Greenridge

I don't agree to the same extent as Charlie Wayman but something is clearly not right with Lambert at the moment. He's not reached anything like his previous form in the last 3 or 4 games. I had a distinct feeling that it was related to him playing the deeper role off Connolly but seeing as he didn't play last night then that theory is out the window. I see it posted that he's had some kind of virus / flu but can't recall seeing anything on the OS? Hopefully he'll be back to his former self in the coming weeks.

It's OK John's going to text him.

He's injured John although AP seems to have made it clear he is not in his plans...I wonder if he was fit tonight if he would have featured or maybe the relationship is broken beyond that.

I wonder if Pardew is aware of this?

Fair play and I understand your frustration. It's all about opinions though and I feel he has been pretty poorly treated on occasions although maybe there is background to why that has happened with more than one manager. You don't get to play for Poland at major finals by being a bad player and whilst his wages are a drain (which is not his fault) I still think we could have used his resources more wisely. But it's a new era and let's clear the decks and onwards and upwards.

Fair play NC. Good luck to those organising and attending the day and hope you raise some decent money and enjoy the day.

Thanks for your well constructed an polite post.

I somehow doubt we'll be able to offload him. I have it on good authority he can't pass, can't strike a dead-ball, can't shoot or score goals, is selfish, indisciplined, doesn't play for the team or track back. He is truly shocking.

Andy Townesend from Weymouth I think, often sat next to his wife at the Dell. Remember her going ballistic when he scored against Liverpool.

Lallana is an awful player......according to some of our resident football expert(s)

I actually feel for Hart, he is the one person at FP who carried on with some dignity whilst the shambles carried on all around him. He kept his head down and tried to get on with the job in hand. Despite apparent denials I think Grant is a shoe-in for the job although the Darren Ferguson connection is a possibility but I would have thought his old man would be warning him against this. And as has been posted earlier for all this to happen on the day they pull out of the World Cup bid just completes the comedy aspect.

I see what you did there. Come on Bart show us what you're made of.

I'm not sure if you saw the game Saturday but that was clearly not the case. Lallana stuck to his job wide left and worked his socks off tracking back. Harding for whatever reason just had a poor(er) game than he normally does and kept losing his man time after time. As for Trottman then he's a 'stopper' just like Jaidi and therefore they are too alike to be playing alongside one another. We need someone with some pace in there.

He did it in the first half with a pass to James who miscontrolled it, got closed down by the Norwich forward and ended up conceding a throw-in halfway in our own half. That's probably why he doesn't do it too often lol!

Ummm...to strengthen the team maybe John I still think Pardew is wrestling with both the personnel and formation as to whom and which combination is best. Personally I'd like to see us get in an 'agile' centre-half as Trottman and Jaidi are too similar for me and leave us very exposed to the ball over the top or threaded through for a pacy attacker.

Just posted the following on the Connolly thread but it just as relevant to this thread.... Yet maybe Connolly's presence and the subsequent formation to 'accomodate' him is having a negative impacct on Lambert? He may well be still suffering the after-effects of 'flu and his presence drew the attention of the defenders leaving Connolly free but he looks a shadow of his formerself playing the deeper role behind DC.

Yet maybe Connolly's presence and the subsequent formation to 'accomodate' him is having a negative impacct on Lambert? He may well be still suffering the after-effects of 'flu and his presence drew the attention of the defenders leaving Connolly free but he looks a shadow of his formerself playing the deeper role behind DC.

Another struggle for James again both at RB and in the middle. The lack of pace from Trottman and Jaidi leaves us very exposed to any ball over the top or threaded through. Harding let his player have a lot of room today and despite what derry will tell us it had nothing to do with Lallana who worked very hard (again) today.

His dip in form seems to have coincided with Connelly coming in and playing upfront alone with Ricky sitting back off him. Lambert played much better when up front alone or as part of a pair. Being ill can't have helped earlier.

His presence wouldn't have gone amiss last week when an ill and very under par Lambert struggled through the game.

I beg to differ, I think you'll find he carried the ball to just over the half-way line and then hit a 30 yard diagonal ball into the box virtually every single time. That is pretty one-dimensional. He wasn't the only one who struggled, let's be fair. I just hope it was a one-off game for whatever reason.

His ratings were almost comical, as you say Morgan and Murray's being the most outrageous of the lot

It seems Lambert was under the weather yesterday so I doubt we could have played 4-5-1 with Connolly up front especially with the defence insisting on missing out the midfield.

Oops.

Well I think we'll have to agree to disagree. The positives that AL offers far outstrip the negatives IMHO. We could stick with a rigid orthodox 4-4-2 but have we got the personnel? Criticising AL's defensive skills is the same as criticising Kelvin's lack of goals - he's not in the team to be a defender. I entirely agree with regard to James but as I have said previously let's address items in some kind of priority and there were half a dozen or so ahead of the list before Lallana.