Stottie

This is the last thing we need, so fingers crossed. If the players we've signed have an impact and Cisse finds his shooting boots, we could even let him go in thirteen or fourteen weeks' time if safety seems assured. Europa League aside, this season is now all about doing everything to stay up. If that is achieved (basically six wins), the rest of the games are largely meaningless.

I don't get Redknapp's point. We have an Academy and youth teams, but such teams have a very poor record. If that's the standard of our youngsters, doesn't that leave us no option but to buy for the first team? No sensible club uses its first team to develop youngsters. Man U didn't with Wellbeck and Cleverly. They got the mackems and Wigan to do it for them.

Now if we can just get rid of the pretense that Man Utd were somehow rivals to Liverpool in the late 70s and 80s and not just an underachieving joke, we can then drop all that biggest rivalry ever hype Sky like to push.

I don't mind us missing out on a star player who wants more than we can afford and more than we were prepared to give Demba Ba with his proven goal record. Well I do mind, but its more a worry about us having all our eggs in this particular basket and a game we really should be winning just days away. I definitely do mind us not having better non-star players who we can afford and trying to make do with a second XI of players who are clearly not ready or not good enough. The "oh we've had injuries" is thinnest of excuses. In modern football its a certainty that you'll get them. The days of Villa winning the league with 15 players are long gone.

Just be grateful it wasn't around when one of our players said he'd "knock seven bells" out of someone.

From a "that's the way it is" standpoint, maybe the reputation he's largely earned was enough for the non-foul to be given as a free kick for the first goal. A less marked man may have got away with that challenge. It was travelling and hard to see, but did Baines shot deflect a bit off Obertan? It looked to me like it did.

Good shout on the passing accuracy stats, there is definitely something there. The "Tiote getting caught in possession" one is him simply being found out. Of course, teammates more willing to give him an option after he's won the ball, the turnover phase or whatever its called, would help. And no, he shouldn't be shooting from range either.

Knowing our luck, him going back in the middle will coincide with a resumption of hoofball or hopeful (hopeless?) crosses from deep by Jonas. Anyroad, here's hoping we can let him show us what he can do. I might even go as far as cautious optimism. fwiw, I would say Chicharito is a poacher, a converter of clear chances. Last season, Cisse scored far too many barely half chances in a van-Persie-on-steroids manner to be a simple poacher. Conversely he hasn't impressed in one-on-ones.

Agree with that. After we had that c*nt Michael Owen, calling Ba the "ultimate mercenary" is bollocks of the highest order. Ba cost us very little. Our bit of the fee in will presumably cover what we paid to his agents, and he was on an incentivised contract so he will have earned a good chunk of the wages he received by scoring goals. He's been a fine player and helped us to an elevated position in the league that has since been pissed away by questionable tactics and ultimately the shoestring approach with which the club is being run. The problem isn't Demba Ba wanting a payday from a CL challenging club that he's earned with his ability. The problem is bringing on Nile Ranger in the first game without him. Debuchy coming in now looks like closing the barn door after the horse has bolted. Simply staying up has to be objective #1 now, but that mightn't be enough to keep the other players who played the biggest part in us finishing fifth. Thirty five fucking million in and some epic scouting and this is all we have to show for it. As an impact sub (statistics suggest bringing on a big man is more effective than a skilful one when you're chasing the game) or plan B from the off, he could do a good job for Chelsea. We'll also get to see how his first touch and link-up play look in a team with Mata, Oscar, and Hazard. I just hope he's wise enough to say what he likes about Ashley or Pardew but doesn't slag the fans that sang his name.

It sounds like our marriage of convenience is set to continue. I just hope he's not been picking the team or formation, or has some last chance suitor lined up in China or Turkey or somewhere to be revealed at 9pm on Jan 31st. Fwiw, I think he's a more useful player than Sturridge, who won't be cheap either.

HBA was on the left for his screamer against Villa. He cut in and hit it with his right. I also remember him floating across the line and and doing damage on that side in that WBA game last season.

Our wee club got four points off them last year, helping their nearest and dearest to their first title in how ever many years were on that sign at OT. I can't remember ever doing that well against them before.

I believe Ferguson won the title the first time with nine million-pound players. The next most at a single club was five. I heard something along the lines that the average cost of a Man Utd first-teamer was higher than third-placed Norwich's record signing. He's kept the passion going and rebuilt several sides, so you have to respect him for that. As a domestic manager his record is unparalleled. Given he's at such a rich club, his CL record conversely is nothing special.

Hope Anita's okay more than anything. The lad's really come on. Good performance, but too many mistakes at the back mean it was all for nought. Ferk me, they may be top but they are nothing special. You'd think the first European team that give nothing away will have them easily in the CL.

That's a second yellow at least.

Mike Dean is a fecking legend for this.

That goal then Simpson as Messi, what a game!

Justice done!!! Ferk me!

Hearing it from a Spurs fan doesn't make it any easier, does it. Fwiw, after Liverpool failed to convert chances under Dalglish, I think its pretty funny for Brenda to come in and then say the same thing under his "revolution".

I can't see Sturridge and Suarez working well together, so bring it on! Before the season, I would have said cashing in on Suarez wouldn't have been a bad move, but he looks worth the trouble now he's scoring goals.

I'm surprised by the positions of the crosses on that graphic. It seemed to me that Simpson was hitting many from deeper positions. With a crowded box, that makes them the hoof of the cross world. Some positive signs today, especially compared to the Southampton debacle, but Fulham are poor and the game was there to be won. We conceded the second far too easily. No-one's mentioned it but fantastic save by Krul when Berb was clean through on about twenty minutes otherwise it would have been game over there and then.

I like him, but level-headed articulate managers tend to be likable. I'd wait till he gets them to finish higher than Jewell or Bruce did before throwing out the superlatives though. I can't believe the likes of Antonio Valencia were found by such managers, so like us they must have a good scout or two.

Five, and tempted to press six the longer this match goes on.

Thanks Nut. We've started the season with harder fixtures this time, so the yellow line is not as bad as it looks. An issue will be can we kick on this year as the fixtures get easier given that such games are coming when injuries, suspensions, Thurs-Sun Europa League tiredness, etc., are starting to mount. West Ham being only two points ahead of Wolves is a curious one. It means they can only have done well in fixtures Wolves did well in. West Brom too have not improved on a fixture by fixture basis. Liverpool cruising towards mid table mehness then. Maybe Rodgers should start giving it the "twenty million off the wage bill" one before the pressure really does build.