor hand) with Krul committed, but a simply rolled pullback would have similarly bypassed Tiote and put Silva in on the keeper.

When a decently run club makes a tidy profit on a talented player who's not really suited to their team, they remain in control of the situation and gain from it. With us, it just puts us further into disarray.

In a match like this, you should lose due to the difference in class that comes with the extra spend on players. That Aguero finish just inside the post for number two for example. You shouldn't lose due to lack of effort, poor organisation, hot-headedness, not giving the man on the ball an option, taking set pieces that have you desperately defending five seconds later, etc., etc. If you do you're seriously taking the piss out of everyone that follows the team, especially the lads and lasses that went down there for an 8pm kickoff on a Monday. The point in commentary about the (few) empty seats in our end was well low. It's your fault for scheduling the game then you c*nts.

Still no signs of a defender in there, unfortunately.

He's a liability with his head up his arse regarding the local hero and England prospect nonsense. He's not improving at all with age, and really shouldn't be a starter for a club with ambitions. Not that we do any more.

Every man has a place. In his heart, there's a space. And the world can't erase his fan-ta-seeeeeee. Can't wait to see Remy and HBA in the same team. Even with Pardewball, any high-line team trying to aggressively play Cisse off will be asking for the simple ball through or over the top.

Hopefully this will develop into a Tevez-like situation. Given his disciplinary record, there is no way he's worth more than 40M anyway. His reputation means he'll get the book thrown at him for all the things he does and he's not likely to win a penalty for any marginal foul in the box. Comparisons with the Torres fee are meaningless because we all know, because Liverpool have told us enough times, that that was Carroll plus 15M, not anything to do with Torres market value.

I think Downing was a bit of a scapegoat at Liverpool for Dalglish and isn't as bad as people make out. There may also be understandable resentment toward him because he has too many England caps (almost as many as Steve Coppell for old timers) relative to his ability due to the general poor quality of English wide players. Contrast with Carrick in the middle, Leighton Baines, any CH behind Rio and Terry etc. If the idea is to replace Jonas without worrying about losing his defensive contribution, Downing mightn't be such a bad shout. He's still got a wicked cross on him, and Debuchy and Santon both look like they need protection that'll have to come from somewhere. If he'll take Jonas's wages, I wouldn't be that against, assuming that he's not gone bling bling on his Liverpool wages and can't really be arsed giving it all any more.

Bent's time at Spurs suggests that he can remain a goal threat when not regularly starting. For a striker on the bench, it's probably a more important skill than all-round game. See Chicharito vs. Wellbeck etc. The other plus with Bent is that he's scored against everyone, even strong opposition.