S-Clarke

Issue with the drainage. Worst I've ever seen it, they had to make the best of it. Typical that the away side used the conditions to their advantage though whilst we continued to fanny around with it.

The structure of the club is too secretive at the moment. We've apparently been taken over, but I couldn't tell you in the slightest as to why we were or what they're doing for us. I've never in my life seen a takeover of a club completed and the new owners not having any media exposure or wanting to put forward their ideas. I honestly didn't see KL selling us up the river, I didn't see that as a possibility as it's her father’s legacy, but the longer it goes on with this utterly bizarre takeover offering nothing other than money to bank account, then you do have to question it. She’s a business woman after all. The big alarm bells for me was when these Chinese bods had to get loans to secure the funds to buy the club in the first place. Major red alert right there. I can't help but wondering what the **** we've done.

I think we have a few bits of quality in the team, but a hell of a lot of mediocre rubbish. Needs a lot of work.

I imagine we'd be forced to sell a lot due to finances, some of these lads will be on crazy money. Forster amazingly being one of our highest earners. Not sustainable wages in the Champ. We'd go down the youth route and we'd hear about how the pathway is flourishing, before we end up selling them all to average PL clubs after 18 months or so.

Remember, he will get us to single digits. Maybe he meant points.

Austin would be gone, so would Hoj, JWP and Yoshida I think. We'd probably go with Gallagher, Sims, Bedranek, Stephens, Lewis, Reed, Hesketh etc. So, not good enough. That's the glaring thing for me, so many of the players in our side would be off like a shot and get another top league club. We have ability in this side, we're just a poor team.

When people like Guan are posting stuff like that, you know we're in a prediciment.

The game was teetering on about 55mins, neither side really doing anything. Palace's manager, the OAP, saw that and brought on fresh legs who changed the game. We stood still and brought on Davis. I've always been a fan of Davis, but his legs are gone now. He's no longer a top level player.

There are 1 or 2 drops of quality in an otherwise mediocre squad. Romeu has always been pretty average and I must admit I've never been a huge fan of Cedric. Not a bad player, don't get me wrong, but he always flatters to decieve for me. We've managed to assamble one of our biggest premier league squads with such a glaring lack of genuine ability in key area's.

I think I saw a stat that showed he is a worse performing manager than the Dutch Duo we had in the championship. A worse points per game/win % anyway. Says it all.

Given how the opposite of what he says usually plays out, we can probably expect a sacking soon.

As I said the other day, the lad is perfect in a tactical containing away game, where he sheilds and tracks. But in games where we need to be on the front foot and win, he's just not the right player to have in the side.

Well that's me done, that was once again a dysfunctional and disorganised shambles. We took the lead after a fast start, but after that we didn't do anything. Didn't threaten, didn't attack, and didn’t keep the ball. We had no method to our play, no pattern, no obvious shape to the side. It was rudderless, aimless and leaderless. We invited a tired and weary palace back onto us in the 2nd half and they duly obliged. Once they scored that was it, they had us for toast. Players like Romeu, Stephens, and Bertrand have regressed massively as footballers. They don't even do the basics well anymore, so you have to look at the training ground and the preparation/coaching as to why that is. If you carry on for 12 months at home like we have, then it's no surprise to see us where we are. I think the club are too scared to remove another manager, but he looks totally lost out there if I'm honest. Seems a nice enough bloke, but just seems lost and the team plays like that. I hate clubs that keep chopping and changing managers, so I’m going to be hating us I think, but it's something we're going to have to do as we've seemingly got it wrong for the 2nd time in a row. As Ralf's rousing speech said earlier, everyone at the club needs to take a share of the blame for where we are. They're all over it when we're doing well and shouting from the rooftops about how everyone else wants to copy us, but I don't see them copying anything we're doing right now. It has been a collective cockup for the last 18 months from recruitment of players through to the managerial and coaching setup. From our strongest ever position as a club in 6th and EL group stages, we have seemingly managed to score the biggest own goal we could have. Well done to everyone.

I think it's to do with the hospitality suites. Nothing we'll notice.

Same. I'm actually kinda looking forward to tonight, I wonder how misguided that will proove...

To be fair, I think it's BBC Radio Solent who were pushing the questions (Adam Blackmore in particular). The Daily echo have just published the transcript.

Nice to hear from you on here Ralf. Single digits this year?

Also kind of suggests that there wasn't a penny to spend without his sale, which on it's own is also a little concerning. It again kind of paints the light that our takeover was probably the most pointless takeover ever completed.

I hope we can achieve single digits. Go sportsball.

He is the master of saying a lot, without actually saying anything at all.

Absolutely. The other bonus is that they bust their gut against City, some of their players were out on their legs on 80mins. The injuries they have will mean quite a few of their players will have to go again.....they've been doubt a crap hand with this fixture timing for sure.

Scott Dann and Puncheon out for sure. They're also still without Joel Ward (you skate b****d) and Mammadou Sakho - so will likely be a bit of a mismatch back 4 with Kelly switching to CB alongside Tomkins.

Clearly going with pace at the back to counter their attacking threats in Zaha and Townsend, but it will give us more going forward too. A little surprised if Wes drops out as he was top draw against Utd - but who knows, he may have a knock. Not got a problem with Jack back there.

But I think I speak for most when I say that i hate all the 'nudge nudge, wink wink, i know something....but i can't reveal it, i'll drop a hint that reveals nothing anyway'' kind of posts. They offer very little.

One thing I've been able to tell from todays games is the true lack of real quality in this league outside of the top 6. It really is a much of a muchness. Hudersfield have very little and it's great credit they are where they are, they're the surprise package of the season for me. Burnley look like dropping like a stone, their lack of quality is pretty clear now. Bournemouth and Brighton are two very poor sides in terms of quality. Newcastle have very little, but a great win for them. Stoke should be doing better with the players they have. A real backs to the wall effort from them, but they didn't have to worry about much as Stoke were just awful. Stoke are an example of a club who have lost their way and need to be very careful. I think they'll be ok though when you look at what else is in the league.