Abacus

Think I agree that he's a C now, but was a B pre injury. It's easy to forget what an upgrade he was when he first came in and replaced Dubravka. Now he's solid, to the point where there's genuine and reasonable debate between the two of them.

Given that Man U stadium announcement, I'd far prefer our lot to just say that we've done the groundwork, we've consulted widely, this is our plan and here's how we fund it. Then get on with it, whatever the choice is whether staying or going. And just not end up with some kind of bivouac plan.

Thought Pope was decent enough. And I don't think we mess with the back line now after a clean sheet - it's not perfect but it's probably the best we have. The argument for me is that if we sit back against Liverpool, Dubs is better with his feet at close control in tight situations, whereas if pressing forward and you leave a gap, then Pope's sweeping is far better to close that gap down. And arguably also if we face a barrage from corners etc I'd trust Pope more. I get why you could argue it either way, though.

And they can always stick an awning on it for a cost conscious extension.

So, a prefab stadium with a plastic bag on top stuck on by 3 tentpoles for £2bn (funding tbc), at the worst time in years to be taking on more debt. Plus it looks absolutely terrible. I'm all in favour of this

A C feels slightly harsh, but a B would feel too generous right now. I agree with what others have about needing more support in front of him to be able to be more attacking down the flank, and I think he has the attributes to get there, but for now I think he is a high C.

Have him down as a B right now, his progression has been really remarkable. You only have to look at how gutted we are that he's out for the season - he'll be England's left back and hopefully ours for a long time.

E - Not good enough either by virtue of general ability or being past their prime. I don't think he's past his prime. I don't think I can comment on his general ability, albeit I think he looks like he could be a handful. Is he not trusted or just being eased in? That's why I've gone with D.

I can't rate him an E. Remember when Hall was brought in and slowly introduced to the team, before now becoming a stand out player? From the flashes I have seen he's got something, so I'm trusting our management to have spotted something and be working with him. I don't know what his ceiling is, he's definitely raw, but on that basis I'm scoring him a D for now.

That's the one! Cheers enthusiast, I've just watched it another 5 times.

When I talk to non Newcastle fans about Ben Arfa they've barely heard of him, whereas I try to explain he was the definition of a player who got you off your seat. Then I show them the clips. If my brain hasn't gone too AWOL, I think the first time I thought that was maybe his first game when he was spanked the ball and just stopped it dead with the most outrageous control I can ever remember seeing. Then later, sitting in the gallowgate when he picked up the ball before halfway in the cup, with the bloke next to me just quietly saying "oh, here we go" and starting to stand up already. And then he just waltzed through half the pitch and stuck it away in the most beautiful goal I've ever witnessed live. A magician on his day.

Think of it as a philidor sacrifice

There's not much debate about this in my mind. I can't think of a single striker I'd rather have, and it seems most of the biggest clubs think the same way. A

In the initial loan season, I'd have had him as a C. Since the transfer became permanent he's become a D, and he's stayed there, partly due to lack of chances / availability. D

Careful what you wish for - what if you're banished to the netherworld too?

He was probably just trying to get information out of you so don't take that personally. I listen to what you say and take regard of it, plus a couple of others, anyway. Let's see what the club come out with anyhow.

Either way it's one you'd have done based on the information we HAD and that's all that matters to me. Fingers and toes crossed Botman being out is just a scare.

Can't really argue with a C overall. Be interesting how he does with a few games under his belt as a starting player

Yeah, and I might be being a bit harsh there as the whole team has been a bit inconsistent. I still have him as a B, just a bit more replaceable now if we do have a squad refresh in the summer. All that said, I wouldn't much fancy playing against him either, so there's that.

I've swung between a B and a C a bit here. Last season a definite B, but I think he has been too inconsistent this year and on this year alone I'd have him as a high C. At Everton he played a bit at right wing but he obviously doesn't favour that now to the point where Murphy is a better option. On the left he has pace and directness and is a definite asset. Forget him as a back up striker. He also does seem to fluctuate a bit based on his confidence and attitude. The England snub obviously affected him, so he seems to need to be in the right place mentally. And that's before his daft sending off which will affect the whole team in a cup final. On balance, just about still a B. But he's now one of our better players that I wouldn't be as devastated to see leaving if we got a good offer.

E - Not good enough either by virtue of general ability or being past their prime, is the definition of an E. It's not based on general ability, even though being past his prime through injuries has also affected his general ability. If a player isn't available for a significant chunk of games it also means his general ability doesn't even matter most of the time. Not just saying this because we lost last night either - was just thinking the immediate effect of a loss might lead to everyone going down a grade on any player.

I think he's high B with the potential to be an A with more games and consistency. He's in the right place to get both, especially if we have a clever summer and upgrade a couple of places in the squad so he's in a better overall team. He definitely has the ceiling to play with better players and not look out of place.

B - everyone hates playing against him and when he is out we miss him so badly by sheer force of personality. I get that he has technical limitations and is hard to put into a bracket but half the league would love to have a player like him.

We need this guy.