OTF

Players have come back from worse form than Joselu is in now (Perch springs to mind). His contributions dictate that he absolutely must be dropped for a spell. It would be good to have more options than Mitrovic and Gayle to replace him, but that's our current reality. Many would like to see Mitrovic given a run in the first team to be able to make their minds up conclusively on him, now is the best oportunity to do that with as little risk as possible. However given that he didn't get a run in the championship under Rafa it's unlikely that he'll get one here, on the surface if he does it would be due to a lack of options alone, rather than a change of heart from Rafa.

Comprehension on here is sadly lacking.

Bizarre that you could think that tbh.

1. Not advocating a twitter onslaught. Suggesting that a player should not be influenced by inevitable criticism levied at them on social media whether due or not, and that instead they should be aware of their own form. 2. Slowly moving forward is currently overachieving through strategically structured play designed to eliminate as much of the risk of conceding goals as possible. Good timing and happenstance have contributed to just about the only element that we've moved forward in, and that's coaching/management. Let's not kid outselves here, if we had a Rafa quality manager in for a meaningful amount of time in either of the relegation seasons then we would never have been relegated. So we've effectively moved forward in one admittedly important aspect whilst in just about every other way we've gone backwards. Spare Rafa and the circus of Ashley we're a non entity in the league. 3. Of course it's frustration you absolute peanut. Anyone who watched that game, in particular the second half, has a right to feel frustrated. Compounded when local kick-off is at 2AM. 4. Fuck off.

The bikkies they're on warrants it to be frank. If they're happy to take money that essentially comes from supporters then, they should be taking legitimate criticism on board and trying to do something about it. Sure it's not his fault he is continually selected but at some point criticising a player's performance becomes part of a means to an end. It's quite clear that unless something changes we're going to be blessd for the rest of the season with set ups that mimimise the risk of conceding, with little chance of scoring becauae we simply don't have the quality out there. It was good to see Gayle start in a sense because it's perhaps a sign that certain players aren't beyond being dropped, likewise with Perez starting on the bench. Bringing both him and Murphy on proved pointless as has persisting with Joselu who seems to get worse every time we see him, if his confidence hasn't bottomed out based on how he's played then a little bit of a nudge on social media is overdue. What a woeful half of football that was, not scapegoating, everyone collectively was embarrassingly bad, couldn't maintain possession let alone create anything.

Good thing is by the end of the season we'll be 7000% sure that there is nothing about Joselu that should result in him starting.

It's going to be a long frustrating season if this is the quality of football we'll continue to get. They deserve the win. We are shit.

Super lucky there. Looking so ordinary.

Man our passing is atrocious at the moment.

More or less set up that way against every side. When we get more possession it's because the opposition are set up similarly.

I don't think it’s strange at all but I agree with your sentiment. The issue is when you string together some good results and find yourself in a relatively advanced position on the table it cultivates the idea that you're a good footballing side so the expectation becomes one of good football. The problem, as you well recognise, is that we're not actually a good football side and so the expectation is never properly going to be met. When you're grafting results somehow, the displeasure is kept to a mild level during games and in the lead up to the next match people forget we're not a good football side when setting their expectations for the next match. I do this all the time even though I'm patently aware of it. Rafa is going to set us up in the manner that he thinks will give us the chance of getting maximum points. Unless something changes in the player front that's not likely to involve much atttactive football. It's a bitter pill to swallow, but we do have a glimmer of hope in the shape of this potential buyout.

When you play away set up as we were that's always the risk. It was a tight game, not much in it but we've not got enough in attack to offer a real threat. We've been overachieving as it is, I'm hoping Rafa will look to change things up before they get too stale.

Just to confirm Merini lower back problem and Mitro left out for tactical reasons. Just how Saivet is included is a tactical mystery with Hayden already on the bench.

Yeah Manquillo, he makes some puzzling decisions at times. It was an attempt at a park football time waster where the other team.has to jog off to collect the ball before play resumes. If it didn't hit Mitro it would have been over the fence and in someones back garden.

Our passing was hideous. We're not used to having more posession, which we somehiw managed to do despite constantly turning the ball over. That loss is going to really hurt Palace who were no doubt hoping to gain some momentum from their upset victory over Chelsea.

Horrible today, but good for 3 points somehow.

Diame coming on infuriates me. He's shit and lowers our intensity and precision. Absolute waste of a substitute.

Will be interesting to see how Rafa changes things up in the second half. We're turning the ball over too cheaply at the moment with Shelvey and others looking dor more time than they're being given. Palace are looking the more dangerous for the most part, although that's about as dangerous as a pair of kids safety scissors which says it all about our attack.

Salt in the wound. With their pace up front I can see these yellows hurting us.

...and now both of our central defenders are on yellows.

Cabaye still on the pitch because his name isn't Shelvey or Mitrovic. Nasty little twat.

We've not looked very cohesive here, and I'm worried about Lejeune being on a yellow for ao long.

They lost their nerve and Chelsea lifted.

My estimation of Babayaro just went up.

Worst wet dream ever.