Thiago

The hope is that a few Howe types - technical defenders, midfielders - can move us to a more efficient and versatile set up.

Not to bring it back to him again, but we had the same issue with Ben Arfa. It seems like we wanted him to be a false 9, but being central seems to disorientate him a bit, he's never in the right spot to collect the ball and he ends up wandering aimlessly. The exception is when we win it back in midfield and can quickly get it to him (see Murphy chance) and he can go running in a 2v2 or 3v3 situation. The truth about Saint-Maximin is this - he is an exceptional dribbler, bordering on world class when he's in his pomp. The rest of his game is not at that same level, meaning he can look a lot like Adama Traore when he's out of form. Howe/We need to keep him on the left and make it so we create overloads on the right when he has the ball and draws a few men towards him, or switch the play quickly to his side when he's isolated. Running things through him entirely is the worst thing we can do as he doesn't have the decision making to be consistently influential.

The mouse thinks the snake just wants a hug. Let them learn the hard way.

We basically need the spine overhauling due to no quality and injury. Get a new CB x2, new CM and a new striker and I think this team shoots up a few levels.

An outrageous claim. If anything, it shows how out of form Dubravka has to be for these two to be close.

Getting beaten by a League One team is embarrassing. Spending five seasons in League One when you said you'd walk it is definitely a lot more embarrassing.

Final thought for today - don't let a bad 90 minutes distract from the week we've had. I excuse Trippier from any of what I'm about to say because he's new and looked very good for long periods. You don't live through 14 years of Mike Ashley and undo that in a few months with a full stadium and beautiful flag displays. This house is one that needs fixing up from top to bottom. The mentality has to change, the players have to change. The players we watched today are but grains of sand in the context of the club's history. We are witnessing who wants to be part of this exciting new journey and who doesn't. Every game is an audition now. Who wants to get used to a packed St James' Park cheering them across the line, and who would rather slip away with a pay off. Right now it's all the shit jobs we need to do. We're stripping the wallpaper, cleaning out the cupboard under the stairs. We've taken down the previous owner's tacky art work and we're starting to clean the walls in anticipation of painting. Trippier is a nice look at to what our clubs wants to do and who it wants to be, and a lot of those already here know they don't measure up. In the summer we all likely went to sleep each night praying for a new owner. I know I wasted a few New Years wishes on it... We've got that, and we've seen a taste of what they aim to do with us. This lot today might have seen the penny drop or they might continue to embarrass us, but the clock is ticking down on this era and that's enough to keep me happy.

Pep said similar on All or Nothing. He'll have read the riot act in private, but creating distance in public is the quickest way to losing them.

I hope he's realised today that ASM as a false 9 doesn't work.

He was brilliant against Leicester in the 4-2.

He's a microcosm for the team. We don't have players that can pick locks. It's a group built to counter attacking football and running into space. He's best when he can gallop into space, and even then he created a good chance for ASM.

He is a good lad though. He's been a solid servant that asked to leave and was forced to stay. The lad has been honest and we'd be mad to think some of the cunts in that dressing room aren't looking at this as the last few stops of the gravy train. I don't think he'll be like that, but you have to remember from the moment the takeover happened we've been discussing replacements and how great it will be to fuck them off That also means when they take to the field they're not going to give 100% and that's before we discuss which of the group are actually just shit professional footballers.

The way to get the best out of him is through counter attacks and switching the point of attack quickly so he can be isolated. Too often we're giving it to him with two men to get past and he's not doing anything with it.

Yeah, don't hate that shout. He's best when you can counter on a regular basis, but cameos like today are a total no win situation for him. He was playing alongside fucking statues and trying to spark something.

It's a truly crazy decline. The goals were huge last year, but he was also a good ball carrier, able to press, intercept. All of that is missing this season and I can't for the life of me figure out why.

It was, but I remember many a home game where he'd hold and hold and hold it wanting to embarrass a man when a passing option was right there.

Isaac Hayden gave you an insight into the mentality. There are a good number of this squad that won't go easily and know their time is limited here.

Funnily enough, Hatem had this in him too and it got to its worst just before he left. He basically ballooned in weight and seemed to view a 90 minute game as a technique training session. ASM did a good job of creating that chance for Jacob Murphy, but he also seems to be playing his own game too often. I can't see any weight gain, but he doesn't look as physically sharp/lean as previous. It's a nightmare given his importance to our attacking output.

Stood out like a rose in a field full of weeds.

Am I alone in thinking he's looked slower and more laboured post Bruce? He doesn't seem to move quite as freely, hence struggling to get by a man.

He needs to move to Spain. He'll never be used correctly here and the perception of him is set in stone.

I think he's shown today that he won't be the manager if/when the team is pushing for big things. The bloke simply can't coach in a proactive way. It's easy to put out nice patterns when your opponent is coming on to you and they leave spaces, but Cambridge (rightly) did not do that. From the moment the goal went in we passed it around the perimeter like a frustrated basketball team before throwing it in against three massive defenders. He';; get a pass to a certain degree for as long as we have the Ashley era shite in the team, but the awful part of my brain keeps whispering that it would have been better under a Rafa type.

Been Space Jam'd since Bruce left.

Yeah he's done here. Same with Matty if we're being frank. A once bright prospect that has never looked close to being the player he was under Rafa. Can blame Bruce for some of that but he needs to take responsibility for it too.

Keep Trippier, flog the rest. This lot are an awful bunch of mediocrity and bad eggs. They should be looking at this as a chance to play for their careers and they've been fucking awful. I've tried to cut them a lot of slack because of Ashley and Bruce, but too many of this lot are just as bad as them.