Villarocker

Other reasons for not sacking him: 1) His staff might have to go too, with pay-offs. 2) It might cost us compensation to get a replacement. 3) These are mostly Sherwood's players. Another gaffer might not be able to work with them or vice versa.

Eva Carneiro is a good shout. I'd bet a year's salary that she wouldn't have any problem getting the lads to play under her!

Two people said to me yesterday "Sinclair is another Gabby". It's hard to disagree. The only thing that may set them apart is the goal count at the end of the season.

Something happened to him yesterday because there were at least three occasions in the second half when he had loads of space to overlap in to and he didn't go. He held back and received a nothing ball. We'd switched to a back four then so maybe he was told not to bomb on. Maybe he wanted to but was worried about leaving the space in behind that has led to goals previously. Either way, he needs to have the confidence to run past people, especially when there's easy space to run in to. It can't have helped him having Lescott and Clark playing on his side this season. Maybe if Crespo plays that side, Amavi will get his confidence back.

Sherwood loves Westwood. He said earlier in the season that Westwood is his kind of player because he goes under the radar and churns out constant 7 out of 10 performances, or something along those lines. Think that speaks volumes. Westwood does nothing as far far as I'm concerned. He's not defensive and offers little protection to the back four, he plays the odd decent pass but mostly it's nice and easy, his corners are atrocious most of of the time and he offers no kind of goal threat. Gana and Veretout offer a whole lot more IMO. At least one of them needs to play alongside Sanchez. Sanchez may not be brilliant but, for me, he's at least noticeable in a game. As for the corners, surely it has to be Gil and Grealish?

He will undoubtedly score goals with the correct service but outside of the box he's useless. He has the ball control of a Wildebeest.

The first half formation was shite today. But, they went in all square, somehow. We went a goal down and then battered Stoke without ever looking like scoring. I said it before the game that we need to play to our strengths and that's to attack. A guy sat next to me today called that game. He said "we'll keep it tight then concede after 60 minutes. We'll then make changes and spend the rest of of the game unable to break them down". That's how predictable we were today. Although I've been asking for Sherwood to be given 10-12 games I have to say that his selections, formations and lack of tactics are extremely worrying. I currently have no doubts that we will be bottom of the league after 13 games and I'm worried how far adrift we'll be by then.

If we are going to play 3-5-2 it should be Bacuna wide right. The only other change I'd have made is Sanchez for Westwood. I'm guessing Clark is injured?

More like Fat Sam!

One last bit of advice for Tim. Let Gil to take the corners from the left and Grealish from the right. That way we will get natural inswinging crosses into the box.

At tinker, I hear what you're saying mate but I am guessing that the Clark decision was based on his early season form. Bacuna had a lot of assists at the end of last season so I'm thinking that Sherwood felt he could carry that on and it's failed. Ayew was probably needing time to settle but, there are no real excuses for not picking some of the others. He needs to be brave and attack teams because we played really well first half against Leicester. We need to play to our strengths.

A bit of advice for you Tim. Last season you came here and played to our strengths, which was to get the ball to our best player as quickly as possible. You knew we were not good defensively so you got the ball to our most dangerous player and it worked. This season, the defence, overall, hasn't changed. We're still leaking and nervy at the back. We now carry more threat at the other end of the pitch so utilise it. Throw Grealish, Ayew and Gil in behind Gestede and play Veretout and Gana behind them to get the ball to them and you will see your team playing to its strengths.

I think he's worthy of a start now. He played brilliantly against SHA and it doesn't matter about their quality of player, he ripped them to pieces. At least until Traore is fit or he plays poorly, start with him and Jack on the wings, Rudy up top and Gil in behind the striker. For years we have lacked guile - even MON couldn't find that with the fortune he spent - we could potentially start with three such players in our attacking quartet.

This is the one player in the team who should be given the freedom to play in the number 10 role and not have to chase back down the wings. We don't have many players who look capable of scoring from outside the box in fact, we hardly have many players who look like shooting from outside the box, but Gil has both the confidence and ability to do this so he needs to be the one playing behind the striker.

TRO, at what stage would you start to be concerned about Sherwood as manager? Not having a dig mate, it's just that you seem to post more in his defence. So, I'm wondering how bad it would have to get for you to start thinking twice about him. Personally, I think it's too early to question his position. He needs more time to gel the players and to get his best team out playing regularly. However, Newcastle are in a similar position to us with regards to changes and Schteve Maclaren himself said that his players needed time to gel. If they were to start showing signs of that in say 4 or 5 games, I would hope that we are too.

If Sherwood was to go at any time this season, and this guy hasn't got a new club, it will be Allardyce that gets the job. I couldn't see anyone else who's more getable and suitable taking the job. By suitable I mean, is experienced at keeping clubs up. I say this because, for Villa to part company with Sherwood, I think we would be near the bottom and looking a bit desperate.

Needs to play wide right and Grealish wide left with Gil behind the striker. Have two holding players behind and just let them terrorise. If they get that ball into Gestede we will score for fun.

If all he is good at is scoring goals surely it is then down to the management team to get players around him who can get the ball into the right areas for him to score. Would managers have not played Lineker because all he knew was to score goals from inside the box? We need to get the ball into him correctly and this guy will score for fun. It's all about the service.

I think Sherwood's problem is that he talks the talk but he's not walking the walk etc. It's OK being cocky and saying stuff like we won't be battling relegation next season but, if you end up down there, you are going to be made to look foolish and then people start to question your ability which, in my opinion, is fair. The team needs to be given time though. He's hardly had them all together fit and we need to see what happens when those players are fit and he's got them all available to him. If he's messing things up then, surely the fans will have the right to have a go at him.

How many games are people going to give Sherwood before they turn on him? He's got a big job to gel together a whole new side. I said it at the start of the season that I'd give him 10-12 games to see how he gets on and I'm not changing my mind on that. I want to see all his signings fully fit to see what team he puts out then.

He's a very average player. Should not be on set piece duty and shouldn't be in the team full stop.

That line up was shite against a poor Liverpool side. Gestede scored goals for fun and we would have had more if it wasn't for the defensive team that he put out.

He's no good apart from scoring, which is exactly what you want you striker to do. We need to get the ball out wide and then in to him quicker, he'll score bucket loads.

That starting midfield suggested to me that he was scared of losing. Which sort of goes against the philosophy he had portrayed since being here. It suggests to me that he is showing signs of nerves and coupled with Tuesday night, it doesn't bode well for him. That Liverpool team was poor today but we conceded midfield to them, which was poor IMO.

This is mad but.. Gestede can only score goals. He doesn't flick it on, hold it up, lay it off etc. He just scores f**king goals