S-Clarke

When you don't even get a new manager bounce, you know you've made the wrong choice.

And Walcott on the bench, who is obviously full of mins and games. Everything he says/does is contradicted.

It was obvious when they played for the B Team yesterday that they weren't going to be in the squad today. Something about minutes, not being up to speed, having no rhythm etc.

Arsenal have been disappointing today, sloppy on the ball and too slow in their build up. Played into Everton's hands really and has allowed them to really dig in with their low block. This is the sort of game you win if you're going to win the league, looks like it's City's to lose based on this.

There is, his son starts. Without a doubt that one. At least it's a 4 and there's no Lyanco, two positives.

By all means he can stand up for himself, but if what he's standing up for is still losing games every single week then he doesn't really put himself in the best position. There is no doubt that the feeling towards the comments/spikey nature to his interviews are heightened because of our performances, so that's the crux of it really. If he stops us losing every game we play then he may be able to turn around opinion. It feels a long way from that at the moment though.

I don't know where people are getting this faith in Everton from, they're in an even worse state than us. Granted, they have a better manager but still they've got nothing in attack. DCL is consistently injured, unfit and seemingly transitioning into a woman. The bad injury he had previously has totally changed him as a player. Andros Townsend is injured for the season, Maupay doesn't score goals - so that kind of leaves them with Dimari Gray and Ellis Simms. They'll be hard to beat for sure, but I just don't see where the goals or pace are in that side. Gordon was average as hell, but he could still create a spark and get them a goal from somewhere. If you look at them last season, they got out of trouble through Richarlison and Gordon in the main. They have neither this year and haven't even replaced either of them. I'll probably be made to eat my words in a couple of hours, but we'll see!

There was a Chelsea fan on one of the phone in's who said, and I kid you not, that Potter had been let down by the boards lack of investment. Worded badly but I think he meant lack of investment in a striker or something, but that's not through a lack of investment it's just piss poor scattergun squad planning. They've spent £600m in 4/5 months, in my opinion they should be banned from any forthcoming transfer windows and made to work with that ridiculously expensive bunch of players they've assembled, if they've spent £600m and still have holes in the squad then that's on them and they should suffer because of it. It just makes me lose faith in football that Chelsea fans are still not satisfied and wanted them to spend more.

I think we all went into this season believing we'd got a decent array of CB's, and I still think we do have that. It just needs coaching, the tools are there. We've got physicality, pace, power, experience littered throughout that back line. If Fulham can pull up trees with Issa Diop, Shane Duffy and Tim Ream then there is no reason why we cannot get 'life' out of ABK/Salisu/DCC/Bednarek (discounting Lyanco as he's not a footballer). Not discrediting the teams above us, but even Brentford are doing well with Mattias Jorgensen and Ben Mee at the back - there's no way they are better than what we have in raw ability.

The only tiny positive I can cling on at the moment is that after 20 games last season, Newcastle were 19th on 11 points. They bought in January and it changed their season, we've actually spent in January ourselves so you hope it can make a difference. The biggest difference there is that they had a competent manger, but let's not go there. I still think it's a tall order, and the wins need to start today if we are to start doing anything of note. One thing I will say is that there is always a team who look fairly comfortable that get sucked right into it, got a feeling Palace could be dragged down there - maybe (They're without Zaha for 2 months with Injury). Let's see where we are after Wolves at home, 4 points has to be the absolute min from the next two imo. Anything less and I genuinely think the fat lady will be on the stage ready for the encore.

We're all behind the team, no one wants anything other than a winning side. What we don't want is a spikey, passive-aggressive and niggly manager throwing shots at the fans during most of his interviews.

Came on loan as our backup keeper when Puel was manager, didn't play a game I don't think.

I don't think you can 'credit' Shields with any of that yet! Looking at Potter, it's like a 'Top 6' version of our situation with Jones. He's not as spikey as Jones, but their fans are equally at a loss with him. They don't understand how they went from someone with the rep of Tuchel to him. He won't last.

Yeah, just a rabble. It's like FM when you buy loads of random players, the best ones, then try and get them to win. You can't. They're a mess.

He was suspended for the FA Cup game, he could have played in the 2nd leg but was left on the bench.

This is a consistent tactic with him, he'll try and defend himself in any way by saying look at the past or look at x y z, they struggled as well etc - but usually at odds with what he said earlier. He never addresses his own problems head in, or admits to problems, he just looks at everyone else. The most defensive person I've ever come across.

I'd imagine he will happily ignore anyone and everyones advice. He seemingly always knows best.

It's alright, we've got Lyanco to go in hard on Toney, miss time it, fall over on his arse and allow Mubemo to run through unmarked whilst easily outpacing the floudering Bednarek.

He doesn't help himself does he. This is playing out exactly as it did in Stoke, some of their concerns at the time are as follows: - Never wrong, blaming everyone else. It was the management before him and the malaise of relegation holing him back - Alienated the fan base. - Chopping and changing the team, keeping underperforming players in the 11 but always changing the better ones. - Obsession over a diamond formation when they didn't have the players suited to it. Those were direct views from the Stoke forum when he was there, how scary is that? (I was a bit bored and scoured their ‘JONES OUT’ thread. It's exactly the same.

He took one for the team, it's not like he flew in on him and took his ankles off. I'd say it was a team card, not an ill-disciplined one by any means. If Jones is trying to make an example of an International CB, whilst he continues to play the erratic Lyanco, then it's a problem.

Having watched Lyanco play I don't think he's a footballer, yet he still starts.

I think people are right in that DCC hasn't pulled up any tree's, but.........he's better than Lyanco, that's not even an impassioned opinion it's just pure common sense if you watch football. How Lyanco starts ahead of him, a Croatian international experienced CB, is absolutley bonkers. I know a lot of fans liked Lyanco for his 'passion' and grit, but at the end of the day he cannot defend for shit and is way too rash for this level. It's like Jones default mode is to work with players not very good, but they make up for it in 'aggression and passion' (i.e., most of his Luton team). This might look silly tomorrow and he actually starts, but it looks unlikely. I imagine Bree will also be one of the first names on every team sheet now.

I think as a fan base we all think this is nuts, but I think this confirms that he see's Lyanco as one of his starting 11 players every week. What a truly depressing thought.

So I assume that almost certainly confirms the continuation of Lyanco and Elyounoussi in our starting 11 for tomorrow. At least they're 'great lads', although it doesn't quite make up for their shitness. Feeling of groundhog day already, but let's see what happens.

This debate reminded me of when Poch came in as manager. We got rid of a well liked guy in Adkins and brought in someone who didn't speak English, there was talk of protests and chants in his first home game etc, which kind of didn't materialise but the point i'm trying to make is that his football/results turned around the feeling, almost immediately. The first game against Everton was a total change up, you could see what we were trying to do even though it was just a draw. The inevitable upturn came after that. With Jones, he had similar opinions before he started here. No one wanted him, people against him before he'd started etc. But rather than turn that view around by managing, he has managed to solidify that view by losing games, not having any identify and critising the fan base. That's why he's making it toxic.