BigJim

Chelsea, United and Arsenal are far beyond us at the moment and I don't think we will be able to catch them any time soon.

The way I see it is that any signings these clubs make can only improve them very marginally. In our case, on the other hand, one or two shrewd signings could make a far bigger relative impact and in fact close the gap quite a bit.

I don't think it's the case that we just get further and further behind the big spenders. These clubs have to spend big to more or less stand still. Chelsea, for example, will be buying to replace aging players. Will any new striker they could bring in be significantly better than Drogba has been?

Compare the difference to our squad when we eventually replace our aging strikers.

How about the "I'll wait and see who the manager brings in this summer" stance?

Martin needs to demonstrate true ambition or James (and others) may wonder if he's doing the right thing by staying.

He didn't manage it in Gareth's case, obviously.

I think a lot depends on how the tail end of this season goes. If things fizzle out and he feels a lot of flak from us fickle lot, he may just walk away.

I think it woud be a bit of a pity if he does, because he's obviously one of the great motivators. However, I would prefer to see us play better football, and I can't see him improving in that department very much.

Bolton have despite the result yesterday been pretty good at home since Coyle arrived,

Coyle knows a thing or two about getting his teams to pass the ball and I quite expect to be embarrassed again.

Part of the reason for the demolition is that MON kept trying to get something from the game when it was obviously not our day. - we were 4 -1 before he made a sub, and then he brings on 2 attacking players, one of them substituting our holding midfielder. Did he really think we could get back to 4-4 today? If so, he's more deluded than anyone suspected.

We should probably have tried to batten down the hatches. OK, he brought Beye on, but we were anothr goal down by then. Once again, he had Salifou on the bench, why does he bother? I would love to hear him try to explain in what circumstances he would bring him on.

Can someone tell me what Salifou was doing on the bench? (Didn't see it but according to the beeb).

Is Delph injured? Is Salifou really the best fit midfield backup we have after Sidders?

Dear me. We have a little way to go yet, haven't we? Will MON's patience hold out? Randy's? The fans'?

Sidwell.

Without him shooting we'd not have the equaliser.

Of course.... how could I forget that, well done Steve the Sub.

So then, that would be ONE shot from our midfield in 90 minites at home against one of the bottom clubs in the league? Is it any wonder we don't score enough?

Does Downing's header just before half time not count as a "shot", then? :confused:

Yes, we can count that if you want, and add in Brad's goalkicks and punts if you like. Now I think about it, we are a real attacking force.

Sidwell.

Without him shooting we'd not have the equaliser.

Of course.... how could I forget that, well done Steve the Sub.

So then, that would be ONE shot from our midfield in 90 minites at home against one of the bottom clubs in the league? Is it any wonder we don't score enough?

Did anybody other than Carew actually have a shot today? Perhaps one or two shot-crosses from Ash, but I don't recall anything from the rest of the midfield, or, needless to say, from EH.

he is always delighted or finds our performances to be marvellous even when we have been, by and large, shit

waste of time listening to him

He has to say we're "splendid" all the time because to tell it like it was would be to admit responsibility for the total lack of creative football, week after week.

Heskey was playing well in the first 20, receiving on the deck and laying it off very effectively (and I never thought I'd ever write that about him), then they seemed to twig on to what was happening and he got crowded out very quickly after that. So we resorted to humping and swinging in aerial balls and that was the end. I agree AY put in a great shift, but why can't we have people moving close to support him instead of waiting for him to get the same old cross in every time and hope it falls nicely for somebody.

We desperately need to practice more options. Almost any other PL team you watch move the ball with more variety than us.

EDIT. And Stewart Downing is little more than a passenger.

Maybe giving Sidwell a half.

If that was the only reason he should have taken NRC off because of the card. I could see the ref giving him another to even things up.

Just when I thought we were finally starting to play some decent football (Old Trafford) we go back to the old hoof ball tactics. Why?

OK, the conditions dominated really, but Pool made a better effort to play football than we did. Fortune favours the brave?

We need a proven premiership goal scorer or proven european striker and a creative midfielder in January,

Yeah right. I can't wait for the January sales, MON first in the queue, dream on.

