shurlock

He's going to have an absolute field day with the Newcastle side aka France's Outremer 11.

What are you on about? Shaw is excellent defensively - rarely gets beaten and is strong in the air. He might get caught out of position at times but that's something that can be taught and indeed may reflect MP's tactics/instructions given the lack of width further up the pitch.

On the bright side - I dont think either Clyne or Wanyama will be starting.

A post on mental weakness. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

They started brighter but we then dominated and frankly a 2 nil lead wouldn't have flattered us whatsoever. If anything we should have got behind them more than we did -Shaw, unfound, was in acres of space at times and we had marginal offside decisions go against us. Likewise the 2nd half wasn't as black and white as you suggest. For all their power, pressure and possession, how many saves did Boruc have to make? If anything, we rode out the storm and arguably finished the stronger side (last 10-15mins).

The little fella's suffering: It can be seen in the ballooning thread and post count, a telltale sign of diminishing returns; the overinvestment in subjects that have tanked in WUM value; the convolutions and inconsistencies; and above all, the howls of persecution - the last thing you would expect from a confident WUM at the top of his game. Fake betting slips and slapstick emoticons ain't cutting it. Hopefully GS can restore his former glory - it's only 6 months till another league cup binge comes around. Maybe, a returning Oswaldo (lol, pmsl) will serve as the tonic, though a departing MP would be absolutely disastrous. And of course he is a canny operator of the transfer window. But it's also a shortened WC year. More importantly, the trusty rules of the road around lack of ambition and/or misguided spending that served him well in the past will need to be rewritten as those posters who give him a veil of credibility appear much more disposed to the new regime. The margin for error just got smaller. Don't want to write GS's obituary prematurely; but right now the cupboard looks bare. An interesting few months ahead.

What about his subs?

Fuming with the result as they're a distinctly average side. For all their pressure in the 2nd half, they never really tested Boruc. Indeed, I thought we had the ridden out the worst of it and could have quite easily nicked it in the last 15mins. The enforced changes in midfield and Lovren's erratic performance didn't help but IMO Jrod's injury knocked the stuffing out of us. The number of times we could have sprung them with a simple ball over the top and a better timed run was incredible. At other times, Shaw was all alone and could have been found with a diagonal. We missed Morgan as much for his passing range as his defensive quality. Without pace off the bench, Spurs were able to push up and strangle our creaking CM and CBs. Lambert had a decent first half -apart from one opportunity where he should have taken the shot rather than wait for support. He seemed to slow in the 2nd and got caught in possession too many times. Would have brought Gallagher on much earlier. JWP is neither a DM nor has he shown any qualities as an AM - maybe Davis is a decent player to model himself on; still a decision has to be made about his ideal position because he has to come out of the shadows or risk becoming another nice but inoffensive Andrew Surman. By contrast, Cork had a good game and did his best to shore things up. Ramirez did some poor things but also looked like a genuine matchwinner. Thought Danny Rose did very well for them and Soldado was much more physical than I had imagined. Otherwise didn't think much of them. They've spent a lot of money, blindly hoping the pieces click together as they are inherited by different managers with different ideas. Was epitomised by some comment on the way back to the train about how Siggurdson who has otherwise been a massive disappointment ONLY cost £11m. Only £11m ffs. The top sides can afford to be blasé with money in a way we can't -and along with it secure the occasional cameo or flash of match winning brilliance. My only hope is that they have a day of reckoning like Villa did under Lerner a few years ago and they too have to retrench a bit.

Time to start living up to the hype. Good opportunity for him.

Not to worry pal, it doesn't make much sense to me either. I mean our mongboard one trick ponies used the lazy-lying-scumbag-journos moniker (lol, pmsl) to mock those who got all defensive over any perceived 'negative' story (never mind that some were utterly absurd at the time and even more so in hindsight). Yet the very same mongboarders are quick to dismiss stories that don't fit with their own prejudices. If only there was a loltastic image to try and put this all into words:

Lazy, lying scumbag journos #mongs-on-the-mongboard-in-shoe-on-the-other-foot shocker

Clearly you weren't really watching then and are unable to separate a decent individual performance from a s**t team one. Hodgson is largely looking for a target man, a plan B and while I can't stand the c**t, Carroll did exactly what's got him into previous England squads: he won many of his aerial duels, found space and was a threat when he had the support and service (which wasn't very often, esp 2nd half given their autistic tendency to look for him and launch it at EVERY opportunity). FWIW whoscored had him down as one of the best players on the pitch too http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/720805/Live/England-Premier-League-2013-2014-West-Ham-Manchester-United

Don't think he's done his (outside) WC chances any harm tonight.

From Twitter: Mariner: "Gibbs, you're off!" The Ox: "Ref, it was me!" Mariner: "Shut up Walcott, or you'll be off too"

Would love it if Oxo went and got a hat trick.

Gibbs sent off

Just slightly! Who said the stiff upper lip has had its day. My young kid brother can't get enough of those National Geographic airline shows and wants to be a pilot because of feats likes yours.

Computer says no.

Don't forget the bingo.

True though the uncertainty at the club doesn't help.

The Dalek award for the mongboarder who persists with the unfunniest joke goes to...

Very true - that's part of the beauty of the game that trundles on regardless of who's playing for us or how we're doing.

5 years ago Jan-Paul Saeijs was our cult CB. Today it's a Champions League international and Man U target.