Lush Vlad

He's snatched at and rushed nearly all of his chances so far. I'm hoping it is more to do with him settling in at a new club and trying too hard to impress. But his goal scoring record throughout his career says otherwise and the fact he has already missed 2-3 sitters is a bit of a worry.

I'm almost at the feeling sorry for them stage. But then I just think about all the shit they've given us recently, how painful it was watching us flounder in the last however many derbies and I just can't bring myself to feel bad for these cunts. Basically, summed up:

Yep. Which is why I think he remains in the team. What other options do we realistically have at 10? Diame? Shelvey? Push Merino out of a position he's played so well in? Perez works much harder this season than I ever remember him doing in the past. Just a shame that the quality and the decision making when in possession seems to be lacking.

That is probably accurate, TBH. Like I said, I like Ritchie. But when you write it down like that, it really exposes the limitations of our squad.

I really like him, but he was one of our worst players yesterday, I thought. Too often, he'll try and get a shot or cross in, when it is clearly going to be blocked and it has started to piss me off recently. Never used to notice it until later into last season. His set pieces, work rate and quality means he'll be in the side for the foreseeable. But he is really hot and cold. Seems to be all or nothing with him, as afar mentioned above.

Agree with this 100%.

Was interesting because Sidwell on 5 Live the other night was saying he was the best finisher he'd played with in his time at Stoke. Strikers are streaky, tbf. A couple of games seems very little to judge him on his goalscoring. He's never been particularly prolific in his career, mind. By no means writing him off. But he has missed 3-4 really decent chances the last 2 games. Didn't cost us last week. Did today.

Never going to play two up top. But we don't have a striker capable of playing the lone role successfully. So it's far from ideal. Going into the season with a £5m striker, no number 10 and no left back was always going to mean we struggled. But it is frustrating as fuck to watch.

Class. I know he has been great at CM. But I do like the idea of him playing further forward. As nobody in the attacking 3 seems capable of picking a pass. So all our neat and tidy build up play often comes to fuck all.

In regards to people using stats over their own eyes. The Mesut Ozil brigade going on about all the assists he had did a couple of seasons back my head in. He goes AWOL for about 4 out of 5 games, coasts around the pitch doing fuck all and is a massive luxury player. I think Talksport of all places dug up a fair few of his assists that seasons and they were just a simple pass to someone else, who banged it in from distance.

Only caught the second half. But Betis didn't half waste some decent positions of their own. Adan wasn't being beaten tonight, RM went a bit gung ho and left themselves short at the back time and again. Made for hilarious viewing. As I am a bit of a fanboy of Barca, TBH. ever since going to watch them when I was 16. Couldn't give a toss about either before that.

Using Short as an excuse? Alright, their crowds haven't dwindled quite this badly for ages. But they have had shit turnouts for a while now.

Oh my fuck. I had forgotten about the real life Lou and Andy from Little Britain That tent must have been lifting. Absolute creeps.

Being overly harsh, as I openly admit I don't rate him. But I thought he should have saved the goal. Judging by Sky's highlights. He made a couple of great saves and sounded like he was off his line well early on. So credit where it's due. He played well.

I think that chant is so bad it is good and that video is crackers. Mad as a box of frogs Superb work.

Wow. Imagine using that awful Palace/Pardew song, as a chant for Simon Fucking Grayson. Slightly premature, I reckon

This had me chuckling away like a loon, for some reason

Their whole graphics thing looks a bit odd. Some of the colours look off. Bilic looks like something from a hammer horror movie. Well, even more so than usual.

Won't happen under Rafa, mind. Although with the way formations seem to be changing again and 3 at the back becoming a bit more popular. It actually looks a decent line up on paper

I'm not sure. Shelvey is the one with the better shot, but also the less mobile and is a bit of a liability defensively. I think they'd make a great midfield 3, the same as what we played under KK the second time around.

Great post. Got a few mates who go fairly regularly to Liverpool games, they're actually Scousers and all, which is rare. I remember watching a game with them in the pub. It was against Wolves over the Christmas holidays and you got beat, if memory serves. I remember thinking Anfield looked half empty and the football was abhorrent. I've never seen a Liverpool side that tame and an Anfield crowd that flat and uninterested during my time following football. It was similar to Man U after Ferguson left. I have nothing against Palace fans, TBH. But the way Parish has acted here, I really do hope Roy takes them down.

What about Shelvey in the 10? I know it kind of goes against what Rafa wants in that position and Shelvey is better getting on the ball deep. But Perez doesn't really offer much and the other option is Diame. Would love to see all 3 on the pitch together at some point.

Seems to switch off and ball watch a lot. Did it v Spurs and again today for Abraham's chance. Simpson would have been proud of how far he backed off a couple of times early on. £4m for a fullback gets you this kind of player. He just seems a bit partridgeshrug.gif to me.

Obviously really early days. But it still seems odd that we spent such a huge chunk of our budget on him? Not really a position that needed strengthening as much as others and he perhaps seems one for the future. When we are desperate for players who can make an immediate impact. Can only think Rafa genuinely believed he would be getting more money and Ashley clearly did shaft him with his bullshit.

Looks really slow. But comfortable on the ball, plays off both feet and seemed to know when to stick or twist. Some really crisp passing high up the pitch in Swansea's half. He seems like a reliable and solid backup option. Nothing more, nothing less.