Fact is, he bought that midfield that was on display tonight. I don't think there's much else to say.

8 of our 11 league games this season have been against the bottom half. In those 8 games we have 11pts. Just over 1pt per game. The other 3 games against the top half have yielded 7pts which is over 2pts per game. Why can we not beat the shit?

Given the mysterious behavour of our leader, the surprise frankly is that we have done well against the good teams, not that we have done poorly against the bad.

Sorry about cutting your post, sled. It's nice to see people trying to give our players the benefit of the doubt. And I seem to remember that you warned us, under your alternative guise, not to expect too much of JC when we signed him.

He doesn't convince me. I have seen him play really well on rare occasions, so I know he can do it if he puts his mind to it. I don't think it's a form thing, like his touch deserting him: he just doesn't seem to run like he means it. Someone posted earlier that he may be worried about his back. Well I'm sorry, but if that's the case he shouldn't be anywhere near the first team. (Cue posts telling me a half-fit JC is still better than any other option we have for the position).

Back to game reactions: I'm relieved we didn't lose. We really are not a very good side at the moment. Time to bring some kids forward, like our twin oracles, Delf and Delph

I was saying Carew needed to come off at HT.

Not because of a lack off effort some are implying but because he was getting fouls called against him all the time.

If he used his size and strength then it was an instant foul. It was bad referring but Mon should of seen it and changed it earlier.

Its happened before, if a ref wont let Carew play he has got to come off.

Agree with this, the ref was **** awful with Carew

......

Seriously what you see isn't always laziness or lack of effort and a rocket up the arse is hardly ever the solution to anything.

So he got a raw deal yesterday. It often happens. But JC has been around a long time, he`s a big boy now and should know how to deal with the situation.

I tend to agree with those who say he´s generally not contributing anywhere near enough lately.

Right, now I´m off to thump the damn telly.

Must admit from what I saw of Chelsea's first few games, they looked unstoppable. Then they went and lost at Wigan, of all places.

I don't think we have looked too sharp this season, even if we are more solid at the back.

But we play much better when we are the underdogs, so I'll go for one apiece.

Terrific effort from just about everybody, but I think we'll need more than sheer effort to trouble Chelsea.

As usual and far too often, we spoiled all the hard work put into winning the ball by immediately giving away possession, in the absurd rush to hit a long ball to Gabby and maybe find him onside and in space. You have to wonder just how effective that tactic really is.

If we don't use Reo-Coker, we wont win.

Hope MON doesn't see that, he'll take it as a challenge.

Based only on what I've read, sounds a bit disappointing really, sort of scraped through and possibly lucky their injury time goal was ruled out.

I'd have thought we should have scored more considering Cardiff had to chase the game for 87 minutes and we had our first-choice strike force on the pitch.

It was comfortable. However, still don't think 4-4-2 is for us. For 20 mins of the second half we were getting carved open by a poor Portsmouth side. Saying that though, if Pompey play like that, i can see them staying up.

Pompey were well in control for those 20 mins, and more. They had us chasing shadows, were far more inventive than us and had more shots on goal. They could easily have scored and changed the complexion of the game. I certainly didn't feel comfortable until Heskey went off.

Still, a satisfying 3 points, well done, especially GA, JM, BF

I don't think Luke Young is the best RB I've ever seen but he's certainly a solid enough player and from what I've seen of Beye I will be very happy indeed when he's back in action.

We may be being a bit hard on Beye: of course he has to adjust to our style, etc. But the simple fact is that adjustment means time and mistakes that we can well do without.

Milner's technical ability is greatly underrated on here, I see. I would put it at about the same level as Young's, possibly higher as he has a far better left foot, and I suspect he's better in the air (it would be difficult to be worse, tbf).

Ash is more dangerous because of his acceleration. Jimmy could be more dangerous shooting from distance, precisely because he can use either foot and is thus much harder to defend against.

Oh, and those who disagree with me know nothing, but absolutely nothing about football! (Sorry Roca )

I am more excited about the young prospects - both coming through our ranks and the one we have signed - than I am about the Steady Eddy signings. I rate the performance this window as just about good enough. But we're going to have to fight tooth and nail for every point this season.