nortoon

He is clearly a very talented footballer. I'm still very 50/50 on how good he will become though. If he can manage to become quicker or stronger he could become almost Suarezesque and be a star as a striker or CAM. What worries is how small and weak he is. Those sorts of players usually make up for it with pace, and he isn't lightning quick. He accelerates with the ball at his feet but he never seems to sprint past anyone over any noticeable distance. Like when he won the ball against palace after having been on the pitch for 10 minutes the other day. He still got caught up relatively easily.

If he can either get some muscle or improve his top speed, he could be really special.

There is no doubt he's a good player. But even only having to play 15 minutes I didn't see him put in the intense effort that the rest of them did. It's just small things like Anita sprinting past him to intercept, not jumping for balls he probably won't get to. He sort of jogs over to his man and then he's happy.

"city would argue that a challenge from Mbemba should have been a penalty". He should just lose his job.

Tiote has been fantastic

Can you do that to Aguero instead Perez. Don't get Navas subbed!

This is not a Papiss Cisse game. We desperately need Mitro on now!

The 'good' thing is that the linesman might feel tempted to even things up in the second half. But I doubt it.

I'm sure they will be more focused on not letting the crowd affect them and such nonsense like every time Sunderland comes.

Cisse is never very good when he has to play that far away from his goal. I assume Rafa wants Mitrovic to be fresher than the defenders when he comes on. As long as we are still in the game before he's thrown on it can work. Hopefully we can have a Wijnaldum who bothers coming on and actually making runs once Perez tires as well. I know it might be wishful thinking but a Wijnaldum who gives a crap can finish this game for us together with mitro.

Colback has been absolutely terrible. It's like when he has the ball he avoids space and runs into players, he also does that thing Smith used to do that when someone is in trouble and passes to him he one-touch passes it back.

That last ball Sissoko was about to run away with wasn't out either was it? This linesman is the only thing worse than Colback.

You Beautiful beatiful man!

Colback is having his worst 15 minutes I have ever seen from him as well. Just blindly running into trouble every time he gets the ball.

I mean its from a free kick, he can just stand there and open his eyes. Both of them.

I hate city and referees so much. Tiote goal. Ben Arfa murdered. I can't remember one game when we have had the rub of the green against these twats.

For me:

 

Mitrovic

    de Jong

Townsend - Shelvey - Tiote - Sissoko

 

Perhaps Perez RW, not really arsed.

I like this. A wijnaldum/sissoko benching is called for.

There are few things that can make me angrier than watching Newcastle, that 3 minute clip is one of those things.

The thing I hate most about watching football these days is all the obvious "professional" cheating. And referees constantly letting it go is the main reason why it's getting worse and worse. Kicking the ball away for example would be so easy to fix. Touch a ball after the ref has blown and get a yellow card, it would be finished in a week. Borini just lumped it away yesterday after it was out of play and noone so much as blinked. The time-wasting Mannone did yesterday was another example of piss-weak refereeing. Give him the safe yellow because he's a goalie and the match is about to finish anyway. But then when he keeps fucking around you just help him time-waste for another minute instead of sending him to the showers.

It gets even worse in the derbies, and then the ref usually gets praise after its over for "standing up to the tough home crowd", or some such nonsense.

I did enjoy Mitrovic at the end there yesterday. He was 100% going to murder Atkinson before he remembered he was inside a stadium full of witnesses

Apparently when the manager knows what he's doing he can identify which team selections have been most effective in the past and just do that. This is nice, I like it.

Is it just hopeful to think that they might expect us to get absolutely raped by Leicester no matter what. Which is why they are not pulling the trigger until after that match and are already working on a new manager?

At the end of the day I think Charnley is just waiting for him to walk, like he did with Pardew. And its fucking ridiculous, how much does it cost to pay him off, 2million? Just chuck him out already.

I just can't believe how shit his subs were. 30 minutes before the goal the Stoke team were getting tired and we were just logging on with backpass-Gouffran trying to play left back instead of Dummett. Perez should have been in for him at the 55th minute. The pace of Aarons would also have been useful. But then he brings on Riviere and I just want to puke. Then we get the goal against and he panics and its too late.

West Brom playing to all our strengths and not challenging our weaknesses. Hopefully it continues in the second half. Very good performance so far.

Can't believe the goalie came out there, the defenders would have gotten to him and he'd have had to make a smashing finish. Goalie made it easy. Tiote with his 2nd wrongly disallowed goal ffs!

What is baffling is how much cheaper it would be for him to just attempt to hire knowledgeable people compared to the likes of Charnley, who would in turn run the club well, and create a structure within the club. Instead he just has some yes-men do the bare minimum and then panic-buy once it looks like relegation. Maybe in 10 years' time he will realise running a football club is not the same as selling crappy t-shirts. If the team is shit you can't always bail it out in January with money.

I just think replacing Dummett from our first 11 would be more beneficial than replacing Thauvin on the bench.

I really think Townsend coming here would be great for both him and us. I appear to rate him more than most people on here but I do see a lot of potential with him.

 

I don't really see how we need him other than off the bench? And why would we over-pay for someone to sit on our bench? I mean I'm all for depth, but Townsend at £14m is absolutely ridiculous. Rather give Thauvin a chance and put that money into improving at LB and getting someone like Berahino.

This, just get a left back instead, and give Thauvin an opportunity to prove himself.

Honestly don't care at all if we get 5M for Tiote or keep him. He's not great but out of Tiote, Anita and Colback i'd prefer Tiote against the better sides, and Anita at home, leaving Colback on the side of the road somewhere. No idea how good Saivet is but even if he is a world beater I'd rather have Tiote on the bench than Colback.

Is he only 28? Too early to go and have your career die in China, no matter how much money you are offered.