DuncanRG

Haha, exactly.

I was hoping I could start this thread without any injuries to worry about (and off the back of a good result to minimise whinging) but hey-ho... We're going into the Christmas period with a lot of games to play, a demanding style and a lot of players who need to be protected from fatigue and injury - Lambert, Shaw, Ward-Prowse etc Quite aside from Boruc, Schneiderlin and Wanyama who may miss games through injury or suspension, what can we do to maintain our energy levels when we're playing twice or three times in a week? Is this where Cork, Ramirez, Fox etc will be expected to come in? Can we capitalise on our opponents' fixture congestion?

We were also quite hesitant to push bodies forward when we got into their third. Shaw often found himself in a bit of space on the left without anyone to help him - if Lallana's been tracking back, Schneiderlin needs to push up and make sure there's an option there because Shaw's not a whip-it-in-the-box player. We did that well against Liverpool and Utd but not today.

A real shame Boruc had to go off after the goal. That really shook us up and Chelsea pounced. We couldn't handle it but fair play to them, once they got their tails up I don't think many teams could have kept everything ticking. I wouldn't say 'heads dropped' but we lost a lot of composure. Blunt up front again.

Didn't get much service but he was very poor today.

Did Jordan Rhodes score today? What's he said in the press? What do you know about training?

He's got some idea of what's going on in Preston I believe.

What a thing to say when you're looking to improve your club's PR credentials... Hopefully he takes up the consultation that the Supporters' Trust is proposing, no doubt the majority of season ticket holders will support the City name.

Any more info on Lallana's fitness? BBC hasn't mentioned him being out.

What did you expect from Southampton when we were in League One? Did you hope for anything in particular?

You think? He has the potential to be up there at some point in his career but best in the world at the age of 20 seems near enough impossible. Anyway, even though £30m would buy us a better player (it would) it wouldn't buy us one of the same age, or one that is our own. That last part is essential.

The strangest thing about it is that we have had instant gratification. From League One to fifth in the Premier League in four years, no patience required. The problem is that our expectations keep shifting upwards and, erm, some people are loons.

Well, okay. Our coaches probably have a better idea.

He hates it, I tells ya

The Gaolhouse Wetherspoons on Jewry Street normally has Sky Sports on

Compared to (by team) Man City: Kompany, Nastasic, Zabaleta, Kolarov, Yaya Toure, Fernandinho, Navas, Silva, Aguero, Negredo, Dzeko Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Ramires, Hazard, Mata, Oscar, Willian, De Bruyne, Eto'o, Lukaku Arsenal: Vermaelen, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Sagna, Monreal, Flamini, Ozil, Rosicky, Cazorla, Giroud Tottenham: Lloris, Vertonghen, Assou-Ekotto, Sandro, Paulinho, Lamela, Eriksen, Soldado Clichy and Nasri are good examples of PL to PL successes, but do I really need to continue? The overwhelming majority come from abroad.

Almost all of the best players in the Premier League come from abroad or youth setups. PL clubs don't sell top players to their rivals, and even when they do it's rarely a success. Van Persie is the only example I can think of.

They're similar to other big clubs - great away, poor at home.

It's wait and see with him I think. It'd be awful to lose him but I'd respect his decision if he left to play first team football for another Premier League side.

Do you honestly believe that? Look at it.

Eh? The quotes are never gonna be their source

I'm pleased to see he's settled in so quickly. He has so much potential.

Agreed, thought he had a good game. Hasn't had a poor one for quite a long time now, going well back into last season.

Two silly goals to give away. Ref's absolutely right to give the pen.

Any reason we couldn't have brought Chambers on for Shaw? Perhaps Pochettino wants a calm head in Davis without sacrificing our set piece threat.