Only caught the 2nd half unfortunately but glad to see us through to the next round. Thought we looked relatively comfortable without being spectacular against a spirited Accy side. Cracking strike from Taylor byt the way

Have to say I dont agree with the policy of playing so many of the youngsters, only looks a good decision if you win but we did i suppose and is good to see some of them getting some 1st team action.

Krul outstanding as ever, agree with the notion that hes better than Harper but unfortunately at this point in time Hughton is always going to go for experience there.

There are a few of them that im not convinced are good enough to make it with Lua Lua being one of them. Slightly disappointed with Vucic but maybe him playing crap is a good thing with scouts no doubt watching

All in all pleased to see us through to the next round although id like to see us play a slightly stronger team as I really think this competition is a realistic target for us this season if we take it seriously.

How were Tavernier and Shane Ferguson?

Well considering the team, the pitch and how dirty Accrington Stanley were, i thought the lads did well, i was particularly impressed with Ranger, Ferguson, Donaldson, Krul and Lua Lua, if anything, i would say i was a little dissapointed with Vukic who didn't seem to get in the game.

Here are my ratings -

Krul 8 - made 3 great reaction saves, world class keeper in the making

Taylor 7 - cracking goal and was fairly tight at the back
Ferguson 7 - did a good job, looks like he has a good touch and pass
Tavernier 6 - not bad
Kadar 6 - nice to see him back again, worked hard.

Lua Lua 8 - Tore the right back to shreds with his pace and dribbling
Ranger 7 - out of position but caused them bother all night
Donaldson 8 - Looks like he has a bit of class about him, very composed i though
Vukic 5 - not the great start i was hoping for and probably should of seen red.

Lovenkrands 7 - you know what you get with him, worked well off Shola
Shola 7 - caused them bother with his presence, typical Shola game really, headers a chance out the stadium then pops up with a goal.

Overall, i'm fairly please with what i saw.

Have to say that was the worst refereeing I remember in a long time, he had no control of the game at all, Accrington had the attitude of lets show the big boys we aren't scared of them by kicking lumps out of us for most of the match. Lots of the fouls were very lucky not to result in bad injuries yet he didn't feel the need to show a card (I think he made 1 booking). He also failed to spot Vuckic's elbow incident right infront of his eyes that some refs would have shown a straight red for, it seemed he was more concerned on that incident in trying to get out of the way himself before he got clattered.


It was a gamble by Hughton last night by changing all 11 players and it has paid off, we are through to the next round and all our first team have had a rest ready for Wolves on Saturday. I hope that it's not his intention to do that every round, but understand if his main concern is keeping us in the league this year. Krul & Lua Lua were great last night and I'd say Ranger too although he did have a couple of moments where he should have done better 1 being for their first goal. Ryan Taylor was brilliant in the 1st half and his goal capped that off nicely but he didnt seem to be involved as much in the 2nd half.

I'm just relieved that we didn't sustain any major injuries - there were some real agricultural tackles last night.

I think that Hughton was right to rotate the squad. Premiership survival must be our priority. It gave some of the younger lads a run out and provided some match practice for the likes of Shola, Taylor and Lovenkrands.

I think I must have been watching a different game, lol.

Krul - 1st half i thought he was shaky and to me the communication issues were there. Shot stopping in 2nd half amazing and a better command of the area. - 7

Taylor - shoddy at defending, but great crossing and great goal. - 7

Tavenier - I felt reading comments that some have been very harsh on him, I thought he looked strong, pacey, yes a couple of silly errors but isnt he out of position? First half thought he was the best defender, tired after 70 mins - 7

Kadar - Best defender of second half and looked composed, strong in tackle, not bad at heading and played it simple, hopefully no loan for him and he is back up (ahead of Taylor in my opinion) - 8

Ferguson - Not bad defending wise but was impressed with some of his running and crossing, can't help but think too lightweight this year - season loan for me - 7

Ranger - Thought he was our MOTM, constant running until he knackered himself out. Some good control, good in the air, good couple of shots, worked hard for the team. - 8

Donaldson and Vukic - absent for most of the game (Vukic should have been sent off). They both did little and looked lost. Some nice touches here and there from Gareth Gates but not a central midfielder yet - I thought he was a winger?? Both a 6

LuaLua - Much better in the second half. Great use of pace, seems to be able to cross a ball better than our first team wingers and good tracking back. Think he is worth a shot on the bench and 15/20 mins against some of the lower Premiership teams - 8

Lovenkrands - Apart from the goal (great technique) , not much else really from him - 6 (maybe 7 if giving extra credit for the goal)

Ameobi - first half, wanker! Looked like he could not be arsed. A slight push and he's on the floor wanting a free kick, how dare a lower league player touch me. Picked up in second half but to me found his playing level. After this game I seriously hope Ranger and Xisco are ahead of him. - 6 with the goal.

Overall - very pleased with the performance and would like to see the youngsters making squads and coming in every now and then for last 10mins of a game, I know this will be hard as we won't cruise matches like last season but needs to be done - if Hughton is not willing to do this (as shown in the Villa game) then he has to loan them out. We can't wait half a season for an injury to happen and forced into playing a youngster with no playing time and expect a solid performance which leads to certain sections of the crowd to turn

Generally I was absolutely chuffed to bits about the whole thing. Man of the match, as it were, is Chris Hughton. The mentality and camaraderie amongst this squad of players is absolutely fantastic - they all enjoyed it. The only issue for me was Ameobi, who looked like he was "above it all" too much of the time. But I've never really liked the lad and even though we need players, I wouldn't be sad to see him go. Lua Lua was a real trier, looks like he really wants to make it. Ranger is a top, top prospect, better than Vuckic on last nights showing. Kadar likewise - Vidic mkII, and not just on last nights effort. As the game progressed he really grew in stature, great positional sense at times and able to control it and bring it out. Tavernier has some way to go, but with his pace he could do well - at times it was like looking at D. Simpson...

Raylor did pretty well, good deliveries and some telling experience, Krul was outstanding and is a must-keep player. Donaldson, like Vuckic, just couldn't quite get it together in the middle of the park, but it's a tough position to play, particularly when both are more attack-minded players, both preferring a role up front.

I would be more than happy to see the same, more or less, team stroll out in the next round. Certainly the first XI shouldn't play in this competition, I think it's vital the fringe players get real games. It would be a stronger XI next time anyway, with Tiote joining, Campbell back to fitness, likely starting berths for Perch and Best too, if they're all here, plus whoever else may or may not join. Exciting times ahead, perhaps, great fun and it's nice to feel part of something again.