OTF

Next few weeks our midfield needs to concentrate on keeping possession. There's no sense in sending the ball up to forwards who can't retain it or creat chances. Our midfield keeping it and working it more will take the pressure off the guys up front who aren't equipped or experienced enought to play against Premier League defenders. With that in mind one up front is fine with Nolan in midfield behind. I don't think Coloccini should be moved out of central defense, I don't like the idea of having noone at the back who can play the ball out/is decent on the ball in general. When Coloccini was suspended our defenders were just hoofing the ball up field. If our midfield can work hard enough at retaining possession chances will eventually open up, especially agains the likes of Arsenal who won't put 10 men behind the ball.

Best is shite and makes poor use of his effort.

Without Carroll there's no sense in hoying the ball upfield. Even with him it only really worked if he a good relationship with the person playing off him. With Ameobi now missing there's even less than no sense in the long balls. We're much better off working the ball around on the deck, looking for options through the middle, or getting it wide and trying to draw fouls, get corners or else get in decent crosses. We're occasionally dangerous from set-pieces (in the first half against Fulham Barton put in a good ball that their defender had to head clear), so we may be resigned to hoping to score off them.

Imagine if he got a straight red again that really would be our luck at the minute. That will only happen after we go 3-0 down. Pardew will leave Tiote out there even though he's on a yellow and is throwing himself about the pitch like a crash test dummy.... then Joey Barton will break his foot attempting a tackle in anger.

I'll have what he's having.

To be fair we've had other performances this season that were as bad as this. Against Blackburn I'd say it was worse. Carroll and Tiote were there for that one, and Ameobi lasted longer than 10 minutes. Possible that we come back and play better, but the signs are bad and the squad is bare.

Didn't get on then. Checked on here before I called it a night last night and saw that noone had responsed. Next time I'll organise it earlier..

That was good. Seems to be where he excels - scrappy physical encounters where you don't need to think, just react.

Oh fuck right off. Oh say something interesting or relevant. Jonas was far from our worst player out there. Put in a couple of decent crosses and earnt 2 or 3 corners and a couple of free-kicks. If you can't see the value in that then you're as thick as pig shit. Turned the ball over a few times, but who in the team didn't? As for toting Ferguson as some sort of creative midfield dynamo that would have come on and change things, you're fucking kidding yourself. Bringing him on in that game probably would have done more damage than good for his development. Plus he's being talked about as a left fullback more than a midfielder.

Lovenkrands this season has looked like a Touch (touch football it's called over here) player trying to play full contact Rugby League. Positionally though he's better than Best and Ranger seem to be, but he needs to play alongside someone who can get the ball and act as a passing outlet, or have a good midfield sliding the ball ahead of him to run onto it. We have neither and so playing Lovenkrands is a little like taking a knife to a gun fight. Fact is though we're going to have to rely on him to provide something throughout the remainder of the season. I'd be looking into getting some sort of titanium skull implant for Shola (yes, it has come to this) then trying to play someone like Ireland or Ben Arfa off him when they're back.

He doesn't read the game very well at all, barely put himself in a position to receive passes so other players who were looking forwards for passing options were having to turn and pass it back constantly. Best was pretty much the same, and together their communication was crap - so if one wanted to nod it on it was never going to happen because the other was standing static with a defender between them. Crap.

Not being made a scapegoat, he's been shit. So has everyone else.

This is embarrassing. They just went past Williamson like he wasn't there. I guess it was because unlike the rest of the game Williamson didn't have a handful of their shirt.

Good attempt from Ranger. This blue shirt is honestly fucking cursed. Looks like shit as well, it't not even a proper blue.

Youre pissing me? I shit you not unfortunately. Almost a second there for them.

Did that just say second half possession Fulham 88% Newcastle 12% FFS.

Lovelyhands on for Best.

Barton's set pieces have been poor with the exception of a first half free kick. And Damien Duff scores. Good night, we're shite.

Good save Harper... what were you thinking Williamson

Someone put a firecracker up us.. actually having a go and putting together some decent attack.

Decent ball in from Guthrie there. Best should ha ve been deeper attacking the back post, not flat footed.

Bench might as well read: Krul, no, no, no, no, who?

We're doomed. Going to end the game with 10 men (or less) the way we're going. Starting to remind me of the Hull game after Keegan went the way we're committing pointless fouls.

Get one of them off even. Best it is.. that little bit of 'play' in the corner should have sealed his fate.

Get one of our useless strikers on and bring someone in to shield the defense in midfield. It's going to be one of those games.