Damian_de

Well I never

It's this, just as much as it's coaching. We also hardly ever try to get out, even less so under RFH, so we don't need him as the sweeper. And he suffers as a result.

what's the 1 doing?

Any chance of lending me me 6M there Captain, if there's nothing much in it? Poulsen was 5...

Do you actually know what i'm talking garbage about, though? Am I criticising Pepe? Kenny? Either? Neither? You don't know, do you?

Enrique Reina Spearing

It is a significant draw back for 21st C fullback, no getting away from it. He's what we paid, a midtable fullback at a midtable price.

I know you're not the brightest, mate, but even so you can understand that some teams want a stopper and some want a sweeper? It's not really funny, or It's football post 1966

It's not just coaching, it's how we play. He's not the right keeper for us just now, no matter how good he is. Defo hope we keep him, though, and that we change other aspects to suit him.

It's a tempting image, at least

Yeah, we can never really know that stuff like that, but it does feel like the first time that if he said I want to go, it wouldn't be our biggest problem.

You can't play sweeper-keeper if your centre backs don't push out, though. It's not just his fault. But he is a fish out of water since Rafa left, and we might as well either get a Rafa in, or sell him.

And are about to have our worst league finish in some posters' living memory. OK to at least ask some questions?

From a personal point of view I don't think we can do worse in the league next year, because the teams below us can't strengthen THAT much. I've seen some good, attacking football from Kenny's team this year, and probably we deserve a few more points than we've got, so it would be a big surprise to go lower than 8th even if we don't sign anyone. And let's not forget, RFH would have taken us lower, so there's defo something to be said for stability in our current position. Having an open DoF position makes Kenny's job security a bit rocky, IMO. On the other hand, how many games have we really grabbed by the scruff of the neck? Ground the opposition into the dust and not budged an inch from the first whistle to the last? Next to none, sad to say. We rarely look like we are really in control of a match, it's all haram-scarum stuff too much of the time. There's the spectre of Rafa hanging over that. We need to do better there. It seems to be some kind of open secret that our owners favour a DoF/young head trainer type affair. Who's the young'un? Klopp is well out of range, now, you'd think. AVB is free, but a big risk... I dunno. I reckon it's 40/60 for Kenny being here next year. On the player front, I wouldn't be surprised if Reina left this summer, and for the first time, I don't know if it would hurt us that much. The guy is class, and quality, but I'm not so sure his heart is really in in it any more. If he does go, thanks very much, I hope he does well, and he probably won't be that heard to replace. Not his fault, really, we just don't play the kind of football that requires him as a keeper. We'd be just as well off with Given the way we play. If we still need to choose between Shelvey and Spearing next year we're massively in the s****. Carroll is a good player, and has a lot of bottle. But if we are to build a side around him I think it needs to be a side that is built on relentless energy and pressing. He plays his best for us when it's do-or-die. And I don't think there has ever been a side that played do-or-die every week. Stadium - *shudder* Enrique - I have doubts about this lad... I'm glad I don't have to make the call for stability or radical reform this summer.

Maybe I just hate Spaniards?* *I don't, at all, and I'm quite open about the fact that my dislike for him is out of proportion to my ongoing support to other average players like Charlie Adam. Nonetheless, get rid, he's a div.

My favourite poster. In a way, I'm serious. Norwich at home I called Reina for never making saves anymore. You went ballistic (as you always do about anything outside your view of reality), but now it's OK to wonder about him, it's widely recognised that his level has dropped over a prolonged period. Maybe Enrique isn't the boss fullback you think he is, either? Nothing. I admit that I cut Enrique no slack, but you should think long and hard about whether he is a player we want if we have serious intention to get back near to the top. Poor decisions, almost no meaningful contribution as an attacking force, and today as clear an example as you will get that he doesn't have the mentality to become a top fullback playing big games. Make no mistake, I'd be delighted if he becomes a brilliant, world class fullback, and we look back and see we got a brilliant deal. Why wouldn't I? But we won't. He's going to be a nothing player for us.

I hate him, he's garbage, a stupid footballer. He manages to make Downing look worse than he is, too. His first half of the season he was playing at what looks like his absolute maximum, and that was basically just about alright. On TAW they asked Rafa when he thought he would play for Spain and you could almost see Rafa cringe and make some evasive statement about Spain having faith in Jordi Alba. He's never gonna play for Spain because he's seriously average. Apart from central midfield it's the position most requiring a signing, IMO. Johnsen stays right, and someone better at left. I don't care who. Every team that finishes above us in the league this season will have better in that position.

No way RFH's vinyl stash is better than Kenny's

Rose-tinted much? He has shown nowhere near the level that JAR did It so is. The xabi alonso of fullbacks

Aurelio Finnan Arbeloa

And if we win it can probably wait until Tuesday

You're almost right, Macca, on the night, but in the big picture? Nah.

It is unprofessional - exactly. Not just tonight, although that was very, very poor, but the whole settling for whatever in the league with a league cup won, and the FA Cup run. In the past we've used cup runs as springboards to putting together good league form, but we are looking at our worst league finish in a very, very long time here, and there's no getting away from the fact that Kenny is going to be sailing close to the wind this summer

Hope you all appreciate the reverse mockers I'm handing out to the boy Jose here

Whatever 'better defenders' means, I'm not at all convinced Finnan or Arbeloa are clearly ahead of Aurelio. Whatever ' they find theselves in better positions' means I don't see any clear arguments in their favour, either. Obviously they both have far superior fitness reords, but bringing that up as a defining factor in who is the better player is certainly only looking at a very narrow aspect of the problem. For me, in 'pure' footballing terms, which includes everything that happens on the pitch, but maybe not things such as availability, AUrelio is the stand out player. One thing is clear, the call that Aurelio is one of our best is not that contentious, and certainly not in the time frame since last time Kenny was manager.