Tiresias

Krul - 7 Neither goal his fault, did fine. Simpson - 4 unlucky with deflection, didn't think he was as bad as some say, he's been worse but no help to the team Colo - 6 Did fine, was driving some of our good spell at the end, high up pitch keeping pressure on such that it was Williamson - 4 Needs to do better, should have headed the second goal away, but set it up instead Santon - 7 great attacking threat, will be a great player with some experience (bit reckless atm) Raylor - 5 Typical journeyman performance Jonas - 6 Good goal, lost ball more than he should though Cabaye - 5 pretty much uninvolved Tiote - 4 needed to be breaking up their attacks a load more, and yet they were allowed to just pass it around no problem a lot. His usual thing of playing well only against good teams Cisse - 7 good goal, hard worker, excellent Ba -5 had a quiet game, wonder if hasn't recovered from the ACN yet. Subs Strola - 1 didn't do anything Ben Arfa - 6 Both sides of his game, wasted opportunities but also made 2 better ones than anyone else Guthrie - 6 when came on we played with more movement and stronger midfield, but also was unusually lax in passing, one in particular was near calamatous. Pardew - 3 Only gets points for actually getting us playing well like we should have from the beginning.

seconded a million times, starting to remind me of brucie at sunderland in not playing good players and making the team boring...

Very impressed, though maybe too attacking? Loved him though scurrying up, seriously wondering if jonas was basically the left back and santon the winger.

They were unlucky not to have scored, we were giving them chances, not really definition of comfortable to me. They were playing better footy, and the worst thing about the game is they were rubbish. Pretty much every attack we'll play for the rest of the season will be better.

We were asking for it first half, I thought we might just get away with it but second half once they scored, we just tend to get heads down when that happens. Pardew's change was spot on but mistimed (arguably should have been like that from the start, judging by how we looked after)

I've seen him do alright crosses, but when it's Strola in the box who can blame his reticence?

Why are we playing such boring hoofball? It doesn't even work is what gets me.

Spot on

Simpson kept trying to whip ball in to noone there. Had his good and bad sides today, wasted possession today, but also nearly scored twice which is more than can be said for anyone else since he came on.

Krul Simpo Willo Collo Santo Tiote Guthrie Cabaye HBA Ba Cisse (yes I know it won't happen)

Did Vorm make the cut? Both ace keepers.

Maybe, can see them defending, but can see Ronaldo tearing them a new one.

None of the teams playing today seem good enough to be the creme de la creme of europe, nor fair few in this round. Has quality dropped all round when Real and Barca are just going to spank anyone anyway?

should be watching that, watching inter instead, mistake. Though I swear I heard french fans chanting something that to english ears sounds like "ALAN PARDEW ALAN PARDEW ALAN PARDEW" realised it's ANDRE AYEW ANDRE AYEW etc lol

Spot on sadly. I'd much rather a good manager took the reins, kicked out all the overpaid premier league underachievers, and pick essentially a U21 side, then essentially keep that steady as the squad largely so they can actually build some squad unity and ethos, and say essentially they won't win anything for a while but maybe in 5 years time they'll be a very solid good unit. It is astonishing imo how quickly repeated shite performances are forgotten by the media who go quickly back to demanding certain players are played despite how crap they are every time. Rooney I think probably should be cut, he's been shit for england for a while, but who else? Danny Graham sounds quite attractive to me atm. Guthrie should be on the cards but will never get enough game time to get called up.

Hart Richards Lescott Cahill Baines Jones Wilshere Gerrard Sturridge Oxlaide Chaimberlin Rooney imo (terribly unsure over backline but not convinced by Jones as a CB at all, but think ok as an anchorman. Gerrard I'd rather not but it's him or cleverly who has the opposite problem.

I miss brucie

Two teams with midfields not up to much meeting does create quite entertaining end to end games sometimes, though man u seem to be gaining the advantage, unfortunately missing some for a bit now

Would love to play Barca! We'd probably lose again though. Set Tiote on Messi see what happens Messi would probably just run around him I know

That list is awful, lampard at 18? Ahead of Xavi?

Pardew has his problems, he can drive me up the wall, but our position in the table is hard to argue with.

Pardew has hidden the fax machine in a cupboard too narrow for Ashley to enter and drool over the offered prices

Wow that doesn't look like too good a year for strike forces anymore

Blatently get through to someone with no desire to do anything about it so just give canned bad responses. Just seems bizarre, I can only think Ashley has threatened them with something bad if they call it St James park

Feel a bit bad for all the bad mouthing of him now :| liability at centre-back but capable midfielder.