Caddy

When I saw the team sheet I had a bad gut feeling, I know we've got a huge game ahead on Sunday but any successful Cup run blends a few of the starting 11 in, there was way too much dross out there and it cost us.

It's becoming increasingly obvious that Bolasie and El Ghazi will be absolutely vital to any hopes of automatic promotion. If they keep playing like this and keep fitness levels up... my god.

was plain and obvious for all of us to see that this season was DOA with our defensive/GK ranks and the utter lack of reinforcements. Smithball is working going forward but tactics can't cover up liabilities in the back 5. We all gave Brucie grief for playing Hutton out of position, but given his other option... Neil Taylor, good god, this is who we got for Jordan Ayew? are you **** with me?

lmfao straight red for our only CB, can't make this shit up

actually managed to get a good stream of this on my phone at work today

wish I hadn't bothered, utter waste of my time. I keep waking up the day after matchdays hoping to see the good news and it never happens, it's starting to become disheartening

yeah FFP isn't calculated until March, which technically gives us another half year before we *have* to sell before FFP is calculated and punishment doled out. I certainly wont be surprised to him sold but it's not done and dusted like it was before the investment. Also, like Nigel said his career has been marred by inconsistency and off-the-field issues. This past 6 months was hands down the longest stretch of consistent form from him; if Southgate told him his England football is contingent on PL playing time, he really should at least step up to a mid-table club like Everton or Leicester to ply his trade before trying to break into a CL squad. Those squads are reasonable steps up, but Spurs seems far too ambitious for him atm.

Totally expected and deserved. This is what happens when you rely on ancient dinosaur tactics to squeeze results. We were always going to play a club that actually plays football in these playoffs and I knew we'd be played off the park when it happened.

I was under the impression that Cissokho was meant to be halfway decent in defense. I mean, he's gash going forward, at least he's solid going back right?

**** me

Richardson and Lescott starting again?!  Bacuna/Hutton combining on the right flank is sure to end well. Gabby's back? **** me

You know what? As much as a loathe Sherwood when the whistle goes I can't help it.

https://mobile.twitter.com/dionne_burke/status/647499843603156992/video/1

Please get Bacuna off NOW

Had a gut feeling we wouldn't be in for another CF, it would basically be an admission that Gestede and/or Ayew were wastes of money and I don't think RL would be too pleased with that.

IMO, if we put Sinclair in front of Grealish/Gil/Traore then the goals will come. There's no way they can't.

I recognize that Lambert was constrained by a very tight budget. But IMO he bought too much dross with the money he did have. The likes of Tonev, Luna, Bennett, Bowery, etc. could've been consolidated into one or two genuine quality purchases. Lambert unearthed a gem in Benteke, but his other semi-expensive purchase (not counting Kozak because PL can't be blamed for an injury and he was looking a decent goalscorer before it) was Sanchez who absolutely stunk up the joint. Granted, he did have a fantastic WC but it seems he was a bog-standard anchor in a relegation-tier La Liga squad before that... his performance here certainly suggests as much.

Anybody else still expecting to wake up to a world where our manager is Paul Lambert and we're still buying average, mid-table players from League One and the Eredivisie?

I still can't fathom the amount of savvy we've seen this transfer window so far. I didn't start watching the Villa until the post-MON days so this could very well be the most exciting squad I've seen so far. Imagine if we actually get Traore in...

I'm gonna die laughing if Liverpool lose Benteke because they spent so long trying to play hardball with us and now United is in the picture which is obviously a much higher draw (especially given he'd be going into a United squad which has filled nearly all its holes, except for a proper CF). If LFC had just paid the money a month ago he'd be a Plop player. Can't see it happening now.

We're not getting relegated, but kiss any chance of the FA Cup or Europe goodbye. Arsenal is going to maul us.

dude what the **** are you doing Tim this is the part in the game when you change your tactics from attacking to counter/defensive and play damage control, why is the line SO ****ING HIGH?

please stop blaming Given for this, I'm a Murrikan and want Goose back in but this defending is diabolical, and the tactics even worse in light of that

the defense was always gonna collapse, Vlaar who's one foot out the door, Okore who's still learning, and two wingers played at fullback with no forward protection (know Hutton started inverted but until now) this was always gonna end in tears, and as another user said, it's a wake up call to those who think we're dead certs for top 10 even if Vlaar, Clevs, and Benteke were retained

Gotta be honest, haven't been arsed about Vlaar leaving for a while now.

That's what I'm hoping to. I think that's the line of thinking that persuaded him to extend in summer 2013 (along with consistent playing time leading up to the WC), but the injuries set him back to the point where he's just now back at the level of interest (Spurs and Liverpool) he was getting back then. I have a bad feeling that he might decide it's not worth taking that chance of waiting again.

For all the slack that Richardson gets, he's an old fart who was brought in as a rotational option playing out of position. Sanchez was our marquee buy, playing in his fancied position, and looks like he'd be out of his league in League One. Please **** off and never return.

Arlo White and Lee Dixon here on NBC absolutely eviscerating our back 5, and he's right. This is gonna be an 8-0

Well if that wasn't the most predictable thing ever

****ing Christ can Lowton whip in a cross or what?

Its too be he's **** at everything else