Turamber

Get well soon General, and get yourself over here -- you are missed!

I thought: Why has he left Carew, that complete waste of space, on the pitch? Bold move all the same.

Really missed Sidwell today. Very unfortunate result, but it is way too early in the season to call it a disaster. Ask Chelsea if they're losing today is a "disaster".

Would it be too anti-PC to say we missed NRC?

We win (usually) when Sidwell plays. I like NRC but he doesn't bring much to the team, other than a lot of clenched fists and running about.

Will we ever play a good game of football this season??! The nearest we got was against Liverpool and we didn't even play that well then....

Seriously?

Really missed Sidwell today. Very unfortunate result, but it is way too early in the season to call it a disaster. Ask Chelsea if their losing today is a "disaster".

What would NRC add at this point? He's not exactly got goals in his boots.

Its a bit early in the season to be calling any result a disaster to be honest. Besides Blackburn are scrapping like tigers to get out of the position they're in.

For a comedian he's a bloody good football manager.

Gabby to right wing presumably and Milner into the middle?

A 4-5-1 against Blackburn would seem to be a good way of getting a point. I'd get Heskey on for Carew with instructions to drop back into the midfield when we're not in possession.

Carew has been very poor all season, O'Neill is entitled to expect much more from him than he has shown thus far.

The referee was very poor, he seemed desperate to blow for any infringment however minor. Really broke the game up far more than was necessary.

As for Beye, I thought he looked good going forward but his positioning was a little suspect. When bedding in a new central defence you probably need to keep things as tight at the back as possible, also Cuellar has been one of our best players this season so didn't deserve to be dropped.

Defence looked solid, one thing though, when gabby/young breaks there was **** all support for them

We went to 4-5-1 for the last 15-20 minutes, and the players seemed to be under instruction to kill the game. Management appears to have learned from the Stoke debacle...

Another clean sheet. Lots of positives to take from the game. Just wish more people had stayed around to give the team the applause they so richly deserved.

Oh well done you, have a gold star!

If people can stay to boo why can't they stay to clap? I also fail to understand how people can buy a ticket and then leave 10-15 minutes from the end. Would they do this at the theatre or at the cinema? Bizarre really.

Good performance, a solid win, were virtually untroubled by Portsmouth. James kept the margin of victory down. Credit to Gabby for a superb goal and Sidwell for a non-stop display, probably his best since he's been at the club.

Poor old Heskey has no luck whatsoever.

Good to see MON showing tactical flexibility with the change to 4-5-1 towards the end.

Another clean sheet. Lots of positives to take from the game. Just wish more people had stayed around to give the team the applause they so richly deserved.

Carragher really wrote that in his autobiography? Christ I know talk is cheap but what an utter cock, even if it is just talk ... and what sort of people are impressed by that bollocks? Morons.

Looking forward to this, feels like ages since I've been to VP as I was on holiday during the Fulham game. Please, please, please no booing and lets break our Portsmouth hoodoo! 1-0 or 10-0 I don't care, I want a win!!

They looked very poor today. I wonder if them being in the Europa will have a detrimental effect on their league season -- certainly being knocked out early last season was a Godsend for them.

We saw the worst of the 4-5-1 today, against another team playing 4-5-1 it leads to a very dull defence dominated game. Credit to the manager, he made a tactical change and won the game for us every much as Gabby's header did.

Dunne and Collins were nothing short of brilliant at the back and Cuellar did a manful job at right back, often coming into the middle to pick up a loose ball or a header. Warnock will need to settle a bit more to get the most out of him but certainly didn't let anyone down.

Can look forward to rubbing it in all week now with Nose clients and friends

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeees! Get in!!

Will the real James Milner please stand up? Shocking for most of the second half and suddenly now come to life and playing some quality stuff.

Two 4-5-1's cancelling each other out. I'd be happy with a draw but maybe our extra class will show in the next 45? We've had all the best chances and we're not playing particularly well. Defence has played very well, Dunne looks excellent - love the way he's shouting at the other players and organising them, we've really missed that.

Three debuts for us in the local derby, that is a brave team selection and a half.

Good post General, my own word to sum up those who want to sign 'a big foreign name' wouldn't be "AMBITION", it would be "DELUSION". It is too soon in the season to see any real trend with attendances but, if they are down, then it is probably due mostly to the recession and our form at the end of last season.

Bah I still prefer Alpay. But of the two available it has to be King Olof, Southgate is more of a player of the 90's.

That FA cup mistake by James has pretty much blotted any memories of him being good.

Friedel

I agree with this. Also James left Villa in July 2001, so I am inclined to think most people are judging him on his appearances for other teams in the 00's.