DT

To be honest he should be well ahead of Smallbone. Can't understand that.

Surprised at the Font swap, though. Thought he was happy at Lille

If we let him go as I fear we might, given our mystifying decision to award McCarthy a new contract, then the new keeper we get in must be a clear number 1, not an understudy to McCarthy. In my view. We need to look abroad, I would think. Get a young keeper with good distribution and awareness as well as shot-stopping capability. Spend some money on what is a crucial position, or we will fritter points away again from blunders. Personally I would have given Forster the contract but if he's being super-greedy (which I suspect) then we have little choice. He'll have other suitors, but we won't get much.

I would argue Jonny Evans at Leicester City has been a real success. Still excellent at 34. Would even now be good for us (I can dream)

Which is what is so disappointing. CB is a crucial position, and needs investment with someone good. Ditto the keeper. Fine to adopt that strategy for other positions but we need to build from the back with solidity, in my view, even if the old strategy (talking very old) of having a blend of youngsters and experienced players (think the Keegan era) is probably over for good in the new 'sell em on, enjoy them while you can, you lucky punters' era.

The one where it came down high over his shoulder and he just tried to volley/hoof it away and it just skimmed back into the sky in completely the other direction and into danger would have been appalling for my son's U16 side. In fact they would never do that. Couldn't believe my eyes.

Agreed. Looked a bit unfit to me. Certainly not match fit. In retrospect, knowing about the Bednarek thing, made me think it was all a bit of a shock to him to be playing. He played as if he hadn't played top flight football for a few seasons, I thought.

We've needed to invest properly in a decent centre half for years. Ditto keeper. Couldn't believe how bad Stephens was yesterday. Did Bednarek refuse to play at the last minute? Stephens looked that underprepared. That attempted clearance! That hoofed scuffed volley to nowhere! AWFUL

That started a few months ago

Was pretty clear yesterday that Stephens and Adam Armstrong are really not up to Premier League standard. Neither is Shane Long any more. So Ralph picks them against one of the best teams in Europe. I mean, what was he thinking? Wear them out by their ceaseless running (didn’t happen) and then bring on the big guns? Ralph needs to get back to his ‘pick the best team’ phase, and the keep it settled. Weirdly coincides with our best period of results. This too clever experimentation is nonsense. ps thought atmosphere was pretty good, although why we give them the whole end is a bit of a mystery. Don’t we want as much in the way of advantages as possible?

He should have changed it at half time. He didn’t. He shouldn’t have selected those players in the first place. We didn’t ‘go for it’ at all. We were timid, and didn’t believes in ourselves, fannied around with it at the back, Stephen’s gave them their first goal, Salisu their second and we missed too many chances with Armstrong’s scuff ‘shots’. Bit mostly it was about selecting the wrong team. Bizarre. Ralph is in one of those phases where he picks the wrong team as part of some hair brained strategy. Long? What on earth was he thinking? They were rattled at half time thanks to our flukey equaliser. That was when he needed to change it. Is it contractual that it always happens at 60 minutes? So odd. No denying City we’re quality but they were there to be pressed and harried. We barely tested them.

Just awful awful defending. Championship at best. Compounded lack of intensity, and mystifying team selection. You don’t beat City unless you’re all on it and you don’t have someone as poor as Armstrong was in the first half presented your chances. Don’t get me started on Stephens. Dogshit from start to finish

Just awful awful defending. Championship at best

Our defence is so shit. Stephen’s’ performance one of the most inept I’ve seen. And Salisu always gets done like that

Our defence is so shit

Mystifying

Our manager is a lunatic

Long? Really?

Good Jimenez off. Deserved.

Feel very sorry dor him. Obviously distressed.

That Jimenez is a right dirty bastard. Bad fouls, and then pretends he’s injured too to try to ameliorate what should be two reds. Kevin Friend falls for it of course.

If he plays Djenepo he has totally lost the plot

7) Mike Dean remembers he's a Tranmere fan, which is near Liverpool, so wants City to lose. I wish.

Amazed he hasn’t brought Sterling on

Palace have pretty much shown how to play them. Harried and pressed from start to finish. Rode their luck, but decent. Not sure we have their physicality or robust shape