derry

Firstly, 4-4-2. secondly Clasie and Romeu in midfield, thirdly four forwards not non scoring workers after a fashion. Possession doesn't win matches we need goals and Davis, Tadic and JWP won't get them. Try Pelle if fit with Seager (7 in 7 for U21's ) as a pair and Mane and Long wide with Martina and Bertrand at full back. We gave it a go today in the second half with a 4-4-2 but Tadic and Juanmi fell short although we battered them and gifted another unlikely goal when there was no danger in fact both goals.

Clasie played well today, he put in some decent passes, certainly closed down tightly properly and made contact and won two or three crunching tackles. He certainly didn't look done in when substituted by the really underwhelming JWP. One goal down and one of the better players replaced by the negative wonder boy. Clasie and Romeu looked pretty decent in the centre. Davis as a forward is hurting us far more especially as some of our chances fell to him and were promptly bottled. Until Koeman stops picking negative formations and plays more proper forwards we will struggle. He has to have four players that can get goals and that isn't Davis, JWP or Tadic. Time to give Seager a go with Mane, Long, and maybe Pelle as a pair.

I'll have to watch the video but it was up the other end and I didn't see exactly who it was but the mate next to me said it was definitely Davis.

Out of interest what is the preferred core formation for the club?

The 5-3-2 line up was another aberration, we bored Palace to death in the centre of the field for twenty minutes, created a few half chances and then fell away. Davis gave the ball away and it ended up in our net. After that we were no real threat until half time. Davis and Yoshida replaced by Juanmi and Tadic and playing 4-4-2 improved things and we were easily the best side in the second half. I can't remember the last time Stekelenberg has actually made a save. Target and Martina were decent the centre backs had no problems but Fonte was at fault for the second goal. He thought that the ball was rolling out so didn't even bother and let Puncheon chase it down and eventually Zaha unmarked on the far post smashed it in. Clasie had a good game and Romeu had a really good game including scoring. Juanmi chased willingly but looks a long way off an international player whilst Tadic huffed and puffed but did little on the right where he is always too slow on his wrong side. Long and Mane worked hard but Mane was far too selfish at times running with the ball when a clear chance to play Long and Juanmi in was left far too long. There was promise but with 4-4-2 not one of Koeman's favourite formations only when desperate, I presume we will be back to 4-2-3-1 on Wednesday. He missed a chance to give the goalscoring Seager a go he certainly would have been a better bet than Juanmi. If he brings back Davis on Wednesday his non goalscoring is hurting us badly. We need to dispense with the possession players and play four forwards because the tentative defensive formations aren't working.

I just don't get some of the comments on here. Usually there are probably only one or two that progress to the first team squad each year and a lot more at various ages go out the door. It's the way it works. There is a lot of talk about various players. Really how good and ready are they. Forget the usual first team fringe regulars JWP and Targett, they've got their own problems but Koeman's support. Reed seems to be nudging the door open again. Stephens after two good seasons at Swindon moved to Middlesborough but was mostly a spectator and as a centre back needs to go to second tier team as a regular, Same for Turnbull next year. McCarthy good at Wycombe needs a step up next year as at least a div 1 regular. The first team needs goals, that brings me to Gallagher who didn't score in the second tier. We cannot afford him in the Premier unless he adds goals and he doesn't look ready to do that yet, so in my book a loan at a level that makes him a regular scorer. Seager by his record is a goal scorer, if we aren't going to use him in the squad then a loan with a good team in a decent league to see if he can continue scoring as he does at almost a goal a game in the U21's. The others such as McQueen and the skilful Hesketh and even Sims maybe look at a step up loan otherwise stay in the U21's. I'm not sure how good the others are but the big right back/cb that is injured could also be one for the future. If Koeman isn't going to play players, while they are being developed we should get them playing at the best level that matches their abilities to see if they can move forward.

The ten men of Norwich.

I think it was two hours before kick off.

His contract runs to July 2018. He'll only go in the summer if the club want to sell him. Still has two and a half seasons left on it. Good job I'm not a manager, I'd point that out and make him train on his own, after the players have left, without a ball, without supervision and not let him play or join in anything.

I saw that and if true Koeman went off half cocked. Surely it's not beyond the wit of man to firstly ascertain the facts and to act accordingly. From our union work I've experienced this was not a common occurrence with some managers.

Hell, this is your opinion and in my view pretty indisputable. There is a hell of a lot more along the same lines you could have said about others, fill your boots.

It isn't working except 4-4-2 against Arsenal which he couldn't wait to revert to losing.

If Mane knew if he was late while everybody else was off he was going to get a beasting, he wouldn't have been late nor would anyone else.

