qwertyell

Was it Les Reed? Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Palace aren't pathetic. They've lost their last two against Man United and Chelsea, but played well enough to deserve much better than to end up empty handed. They'll pick up more points than we will between now and the end of the season. I think it'll ultimately be between us, Stoke and Huddersfield for the final two relegation places. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Seems pointless to rate anyone after that basket of bastards, but regardless: McCarthy: 5 - some miscommunications, flashbacks of Forster in getting down in stages for the third goal. Cedric: 3 - poor defender, dreadful going forward. Bertrand: 4 - captain, apparently. You'd never have guessed in a performance crying out for leadership. Stephens: 5 - came forward with the ball quite well. But his bread and butter is being part of a defensive unit that we're bricking it under pressure all game. Hoedt: 4 - what is his strength? Slow, clumsy, weak, and prone to passing straight out of play. Lemina: 2 - horror show. Was never switched on. Hojbjerg: 3 - gives good interviews, supposedly. His brief flickers of promise around Christmas were a false dawn, as he's reverted back to last season's headless chicken act. Ward-Prowse: 2 - gave nothing out wide. Somehow managed to give even less in his "natural" position in the centre of the park, where he was frankly embarrassing. Redmond: 5 - he tried. Tadic: 0 - he didn't. Disgrace of a footballer. If you had to design the worst possible player to fight for survival, it'd be Tadic. Carrillo: 3 - he's not very good, is he? Quite aside from his lack of goalscoring threat and how easily defenders are dealing with his alleged aerial power, his all round game is shocking. Subs: Sims: 6 - decent, again. Quick, direct, with a bit of fight. Completely out of place in this team. Long: 1 - never been a footballer. Gabbiadini: 1 - "3-0 down, 10 minutes left: come on, Gabbi, this is set up perfectly for you..." There is no hope. The board have given up, so have the supporters, so have the players. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

What can you do but laugh? Lemina trying to run his asking price down today. Pure ineptitude. Is it my imagination or do we almost concede from our own corner every game? What a shambles. Perfect counter attack from Newcastle to their credit. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

And Cedric's meant to be one of our best players. Well, game/season over. Sack them all. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Spurs have got a bit of a Saintsy downgrading problem - albeit at a much higher level, obviously. Last season they had the best two fullbacks in the league, Walker and Rose, whereas this season they've gone with very mid-table footballers in Trippier and Davies. Wanyama was their midfield lynchpin last season, but the incredibly mediocre Eric Dier plays now. Sanchez is a brilliant prospect at centre back, but not at Alderweireld's quality yet. Injuries are partly to blame, of course, but when you add in that Deli Ali has been a passenger in many games (including tonight), I think the media narrative that Spurs are "getting better" and "developing all the time" is on shaky grounds. They've gone backwards from 2nd to 4th, they're going to sell their best defender in the summer, the manager is on Madrid and PSG's wishlist, along with a few players - I think it could all fall apart very quickly. Although as we're about to get relegated with the most inept excuse for a manager and a board who don't give a damn, Spurs' impending minor demise isn't much of cold comfort. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

In the Championship, yeah, might as well. If we stay up, goalkeeper is one of several positions that needs an upgrade. McCarthy has been competent. I wouldn't say any better than that. But his adequacy in basic goalkeeping skills stands out like a sore thumb in comparison to the utter dollop he's replaced (too late). Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

The academy conveyor belt has all but dried up, so the plan is to get relegated so that we can bring more home grown tat into the side at a lower level - a level where even mediocre Championship players are selling for eight figures. So Les gets to do his pieces in the media about how he - and he alone - has overseen this wonderful influx of local lads into the team, and then flogs them for a big profit. Doesn't really help the club, but it makes him look big and important. I mean, it could be that to some degree. More likely, the reason Pellegrino is still here is because the people running the club are completely inept, arrogant, complacent or a combination of the three. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

The luck is already against us: Newcastle captain and best defender Lascelles should've been sent off today and banned for this game, but for the ineptitude of the referee. Bet we don't score and he heads the winner from a set piece. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Yes, that's what's most frustrating about him. When he receives the ball on the turn and drives at the opposition he looks quite decent, even if the end product is often lacking. But the majority of the season he's consistently chickened out of taking such responsibility and merely passed backwards (whilst *****ing to everyone else about it being their fault). An improved performance and attitude these last couple of days. And his "WTF" death stare at Cedric after he again smashed a hopeless shot into the stands, certainly summed up the feeling of all of us. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

