S-Clarke

This is the one thing that properly annoys me, why is it so hard for the club to be honest and transparent about injuries? It's like it's the worlds closet guarded secret, I don't see who it benefits. Just frustrates the **** out of us.

The middle of the road teams have all been **** this year, which is why we're all bunched up together. I think we'd get top half with 45+ points, so beat Stoke get something from Boro away. I'd like to see us take on one of the big sides at home though. Actually, I just want to see us take on anyone at home. Just a goal, it's all I ask for.

Don't be dumb.

I know this is quite a small point, but yeah...it does kind of illustrate how the fan base is totally meh for him. It's not really his fault that he's not charismatic, but it doesn't help. I cannot remember the last time we didn't have a 'song' for a manager over the course of a season. Big summer for him and the club. Hopefully we can start the season next year, just feel like I want this one over and done with.

TBF the 'we're in the top half'' ''we're 9th'' is pretty thin at the moment, as alluded to in another thread...one bad week of results, just one, and we are 16th. That would look pretty pathetic tbh. Don't think he should go, not one of those knee-jerk fans. But we need to see something in these final games to push us to a top half finish and raise the feeling ahead of next season. I still cannot remember a manager who has had such a 'meh' response within the fan base, no one has fully taken to him.

tbf Koeman always had Tadic as his penalty taker when JWP wasn't on the pitch.

I don't think anyone is saying it hasn't, but it's fair to see people a little disappointed with what we're dishing up at home.

eh?

TBF, I don't think many people are basing their reactions on JUST this game.

Redmond should have been off before anyone, he had the game from hell today.

Every one of his penalties is ****e, even if he scores it's a weak effort. I remember the first penalty he was given, away at Burnley in RK's first season - dire. Why does he continue to take them? We were spoiled with the days of Rickie, but all you want is someone to hit it with some conviction. He just tries to dink it, or pass it. Utter trash player when he's not on his game.

Apparently not anything too serious like that, out for the season for sure, but back for pre-season is the current verdict... Palace chairman forthright and open about him being their number 1 bit of business they want to/need to get over the line, but seemed to be suggesting Liverpool wanted silly money to create a bidding war.

Can someone tell me when this season starts? I'm still waiting.

Bilge. I had more fun on the way home in the car. People keep talking about 9th, but one bad week of results and we could plummet to 15/16th. Awesome.

Looks like a case of outscoring the oppo today. Balls on the line.

The club are very often guarded about the length/type of long term injury a player has. Probably just a case of trying to brush bad news under the carpet..! I still don't think anyone really knows what happened to VVD? Ankle, Foot, toe..?

Nope.

If it's better than this City - Utd bilge fest, then we'll be fine.

It was a bit of a sideways step at the time, but I think he probably knew he'd taken us as far as he could...so he sort of jumped before the season unraveled. At the start of the season I'd have taken Barkley, Lukaku, McCarthy and Coleman for sure. They do/did have some dross like Barry, Oviedo, Robles etc though. As of now, I'd have Williams in our CB now we don't have either VVD or Fonte.

He's a good player, very strong and powerful but also good with the ball at his feet. Pretty sure he's on the radar of a lot of clubs, if we were interested we'd be a decent move for him for sure. There's still a few issues to iron out with him, but he has all the tools for sure. I think Alfie Mawson is also a very good up and coming English CB, but a little more raw round the edges. I think I read that Maguire is out of contract next season, so whether Hull stay up or not, he's not going to cost the earth. We'll clearly be in for a first choice CB this summer, so it'll be interesting to see which names come out of the woodwork. Maybe they can resurrect the file of Davide Astori.

I think with Everton, they have seriously under achieved in previous years. Not entirely sure what Martinez did with the defense in training. Koeman has taken on what was a decent squad with the likes of Lukaku, Barkley, Marallis, McCarthy, Baines etc and added a few little tweaks here and there. He's sorted out their defense for a start, so if he was able to do that they would have a better season. So he's done OK I'd say, not amazing, but he's at least got them performing to a more acceptable level and gives them grounds to build on for coming seasons. Puel was in a totally different situation, we were always going to end up dropping a little this season and it seems as if Puel has taken the brunt of this. But in the same way as Everton had been underachieving, i think it's fair to say we really did overachieve in the last couple of seasons. Coupled with the insane amount of games and bunched up months we've had to contend with this year, and the fact that the entire first choice CB partnership has been ripped out, then to be finishing anywhere near we did last year is still a really good effort. I'll stand by what I said - 47-52 points as an end of season tally will be good and will likely see us finish Top half, which is a fair reflection of our current crop.

Probably too early to tell for sure, but it did look like quite a serious knee injury for Sakho tonight at Palace....

There won't be any high level points deductions, maybe a few slapped wrists and some fines banded about.

I don't think the scouse have ever been too taken in by him, steady but nothing spectacular is generally what I've heard. His attacking play and final ball is somewhat frustrating in the games I've seen him play for them, but for 11-12m he's a pretty sound buy.

Has Stephens been bad? I honestly can't remember him having too many issues, he's adapted surprisingly well in my eyes. I think Yoshida is still more prone to a lapse than Stephens. Still, we shouldn't have been in this situation, but we might as well get the benefit of blooding a youngster out of a bad situation.