derry

For me our biggest fault and weakness is the amount of passing that goes on in our defensive third as our opponents retreat to the half way line while we indulge ourselves and when pressed often pass back to the keeper for a long punt downfield. Especially with JWP and Davis their first inclination is sideways or backwards. They are a big part of the problem as we really need the midfielders to get the ball up to our forwards much quicker and then get into the box in support. We just cannot afford three midfielders plus Tadic who rarely score and just pass the responsibility to a colleague. The full backs and midfielders need to get their share of goals and not just leave it to Pelle, Long or Mane. We have been worked out as a toothless team with about three danger players and as long as they are closed down quickly we struggle to score, not good enough by half. It's no good Koeman bemoaning the lack of goals unless he gets the team to attack much quicker, play with a quick tempo and press harder.

What we need is a player to score twenty goals a season taking chances in the box not another show boater. We have got loads of players that can pass and stand still or run up blind alleys, we don't need another one.

May be, but It's not only the fees, those four must have cost us over £150k a week on top for no game return, that's expensive. Reported £38k per week on contract since signing from Burnley.

Penny wise pound foolish. Score goals, win points, look at Leicester. Nine expensive players in a team that can't score goals plus two stuttering, equates to a slide down the table. It's not about possession and four hundred passes it's about averaging two goals a game. Austin has six months left on his contract so has his price unless he is now set on running down his contract. £13m for the Osvaldo, £12m for Ramirez, £8m for Clasie (not playing), £5m for Juanmi that's expensive if they don't play.

Forget potential, we need goals now. It's what Austin does probably better than anyone else.

I've just watched Austin score a couple of proper goal poacher goals. All night he made clever runs into channels and dangerous areas. We need a player that can score those goals, we have nobody that can work the space in the penalty area like Austin. Pay whatever it takes. We have far too many fringe players getting great money so pay what it takes to guarantee the goals we don't score now.

It's not only the formations, it's the willingness of Mahrez, Vardy, Albrighton and Ulloa to make runs and the Kante and the midfielders to pass to the runners and immediately get forward in support. Our midfielders pass it around or pass it forward and hold, nobody makes runs into the channels from midfield. We have become so predictable and easy to counter. A draw v Villa FFs says it all plus 23 shots and only 5 on target.

Koeman seems set in his ways, two up front equates to five defenders and three holding midfielders. Leicester play 4-4-2 and as soon as the ball is played forward the break is on for half the team. We play like Chelsea did last night slow oh so slow in the build up. Back five is OK but the midfield is utterly negative.

Just plays like it.

Just watching the Leicester game and the thought struck me with the similarities of Vardy and Mane that if Vardy was at Saints would Koeman play him wide. Maybe we are losing out playing a big immobile lump up front on his own. I'd like to see Mane up front in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3.

I quite like him and think he is a decent manager however I do think he tinkers with formations too much. I'm not a lover of three centre backs because they don't do it enough and are much more used to being a pair which seems to cause problems because of the unfamiliarity. For the goal on Saturday Fonte was pulled over to our left and VVD and Soares were ball watching allowing Cabaye to slip in behind them for an open goal. I'm don't like his over cautious selections and think he errs on the negative, for example picking five defenders and three holding midfielders leaving only Long and Mane as attackers. Bringing on JWP who hasn't scored in four years when we are chasing the game, needing a goal was crass. I would have thought it was time to go for broke either bring on Juanmi or/and push VVD up front for the last ten minutes.

After Cabaye laid off the ball he moved away to the left around the back of our defence and wasn't picked up because the spare defenders, VVD and Soares were ball watching, not for the first time, and never checked behind them. That allowed Cabaye to slip in behind the defence for a tap in.

What we need is a player that can score goals and manufacture goals in the goal mouth then play to him. If that leaves Pelle on the bench, so be it. We also need to be more positive from midfield, anybody who can't make runs and support the strikers whilst getting some goals in the process need to go. We don't need five defenders and three holding midfielders, then when chasing the game swop a holding midfielder who scored last week for one who has never scored from play in four seasons. Charlie Austin if he can pass the medical.

What I can say about Davis and JWP is they are not attacking midfielders. Davis might get the odd goal, but it is only 2 in 19 this season when did he score before that? Maybe we should parcel up JWP, Davis and Wanyama and move them on for a couple of powerful attacking midfielders that can score like Wijnaldum does. Tadic is another that openly says he prefers to pass rather than score, somebody needs to disillusion him and set him a target. It's no good filling the midfield with slow possession oriented midfielders, we need quick powerful players running the channels and pulling defenders around. Static in the middle, slow to attack and only Mane making runs usually down mass defended blind alleys means we are struggling to score. Where did this shoot by side footing come from? put the boot through the ball and keep it down, that's where the power comes from.

Very sound game from Gazzaniga. good kicking, very good distribution, some outstanding saves, Why did we ever play KD ahead of him this season. The team selection was original but worked reasonably well if a bit toothless. It was a pretty high tempo game and that goal was enough. Twenty five minutes to go Koeman decided to give it a go however Pelle looks ineffective and has the ball control of an elephant. Tadic ran round in ever decreasing circles and Mane looked like he was playing on ice the number of times he slipped over. Long got into two really good positions but lacked the skill to score. Having said that Palace defended as if their lives depended on it and worked hard against us. So there we were ten minutes to go and Koeman turns to Square ball and back passing expert JWP to add to the momentum. Six square and backwards passes later one forward pass into the box and it was all over. While Ramirez is here and in full training trying to save a game bringing on JWP is crass.

Glad you brought that up, when Swansea beat us here last season Davis twice let Shelvey go, first time he hit the far post, second time he scored. Davis just gave up both times. Against Everton he let Miralles go for the Lukaku winner and numerous times he was the nearest man to the shooter and turned his back or ducked under the ball.

Targett put in a nice free kick last night, into the danger area between the GK and defenders and attackers inside the far post bending in.

He looked like a holding midfielder should. Held his position in front of the centre backs and didn't wander looked much more effective than any two this year wandering and leaving a gap. I think we could afford to play romeu as a single holding player with maybe Wanyama and Clasie in the middle with a mobile three in front, three from Mane, Pelle, Long, Juanme and Tadic..

So what are JWP's , Davis's and Wanyama's figure especially as Davis usually lines up between Mane and Tadic behind Pelle.

A lot better than Wednesday which meant it wasn't a debacle, against a team that had taken two points in thirteen games. Scrambled goal from a scuffed corner, really turned it around.

It's easy to talk a good game, Davis and JWP do regularly but it never translates onto the field. I'm not interested in false optimism only realism and I'm not impressed with Koeman's changing formation debacles and like for like or worse substitutions trying to get a result which more often than not make things worse.

Maybe we should keep Long and look for a lung bursting midfielder that will give us a runner from midfield and wants to score goals. I'm sick and tired of our limited backwards and sideways midfielders that float around. The only time Davis made a break this season he scored. We haven't seen it since. Mostly its admire the pass and see what happens with the outnumbered forwards.

JWP would probably passed it backwards, not played a one touch play in. Nice header for Mane's equaliser at Liverpool.

The transfer window is close and the agents are talking to clubs to try and make money. You would have thought that would have brought on great performances except it might cause injuries.

Then get left out in the finals, dream on. His last game was a mess until the Sunderland lad game on and turned it around in fifteen minutes including getting JWP a penalty in the process.