JoeShmoe

Lambert off, Ossie on id say

were going to get a pasting here, dont look up for this at all. Lambert looks laboured up front, no movement at all

Youve got to be kidding me

Think Osvaldo may start simply for the fact that as at ManU he'll be expected to do a lot of running pressing their defenders

Id certainly have him back, hasn't worked out at Arsenal and im sure he ever really wanted to go save for his Dad's interference. He'll get back fit and would be good in our system, certainly better than Ramirez

Until England move to the sort of pressing game we play (as do Chile and Spain) we'll be slow, ponderous and rely on players like Townsend and Walcott to inject pace. We won't make it out of the group next summer followed by another round do soul searching and blaming people before the next prem season starts and everyone forgets about it again

This, was out of his depths, but not helped by a dreadful midfield. AL and Wilshere have been best players by a long way

This, reminds me of those days at the Dell standing on the box me dad made me watching Keegan, Channon and Boyer

Wanyama is still young and new to this standard of football. He's been brilliant this season to be fair and will only learn and get better from mistakes like that

That's great news and well deserved

I'd start Osvaldo ahead of Lambert too, he looked well off the pace at Stoke

Last season West Ham had 18 odd points at this stage of the season, by March they had 30 and were hovering above relegation We lose 3 or 4 players, get a drop in form, bad luck etc and that could just as well be us, so why not protect the players from a long midweek trip in a mickey mouse competition As a team were on the rise and we'd all love the vision/project to be a success but it's long term and all clubs outside the big 6 or 7 are looking at survival first and foremost every season

This

Was last night the final nail in the coffin? Either he genuinely isnt good enough or he just doesn't fit into this team at all but his effort level and body language weren't good at all Amazed now if e doesnt go in Jan, either on loan or permanently, for his own sake as much as ours (in a WC year)

8 pages are Barry and his verbal diarrhoea

Hang on , didnt you just agree with this in post #20? Where we sit is not being a large enough club to have a big enough squad to allow us to field a better second string than we did last night. NC's vision is not to spend on a lot on squad players, its to build through quality additions and youth

Banega is class, would suit the prem and out style, i believe there was contact over the summer with his agent so lets hope its moved on. Perhaps a deal involving Ramirez isnt far fetched?

What last night showed was we do not have strength in depth, i'd argue strongly our second string is not as good as many others, esp defensively Therefore if we get injuries we are going to struggle (anyone who saw Fox at SMS vs Swansea as I did would testify). We have a very good 1st 13 or 14 but after that were down to academy players. Add to that we play a pressing style of football thats taxing on the players. So why take a load of them up to Sunderland, a few days after another long trip to Stoke in a competition that we likely wont win anyway given i've no doubt teams like Chelsea, ManU etc will take it seriously as their managers can claim silverware = good or better season Personally im absolutely thrilled with the way were playing in the EPL this season as all Saints fans should be, why not let that continue to see how far we can get with the players we have got, whilst continuing to develop and play some youngsters. I think a bit of realism is needed to remember who we are and where we sit in the scheme of things - and then to sit back and enjoy what you are seeing right now without constantly complaining. Fair enough crticise players like GR, Fox etc, i do that as well and it's justified, but its all the time with some of you, on every single thread. Its so f**ing tiresome

Best post of the night by a very long country mile Couldn't agree more with all you've said. I think we have a core of deadweight players who need to be moved on with a view to bringing through better youngsters. And you don't know that until they get a chance. Shame Isgrove and Rowe didn't play tonight and there was a case to play Targett and Stephens People ought to remember it was in these sorts of games we brought through players like JWP and Shaw

First post I've seen that's spot on. This is a poor competition with tiny crowds whose rules need changed It's a chance for younger and squad players to get a game and Poch will have learned a lot about players like Lee, Ramirez, Reed etc tonight Add in to that the fact that the top clubs will put out strong sides as their managers are under pressure to win things and there's no guarantee we go much further anyway

Jos as well, I'd have thought one of our younger CBs would be better such as Stephens or the new one we recently signed

Gaston goes off and we score Goodbye Gaston, Taxis waiting

Is this the post match thread or have you given up already with 20 mins left?

Do we have any young strikers at the club? Because outside SRL and Osvaldo the cupboard looks bare

For those watching how does Reed look? Another good un?