Sour Mash

Where are those figures from?

Because large scale infrastructure projects and investment, particularly those that deliver long-term capacity growth, don't deliver increase passenger numbers per £ over night. You invest the money now for improved infrastructure that will last 20, 30, 40 + years.

Ok

So why have passenger numbers nearly doubled if it isn't a success?

Well the quality of service is much better than before privatisation and passenger numbers have nearly doubled, so the industry as a whole is certainly a success story in my eyes.

Why is it a disaster?

You're working off the basis that we'll have a squad with 100% fitness; that probably won't happen on one single occassion for the rest of this season.

Rail travel has improved significantly since privatisation. Have you seen the increases in passenger numbers? How much better are places like Waterloo, St Pancras, Kings Cross station to what they were 20 years ago.

I use SWT a lot and find them fine. The odd delay, but generally on time for the vast majority of occassions.

Because there is quite a lot of scope between having a bench of top internationals on £100k a week and having a bench containing Mayuka, Kelvin Davis and Reed - somewhere sort of inbetween is not an unreasonable aspiration.

His point about us not having "game-changers" is very valid, but our depth currently isn't ok for competing with top 4 sides. Who is back-up to Clyne? To Tadic? To Pelle? To Forster? Arsenal were playing their third choice keeper last night, compare him to our Gazzaniga?

He did WHAT? How has he not got a lengthy ban?

Plus a fair bit on Bertrand's and Alderweireld's loan fees?

The thing is Tadic and Pelle have a lot more credit in their lockers due to top performances earlier in the season, Mane is a fair bit behind both of them in that regard.

Agree on part of this, I think bringing Mayuka on was the wrong call. Maybe we still wanted to stretch the game, but with Mane on the field, did we really need Mayuka on as well. Even someone like Reed or Gardos to be disciplined, get blocks and challenges in, try and retain possession a bit would have done better for us. Pelle was frustrating; the ball kept me knocked up to him and it didn't stick enough, coming straight back towards our goal, allowing Arsenal to build more and more pressure; really useful if a forward can hold the ball up, win a cheap free kick etc, just to take some of the pressure of the defence.

Why do you consider it unlucky to be stood next to someone starting songs. That's a good thing. Pity a few more didn't follow suit.

Agreed, I thought last night was very quiet, disappointingly so. Sheff Utd will definitely be better.

The players that we've been lined with in the last month or so have all had similar charachteristics - young, pacey, forwards, with potential, but still off the finished article. I guess that would sort of deal with the Mane/JRod situation.

Squad depth has always looked an issue for us this season, but last night went way beyond what could have been sufficiently covered even with squad strengthening. We're never going to have a squad that can deal with Ward-Prowse, Schneiderlin, Cork, Tadic and Alderweireld all out of action at the same time.

Forster had a brilliant game was very unlucky to be on the losing side. Doesn't stop me questioning a few of his performances earlier in the season. I busy evening last night probably did him good, not had enough to do for the last few months.

Lambert has looked much better. Mayuka has been with us for over two years and not shown a single decent display in a competitive match. 22 is reasonably young, but he's not an 18 year old kid, should expect to see him hitting his prime soon.

I think the Spitfire will definitely show it, central and decent enough.

I watched the Leicester v Liverpool game, thought both teams looked sh**e. Leicester look nailed on for relegation, don't know what's happened to them. Man Utd doing very well to not concede more with that defence.

Because Yoshida was injured at Swansea and still out injured against Arsenal.

He has featured though. He started at Swansea with Gardos on the bench for example.