The good: Sims was bright again, Redmond looked probably the best he has all season, a rare clean sheet. The bad: we're going down. Not because we're terrible, but because we're just meh: a lifeless shrug, nothing of any consequence. Our new striker is the absolute epitome of that. He's not the worst player in the world, but he's just nothing. Average on the deck, okay in the air, no goal threat whatsoever. Special mention for our full backs, who are supposed to be the few remaining players at the club with "top six" quality: utter bobbins. What's the worst that can happen from changing the manager now? It's already coming anyway. Are we just penny pinching and reluctant to pay the compensation? Well played to the supporters who got out in the snow to endure that. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

If you're just playing a midfield two, Hojbjerg has to come in for Romeu. His shocking lack of mobility will be too exposed. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Never want Saints to lose, and in the final shake up this point might prove to be crucial - but it just feels like dragging out the inevitable. At least if we'd lost, the board MIGHT have finally done something about the feckless imposter of a manager. But not now. And so the failing regime struggles on for another week. Pleased for Gabbiadini. He's a far better player than we've given him a platform to showcase. He must watch Shane Long and now Guido Carrillo starting games over him and wonder what the hell happened to his career. Josh Sims should play every week now he's fit. Redmond, Tadic and Boufal have been our biggest underperformers all season - it's time to give the kid a go. Direct, positive, enthusiastic: he's a breath of fresh air among that bunch of rancid chickens. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

In the know-ers reckoned we were seriously interested but he chose Villarreal over us. Would've been another cracking win for the recruitment team - he's been arrested as many times this season as he has started games (3). The Portuguese Nile Ranger. Dodged a bullet. Probably fired by Semedo. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

A big what? Mac? Can't have been an injury as he's been turning out regularly for the U23s for a while now. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Or realist. The world's full of opinions, isn't it? Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Didn't we put six past this Newcastle rabble earlier in the season? Don't think we're anything special - Sims, Hesketh and Obafemi might make the grade, few others - but Newcastle are hopeless. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Isn't Romeu a booking away from a two match ban? Admittedly, he's been pretty abject all season, but it wouldn't make much sense to risk a suspension in a cup game. Surely the league is our priority. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Ward-Prowse is the best in the league at fiddling with his Tintin hair at every break in play. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

McCarthy: 6 - couldn't do much with the goals. Cedric: 5 - still can't cross. Bertrand: 4 - couldn't cross or pass. Hoedt: 4 - Bambi on ice, with the turning circle of an oil tanker. Stephens: 5 - okay on the ball. Wasn't bullied in the air (by 5' 8" wingers). Romeu: 5 - can't run. Lemina: 6 - our best player even semi-comatose. Hojbjerg: 5 - last season in microcosm: started well and got gradually more awful. Ward-Prowse: 5 - got one cross in. Can't head. Otherwise anonymous. Tadic: 5 - rolled up his sleeves and gave everything for the cause. Said no-one ever. Carrillo: 4 - £20m. What would Paul Rideout cost today? Literally today, aged 53 - couldn't offer less than our club record goal machine. Subs:- Boufal: 1 - a point for every time he didn't lose the ball. Long: 1 - a point for every time he touched the ball. Davis: 0 - pointless. Adios, Premier League. I never loved you anyway... Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Going down with a whimper. This second half has been gutless, guileless, helpless. Obviously Liverpool are a better team than us, but we haven't even given them a game. They've won without breaking a sweat. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Well, at least we're not going to lose Hoedt to Liverpool. Three basic errors by him in that half, punished twice. We've played relatively okay. But this is a hopeless cause. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

He's 6' 1". That's not height deficient for a centre back. Phil Jones is the same height, but forging an okay career for himself. Stephens just lacks upper body strength and isn't aggressive enough in aerial challenges at times. The same is true of Hoedt who, despite being taller, actually wins less headers than Stephens. It's an area they both need to improve in, and you'd like to think having a former international centre back as manager would be a help on the training pitch, but we're just going to have to live with it for the rest of the season because there's no aerially dominant alternative waiting in the squad. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

But he only had 12 months left on his contract. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

If Michael Keane's going for £30m, all bets are off. Prices mean nothing anymore. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk