Chez

strange game to analyse. We were woeful at times, but also showed outstanding workrate and effort to get the ball down and play. First and foremost Adkins decision to play 4-5-1 cost us the first goal and perhaps the match. Leaving fullbacks exposed cost us so many goals early season so why on earth we returned to that formation is beyond me. We looked lost and offered littler threat with Lambert flicking on to no one. Ramirez didn't track back, does he ever? Shaw left 2 on 1, an easy crossing situation arises, Davis spills it and Berbatov can't miss. Time after time we got raped down the wings and we could so easily have been two or three behind. Thankfully Fulham didn't take their chances and in the second half we took control. Once we went 4-4-2 we started to cause Fulham problems and in the end we were desperately unlucky not to get a win. The conditions made it difficult to play football, but boy did we try and we got our deserves in the end. I thought the effort the players put in was fantastic. Pucheon had a strange game, nit much cam off for him but he gave everything as did most of them. Davis 5 not a great deal to do. Spilled the cross of course. Distribution and selection good. Clyne 6 some good some bad. Would like to see him try to get to the byeline every now and then Yoshida 7 once again some very poor passes, but also not given an option by our midfield on many occasions. First half he allowed Berbatov to stroll around, but got a bit tighter second. Tough conditions for a centre back so pretty decent game. Made some very good choices when I thought he should have dived in to a tackle, but had he he would have given a pen away. Fonte 7 "kick Berbatov". I thought he was far too nice first half, but in the second he started to bully a bit more. Shaw 7 some great runs in the first half. Made some mistakes - mis-controlling the ball when trying to bring it down rather than hoofing it anywhere. Conditions had a lot to do with that, but thankfully he got away it. Left exposed by formation. Morgan 6 poor first half saw him chasing shadows, excellent second. Totally dominated the middle. Cork 6 worked very hard indeed but didn't make himself available enough in the first half Puncheon 6 depending how you saw the game you might give him anything from a 2 to an 8. Not much came off, but he was our only real threat. Near the end he absolutely bawled out Clyne for failing to play the right pass. He should really have focused on closing the ball down instead of moaning at him, but the passion shown shows exactly how much the game meant to him and I've not seen that before. He's a proper team player now. Davis 5 saw noting of the ball in the first half. Did quite well when moved to the left as part of a 4-4-2, but I think Adkins got it wrong and it didn't help him Ramirez 5 a bit like Puncheon in that he tried everything he could to play, but too many mistakes for me. Wasted out wide. When we got him the middle we looked much more balanced. He really is a class act and his touch in the wet was first class, but we need a goal out of him. It will come good. Lambert 7 stranded on his own in the first half made him look poor and slow, but Adkins was at fault not Lambert. In the second he led the line well and caused plenty of problems. He doesn't look quite as sharp as he has done, but this idea that he has been found out is ********. He just needs someone alongside him. Get Ramirez back playing off him immediately. Rodriguez should have got him on as soon as we went 4-4-2. Did well to get up to the pace of the game and conditions to help push us on. Guly perhaps should have come on a little earlier

Merry Xmas chaps.

we are not exactly inundated with players that are good enough to play left and right midfield at this level

if someone can suggest a wide player with premiership experience that is actually good, available, within our budget (transfer fee and wages), then I'm all ears. Jermaine Pennant maybe? The concept of experience is overrated IMO especially in flair players. Quality is all that matters.

the really best players in the Championship can improve premiership teams. Seeing as many of our players - Bale, Walcott, Jones, Chamberlain - have been snapped up by Prem sides you'd think we'd be more open minded to lower league players now we have made it.

profit wise, Walcott is going to be hard to beat turning £40k into £10m+

a £23m player must be on £100k a week. I'd of thought most prem sides would be interested in him if they could negotiate on his wages

How much would we want for Hammond and Sharp? We need to sell some dead wood this window. We have far too many senior pros that are a million miles away from the first 11.

I suggested him in the summer, so I'm happy to see we are linked with him now. In the game at their place he tore us apart. Very strong direct and powerful runner. I don't give two hoots about his lack of premiership experience. Being a good player is all that matters.

didn't he only join Millwall in the summer?

