Bliki

He has had 2 or 3 great chances to score and set up the goal. His link up play with Maxi, Kuyt and Bellamy has been very good. His best 45 min this season IMO.

Suarez is ten times better with players like Maxi, Bellers and Kuyt around him than with...

So 4 south american internationals in our starting line up.

I agree almost 100% with this, but my concern is that while pointing out that some of our signings need to settle in those our british players. I mean Suarez and Enrique have adapted much quicker than Adam and Henderson (I know Suarez is world class and Enrique has played in the league for 4 years). I still worry for Adam. I think while Henderson is not ready he can become a good signing.

Downing is a good player and we should play him on the left side. With him and Enrique our troubled left side is sorted. I would then like Maxi to have the chance to play on the right side. I think he links very well up with Suarez. With Mereiles gone and Gerrard out there are not many players that have got on with Suarez on the pitch. But Maxi does. Then bring in attacking midfielder in january to play on the right side.

I've said it before on here that it is hard for me to understand the amount of money we spent on Henderson. He is not ready for our first team IMO. He could become a good player but we should have spent those 20m on a proven player.

I like Maxi alot and think he would be much better on the right side than Henderson.

With Enrique out we are back to last season so IMO we need a better back-up and I think Baines would be great. Think he could aswell cover for Downing. Great going forward.

As many are saying we now have a very good an well balanced squad. We have left footed CB in Agger, Enrique and Downing on the left side and Adam a left footer in CM. I worry most of the cover we have for Enrique and Downing. Even though I like Aurelio he is not reliable and Maxi, how is a good player, in not a left sided winger. So in January I think we should strengthen our left side. Bring in Baines who can play as LB and LW.

It is pretty easy to pick a team after a game is it not? How can anyone say it was wrong not to pick Kelly? Did anyone see him play on saturday? Once again: We lost the 2 points on saturday because the team was not fit for the first game.

Does anyone know why Maxi was not playing? Is he injured?

We just have to win and should do so. Arsenal are playing Udinese midweek and are weaker now than they have been in 15 years.

I think we lost 2 points because the team is not fit. We dominated first half, with all those new players and the team working well together. In the second half our midfield got run over and ran out of gas.

Sorry Freudian slip. The feeling is like we lost...

rorysmith_tel Rory Smith Would also suggest that Steve Bruce's approach of gradually integrating new signings, rather than going all out, helped #safc rhythm. I agree with him there. I think we should at least have started with Kuyt insted of Henderson.

I agree totally!

Dowd was wrong handing out the yellow. Should of course have been red. I bet had that happened on the 75 min he would have been off.

But to bring Meireles on and put him on the left and Downing on the right was strange. Couple of decisions were weird today but the my worries are on the lack of fitness of the players.

Didnt say that BUT if had you been watching the game you would have seen our team run out of steam and second best for 50 min.

Enrique Downing Adam but Downing and Adam poor in the second half.

Hate the line 'We need time to gel' Then dont play 3 new signings in midfield for the first game and stick Kuyt, Meireles on the bench and Maxi not even in the squad (maybe he is injured?) But we lost this game because our team is not fit and ready for the season. Hard to take.

Why cant we discuss this in the match thread?

I think today was 90% down to fitness. The last 5 minutes in the first half and for the last 45 minutes we were second best and lucky not to loose. So dissapointed. Pre-season badly run by our coaches IMO. To see ur midfield crumble in the second half is down to lack of fitness.

Chelsea will bring in a 40m striker in January to replace disapointing Torres.

I got the impression we tried to sell him last summer and again in this window. Of course he wants to leave if he is not wanted at th club.