FustinoSolano

Agree with the consensus that he'll be on his way as it's been clear from day one Rafa has never fancied him, probably for a variety of reasons, temperament, lack of mobility, attitude etc. However it is pretty galling to see him score continuously for Fulham and Serbia when we've had to watch Gayle and Joselu misfire all season. Rafa has improved most if not all players in the current squad which makes it that bit more puzzling, he's such a good coach / man manager yet he clearly believes Mitro is a lost cause. Suppose the only silver lining is that if he keeps banging them in his price will just keep going up.

It's all been said before but this man deserves all the praise and plaudits he's getting from the fans. He's worked absolute miracles with that squad and to be looking at a potential top half finish is absolutely incredible given the lack of backing he received in the last 3 transfer windows. Finally starting to get a few mentions from the national media about the job he's done which is only right. He's improved pretty much every single player in that squad, Dummett, Diame, Shelvey, Lascelles to name a few and very few managers are actually capable of that these days. Rafa is a coach, manager, figurehead and ambassador for this club and it actually makes you feel proud - something we haven't felt since the Bobby and Keegan years. For me Rafa can now be mentioned in the same breath as those two for what he has done / is doing for this club and that is no mean feat. As always a huge summer lies ahead and the ball has been emphatically whacked back into Mr Ashley's court by Rafa. If he isn't backed and no takeover materialises then I fear the worst as a man of his capabilities certainly won't be short on offers. On the other hand even if he gets some money to sign even 3 or 4 quality players then the future could look very bright indeed.

Got absolutely no problem with his work rate and dedication so don't like being overly critical but sadly you just know his contribution in an attacking sense will be minimal. He often loses possession due to inability to compete physically and hasn't got the pace or guile to really hurt teams. We really needed an upgrade in his position as much as we needed a new striker in January.

Displayed exactly what type of player he should be in that game. Absolutely fantastic all round contribution, great passing range, sensing danger, shots on target, working hard and putting in clean effective tackles. The fact that he has games like that just makes him more infuriating, too often he feels like a luxury player hoping he produces a defence splitting pass or one of his hollywood balls pays off but more often than not he just doesn't deliver. Said all along that the ability is there but mentally he seems to struggle at times. I know he can't play at that level every game but the effort and application should never be in question, hopefully this is a lightbulb moment for him and he can show some real consistency for the remainder of the season.

Strange to think this is a lad who struggled at times last season in the Championship and was possibly not even considered first choice at the start of the season. He's an absolute colossus for us now and is everything a captain should be on and off the field. He has also improved every part of his game. Shows true leadership, pride and courage and I think that's a rarity among footballers these days, he's a true leader in the mould of old style captains like Tony Adams, Roy Keane, Shearer etc but Jamaal fits the bill perfectly. Would be criminal to take the likes of Smalling ahead of him to the world Cup. (Not just based on today's showing).

Have to say I'm shocked at his recent run of form, didn't think he had it in him but pleased to admit I'm wrong. However it does coincide with Rafa actually playing him in his more natural midfield role rather than a number 10 which he clearly was never suited to.

I don't claim to know the wages of the players incoming / leaving but to loan out 8 and bring in 3 suggests to me that the wage bill will be significantly reduced, even if it is for just 6 months. No outlay on transfer fees, guess who wins again!

Will be nice to have a competent all round striker who knows how to finish. Just maddens me more that it took so long to get someone in, if we had done our business earlier (like Rafa wanted) we could be sitting with 4 more points!

He's just awful, was the last player I wanted taking that penalty, would have genuinely preferred Dummett or Darlow! And that second chance, as soon as he received it I knew he wouldn't score, didn't even hit the target. He's up there with Riviere, De Jong, Andersson as the worst I've ever seen at this club. Hopefully Slimani gets fit and this absolute liability in front of goal will be well and truly down the pecking order. Have to say also that Rafa is culpable on this one, shown far too much faith and given him too many opportunities.

Went to bed extremely angry after yesterdays events, woke up still angry but just so sick of all this now. I gave up my season ticket when Keegan was essentially forced out and I remember saying then the only way to get him out was a mass boycott and go to extreme lengths (I'm not even sure that would work). He's pulled the same tricks for over ten years and he's still getting away with it, it's criminal to run any business like that let alone a once proud and thriving football club. Ashley and his various accomplices have dismantled and ultimately destroyed this club which is nothing short of an absolute tragedy. I totally understand and admire the fans still going and backing Rafa and the team which just makes the entire situation even more galling, amazing fan base, big stadium, world class manager and all that is undermined by what Ashley does so any potential or positivity is just instantly extinguished by one man and his ludicrous nonsensical decisions. Ultimately barring miracle we'll go down, Rafa will leave and the club just lurches to another completely preventable disaster.

