StanSP

Is Duran out for our game with Villa?

Score more Arsenal

There's no way we can keep going with the defence as it is and distinct lack of depth even if we keep Hermansen.

I thought there were new rules to give enough time between matches. Something like 72 hrs between start of one game and start of another. In which case we shouldn't be playing until Sunday evening at the latest. No doubt the higher-ups at our club just bent over instead of fighting against the move.

I did apart from Townsend's fawning over Liverpool and failure to call out the referees bias.

Feels like a lot hinges on recruitment in the next month. If we don't sell anyone (ie Hermansen) we have to be looking at buying/loaning a RB and a LB, bolstering CM options, and definitely 1-2 wingers because we can't be relying on Reid and Ayew until May. It's a shame Rudkin is still around to have his hand in transfer business. I hope RVN is backed positively and not just having to rely on has-beens or free transfers. He has to be backed to get players in that he wants to build a team around. We cannot be signing any more players in the shape of Ayew/Reid just because they're free.

Home games: Man City Palace Fulham Arsenal Brentford Man Utd Newcastle Liverpool Southampton Ipswich Away games: Villa Tottenham Everton West Ham Chelsea Man City Brighton Forest Bournemouth Genuinely, with the current squad and availability of players, I can see us only winning 2-3 of the home games (Palace, Saints, Ipswich) and perhaps one away game (maybe Everton or West Ham). If it comes to the final day against Bournemouth at theirs, I don't have faith in us to do what we need to do to stay up, even if it's in our own hands. And that's before taking into account they may have their own ambition of Europe to play for I worry we get relegated at Forest which would be the ultimate embarrassment. But the things that may change my mind are January's transfer business or getting a couple or a few bonus draws/victories. Perhaps catching a side or two on a bad day either home or away, like Fulham or Brentford at home or Brighton or Spurs away. Other than that, I don't think there's gonna be many happy feelings at full time based on current status of our club.

How is it that we play Thursday night and first on Sunday. But Brentford and Arsenal can play tonight and then Wednesday?!

Yeah, once we get some signings in in January I think I'll be more confident. Obviously dependent on who those signings are, and hopefully they're in before 31st Jan. We have to act quick and Top needs to loosen the purse strings. Send Rudkin on a 4-week jolly and turn off his phone...

Not sure it was excellent and I don't want to play him down or anything. But it somehow went across 3 Liverpool players. Ayew had no right getting to it. The thing with Mavididi is how frustrating he is. Had a couple of counters and he went into traffic as opposed to going down the line and ended up losing the ball. Maybe it's a confidence thing or being asked to do too much. If we have the opportunity to buy another winger in January i think we should. Not to displace Mavididi but just to have another option other than Reid as competition.

Much better than Ward. Several crosses Ward would have shied away from. Couple of good saves, and although conceding 3 you could see the players felt a bit more confident in him than they did Ward.

That's not the point come on. It's the lack of other choices...

And Justin is the next best captain?! Deary me.

What's the point of that sub?

How did Cooper make us difficult to beat

Can't wait!

They're there for the taking. But we won't take. We'll be scared of them. Might score a goal but we'll gift them one or two and play them back into form.

How is Mac Allister not booked? 5 fouls and counting.

Reid coming on

They weren't fouls let's face it

Crap defending. Too easy.

Soumare has gone to shit

Yes Daka. The striker taking our throw-ins

Just find it difficult to overturn their press high up. And when we get the ball we're being wasteful and not at all threatening.

Ah feck. The perennial goalscorer against us about to come on. They've just sped up their play and too quick for us. Especially for the goals.