disappointing result (0-0 would have bee fair) and slightly disappointing (flat is right) performance, although not nearly as bad as some are making out. We were by far the better side in the first half and to go 0-1 down was a travesty as Sunderland had done nothing. We dominated possession and looked OK, although there was very little threat. Have to wonder where Clyne went for their goal. They seem to have free reign down that side. Second half was a different story. Sunderland came out the blocks much quicker than us and we never got to grips with the game. There was a period in the second half when nothing went right. Every second ball dropped to them and when we did get there first a poor touch or pass gave it straight back. I can't fault our effort. We really tried hard to get back into the game, but there was just no fluency and we looked laboured. The crossing was terrible. I thought we were treat a few weeks ago with Lallana and Puncheon putting in dangerous corners, but today we were back to our old ****ness. Why start with Mayuka having ignored him to date? Rodriguez dropped after a good showing was strange too. We need wide men. Been saying it for a long time. Davis 7 some very good kicking and gppd choices on distribution. Went long when 2 on 2 oen time which was spot on. Need to do that a bit more often as we might actaully catch teams on the hop now and then. Very little else to do. Thank god the slip didn't go in or we'd be looking for yet another keeper change Clyne 7 defended well against the pace of Rose and kept the left midfielder quiet, although no where to be seen for their goal. Didn't link up with Puncheon as well as they have been in recent past going forward. Yoshida 8 very good game for me (one woeful pass apart). One tremendous interception in the first half to deny Fletcher. Tough assignment, but did pretty well. He's started to get tighter and actually look to win a ball or two. Big improvement. Fonte 8 also very solid game. Won a lot and composed on the ball. Should have scored though. Shaw 8 expanding his contribution with every showing. I'd like to see him get to the byline a few more times as that's when we looked at our most dangerous. Sadly that happened once. Ramirez 5 very average game. Not much he tried came off and wasteful in decent positions. Needs to do much more in games, but playing him wide left is not the right move. He needs to play off the striker Morgan 6 decent in the first half and I wasn't entirely sure why he was taken off, although we didn't dominate the middle in the second Cork 7 outstanding in the first half, but game passed him by a little in the second Puncheon 6 a tad unlucky a few times and noticeable to me how quick fans were to jump on his back when he played a poor pass. Not his best game having set a high standard recently. With him failing to take charge of the game we suffered from a lack of penetration. Lambert 6 looked sluggish. A few great deft touches, but he won very few headers and offered little threat. Mayuka 5 bright first half running the channels well, but looked a little lost. Touch let him down in the second half. Have to winder why he wasn't the impact sub with Rodriguez starting (having played very well in the last game) De Ridder 6 bright and lively. but usual one half decent cross in every 20. Good to see Adkins change things at the right time, but we looked desperately short of a left sided player and have done for a long time. Davis tidy, but little improvement on Morgan Guly a threat, but when the half chance came, for the second game in a row he didn't take it. Shame as I'd love to see him get his goal and shut a few up.

Ince and Zaha were both there to get in the summer. We knew exactly how good they were...too late now me thinks.

Everton's Distan linked with Sunderland. Mega wages...

Jack Hobbs?

Loving the calendar halo.

It didn't actually. Sheff United offered him a contract that was cut by 60% to bring him in line with the other members of the squad. He obviously wasn't happy. Forest were seriously interested in signing him so he turned the contract down. Unfortunately for him there was a change of manager at Forest and it left him high and dry. Pompey stepped in. Now, I don't know what his wage is now, but it wasn't as simple as Pompey out bidding Sheff United.

Agent leaked story to get interest from either Saints or other clubs. All this tells us is that he hasn't go a deal lined up yet. He's had a good season so far. I'd suggest he'd win player of the season if it ended now. I wonder how much he wants in wages. I suspect a million quid up front for starters (half of this £2m) and three years on I don't know how much. Difficult decision for the club considering the issues they have had. Very hard to forget when you are about t hand the player a kings ransom.

Kone is a big loss for Wigan.

I don't recognise any of the players in the calender. That makes me smile.

I like Downing. I've always thought he was a very good club level player. Not as a £20m player or on anywhere near the money he's on at Liverpool, but it's not so long ago he was outstanding at Villa and even played well in one or two England games. He scored a screamer against us on his wrong foot when playing for Boro and that left a real impression on me. Not many players hit the ball like that with their swinger. He clearly lost his way with his off the field problems causing a loss of form and confidence, but the statistic about him not scoring or getting any assists is slightly misleading. He got to the byline and created tonnes of chances that Suarez spurned time after time. Liverpool were **** and he got all the blame. We really need left and right midfielders to challenge our current two. He'd be be good choice at the right money if he has sorted his off the field problems out. Put an arm round him and get him up and down that line again and he would be a fine acquisition.

with reference to Sarah's comments, I'm not sure the comparison's with the other charities Facebook pages carries any weight whatsoever. I'm not saying she is wrong in doubting they are on target, in fact the earlier post was quite convincing, but I just don't think the number of facebook likes for battersea dogs home can be used as evidence that they aren't. The PST need 1800 offering £1000, not 18,000 offering £100 or £180,000 offering £10 (maybe that would have been a better way to go?) so it's not about getting huge numbers of people donating, it's about convincing a couple of thousand that this can work. Of those couple thousand how many are actually joining facebook pages and liking stuff?

a 67 year old Saints fan died outside SMS last Saturday after the game. We're far more alike than most on this thread would care to admit.

do they? I honestly don't see this. I know all the talk is of them paying big wages, but there squad is full of **** and they are in exactly the position I expected them to be, maybe even better than I thought.

I like Downing. I've always thought he was a very good club level player. Not as a £20m player or on anywhere near the money he's on at Liverpool, but it's not so long ago he was outstanding at Villa and even played well in one or two England games. He scored a screamer against us on his wrong foot when playing for Boro and that left a real impression on me. Not many players hit the ball like that with their swinger. He clearly lost his way with his off the field problems causing a loss of form and confidence, but the statistic about him not scoring or getting any assists is slightly misleading. He got to the byline and created tonnes of chances that Suarez spurned time after time. Liverpool were **** and he got all the blame. We really need left and right midfielders to challenge our current two. He'd be be good choice at the right money if he has sorted his off the field problems out. Put an arm round him and get him up and down that line again and he would be a fine acquisition.

you will recall that League clubs are allowed to run three??? offers in a season which doesn't have to include away fans. Having said that PFC seemed to do it every game last season