I foolishly and naively got relatively excited about this one thinking if he stayed fit could well keep us up... Then to see West Brom and that absolute cretin Pardew beat us to it is a new low even for this club and is a perfect illustration as to where we are and how far we have fallen during Ashley's catastrophic regime.

Probably does need to be left out for a game or two but that leaves us without his corners & freekicks which have been a huge source of assists this season.

Liked a lot of what he did last night, some lovely runs and actually looks quite threatening but gave the ball away a lot as well, needs to be a bit stronger and release the ball sooner at times. A huge improvement from his early cameos and obviously has potential so hopefully he can kick on, think a goal would do him the world of good.

Decent footballer but not a great defender if that makes sense? Still early days for him in a new league so has time to improve. Lascelles gets better with each game he misses!

Pretty much exactly what I was going to say but you beat my by 10 years One of if not the worst 'striker' I've seen and I don't say that lightly, Xisco, Shola, Luque, Andreas Anderson, Guivarch to name a few. Before my time but a few of my mates tell me the legend that is Frank Pingel may have been worse.. if true he must have been horrendous.

While neither are prolific I think it's very telling the way they have scored this season. Joselu - His first was hardly clinical and was almost blocked and the second a defender played it off his foot. Both quite fortunate . Mitrovic - A clinical powerful first time shot into the top corner and another when he confidently waltzed past Joe Hart. While two goals a piece is hardly a great deal to go on I still think it makes for a valid comparison. Mitrovic does seem to have greater confidence and looks able to take chances, Joselu sadly looks like a Spanish Luuk De Jong!

Sad to say it but he's showed nothing at all to suggest he can cut it at this level so far. I know he's been limited to short cameos but we've actually looked worse when he's came on. Even in the limited time he's had you would still expect a glimpse of potential, like a run, shot or decent cross but all he's done so far is give the ball away resulting in more pressure on us. He looks absolutely terrified whenever he comes onto the pitch, looking at his face prior to his introduction Saturday he looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights. I'm not writing him off yet and hope the 'fans' don't give him too much abuse as we all know that will just destroy him. Saying that we need players who can provide something week in week out and actually make a difference and he looks a million miles from doing that right now. A January loan move might sound ridiculous as he was our biggest outlay in the summer but he needs something to rebuild some confidence and we can't afford to give him a run in the team based on what he's offered so far.

Yeah I read that, sums up the situation pretty well. I can't see any other outcome than him leaving in January (as long as we get a new striker in).

Joselu is exactly what you get for 5 million these days, someone who should be 3rd or 4th choice striker at most clubs in the league. Seems to have gone downhill since the first couple of games, maybe those missed chances against Stoke and a few in other games have sapped any confidence he had. Offers very little right now, Bournemouth is an ideal opportunity to try Mitrovic or Gayle, surely they would carry more of a goal threat.

Looks truly awful right now, devoid of any confidence and you just know when he receives the ball he's either going to be easily dispossessed or do absolutely nothing with it, best he can do is win a corner. He has no pace, strength or skill to go past / hold off players and his goal threat is pretty much non-existent these days. Aside from that decent curling shot he offered nothing on Monday night. Problem is we have no alternatives to play there, Diame is just as bad if not worse and that's pretty much it unless we start moving players into unfamiliar positions. I know De Jong was a sicknote but he couldn't have been much worse than Ayoze right now. I know Rafa defended him (as you would expect) but he must be so frustrated with what he sees from him week in week out. The number one priority for January has to be an upgrade for his position.

Has to be the biggest upgrade of a position we've ever had, going from Cretinous Colback to this lad is absolutely mindblowingly brilliant!

The most bizarre thing about the whole situation is that it makes no business or financial sense. There is a very good chance we will be relegated now which means the club and Ashley lose millions. Transfer fees are only going to get more insane so waiting for January or next summer is foolhardy as the players are only going to cost more and more money. It's so unbelievably shortsighted and fundamentally flawed that it actually makes my brain hurt.

All will be fine Giuseppe Rossi is a free agent... https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/statistik/vertragslosespieler

[move][/move] Apologies, didn't mean that to sound like I was sticking up for that absolute buffoon! Another failing of Ashley, appointing and sticking with that classless clown for so long.

The club is essentially in a coma under Ashley with no hope of recovery. It just exists, there is no soul or purpose to it anymore. For a club like ours that is nothing short of an absolute tragedy. He has pulled exactly the same tricks throughout his ten years here, undermining every manager we've had in that time, Keegan, Pardew, Benitez etc. By some amazing twist of fate Rafa decided to join us and stay on after relegation and just maybe the penny would finally drop after the McClaren fiasco and he would put his faith in a proven, accomplished and capable manager and back him (relatively speaking). Sadly it appears as if the last ten years has taught Ashley absolutely nothing, two relegations, many other times we've struggled. If he can't get it right with a manager like Benitez at the helm then as a club there is no way forward, only backwards.