derry

Lambert was absolute rubbish at Fulham. Awful passing and got nowhere near the penalty area.

One has remember that a lot of employees agitate below the parapet whilst the representative has to represent those views to the management. Sometimes the majority demand action when it is impossible to negotiate with an entrenched management, especially when the top man was a former strike leader. (Willie take a bow) Duncan paid a high price for representing his colleagues. Probably his misjudgement was in following custom and practice rather than what was contractually required and was nailed by a belligerent employer imposing the fine print. Everybody is entitled to their opinion whether it is FF, VW or anyone else. I just don't see the point in the ignorant nastiness that appears regularly on this site. I thought that was what mods were on here to stamp out. It's high time they started doing that. A lot of very good posters have abandoned this site and it is the worse for it. Allowing small numbers of posters to regularly hijack interesting threads just leads to decent posters walking away.

Can we win the league, ever, I think not with the present structure. Can we win the cups, of course we can. Because of the tv money survival is paramount. After that we need to go for the cups. Can we win the CL, sentence 1. The structure of the Europa and CL is beyond our squad of probably 15 genuine first teamers. That doesn't include K.Davis, Hooiveld or Guly. We have done marvellously this year but the FA Cup was our best target fanwise. At £1.3m a place, to the bean counter the money on offer if we slip down the league completely outclasses the FA Cup rewards. What worries me is the effect on the better players who are chased by the clubs that can compete and win competitions. Why would they want to stay.

To try and put some perspective on this. The fans at most clubs don't bother with the Cups unless it is SF and F and the attendances are poor. Only the top four seem to get the crowds. The fans by not bothering and the clubs by not bothering are really turning the cups into avoidable competitions. As for the team. There can be little criticism in playing Clyne and giving Wanyama a full game. As for the other changes, Boruc's injured hand showed the desperate situation in the goalkeeping position. If Davis plays the team can't play out from the back. Finish the season with hopefully Boruc staying fit then get another compatible keeper in. He shouldn't have been picked. Hooiveld only if Fonte not fit. JWP needs to find a position, the way he plays is neither one thing or the other, certainly no attacker. Guly showed why at the best he is a last minute sub. Neither of these two should have started and it should have been Rodriguez and Schneiderlin plus either Cork or Davis in my opinion. Any other day the ball would have hit Lambert on the shin and gone in. The ball bounced badly and he hit it too well as it bounced shanking it vertically.

I am really ****ed off at Hooiveld. yesterday he passed across his own penalty area to an opponent because he had to turn right round so he could get his left foot on the ball. That's why he gives away own goals. For a professional he is so one footed it is a disgrace and a major weakness.

I think the bean counter is cutting, Physiotherapy budget cut I hear.

Disappointing result. Yoshida dwelled on the ball then made a stupid pass forward which lost us the ball and led to the goal. K Davis was poor no chance with the goal. If anybody wants to know what Pochettino thinks of the cup. Two home games low prices poor crowds, today just over 16k in a 40k stadium, nobody is really interested any more. Things have changed. when we start filling the ground and selecting our best team I'll get interested. I went to the previous rounds which were like practice matches. And no I don't want to be in the Europa cup because it will be the reserves.

A heap of **** falls out of the sky

Crainey, Blackstock.

The best team possible does exactly that. Injuries etc can't be controlled, ie Lovren and substitute Ramirez in the same minute at Sunderland. The best team from those available.

I can't help thinking that if the rivers were fully dredged and the ditches cleared that there would be lower water levels than now. Rivers 60% silted and I believe a law restricting what can be done to ditches must surely have resulted in higher water levels. The lady that made the remark about blowing up the pumping stations, the same Baroness Young that was head of the RSPB before becoming head of the EA. Small wonder the conservationist view prevailed. As for the lack of money, enough for £32m on a bird sanctuary. For me people come first. Well now its going to cost a damn sight more than it ever would if it had been managed correctly. Give the levels their own drainage authority as per the Norfolk Broads. Incidentally a builder in Moorland built his own defences. Initially stopped until he got permission otherwise would be 2 ft higher. Then needed a permit to bring in 30 ton loads of fill, eight weeks required say the EA. Eventually common sense prevailed and permit was issued (probably the publicity). It's all very well having authorities for all sorts of things but putting failed politicians and place men at the top instead of specialists causes this sort of mess.

