Saint_clark

With our lack of height i'd probably stick Romeu and Stephens both towards the back post with the aim of heading it back across goal and downwards so someone can try and tap it in. Doubt we'll score a goal from a first header from a set piece until Van Dijk or Austin are playing again.

Wouldn't be too upset to see Bertrand go, given how good McQueen has been. He can step up and despite what people are saying Targett is an adequate reserve. If we can get £20million or more for Bertrand that's a good amount to reinvest entirely somewhere else in the team, e.g Sigurdsson...

He never seemed to score a sh*t goal, they were all very tidy finishes at worse or worldies at best.

4 consecutive league games? How long ago was Chelsea away?

And Koeman also didn't have European or League Cup football as a distraction, nor did he have long term injuries to three key players at key points in the season (goalscorer, best player, goalscorer).

I would judge him on his second season if you want to use Koemans second (relatively uninterrupted by European and League Cup football) as a benchmark...

A pre-season hitting the weights is in order, me thinks.

Only fair to give Puel a second season. The season we finished 6th under Koeman was fantastic but let's be honest, the traditional top 6 absolutely fell apart, we could and maybe should have finished even higher with the squad we had.

Wasn't able to watch, but did he actually come out and collect crosses that weren't straight at him in this game? I've said it plenty of times, there are a lot of goalkeepers out there who can make the odd worldy save or have the odd game where they save everything, but we should be aiming for something better than that.

Our development teams have been pretty unsuccessful for years now. It's really not that big of a problem - at that level you're trying to develop individual talent, it really doesn't matter how well they work as a team given that some of them will be very talented and some will be sh*te.

He used to have one called Lamberts Pen as well that I vaguely remember winning money on once.

Bit of rewriting of history to say our football was more attractive back then, he gets Spurs playing great football now sure, but I clearly remember a stubborn single minded attitude to playing the ball side to side on the edge of the opponents box for ages and regularly failing to actually carve out decent chances. It was this places biggest criticism of him.

Yeah, the guys a cock.

When we actually play the way he wants to it's very good, but for some reason we spend long periods of the season not playing that way.

The one player who played well today, he's got better with every single game.

I literally have no idea why we allow Tadic to take penalties with his record.

The attacking three were too deep when the ball went forward but nowhere to be seen when it was cleared from our box. Gabbiadini did nothing by the way - the reaction to his sub was ridiculous, he needed to come off.

Feel bad for JWP, seems he always ends up getting dropped no matter how well he plays.

Well the same article that is from says that we prefer other bidders, so that's slightly contradictory already.

I don't know how these things work, but would the fact they paid for an exclusivity period mean we had no choice BUT to entertain them?

I said not world class, so you can discount VVD Some of those are a bit of a stretch (Ake, Keane, Zouma, Jones remain to convince and Dier is a DM) and besides, that's still a very small list. To put it into context all of those players would only be enough to fill the CB positions for 5 and a half clubs. Yes there will be more out there, but still. My point was that to say we should cut and run if he isn't at VVD levels by next season is ludicrous.

Can you name many centrebacks who DO make it at the top level at 22? I'm not talking the world class ones, so you can discount the likes of Ferdinand or Terry. He's being written off way too early. Yes he might go back to fourth choice next season - but he's showed enough that a Prem team will probably take him on loan, and that gives him a season or two at the top level to progress even further. Honestly, from what I've seen of him in recent weeks (and if he carries it on) I would be willing to see what he's got as a starter next season alongside Van Dijk or a new signing if he goes.

Better in the last game but reverted to type tonight, the guy doesn't catch anything that isn't directly at him. The cross for the third, he was unimpeded and the ball was floating slowly across the 6 yard box...make it yours ffs.

This, absolutely 100% this. Stephens has come on massively in just the short space of time he's been starting. It's rare to have a risk-free opportunity to blood a youngster at CB for an extended period of time.

Judge him on his second season.