The only place to be

Then you're a very lucky little boy. And yet he didn't reduce us to ten men when he absolutely should've. People wanting to blame Dean or The FA might want to give them a big wet slobbery kiss for not sending off Ramires.

People blaming the ref or the FA need to have a word with themselves. Jose wasn't lying, he wasn't playing mind games, he wasn't looking for column inches - this team isn't ready to win the league. Thank fuck that record has gone because you know what....we get to start fresh from next season with a proper team with PROPER players in all the right positions.

Just lost for words with this guy. The only thing more bemusing than the ref not sending him off was Jose not taking him off.

Lack of quality and character going forward and devastated for Azpi because he's deserved more than that for the season he's had. But too many players disappeared or simply didn't do enough. The strikers simply aren't good enough and the midfielders simply aren't in-form. Oscar was terrible, Willian wasn't much better and Ramires was an utter embarrassment to us. Could blame the ref but when you put in a performance like that then you leave yourself open to those types of incidents. Make no mistake - we threw the league away through lack of quality and lack of character. Too much dead wood.

Sunderland deserved that. We weren't good enough. But let's all blame the ref.

Then go.

There's absolutely zero character on the pitch, except for the defence.

Actually becoming comical now. You actually have to laugh at how bad we are. Come on Andre.

Eto'o's movement in the box.....well, it doesn't exist. I know he's getting on but he offers nothing for players outside the box.

For whom? Azpi or Ivanovic? I'm also suggesting that th problem with crosses isn't solely about Ivanovic's ability to put in quality crosses consistently. But you read that however you choose to and infer whatever gives you a warm feeling inside.

Actually no he didn't. When he was looking to cross it into space he tended to overhit them. When he actually had targets, he did a lot better but he suffered from a lack of viable targets and packed defences.

Eto'o's shit, can't get a cross past the first man.....yadayadayada. Neither can Ramires apparently.

Read what I'm saying. Azpi got the same criticism for his crosses last year and I defended him the same. Go and look in his thread if you don't believe me 'mate'.

Height, movement, call it what you want. Sunderland are doing well getting bodies back. But yeah, the problem is Ivanovic because...well why not? I seem to recall you spouting the same stuff last week despite him crossing beautifully for Salah who managed to fuck it up. Then when Ba came on in the second he hit another one for him. Same tedious shit every week.

You realise Ivanovic almost put us 2-1 up right? And no, we didn't look much better with Azpi at right-back last season because he was still getting stick for his crosses. People need to understand what a cross is. Someone actually has to be on the other end of it, so if someone can tell me who that person is in our team then I'd love to know. Shit strikers. Been the problem all season. Still a problem now.

People being way too harsh on Ramires. Don't you know he scored a great goal against Barca two years ago. Ignoring the fact that Ivanovic had one of our best chances that hit the bar, who is he supposed to aim for? Which great aerial threat is making runs in the box, losing his man? Have we signed Van Nistelrooy? Has Gerd Muller wound back the years? Has St. Didier descended from the Heavens and landed in the six yard box? We had the same issue when Azpi was at right-back last season. Check his thread if you don't believe me and look at who defends him (me).

Who the fuck is he supposed to aim for? Same shit from you every fucking week, except when Ivanovic actually has targets to aim for. Do you actually look at the six yard box?

You may think it's ridiculous but going by current form, the gap has narrowed between the two of them. Drogba was a late bloomer as well yet they're treading a similar path on their way to joining this club - except Costa is probably further along than Didier was.

You absolutely can compare Drogba to Costa. Saint Didier's legacy isn't beyond scrutiny, and at the same age Costa has simply been more impressive than Drogba was. That doesn't mean he'll be as good as him over the span of a decade, and there is actually a chance Costa will be better (wouldn't take much to have a better goalscoring record in the first few seasons if we're being honest). But all this categorisation of players as 'top-class' and 'solid' is pointless, masterbatory list-making for the sake of it. It is fundamentally meaningless.

I think you're overstating the difference between the level of the two players. Cavani is a very good player and has scored a lot of goals in Serie A - so does that mean Antonio Di Natale is now a world-class striker? Diego Costa scored 20 goals last season, but is in the midst of a fantastic goalscoring season. I think you're being unfairly harsh on him for whatever reason.

No he's not.

And the fact that everything is in our own hands now. We control our destiny.

There's a good case for both players, but of course you immediately discount the Chelsea player because....well, you're you. Hazard has been the most creative player on a team that lacks a decent striker, yet he's carried the team at times and shown up when we've needed him. It's a toss up between the two but there's no doubt that Eden would be an exceedingly worthy winner.

Would fit our team nicely but he plays for a club who can't buy any players for a year so it's unlikely he'll be sold....so, um yeah.

And yet Drogba didn't have as good a goalscoring season as Costa is having until he was 29.