OTF

You're suggesting Liverpool made their biggest signing of all time sit out for five weeks (collecting a reported 400,000 pounds in that time not including sign on bonus) with a pretend injury? For what reason?

Interesting that one.

He was injured. Didn't play for Liverpool until March.

Before the injection of the new tv rights money standing still in terms of recruitment moved you backwards in the pecking order. This has now been accelerated. We do have a high average quality of player across our first 11, but a number of them aren't consistent. Having said all that on paper Fulham look a decent side, but they were not much more than passengers against is and some of their bigger name players (most notably Berbatov) were embarrassingly disinterested.

Yes, sadly nothing our director of football says can be taken at face value, even if he's sincere about it at the time.

Sucker punch @ Happy Face. Booing your own players is silly, sitting out because your head has been turned is also silly.

No probably about it. Showed his class in the second, man of the match IMO.

It turned out to be a good thing really. Fair enough that he's not fully match fit, though he did look sharp and rightfully as a late sub injected some energy and pace to the game.

Marveaux has done nothing, which is very poor considering how much time and space was afforded to our players by Fulham. I think he could do a good job as an impact sub, but not much more. Has talent but struggles to impact himself upon the game with any frequency (no pun intended).

Agree there that he can be somewhat forgiven for those given his lack of options. It was more his passing and decision making that was frustrating in the first half. Many of our other players were passing as poorly as or worse than him, but I mark him harder because of his ability.

Extremely frustrating early on, could have easily had a couple of assists in the second. I'll put my hand up and admit that I thought he'd held the ball too long before he ripped off the winning shot. How wrong I was. His class came through in the end. The scary thing for opponents is that he's far off his sharpest at the moment and even still they couldn't stop him when they know that he's going to take them on.

I'll bite. So it was Pardew's tactics to have them pass like 11 year old girls for the rest of the game? Are you suggesting that Cisse isn't out of form?

Need good players as alternatives to keep pressure on them. An out of form Cisse should not be an automatic selection as is the case now. Plus we need cover for injuries and to facilitate varied tactical approaches.

Whichever way it is, he was poor out there.

Indeed.

Great to score and pick up a win. Hopefully has picked the confidence of everyone up. Remy looked good in his cameo.

Wasteful with the ball in the first half. Picked up in the second, but wasteful with the chances until Ben Arfa did all the work himself and scored a belter.

Ben Arfa! Wow!

We've had more than enough chances to win this.

Anal Tapped coming on for them.

Frustrated challenge from Cabaye.

Should have been 1-0 there. Lovely cross in from Ben Arfa. But Gouffran fluffed his lines.

Lovely cross from Ben Arfa and a good header from Cisse. Energy has picked up.

And here's our summer signings, all coming on at once. Replacing Marveaux who may or may not have left the field prior to the interchange.

Gouffran for Shola. Cabaye for Anita. Very mixed reaction.