TBC wrote:

Bodacious Benny wrote:I still think him and Lascelles are fine as a CB partnership for the rest of the season at least and Clark has generally done okay in my book, scoring a couple of goals too. He's certainly better than Lejeune from what I've seen. Defense isn't really our problem, it's the other end of the pitch.

But let’s not be too quick to rule out another new signing

Bodacious Benny wrote:I still think him and Lascelles are fine as a CB partnership for the rest of the season at least and Clark has generally done okay in my book, scoring a couple of goals too. He's certainly better than Lejeune from what I've seen. Defense isn't really our problem, it's the other end of the pitch.

TBC wrote:

Bodacious Benny wrote:I still think him and Lascelles are fine as a CB partnership for the rest of the season at least and Clark has generally done okay in my book, scoring a couple of goals too. He's certainly better than Lejeune from what I've seen. Defense isn't really our problem, it's the other end of the pitch.

But let’s not be too quick to rule out another new signing

Bodacious Benny wrote:I still think him and Lascelles are fine as a CB partnership for the rest of the season at least and Clark has generally done okay in my book, scoring a couple of goals too. He's certainly better than Lejeune from what I've seen. Defense isn't really our problem, it's the other end of the pitch.

Ramone wrote:

I'm over Colo wrote: Couple days late to this thread, but I agree with this summary most. Though I've been really disappointed by Clark this season. Way too many goals scored like the first in which he's completely unaware of, or passive towards the player he should be marking in the box. Aguero is worldclass, but you can't be leaving him unmarked to score a header from a simple (albeit great) cross into the box.

He also completely lost Sterling for their disallowed goal

I'm over Colo wrote:

ALF wrote:I know we've lost but this isn't a bad performance.

Darlow has done well, Lascelles and Clark have been decent, Dummett has been absolutely brilliant, Murphy got his goal and generally looked bright, Diame has put in another decent performance.

Only massive issues are Right Back and Striker. Both Yedlin and Manquillo have been dreadful and Benitez really needs to play Mitrovic. It's costing us points now. Joselu showed again he shouldn't be anything more than a substitute.

Couple days late to this thread, but I agree with this summary most. Though I've been really disappointed by Clark this season. Way too many goals scored like the first in which he's completely unaware of, or passive towards the player he should be marking in the box. Aguero is worldclass, but you can't be leaving him unmarked to score a header from a simple (albeit great) cross into the box.

ALF wrote:I know we've lost but this isn't a bad performance.

Darlow has done well, Lascelles and Clark have been decent, Dummett has been absolutely brilliant, Murphy got his goal and generally looked bright, Diame has put in another decent performance.

Only massive issues are Right Back and Striker. Both Yedlin and Manquillo have been dreadful and Benitez really needs to play Mitrovic. It's costing us points now. Joselu showed again he shouldn't be anything more than a substitute.

Don Sholeone wrote:I'm feeling pretty confident going into Burnley, they seem to be having a mini slump ATM think we can get back on track with 3 points.

Don Sholeone wrote:I'm feeling pretty confident going into Burnley, they seem to be having a mini slump ATM think we can get back on track with 3 points.

Don Sholeone wrote:I'm feeling pretty confident going into Burnley, they seem to be having a mini slump ATM think we can get back on track with 3 points.

Colly wrote:On it's own that's an interesting statement, but it forgets a few things really.

1. I'd dread to see the difference in wage bill between then and now. Transfer fees aren't everything.
2. That's shortly before Ashley buys the club, a point at which we now know we were heading for financial disaster.
3. We've just been promoted, we haven't had over a decade in the Premiership plus a few Champions League seasons to build a squad. Hell, of the £60m that day over half of it is Shearer and Owen and they were signed half a decade apart.
4. We've frozen out our £15m striker, we couldn't afford to do that in 2005. We probably can't now really, but hey, in Rafa we trust...

It's an interesting factoid, but not much more than that other than what we already know, we're not the side we were in 2005/06. The interesting thing for me is how that 6-1 two seasons ago might have played out had our second goal not been shockingly ruled out. Mitro started that day so I reckon we'd have been well over £60m...