[Salopbaggie]

I just feel for those who have to make a 3-4 hour trip home after that pathetic performance

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Well, from start to finish it just felt like one of those nights. Every time Bournemouth ran at our defence they caused problems, whereas every time we attacked - even in our best passages of play (which were few and far between) - there was no pace and no real cutting edge, and we were too often let down by the final ball or finish. Also annoying to see us drop back into two banks of four when they had possession, especially when we were behind. Bit of pressing, lads? Bit of desire to get the ball back and have at them?

And of course, after you've got yourself a get-out-of-jail equaliser, however flukey and undeserved it may be, shooting yourself in the foot twenty seconds later is frankly incredible, but par for the course.

Fair play Bournemouth, a very impressive performance and deserved win, but once again questions to be asked of Irvine regarding choice of midfielders which effectively rendered us toothless tonight.

[Stairs]

Thank god I had an invite to play golf and could not make the drive to Bournemouth in time for this!

We have been playing well in the league and so that makes it just about tolerable - but shame on them!

[Salopbaggie]

Indeed fair play to Bournemouth (reserves), but we looked like a bunch of schoolboys for their second.

[Slick_Footwork]

So glad I didn't waste my money travelling down today, which I probably would've if it hadn't of sold out so quickly.

Embarrassed, gutted and just fed up that we've blown what is a reasonable opportunity to progress.

There were some poor performance out there, but the bulk of the blame has to go with Irvine's selection for me.

No width, no balance, nobody operating between the lines, only plan is to launch big hoofs forward.

With the quality of players we have, to be playing with no pattern of play or direction, there has to be something going wrong on the training pitch.

It was the same against Oxford and Hull, but we got away with it due to luck and their reserves being just as bad.

There is no place in a Prem squad for the likes of Baird and Davidson, while I'd much rather the likes of O'Neil were sent out on loan to develop rather than keep players like Samaras out of the side.

Irvine is completely out of his depth, tactically.

I don't see the point in Samaras replacing Ideye, firstly, Samaras has been playing out wide for the last few years, not up top and is far more effective there. Secondly, by the sounds of it, Ideye is going to be do better with people closer to him, so surely the obvious move was to take off Baird or O'Neil and put Samaras on the pitch with Ideye and Anichebe...

When Samaras did go out wide (purely because we needed another attacking option, rather than anything tactical, IMO) he actually beat their full back and set the goal up. There was an element of luck, but surely he should've been operating on the wing from the start.

[wba_1996]

I worried about it as the window closed but we still haven't addressed that winger problem. Varela being injured doesn't help but Blanco is not a winger and Samaras has been bought as a striker for some reason. Brunt is about the best we have out wide until Varela is back and there is still a massive lack of pace. I look at the teams we play like Palace with Zaha, Puncheon and Bolasie, Bournemouth tonight with Rantie and Wilson and Swansea when we got battered with Dyer and Routledge. These teams cause us so many problems, pace is such a vital thing to have in the attacking areas, look at Saido when he gets in behind defences. I still thing this is the main thing we haven't addressed and its so frustrating as it would bring guys like Ideye and Anichebe so much support from out wide and the likes of Sess, Blanco and Brunt would have forward runners to slide balls through to.

[Luke_East_Baggie]

Just about getting out of the ground in the traffic.... Nice to meet Steve!

Gonna sleep now till 2moro, deserved win for Bournemouth unfortunately..

[Tom_Wba]

In my opinion Irvine got the side wrong on Saturday Vs Palace and he well and truly got it wrong tonight i know its a squad game these days but to make 10 changes against a decent side away from home was a complete balls up on Irvines part, Why do i get the feeling that Irvine is once again proving to be the mediocre manager we all feared

[Bournemouth Baggie]

Gamboa did s job, the rest couldn't be arsed

---

P.S. Thanks Luke for sorting the ticket and great to meet you and long-suffering Mrs Luke

[tidy]

I've said this before. We are all being taken for mugs. It doesn't matter what rhetoric the clubs come out with, these cup games are used to 'look' at players and try out formations.
Sometimes it works, mostly it doesn't.