Missing In Action

These players are either confirmed to be out, transferred out... or doubtful to feature due to injury for the weekend:

Gouffran
Obertan
Cisse
Coloccini
Bigi
Raylor
Cabaye
Remy

Things looking a bit threadbare like.

 

Can't count Bigi, Raylor or Obertan for me and they wouldn't be picked if fit IMO. I hope people don't get on Pardew's back if we lose. I think he's doing a better job this season than when we finished 5th.

We're playing better football, dominating games with Tiote and Anita phenomenal of late at protecting the back four and winning the ball back.

I've almost come full circle on Pardew, I just don't like some of his personality traits.

 

I was impressed with Tiote and Anita last night, they quietly got on with their job in the centre of the field, Tiote in particular has evolved his game as it is noticable that he is still effective but is not picking up the bookings at the rate he used to. I thought that the game was a matter of inches on the finishing and we could so easily have had 3 goals, HBA showed he has the pace, ability and desire to take on players and beat them, unfortunately he needs to produce more of an end result to his effort and do it consistantly. Norwich were too often undone by pace last night and I thought for all his detractors Sammy was actually more of a handful for the Norwich players in the first half than HBA, Saturday is as we know a very different story and I have to be honest that I am rather more pessimistic about this match than I have been previously, I will be happy to be proved wrong this weekend. Cabaye is gone but the big miss this weekend will be Gouf, Colo and Remy, other players need to step up and be counted.

 

Another case of Sammy being underrated.

 

What's the word on Ben Arfa? Went off clutching his leg yesterday

 

Available to play as far as I can make out.

 

What I read was HBA had cramp, so should be okay. Maybe the real Shola will step up on saturday?

 

HBA confirmed as being back thank god...

http://www.shieldsgazette.com/sport...-fit-for-derby-and-ready-to-be-hero-1-6405506

 

There is another one?

 

There's Shola the pussy cat and Shola the Mackemslayer.

 

I think the squad is underrated. Too many people buy into the media spin about us having a small squad - it's better than Everton's, and comparing to the wage budgets of Spurs and above is plain stupid.

We're a little shy in a couple of areas - the reserve goalie's crap and we don't have a specialist backup right back - but it's top 8 for me, as long as Cabaye is replaced.

 

Mackemslayer better turn up on Saturday

 

We'll have to threaten to burn all his hats if he doesn't score the winner.











Can you please tell him LE?

 

Done got him on speed dial

 

Will that actually make him move faster then?

 

Chuck chuck chuck.

 

Does Tavernier just play CB now? I know he started out as mainly a right back, an attacking one at that.

 

A kid out on loan doesn't really qualify as a first team sub/specialist right back.