acrossthepond

He has lost a lot of the attacking spark that he used to have, and I wonder how much longer we can afford to find a place in the team for him at LW. All the same, he consistently puts in one of the hardest shifts of any player, can always be found covering, will play most any position, and loves the club. We could do worse tbh.

Good luck to him in whatever's next. I think we could've hung on to him for another season but if he wants to play first-team football, then fair play.

Bollocks we have. That second half was the same dross we've been watching all season - Pardew specialty. The only thing that made it look a little better was a few flashes of individual quality from the likes of Ben Arfa. It was a rubbish showing from us - passes to no-one, pointless tackles that concede free kicks, a completely isolated attack.

Another terrible sub in a season of them. If we wanted to add more attack we could've taken Tiote off for Marveaux and moved Jonas into the middle.

Can you tell me when he scored from that type of opportunity before? I remember him missing an even better chance against Benfica (as you also well remember.) He scored from a similar position against Arsenal away last season but he wasn't under pressure and went near post anyway.

We have created more than they have, yes, but we never look like finishing. You could tell HBA was never going to score from the shot he took on the edge of the area, and although the early cross to Cisse was a good chance, it was asking a bit much of him. Our final ball has been generally disappointing as well. It's the same old story - the chances we do create are rarely taken.

We haven't been horrible like but as usual no cutting edge when we do finally go forward. As long as Tottenham don't score, I could see this finishing 0-0. MYM is a class player, as is Gouffran.

You reckon both Tiote and HBA will be here next season?

This'll be the last we see of Tiote and Ben Arfa, I think, and possibly Cabaye (not to mention the confirmed departures of Harper and Simpson.)

It has to be Krul I think. I can't think of a dodgy moment all season. Even after recovering from injury and being thrown into the side v. Benfica away, he performed admirably. Top class player who we are deeply indebted to.

Great first contribution from Gosling there. Fuck me senseless.

Shocking. Perch and Jonas off for Gouffran and HBA - we've lost this game for certain but let's at least make a fist of it as we were doing at the end of the second half. If Perch isn't sitting in and protecting the back four then what is he doing? Not scoring, that's for sure. He needs to be off. Jonas has been atrocious as well. Johnson should not be on the pitch - utterly baffling decision. You simply cannot grab another player from the ground and wrestle them off the ball, for any reason, at any point.

Don't think the 0-0 plan is on Pards.

Utterly dire. If we took our chances first half, we'd have killed this game off before the inevitable fightback. We were beaten all ends up in the second half - I don't think Ben Arfa touched the ball more than once and neither did Shola, and we did not threaten at all. We haven't played 2 good halves of football all season. Maybe once against Benfica, depending on how you define "good." This game has been emblematic of our season - we have the players to do well, but we lack the fight and the commitment to keep going when the going gets tough, and part of that has got to come down to the manager.

I think we will truly trounce them tomorrow and have rarely looked forward to a derby with such anticipation. They are a dire, embarrassing side and it would be doing the Premier League a favour to send them down.

Played exactly to plan and it almost worked. We lost to the better team. Going gung-ho would've done exactly nothing except see us torn to shreds. We played a cautious game, built up pressure, and sent on our attacking subs at just the right times. Pardew had this planned out to perfection. Just couldn't get the slice of luck we needed with the offside goals/definite second yellow for the Benfica defender/late HBA shot. Very pleased with the second-half performance (and even the first wasn't THAT bad) and I think we can build on this to utterly smash the mackems.

Considering how often they tinkered with the story in the second season, every episode was like a new surprise, despite having read them all. Third season has started well. Third book was also the best so that's no surprise. 5th book was good too.

He likes to leave it late, doesn't he? Fucking hell. Great finish as well.

Get the fuck in!

If we can digress from discussing the fascist for a moment: Could have something to do with the fact that Clough was a legend and you're a chequebook manager who could only win a two-horse race, Marty

Ben Arfa is five times the player Marveaux is. Marveaux is just another Routledge. Skilled in one area, limited in all others.

Disgraceful. What odds Pardew decides to completely pack this competition in and sends out the reserves next Thursday? We imploded, shit ref, woodwork or not and have only ourselves to blame. It's time to end the fiction that Santon is a defender as well.

Think I may have jinxed this like. Just got home from graft, put this on, we miss two easy chances and concede. Bollocks.

Oh do fuck off you fossilised set of wankers. What a complete shambles.

You can't beat incompetence of that magnitude. Hard done by isn't even in it. That was a diabolical performance by Halsey and it's utterly wrecked that game of football. Fair play to Wigan as they matched us thoroughly but they must know in their heart of hearts that they never deserved that.