S-Clarke

Good post.

Bit of annoying that none of our lads start the match. You can sense that there will be a million changes at half time, which will disrupt the game and make it much harder for the likes of Jay and Luke to impress. Let's see what happens I guess.

JWP is having a bit of a bad spell at the mo, similar happened last year. Started the season strongly, looked class...and then dropped off. Maybe he's getting fatigued?

He clearly doesn't. Maybe a few chances he could do better with, but I wouldn't class those chances as sitters. He's had a good season and has a good return, if anything our poor return in form the last few weeks is down to his lack of involvement (he seems pretty quiet, not taking players on etc).

Done - voted. I think he's had a decent season. He's a classy operator and can use the ball very well, the only criticism you can have of him is his lack of offensive penetration - that's one area of his game which has never really evolved, although he's beginning to make late runs into the box. I'm not sure he's ever going to be a goal scoring attacking midfielder though, he's not that type - he's more of a Pirlo type deep-sitting play maker. The thing with Morgan is that when he plays well, the entire team function - and you don't really notice him as he provides the platform for the attaching players to sparkle. When he has an off day, and he wasn't great on Saturday, the midfield doesn't function and the team looks very disjointed - and you notice him giving the ball away too. But he's still a massively important player for us and for me, one of the first names on the team sheet.

Not sure why people believe Clyne has a chance, he doesn't. He needs to be a regular for us first, which he isn't right now. He won't be selected.

Why exactly do either Ramirez or Clyne need to come in? Chambers is there on merit and is our best RB at this present moment. Ramirez hasn't done enough to start football matches, best used as a sub. Although he was pretty useless yesterday.

That's always been his style, can't say he's ever come across as the most vocal or ''passionate'' as managers - that's just his style. but feel free to read lots into it.

We really needed Osvaldo to work for us, but it didn't. It's one season too many for Lambert as a regular at this level in my eyes, he's been poor most of the year bar one or 2 good displays. We don't seem to have any players with natural finishing instincts in that final third any more. Jay Rodriguez is way too inconsistent at the moment, and Lallana has never been the sort to put his laces through a shot. Not really sure what the summer will hold, we may regret moaning about our current options...! But we do need someone who can offer us some strength, mobility and penetration through the middle, as it's an utter frustration watching us at the moment.

Absoloutley, he is a legend in my time, but the summer is the time to replace Rickie Lambert. We're beginning to look as if we're carrying a player, and that's going to hold us back.

The midfield went to pot once he went off. He was an important cog. We gambled in that 2nd half, but unfortunately it was a return of the same old Gaston.

Gallagher is decent, but needs a loan spell before a run in our side in my eyes.

A good spell from 20-50 mins, but we didn't make the most of it, which is the overriding title of our season. Rodriguez and Lambert were poor, notably Lambert who looks lost at the moment. Shaw looked full of nerves and was trying too heard on too many occasions. Gaston was back to his normal self today, we lost so much in midfield when he came on and he didn't offer anything in the offensive side what so ever. We just don't have the squad and that has been the case all year. The January window was a chance to fix that, but we ended that weaker than we started. Go figure. Such a frustrating waste of a season in my eyes.

The season has lost it's point and momentum, there's very little to play for now. People who weren't too worried about the Cup game need to look now, a performance like that will take ages and ages and ages to lift away. We've lost confidence, belief, momentum from that result and performance. We should have just gone for it, and the argument that we rested players for the league has back fired emphatically. The season has been a good year for sure, but my overriding feeling will be of frustration as this is easily the best team we've had in my lifetime and the best team we'll ever probably see down there. We should have made more of the year rather than just a 9th placed finish.

Frustrating that he never managed to do that for us, but never mind. Clearly never wanted to be here tbh.

That goal by Huntelaar though, wtf. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SOjtQejjQw

The word world-class is overused a hell of a lot, but Bale is world-class. He's at the pinnacle of the footballing profession. It's just a shame that due to his nationality a player of his ability is never going to be able to showcase his talents at a world cup.

TBH we're not going to be able to buy a proven premier league striker. We have to make gambles and hope they pay off. Similar to Swansea with Michu a few years back

The lack of impact from Soldado and Erik Lamella. £60m worth of talent to signal a new era for Spurs, but both utter flops. Have always thought Soldado was an utter class act and guaranteed goals, but so far he's £30m wasted. There are rumours that he's being shipped back off to Spain in the summer, with Ath. Madrid keen. The lack of goals and form from Benteke The complete disaster at Man Utd. I think most people assumed they'd struggle a little, but they've been so bad it's untre. Palace's turn around is a good shout, they look like a decent PL outfit now. Liverpool's consistency. Always a good outfit and good value goals wise, but they've got a real winning mentality now and look genuine contenders for the first time in 5 or 6 years. Surprised by Cardiff as I thought they had the better chance to stay up, but they look gone.

Those posts were from 4 years ago.

We did try last year tbf. I don't think he's in our league, but in terms of the ambition to shop at that level...or even try, I think that's gone. To be honest, I don't think he will ever make it at Chelsea. He's not a bad player at all, I can see him moving on to another big club in Europe.

We're no longer shopping in that market, IMO.

Attacking wise they are terrific at the moment, in fact this season. They score from all over and it's one of the most free-flowing Liverpool teams I've seen in recent seasons. Rogers has done a wonderful job with them, developing a way to play and evolving the team. Defensively they aren't great though, Toure is awful and Skertl is hot and cold. So they're beatable in that side of the game, however with the attack they've got we'll need to have our fair share of luck on Saturday to get anything in my opinion.

If we wanted him, we would have signed him in January. He isn't going to leave a club he just joined in January.

Would expect the Swiss and ourselves to get out of that group without much hassle to be honest.