St1pe

I really wanted him to smash that in.

How'd we mess that counter up?

Might turn this off now because it's going to be an ugly nail biting attempt to hang onto this isn't it?

I can't understand how he hasn't been subbed on for Colback. He's been poor, he's on a yellow card and we're getting dominated in the middle of the pitch. I'm not sure what he's got to do to get hauled off.

Awful so far in this second half.

We're so bad at keeping the ball and make such hard work of stringing a few passes together.

I just thought his movement has been decent, he has created a couple of openings and if we're going to create a decent chance it looks like it will come from him and Haidara linking up. I wouldn't have said anyone is standout on the pitch where I've missed someone having a blinder.

Stoke seem pretty good at the safe ball possession and at times it's made our pressing looks stupid. It's as if we're playing as the away team and we've only really threatened when we've broke from some of their play. I'm finding watching players like Whelan kicking his way through the game and Diouf diving all over the place absolutely painful. Sammy's been our best player in my opinion. I also feel for Perez who's given pretty much nothing to work with. I can see us losing this rather than winning it.

Rangers effectively now a shop window for our lacklustre squad members without any actual interest whether it will benefit them or not. I'd be seething if I was a Rangers fan because we know what they've got to come.

Another window where he also bangs on about how difficult it is to do business yet manages to force a player out of the club on the final day of the window without time for a replacement. I'm fairly certain ousting Santon hasn't been a spur of the moment decision, just another kick to the fanbase while we're down.

I've just read through her profile there and she's absolutely smashing the club This whole thing is an absolute shambles, selling a player with potential who is settled in the area and wants to stay for less money than he will be worth in the future is another example of how poorly we're being run. It's as if they can't even be a selling club without making a tit of themselves and the whole thing is just another occasion where the clubs actions have left a bitter taste in the mouths of the supporters.

I still find myself being stupid enough to think they wouldn't pull something like this. What a total joke.

He's a freak and a weirdo. f***ing freirdos, blighted by them we are.

Selling him now also seems daft from the clubs perspective. His stock isn't exactly high with him being out for 8 months and being in poor form before that.

It's already been mentioned but this is absolutely insane given our defensive shortages regardless of your opinion of Santon. Personally I always liked him, he was made a scapegoat for some woeful tactics during a spell when the results were awful. I'd also thought with Cabella talking about him and how he'd help him score his first goal in his post-match interview he was a prominent figure in the dressing room and it was maybe a nod to him returning to first team action. He'll be a good top level defender somewhere, I've got a feeling it's going to be one of those times where we look back and think how the fuck was he allowed to leave. Replacement before the window shuts? :lol:

Decent away performance against an awful side. Cabella was a standard above but Haidara really stood out for me. It's the first time we've had a full back with power and pace since Enrique left. Santon minces about to much for me when he's going into challenges and Dummet has done a decent job but Haidara really does look like he could be top quality. I'm still slightly concerned the whole game plan was to shut down and not commit bodies forward at 2-0. I'd understand if there was an obvious intent to break with pace on the counter but how many times have we thrown games away in that position? I'm still pleased mind. I want to be well clear from this relegation battle given how awful our last few games are. Also has Colo played worse and come away with a clean sheet before?

Such an obvious lack of desire to get forward even though the game is there to be finished.

We've got their defenders absolutely rinsed. With a bit of desire we should really be able to kill this game off and get the scoreline out of sight.

Our defending

Debating whether or not I prefer Gouffran or Sammy on that side and it seems whoever is starting I always think the other will be better.

I can't believe he wasn't sent off for that! Cabella, Ayoze and Haidara aside I think we've been pretty poor. I'm not sure what the point is to having both Anita and Colback in the middle together and I still haven't worked out what Sissoko is supposed to be doing. Pardew's gone but it seems like it's business as usual on the training ground as you never really get the impression we've got a plan going forward. Cabella is an absolute joy to watch though, not quite Hba standards but it's mystifying how he was excluded in the latter part of the season.

I don't get some of the hate directed at him now he's left the club and some of those Palace fans are probably justified slagging us off for it. For all I was pleased when he finally moved on from us I still respect the years of his career he spent here. I don't think there's been a player that frustrated me more than Shola but I was just looking at all of his goal compilation someone linked the other day and there was some good moments in his time here. In fact I was at his debut when Dennis Wise was trying to kick him all over the pitch and Shola was having none of it. There was a time when he was going to be the next big thing from the academy and given his injury problems and general shitness he just didn't kick on to that upper Premier League level. If it wasn't for him joining Pardew I'd have hoped he did well but I won't be happy until that charlatan is found out for his woeful management up here. I still think given the length of his career here and the commitment he showed to the club deserves some level of respect.

If we get turned over down there, Shola scores and I see Pardew gloating in his post-match interview I'll quit football forever.

I'm assuming they've known this for quite some time then. I guess getting back into bed with the Chronicle and their pro Carver campaign always pointed to this happening. I'm repeating what everyone else has said but I hope we're still in the Premier League by the time we've a new manager.

Given the stature of De Boer I just can't see him moving here. Garde and Tuchel are both young managers so it would make sense for them to take a certain element of risk and if they could have an impact like Pochettino did then they're instantly in a position where they'll be wanted by a few bigger clubs. De Boer is already at that level at what is he realistically going to achieve with us to get him to a massive club? It just seems like there would be too much of a risk on his part to damage his career rather than improving it.