Sheaf Saint

Oh dear Gabbi

Gunn keeps going too early and making it too easy for them.

Right then. Time top find out if Gunn really is worth the money we paid for him.

Off the bar!!

6 mins? Is that cos of the VAR?

Review due to the possible handball in the build up. No goal.

Not even getting real-time updates on Bet365. It seems nobody actually gives a toss about this game. Who'd have thought?

Doubtful. There wasn't one for the Everton game in the last round despite it being the only EFL cup game being played that night.

Did anybody else used to watch The Thick Of It and find themselves thinking "My god! Imagine if government was actually like this!"... https://twitter.com/chunkymark/status/1067374989962330112

True, but a better manager would recognise that and not play him week in week out regardless of how gash he is. Despite his limitations, Stephens is a better CB, and it's no coincidence that we kept a clean sheet in two of the three games he has started this season (with the third one being the mauling at Man City, so he can't really take too much flak for that). In the back half of 2016/17, when we lost VVD to injury and sold Fonte in the Jan transfer window, he and Yoshida gave a pretty decent account of themselves. Our problems during that period all stemmed from our inability to score, not from the defence. In other areas of the squad, we know that certain players are capable of better. Romeu, Bertrand, Cedric and JWP have all performed at a higher standard in the past than they have done this season. Even Redmond had a good spell under Puel and contributed a few goals and assists. Despite looking really threatening in his early few games, Ings has regressed badly since he joined. I don't know if it's because of the slack training regime, or if the general air of negativity has engulfed him, or both, but he doesn't look anything like the player he was in August. So yes, there are obvious weaknesses in our squad. Players like Long, Austin, Davis etc... are done at this level and cannot be relied upon any which way. But, given the right management, coaching and fitness training, I believe we have a squad capable of finishing comfortably mid-table. However, with our current setup, we are on course to finish bottom with a record low points total, and that cannot be acceptable to anybody.

On current form, no they're not. But I don't doubt that a decent management/coaching set up would have the majority of them performing much better than they currently are.

I'm a little confused. Do his stats here include the penalty shootout win at Everton?

I think that was from the post-match interview on Saturday, because he was quoted saying similar in yesterday's newspaper reports.

Indeed. Romeu won player of the season in 16/17 under Puel - now he can't even get in the matchday squad let alone the starting 11. Bertrand used to be a very dangerous attacking LB. These days he barely ever ventures past the half way line. Cedric has undoubtedly regressed since he came here. There's not a chance in hell that he would have got picked for the Portugal squad that won the Euros in 2016 on his current form.

At just gone half-past three? Not necessarily. Even if it was just a formality to give Hughes his P45, I doubt we would hear anything immediately anyway.

I'm starting to think that Stephens would be a better option currently. But then, I'm also thinking he should be starting at CB instead of Hoedt. And then I find myself feeling total despair that I am thinking about Jack Stephens as the answer to our problems.

Hands up who votes we go back to square one?

I disagree. There comes a point when you can no longer support the indefensible. Hughes has shown no evidence whatsoever of being the right man to arrest this slide. He has had enough time with the squad now and he cannot get the team to maintain any kind of shape or defend as a unit. Even Pellegrino was better in that respect. Whichever way you look at it, he has no future at SFC. Why dither and wait until we have dropped more points and taken another big step towards relegation before acting?

I don't know about the worst ever. His performances would have to drop considerably for him to be worse than Callum Davenport. He occasionally shows decent composure and skill, but then he gifts goals away that were so easily avoidable. Surely Stephens us a better CB than him so why does he not get a look in?

Positives - Redmond got an assist (of sorts) Armstrong looked good That's about the best I can come up with.

Close the door on your way out please Mark.

Finally Austin goes off - for the equally ineffectual Elyonoussi. We're in deep trouble aren't we.

Abysmal. Just abysmal. Hoedt giving it straight to a Fulham player from the corner and we just couldn't deal with it. The entire defence at sixes and sevens - again.

I would rather get relegated than have that dinosaur in our club.

It's unfathomable how Hughes keeps sticking with Austin up front on his own. The guy is a completely busted flush - a useless passenger whose very presence on the pitch puts the team under pressure due to not applying any to the opposition. It's a travesty that he is still getting regular starts. I don't know a lot about Obafemi but he genuinely couldn't be any worse so let's give him a try. I don't know what's happened to Cedric but he's just been abysmal this season. But we failed to strengthen that position when everyone could see it was necessary, so we don't have much other choice. Maybe put Stephens at RB? Again, surely he couldn't do any worse. I still don't know what to make of Hoedt. Occasionally he shows real composure and is very good on the ball, but other times he looks completely lost. Fine example was his chance from the FK right at the end of the half - he had a free header but just got completely confused about where he was, and where the ball and the goal were. If we can't turn this around today - and I've seen no evidence to suggest we will - then we are well on course to finish bottom. Absolutely unacceptable. The squad isn't amazing, granted, but with decent coaching and management they should be comfortably mid-table. This falls squarely on Hughes' shoulders.