S-Clarke

We defended ok, pretty solid for 90 mins. 2 centre backs look like setting up a decent understanding. Our problem is a lack of attacking threat. and I'm not sure Gaston is ever going to achieve anything with us.

If they're injured or not fit, there's not much we can do. Which is why today you'd deploy someone like Puncheon to offer us the width, if we don't replace him we've made a huge, huge error.

Seeing both of them next to each other on the bench at the end - now that was a real WTF moment. Has he tried to fix something that wasn't broken in the slightest?

What did Redmond do that we didn't? Ran into and attacked space with pace and power. What did he achieve? The win for Norwich. What did we do? Popped the ball around in pointless areas and didn't create anywhere near enough. We need pace and the ability to beat a man in the final third. We had a bit of that with Puncheon, and he was the difference on most occasions last year, but if we don't replace him then we'll achieve absolutely nothing, just bog standard stuff. It's really frustrating to see us attacking teams, because we just don't do enough. We don't look like scoring at all and that needs to change pretty sharpish. This was always going to be a tough game, but we should have made a hell of a lot more from it. It was also pretty sad to see Cork and Morgan sat next to each other on the bench at the end, the 2 linchpins of our midfield last year and we kind of looked like a disjointed mess at times in that 2nd half. Lallana had a good game, why he was subbed is beyond me and Lovren was once again a moan mountain at the back. I thought Lmabert was pretty shocking in terms of giving us an outlet, Wanyama's ball retention was utterly diabolical and he was pointlessly diving in all over the show. Shouldn't have stayed on the pitch. Osvaldo didn't really do anything, but to be honest we don't really have the pace to get down the sides of teams in order to get the best out of him. He's quite sharp though, not one of those ''take loads of touches'' players, he literately hits everything first time. Chambers and JWP struggled a little today, especially in the 2nd half and didn't offer us anything in terms of creativity. Chambers looks solid enough but not what i'd call an attacking full back. Fox didn't really do much wrong, although there is always an enormous amount of space in and around him when he plays (Does he smell or something??). But to be honest they didn't really test him enough. But to cut a long story short, I don't think it's just a ''bonus'' if we sign additional attacking pace, I think it's kind of a necessity. Let's hope the club have something up their sleeves. Look at what someone like Redmond can do.....

Of course it does, just like it did against Man City last year.

Will be utterly pointless to sell him. We've finally got a squad in the middle of the park, so let's start selling...!

On another note, just watching the Man City - Hull game - is it just me, or does Micheal Owen have the most annoying voice ever heard as a co-commentator?

I'm somewhere in the middle of these extremes. I didn't quite get the ''OMG HE'S WORLD CLASS' comments from last week, and I also didn't get the ''he's ****, clearly a hot head and not going to work'' comments. He's a good player, he didn't really show a great deal when he came on last week - but there were a few glimpses and a few silly bits, it was decent but not either extreme IMO.

Don't get me wrong, I think he's an excellent player - but the fit between him and Chelsea doesn't feel right, I can't see him there long term at all.

Very big player for us in our rise, his contribution should never be forgotten. All those years in the championship we were crying out for leadership in the middle, he finally gave us what we were crying out for. Don't have a bad word to say about the lad and this is a great move for him.

TBF, he's never going to make it at Chelsea. That much is clear. He needs a move, but it won't be to us. We've got more than enough!

To be honest, that entire period felt like years...!

TBF, they did lose tonight to a pretty rubbish side. All of their work was done in the 1st leg.

Depends the definition of a winger really, I don't think we're after an out and out wide man - that's for sure. We want someone who can play anywhere across the front 3, in between the lines etc. Pretty certain we won't be playing with out and out fixed wingers anytime soon.

He scored his fair share of goals though, with some of the goals proving absolutely vital in our finishing position.

bit of an idiot though. His comments don't really mean much though. He's an absolutely atrocious football player, wouldn't even class him league standard, yet he sat and took wages off us for years.

Good tie, and even better in that there are loads of prem teams facing eachother. The path could be made a hell of a lot easier...

No, according to our OS.

was about to say the same.....in there before me! we signed him about 10 days after everything else had been done.

To be honest, lots of chats and activity happens behind the scenes that we'd never know about. There's every possibility that Chelsea allowed us to formalize this side of it whilst they waited to formalize a couple of their additions. That way it could end up going through on deadline day but without the need for one of those rushed medical jobs and a worry over whether it will be completed on time. I reckon quite a few clubs work this way if the relationship between them is amicable.

Same. He looks like he could be heading out of the door first at this rate........ Not sure what went so wrong after their top 5 finish.

cheers for the snippets. I also found MP's comments interesting, ''we need to be ready to quickly act when/if developments occur'' in as many words. Kind of suggested to me that we'll need to act quickly based on another clubs activity...and that was just as Chelsea began to hijack the Willian deal, and with that now concluded I wonder if we'll see movement. And also, if you remember, MP couldn't attend the Osvaldo press conference due to ''urgent club duties''. Make of that what you will.

It is a tricky one indeed, but it's pretty clear - in my opinion anyway - that we're in need for some pace in the final third, someone who can receive the ball in the final third and beat the man. I feel that our play becomes too predicable up and around the final third, and more often than not we resort in going back and heading into the midfield again. A player like moses - who can flat in between the lines and out wide - would offer us an injection of pace to get beyond that last man and create a bit more havoc in the final third. At this moment In time, although I'm a big fan of Rodrguez - I'd put him in the team in place of Jay. Let's see what happens, we may not sign anyone else....it's still been a good window, but will be left a tiny little bit frustrated that we've lost someone who can beat a player and not replaced them.

How utterly atrocious do Newcastle look this season? Shocking.

I think he's bang on what we need. He's not your standard ''out and out'' wide man, he's a player who can float all over the front 3 and was very fluid in how he moved around the Wigan attack - that makes him an absolute shoe in for our style. I think we'd be certifiably mental not to at least try...!