S-Clarke

Using the line ''he will get you a couple of goals a season'' as a reason to re-sign Morgan is very funny. He's as much of a goal threat as Clasie and Romeu. I loved him when he was here, but he's not the sort of player we need. We don't sign players because they were good for us when they were here.

Negredo is also only on loan at boro.

Best performance of the season in my opinion. We didn't really deal with Bournemouth at the start, they came at us as we should have known they would. Hojbjerg took time to settle into that game....but once he did settle, he ran the show. I think he's the sort of player who'd benefit from a run, doesn't seem to react well being rotated in and out in my opinion. It was a great goal from Bertrand who seemed pumped up all game, not sure what the fans were saying to him...but he had a few messages for them! What I loved about the display today is how we used the full backs, that's exactly how we need to play. Stretch the pitch, get Redmond/Bouful to pull the CB's out of position and then feed the untracked full back. Worked like a charm, should have scored from one of those attempts really. I think he'll be everyone's MOTM, no debate - Jay. In the game against Boro at home he worked his f*cking arse off, it just wasn't happening in the final third. But in the 2nd half particularly today, that was the old-jay. Running the flanks, pulling the CB's with him, knocking the ball past defenders and beating them for pace/strength. That goal was quality, but it's the least he deserves really. He's another player who needs a run of games and he's benefiting from this at the moment. As per most games, we're not really troubled at the back and that was the same again today. Yoshida continues to be dependable and Virgil is just Virgil. Up to 7th, well positioned, and 2 home games coming up. Going by some of the garbage posted on here pre-match you'd think we were down there with Swansea. But no, we're 12 pts better off than them.

Suspended.

If you want to re-watch some of Wanyama's game last year, then go ahead. But he certainly wasn't giving 100% He didn't even give 1% when he decided he didn't want to play in the EL games as he wanted a move. Now if that's not sulking, I don't know what is.

We'd have had a team full of sulking players who didn't want to be here.

Sounds like he was lined up in the possibility Jose went in the summer...

Romeu has been great for us, but maybe his suspension could be a blessing as we won't end up with a midfield of defenders. Stick Clasie deepest, JWP and Hojbjerg just in front. Hojbjerg is at his best when he's running at a team with the ball. Attacking 3 of Redmond, Boufal and Long. Back 4 picks it's self. Urgency and pace in the final third is all we're asking for.

Same.

Why will the cherries rip us a new one by the way? Interested in why people think this. We're very good defensively and are clearly setup to nullify the opposition. Nothing this season has suggested anyone will rip us a new one, we just can't rip them a new one.

Our central midfield won't contribute goals as they're all the same sort of player. Some of our main issues right now: - Midfield is too much of the same. Players happy in possession but not risk takers - Lack of pace and direct running in between the lines. - The build up is too slow, which enables the opposition to get themselves set and defend the spaces. - No one taking risks, players too cautious (not just the CM's). Happy to play another pass rather than taking attacking responsibility themselves. I'd buy an attacking central midfield player and play one of those in midfield, someone who is happy to burst between the lines and take risks and gambles. The calls for a striker is obvious as we don't score goals, but that's not just because we're missing chances. It's more to it than just not having a 'striker'. We could do with a focal point though, someone who we can build the play around in the final third. I mean it's not all bad, as we're still top half, very good in defense, but you do pay to watch football and be entertained. We are so pointless to watch. the GD says it all really.

We could have anyone up front, they will not score with the lack of imagination we have behind them. Too ponderous and slow. The only times we got in was when we played with pace and got in behind down the left, it didn't happen enough, and it was probably the easiest defensive performance stoke will have all season.

Garbage, really.

He's clearly an incredibly vile human being, you only have to look at some of the stupid videos with him and his expensive cars and his 'homies' to work that out. Should be banned from football and have all his money taken from him. People like that should not be trusted with money, or life, really.

When Alpine makes reactionary posts like this, we can all be rest assured that good news is on the horizon. Maybe he's actually always been ITK, but shares it in another way to keep us on our toes.

errr....

A focal point. Someone who can hold it up, bring others into play and obviously score goals. We lack that option this year, we have no presence up top.

First half was really flat, we were too slow to the 2nd balls and too slow to move it when we had it (same old, same old). Boro actually had the better of the first half in an attacking sense, but in all honestly it was a contest between two incredibly dull teams in that first half. 2nd half there was only one team in it. We came out with purpose, pressed them high and forced them into mistakes. We didn't pepper the goal, but we were comfortable in that 2nd half. Boro are a very well organised outlet, but similar to us, are very blunt in the final third ( until they brought Adama Traore on anyway). Big 3 points, everyone needed that. I thought Clasie had a great game for me, always in their faces - and Jay ran himself to the ground, but still looks a few yards short of quality. Time will tell if that will ever return.

And because it has Europa League crests in it....whoops.

What is actually up with Targett anyway? Has it ever been announced? If he's just had an op, safe to assume it was a bad one and he's still facing a decent length of time out. Why don't the club tell us stuff like this? (unless i've missed, then apologies..)

What happend to Austin by the way? Broken arm/shoulder? Assuming that's him out for a lengthy period. Not that it matters who we have up front if we continue to play like crabs.

**** ball from Romeu, granted, but Hoijberg was half a ****ing sleep. You should always be on your toes, he wasn't.

Boro defend well, they're coached well and organised. We'll have to do a hell of a lot more than we did tonight to get anywhere. They'll have our number from the first minute if we play that slow again. Which we probably will. Not up for this game at all.

He was absolute dire tonight, but to the 'fans' who were against him around me - absolute disgrace, go and find another team to support. Spent the entire match calling for Hapoel players to stamp on him so he's injured, racial gestures and the like. There's no denying he was dross tonight, but our fans take on a whole new level of ****tardness sometimes.

That was incredibly painful to watch, a really lame duck of a performance. Pass, pass, backwards, sideways, slow down, pass, backwards, misplace the ball. repeat for ever. We don't attack teams with any sort of purpose and there were countless times in the game where every single one of our outfield players was outside of the penalty area during one of our dour build ups. It's too slow, too predictable, and it's so so easy to defend against. Just a complete non-performance and another pathetically lame end to a European adventure.