Sheaf Saint

If I am being ultra-generous to him, I would say that he has shown in the past he needs to have a good run in the side with a regular partner to be anything close to decent. In the back half of 16/17 when we sold Fonte and lost VVD to injury, he and Stephens played together every week and he was a lot better then than he has been this season. Not amazing, granted, but certainly not at the level of muppetry we saw tonight. But if we're serious about reviving our ambitions with the new manager then we desperately need to upgrade him.

Sign at least one competent CB in January. If we can only do one thing to improve our situation, that would be it. Not one of our current CBs would be a regular starter at any other PL club.

You would be p*ssing yourself with rage if Jeremy Corbyn used it though.

He wasn't referring to the result.

Well there are some encouraging signs at least. We kept our heads up and kept going til the end for starters. And we created a few decent chances but didn't have the right personnel on the pitch to finish them off. But really our marking was just so poor, and I'm now starting to realise why Hughes didn't play Yoshida. After having a decent WC I thought he would be a regular fixture in the side, but he has been badly at fault for just about every goal we have conceded recently, and was woeful tonight. Certainly won't have impressed the new manager.

Looked blatantly offside from the replay. About time we got a bit of luck in that respect though.

Yeah he's been the best of a bad bunch tonight. Certainly not made the howlers that Yoshida has, and looks comfortable on the ball. I still think with a decent manager and coaching he could become a decent player.

Great save Lloris, but seriously - how have we not scored there?

F*cks sake Targett. Totally free shot and that's the best you can manage?

Davis bottled it there. Should have taken the shot himself.

Yaaaaaaayyy! All our problems will be solved. Austin is about to come on.

Davis hasn't always been sh*te. He was an integral part of Koeman's team that did so well. But he is past it now, and being played in a position he was never suited to. Other than that, I agree with the rest of your post completely.

Absolutely f*cking pathetic. It's like Tyro league defending.

Comical. Just comical.

Good save Macca.

Yep. It's not as though they are ripping us apart, but our marking is pretty dreadful. Nobody was watching Kane - you can't let a player like that just waltz into your 6-yard box like that and expect to get away with it. It's just basic stuff that can hopefully be coached out of them by RaHa. On the occasions we have attacked we haven't looked too bad. PEH's shot deserved better and not many keepers would have got the touch that Lloris did. Our overall play is far from awful, and certainly not worthy of being bottom of the league. It's our defensive naivety that costs us time and again.

Enough said.

I find it astonishing that anybody still employs it at this level - or at any level in fact. It doesn't work and it's guaranteed to give away chances. Absolute madness that anybody would even consider using it.

Why do we insist on leaving their forwards so much space in our box? It seems none of our defenders are familiar with the concept of getting tight to their opponents. It's such a basic thing, I find it astounding that none of them do it.

And that was a lovely through-ball from JWP to Gabbi. We're not looking too bad on the attack - just a shame our comedy defending has gifted them a goal advantage already.

That's unlucky. Brilliant effort from PEH. deserved better but looks like Lloris got the faintest of touches to it.

On the bench

All these years later, it still never ceases to make me chuckle

So we still have Hughes to thank then?