It's simple. Put the best side possible out versus Hull. Then put the best team possible out versus Sunderland and the same the following week versus WHU.

Credit to Hull for winning at Sunderland but Brown was sent off in the 4th minute, therefore at least 90 mins against10 men.

I think as part of his transfer from Utd Shawcross has to be offered back to them. I'm not sure whether there is a set fee as I think he might have gone to Stoke on a free or if not very cheap.

Predictable. We had plenty of bodies in the middle of the field so as Adam was their only creator he should have been constantly pressured instead of having all the time in the world to pick out Odemwingie. Loads of meaningless low tempo square and back passes, ridiculous across the back square passes under pressure very nearly getting us into trouble. The balls we put into the forwards lacked pace so played into Stoke's hands. We were never going to be able to get Stoke to allow us to play our game as they just allowed us to play sideways and backwards in front of them then hit the front first time when they won the ball. It was crying out for Shaw and Clyne to get to the byeline not come inside. We had to knock any crosses in with pace. The midfielders in games like this need to run at the defenders and the forwards make runs, today there was a lack of movement up front. The tempo was far too slow.

Just wondering, presumably the payments to players are the gross figures with Income tax @ 40% and NI to be deducted. If that's the case HMRC will have a tidy sum to collect always assuming it's being paid. Of course it could be paid gross and the tax collected out of PAYE at current employer.

Wanyama had a couple of moments that led directly to Boruc having to make saves to keep us in the game. He was a long way off the dominating form pre injury. I really can't see why it should be either Cork or Wanyama when both of them plus Schneiderlin would give us a strong spine especially late and in away games.

I personally think that is exactly the sort of player we should invest in, not the highly overpriced foreign talents that struggle to adapt. We are proving that we can bring in youngsters, Chambers, Shaw etc. The great Liverpool sides bought youngsters for years, educated them and put them in. Keegan. Clements, Neal etc. We should do the same. Clyne and Rodriguez have been good for us, more of the same.

There is a lot more to Gallagher than goal scoring. His control and shooting is good, but it is his link up play and movement that pulls the centre backs all over the place. His run to the near post took Koscelny out of the way for Lallana to come in behind and have a free shot for the equaliser. He is young and raw but he is probably the best young centre forward we have brought through since Chivers, who in many ways was different as he was converted from a schoolboy midfielder as he grew. For the boy to come in and give the best defence in the league a hard time was outstanding.

Pochettino obviously thinks his performance against Arsenal took him up a level. I thought he looked promising in his short appearances but against Arsenal he looked a proper centre forward. It would be helpful if people who are judging him could say whether they have actually seen him live as opposed to the tunnel vision tv broadcasts. His work off the ball is outstanding. He needs to improve in the air and be more aware of the offside line.

In one way it has been an outstanding season. To add to the emergence of WP and Shaw last season we have Chambers (established), Gallagher, Reed, Isgrove and now Targett on the fringe of the first team.

Good centre back, coached the youth and scouted. I might be wrong but I thought he played for and managed Cowes. RIP Pat.

I am glad you cleared that up, maybe a list of all those you know won't be available would help us all wasting our time. In any event I said the likes of Ings, more the profile than the specific player.

It might be a good time to try and bring in the likes of Ings. Ex Academy, quick, something different, 21, will get better with Premier awareness.

It's not only style now Ron, I think they have learned a tough lesson, character will be a major issue although it may cost us financially, it will cut out lots of problems.