There's a match involving the Swans today

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Agbonglahor sent off for Villa today too. He'll be a big miss for them next week. Looking forward to a fresh Bony, Montero and Gylfi tearing them apart <ok>
 
We need to be using Emnes more, hope he gets more game time second half of the season!..........................<ok>
 
So what's the feeling regarding Gomis after that?
He didn't have a great game or a bad game really.
 
So what's the feeling regarding Gomis after that?
He didn't have a great game or a bad game really.

6/10. The trouble is, he needs a run of games before he can be judged fairly. After all, it took Bony 7-8 games to get up and running.
We cannot afford to wait 5-6 games for him to get up to match speed as the table can change quickly over the next month or so.
 
Emms every time for me, To be fair to gomis he has not had much game time and he played his part to day. Jazz needs to be dropped though as i freeze when he gets the ball anticipating more mistakes adding to his already tally this season...
 
Poor start, some sloppy play which gave them a few chances right at the start with which a better side would have at least hit the target. I thought overall we played averagely but Hull were so bad it wasn't a problem. They played like a team in the bottom three. I fear for Bruce with a nutty owner.

We manufactured some good positions and some good chances but were wasteful on the day. Gomis is, I'm afraid, a poor man's Bony. He can't hold the ball up very well and the one time he did the commentary team on the feed I had made a point of commending him... which is matter of fact for Wilf. As some have pointed out, Emnes looked more energized when he came on. It's a worry for when Wilf goes to the African Nations Cup.

I thought Montero was a noticeable miss. Dyer and Routledge didn't have their best games and we missed the fizz and impetus of Montero's forward thrust, which also puts doubt in the defender's minds. They also seem to be less enthusiastic about taking players on these days.

End of the day, a good three points, especially considering our away record so far. I think Monk is definitely learning as he goes and must be given credit for that but he is also far from the finished article.
 
Welcome back geezer <ok>

You noticed, ha ha :o Thanks Valley. I'm afraid "real life" sometimes takes priority, although I've still been reading everything when I've had a chance.

Merry Xmas everyone <cheers>, it's turning into a better New Year than I envisaged before the start of the season :emoticon-0105-wink:

p.s. I'd still love to finish above West Ham!
 
We had some good and bad luck mixed in with some poor finishing again, but an away win at last so 72% happy with that game.
 
winning ugly, I read somewhere Shelvey had a blinder????????????? must have been a different game to the one I was watching
 
I saw signs yesterday that Gomis is improving at last. Bony took time to settle when he first came so we have to be patient and give him more game time. Fabianski and Ki had great games. Shelvey played better in a more forward position. We matched Hull's aggression and were by far the better team. Another crap ref who allowed Hull to foul at will. Hull is a cold place in winter. Our smallest away support this season found it hard to get the singing going,but were rewarded with our first away win since Man U in August.
 
shelvey was MoM. He was a threat every time he had the ball, he is a very important player who can turn games around with his long range shots...he deserves more credit than he is getting from some fans.
 
shelvey was MoM. He was a threat every time he had the ball, he is a very important player who can turn games around with his long range shots...he deserves more credit than he is getting from some fans.

Coming from someone who thinks Steve Bruce is Leicester's manager <whistle>
 
I am a poster who has given Shelvey stick in recent weeks, but mainly from a "he's not a defensive midfielder" standpoint. Yesterday, I feel like I was vindicated. Playing in a forward position as cover for Gylfi (something I've been calling for for ages), he did exactly what I thought he would. Find space in their half, pick up the ball in dangerous positions, and challenge their keeper with wicked shots. These are all stuff which he struggles to do in a defensive midfielder position, and when he does manage to get forward to do it, he struggles to get back. It takes the pressure off his defensive responsibilities when he's higher up the pitch, and he looks a much better player for it.

However, one of Monk's substitutions really baffled me.

Carroll for Emnes? Dyer was having an absolute stinker (yet again), and for some reason Dyer finished the match when, in my opinion, this change should have seen Emnes or Barrow come on for him. Carroll was playing well in the holding position and Shelvey playing well in the advanced position. Unless this change was decided prior to the match due to a fitness problem with Carroll, there was no reason to change the midfield. We had severely less of the play once Shelvey dropped next to Ki.

I liked some of Gomis' play, but he never really had a good opportunity. There was one chance where he would have been in on goal if Shelvey hadn't completely hashed up the through ball! His "post-hit" certainly would not have been his goal! With no service in the final third, he did his job well. Remember, Bony came on after Bruce had gone off, and Curtis Davies soon followed, Bony wasn't playing against their starting centre backs. But Bony did look sharp when he came on.

Fernandez did well. Dyer desperately needs to learn to cross. And can somebody please tell Taylor that delaying throw-ins and walking up the line is not allowed in football. When a throw-in is in your own half and you take half a minute to take it and, when you do, you take it from 10 yards in their half, it's no wonder that Clattenburg reverses the throw-in to the other side. Taylor's throw-ins are becoming frequently hesitant and, quite frankly, a bit of an embarrassment. If there's no short option, it goes long down the line for the striker to flick on, or back to a centre back. Generally, Taylor played well to be fair.

On the whole, a win. But certainly not a performance. Hull literally lumped it forward at every opportunity and showed themselves to be relegation fodder at the moment. It was an easy win, but we should have been able to play more. Nice size pitch, new stadium, there's no reason that we didn't get the ball down and play them off the park.
 
I saw signs yesterday that Gomis is improving at last. Bony took time to settle when he first came so we have to be patient and give him more game time. Fabianski and Ki had great games. Shelvey played better in a more forward position. We matched Hull's aggression and were by far the better team. Another crap ref who allowed Hull to foul at will. Hull is a cold place in winter. Our smallest away support this season found it hard to get the singing going,but were rewarded with our first away win since Man U in August.

Sorry not for me I thought he was poor again yesterday and it maybe down to lack of game time. The guy is simply not a goalscorer as his stats show. He had 2 excellent chances yesterday and didnt hit the target once. I think I prefer to see Emnes, but don't think he is the answer either as a replacement for Bony just a better option than Gomis.
 
Sorry not for me I thought he was poor again yesterday and it maybe down to lack of game time. The guy is simply not a goalscorer as his stats show. He had 2 excellent chances yesterday and didnt hit the target once. I think I prefer to see Emnes, but don't think he is the answer either as a replacement for Bony just a better option than Gomis.

I think we'll be signing a new striker in January. Both Palace and Newcastle have been linked around the £7-£10 million mark for Gomis the past month, that would be a great deal for us.