BigWalrus

I can help if you want - not going to be able to go to this one, so can free up my allowance.

It's asking for a cock to be photoshopped into Danny Simpson's hand...

That sounds like a not-at-all subtle hint that he'll hoy a wobbler if we sell our big players...

It's not quite as good as the one of Jonas holding the FTM sign. That is more of an achievement, given that it's an opposition player.

He's worth £15k a week, going off what other players get paid. He's apparently been offered £25k and turned it down - he's an idiot.

Swansea are a much better side that Norwich though. Our big undoing at Norwich wasn't good football - it was a team lumping balls into the box when we had Perch and Simpson to clear them away. Williamson is much more competent in the air than either of them, and I reckon we would have beaten Norwich had we been able to cope with the aerial threat. We have a makeshift defence...but we also have an in-form, fearless forward line. With a forward line of Ba, Cisse and Ben Arfa, we can't possibly go and play for a draw.

I suppose the one positive is that we get another day to rest compared with Bolton, who play on the Saturday.

It's ridiculous, isn't it? One of the longest trips to have to make and they whack it on a bank holiday Friday afternoon.

Should be a £40k fine for them, if the FA are to be consistent with our punishment [we got £20k for the Arsenal home game, then a £40k for second offence against the mackems]

James Tavernier has been recalled, presumably to replace Simpson at right back, allowing Simpson to drop into the middle. Jesus Christ. This is where our good run unwinds. Attack may be our only form of defence here. Let's play with a back three and whack an extra midfielder in there!

Lee Ryder is tweeting that Perch has picked up a knock in training.

Moses has the attributes to be a good player - quick, decent touch and reasonably strong. But as pointed out, his decision making (ie his shooting) is appalling. He tends to go for the near post rather than shoot across the keeper, and likes to hammer it from distance rather than pass or take another touch. It may be something that can be coached into him, but some players just don't get the hint.

That's exactly my point though - we've switched Perch to centre back and he's done fine recently, and Steven Taylor played loads of games as a full back before making the step up. I'm not suggesting that I expect our full backs to be able to slot into centre back without any bother, just that the Norwich game highlighted just how poor a player Simpson was.

He was shown up for the quality of defender that he is when we played Norwich away. There's no hiding when you're playing centre back.

Danny Simpson is by far our weakest player. He struggles with the ball at his feet. He offers literally nothing going forward, often having a negative impact as moves break down due to a misplaced pass. He has very little pace. He has a tendency to dive into tackles when staying upright would be a better move. He consistently backs off 3-4 yards further than he should when attempting to cut out crosses, meaning he rarely cuts any out at all. He rarely marks his man in the box, preferring instead to stand on the line on the off chance that he'll be in the right place for a spectacular goal line clearance. He has no awareness of where his team mates are, in terms of forming a defensive line. This has resulted in multiple offside trap failures (three goals conceded at Fulham this way, for instance) The biggest problem is that he tries to avoid any sort of responsibility. If there is someone else to pass to, even if he's in a terrible position, he'll give the ball to him. If the danger man is free, he'll run past him and pick up the less dangerous man. Getting a new, competent right back must be a priority for us.

Isn't this just like when we all blamed Dennis Wise rather than Keegan? *ducks*

Tiote would have more licence to go forward when we're 3 or 4 goals up. If we've only got a 1 goal margin, he's barely going to venture past halfway. I'm sure he'll chip in with a few more if we continue with a Ba - Cisse - Ben Arfa front trio.

Fabregas / Nasri era Arsenal always looked far weaker going forwards when Alex Song was missing. He knitted the midfield together and allowed the others to do their thing. Vital cog in that sort of setup.

They were asking it in unwarranted anticipation of reaching the FA Cup Semi Final and needing to park near Wembley...

I know where you're coming from. I suppose it's down to whether you want two box-to-box midfielders, or a specialist break up merchant to allow the attacking players to play with freedom. I actually think Tiote is useful going forward, but not in terms of creating or scoring the goal. His complete drive and determination allows him to turn defence into attack very quickly.

If there are players better at assists, you're better off letting them have the ball. There's nobody better (in our side at least) at breaking up play, and I'm happy to have him sit and guard for 90 minutes.

Joke of a decision.