£5m:?

Who we weren't even prepared to pay a lot less for than VVD, even though it wasn't the £8m agreed in the loan. We obviously didn't get how important he was.

If a player knew he was going to be given an individual lung busting training session after such an event he would be much more inclined to toe the line and avoid the pain.

Personally I see little point in fining or even leaving out an offender. They need a beasting. Run them into the ground on their next day off which is cancelled. If they don't like it do it again and again until the message is received and understood.

We have played 4-2-3-1 almost exclusively this season but it isn't really working, in my view for a number of reasons. Firstly Schneiderlin was disciplined and sat which gave Wanyama a reference point to play off him in front of Fonte and the very disciplined Alderweireld which gave us a very solid base. This made the 4-2-3-1 work. This year Wanyama has no reference and is all over the place, additionally he has no regular partner although Clasie may now be. At centre back we have the casual VVD who could be a superb centre back but for two things, he ball watches and his awareness honed in the best team in Scotland is not up to the mark for EPL but could be. His casualness and thinking he can just stroll forward when he likes, often with full backs out of position can expose us. When caught out he doesn't bust a gut to get back. Against Arsenal Koeman was presented with a problem, how to stop Arsenal exposing our full backs so he went to 4-4-2 knowing full well that Arsenal would dominate possession and we would have to play on the break with two quick strikers, that worked so well he couldn't wait to drop it for the next two defeats. We struggle to score because we persist in playing only two forwards who can score given enough chances. Apart from Pelle (injured ), Mane and Long are the only forwards. Because we play Tadic, Davis, and Ward-Prowse as forwards we have slow possession but no penetration. These players have qualities but not the ones we need. We need badly a finisher and two working forwards that will score some goals but more importantly break fast and cause opposing defences to be outnumbered rather than our forwards under pressure. The 4-4-2 worked because we were closing down the opposition and quickly getting in behind the defenders at the same time allowing the slow midfielders to be effective something they are not in 4-2-3-1. With our wingers, sorry full backs in the current system out of position we are letting in goals that start from wide positions. 4-4-2 the full backs are more defensive and against the better Arsenal we didn't get caught out but against Palace, WHU and Norwich we were opened up from wide.

4-4-2 = 4-0 win over leaders. Twice 4-2-3-1 both defeats. Not only that but we had loads of meaningless possession. Wanyama misses the cup. Mane could have been sanctioned differently, just handicapped ourselves. Get a bloody finisher FFS, what's to wait for. It's goals that win matches not possession. JWP delivery was appalling. Can't shoot, can't tackle, sells himself give Reed a go instead. Any team that starts with Tadic and Davis as forwards is in deep mire. Not a gram of courage in the pair of them.

Koeman panicked a bit and out of desperation played 4-4-2 against Arsenal but only got 35% possession and won 4-0 could have been 7. WHU, went back to what he is comfortable with, more possession but slower less incisive penetrating attacks and lost like previous games. I'd like to see more of the Arsenal tactics and less of the pass it around. I don't see having lots of possession and losing great tactics. Some of our best wins have been with less possession.

We need to total thirty goals from the two strikers (Long, Pelle, Mane ), twenty goals from the four midfielders and a few from defenders. At the moment the two strikers are on target. IMO to step up a notch we need an Austin for another ten up front and a midfielder to get ten more.

If he can't score in the Championship he will find it much tougher in the Premier. We can't afford another non goal scorer up front. Out on loan until he can get goals.

Jenkinson had the ball on the right and moved forward passing to Valencia wide on the right, Both Juanmi and Bertrand were wide of Valencia, I didn't see who they were picking up but VVD was right in front of Valencia and could have easily blocked him off, instead he inexplicably ran back towards our penalty area leaving Valencia time to cross before either Bertrand or Juanmi were able to intervene. It struck me that Juanmi and Bertrand thought that VVD would tackle/close down Valencia and were caught out by his decision to back off and leave him free, they then tried to get to him but he had time to cross.

Valencia had the ball out on the right but had no tracker, no idea where Bertrand had got to, VVD was coming out to close him down but just as he was getting in range to close him down he inexplicably decided to leave him and try and get back into the middle. That left VVD in no mans land allowing Valencia the comfort of all the time in the world to cross without pressure. A really poor decision, once he had come out he had to close down Valencia. He has spent too much time playing in poor leagues and his ball watching and decision making is costing us goals. Palace and Spurs as an example.

An ass is a donkey or even a poster on here and an elbow can be any number of things. I hope that helps. Davis had for him one of his better games as he did against Arsenal however an earlier pass rather than a half hit lob into the keepers hands might have been more effective as would hitting the target.