stknowle

Agree. Boufal has magic in his boots, supremely gifted quick and skillful but needs to be coached into appreciating when to pass and where to. Dusan has better all round awareness as his assist stats from last season prove. Boufal is potentially the better player and no. 10 IMO.

Stephens definitely isn't ready. I think he may make it but probably not as a centre back.

Did that shot get deflected? I thought it must have done on first viewing but the replays on my (admittedly not that clear stream) seemed to suggest not. Good win anyway, a bit lucky considering the poor defending but tbh who cares, just take the 3 points and enjoy the win.

Me too. It's SO ****ING FRUSTRATING playing well, losing, and knowing we probably won't get another chance for another decade minimum.

Hmmm black North Face jackets. The hardest of all terrace fashion statements.

He was tired.

Percy fella, sadly the reason is Forster is a dreadful goalkeeper. Even given his poor positioning he still should have saved that. If Ibrahimovic had taken maximum advantage and stuck it just inside the post then maybe not, but it was 2 foot inside the post.

3 really.

I agree with most of your scores but would put Forster on 3, JWP on 8 Tadic on 4. The last sentence says it all. You can play magnificently and still lose because of occasional lapses in concentration. Even more likely to happen against a team so experienced in winning trophies that they take the chances those lapses create.

Great effort today, absolutely superb. My god it's painful watching those ****as collecting their 45th (?) major trophy when we've just undeservedly missed out on our 2nd. Have to say though, Forster terrible for the free kick and we just gave them far too much space for the 2nd.

Gutted, totally gutted. We played so ****ing well. Just lapses cost us. FFS

Was trying to avoid negativity, but you are totally correct. Right now he is awful and a total liability. You just feel any shot not straight at him is a goal.

The way I''m looking at this is going 2 down just makes winning it even more satisfying. C'mon we can ****ing do this!!

Hmmmm, no rating at all for Romeu. I'll go with 3 tried hard and dominated midfield throughout the match never missing a tackle or misplacing a pass but I expect more against such weak opposition.

Sorry missed it - what did J Rod do?

Very good today. Well done everyone special shouts to the goalscorers, Romeu (outstanding displays becoming standard a la VVD), Tadic, and Stephens. Also JWP seems to have started winning tackles. GTFI!!!!

Great goal. Need to see this home. Stephens looking very composed at the back as well.

Yes, he scored a couple IIRC and he set up MLT's "other" goal in the game against Blackburn when he scored that goal. Again if IIRC Paul Hughes, an ex-Chelsea player, was on our books at one point but I don't think he ever played.

Ok, criminally might be ever so slightly ott.

Thinking you have a player lined up and actually having a player signed up are two very different things. It is just criminally stupid that we are in this position.

VVD wasn't even injured before we sold Fonte. Even if he wasn't injured we shouldn't have sold Fonte without a replacement being in place. After making that stupid ****ing move and VVD then getting injured it is even more ludicrous not to get another centre back in. FFS there is no defending this utter ****ing cluster****.

I actually find it impossible to find the words to adequately describe how angry I am that we have blundered our way into this ridiculous position. I cannot believe we sold Fonte with no replacement in place (after being told by a certain **** that we would not sell him without a replacement being in place). That was monumentally stupid enough in its own right. But to then not get a replacement in after losing VVD just defies belief.

Birmingham and Wigan are the most recent examples of that. Fair play to you if you would take it, I certainly wouldn't.

This completely. Whatever the issues were it should have been, "Ok Jose you can go but only after we have signed someone to replace you" Totally fecking ridiculous and compounded by hearing his song sung LOUDLY by the Wham fans today.

Sadly I have to say you are probably right about Forster. I have absolutely zero confidence in the bloke.