OTF

Dang, I was hoping inbetweeners would be an improvement on the first flick.

They'll never become ready by playing fullback, completely different positions. You've got to persist and if it then doesn't work you move on. We've botched the approach with MBiwa, but he has also done himself no favours. From the little that we've seen I think he's one of those players who looks technically good and confident when he's not under pressure or having to make a split second decision, however the moment that changes it quickly falls to bits. The last player who sticks in the memory like that was David Rozenhall.

At the ground I'm sure you wouldn't have seen it clearly, but he didn't actually go into the tackle and couldn't get out of the way.

It's a sledge Citizen Pain?

Can't help but feel there is a sucker punch or two waiting to be dealt as the window comes to a close.

Night and day compared to last season's opener. My recollection is that that abomination spurred us on to lift our game and get some results shortly after. Hopefully we build on the positives here and win some very winnable fixtures in our next 6.

With two central defenders marking him he should not have been able to make anything but a backwards pass. If there was going to be second man on him it should have been a fullback. Easy in retrospect of course. I thought both Coloccini and Williamson individually had pretty good games spare that moment.

As an impact substitute he had no impact.

If you want to nitpick those statistics it looked to me that Perez's shot was on target before it took a deflection.

No, he wasn't. Anyone who thinks he was needs to go back and "look at the game tape" or admit they're talking out of their arse. What I meant was that I'd prefer if we still had Routledge, should not have said wish. Routledge has quick feet and will run at a man. Pointless conversation though.

No he wasn't.

Straw man. No one has ever disputed that.

I thought Gouffran contributed well. He was assured in possession, seldom turning the ball over. Was let down by his team mates on a number of occasions making penetrative runs. Cabella created the same as Gouffran if we're honest about end product resulting in chances, whilst Gouffran contributed more in defence. Not sure what people are expecting from him in a game like that.

You would hope that Aarons has a future here, whilst conversely Obertan should not. In less time on the pitch Aarons had more impact. Obertan on for Anita was changing the system because Sissoko is never going to drop back and play Anita's role.

Cabella has great quick feet and.good.movement. As I said earlier I hope he can maintain the enthusiasm. On Riviere, all factors considered it's completely reasonable for a young player in a new league and country in front of a large home crowd against the champions to be impacted by nerves. I felt he improved as the game went on and he settled. Physically impressive against Kompany in particular he held his own despite being shorter and in a different weight class.

Perez or Aarons.

If we take this attitude into the next six games there will be plenty of points.

Wish we'd kept Routledge.

Counts more than ever in my estimation - with such distinct gulfs in financial outlays it's very much a tiered competition.

Perez all over the da Silva shirt. Happy with the way we played there. I only hope that Obertan's inclusion was a shop window related decision.

No shame in this result. Held our own against the most expensive team in the league.

Lovely play there.

No LB substitution! Outrage!!! So close from Perez. Obertan unsurprisingly a completely useless substitution.

Aarons and Haidara at once surely Pards? Very good shift put in by Gouffran, hope the shoulder is ok.

Indeed.