With the rot fully settled into the old players, many of them being present in the team for the last 13 months of awful form, it must be time for quite a few of them to spend some time away from the first XI. With new signings relatively untainted by the sides low confidence, should we be trying to field a team a bit more like this?

With the new signings, plus Remy you have 5 out of your 11 players that have not played through the awful last year.

Mandanda, when he returns should be relatively unscathed compared to Hennessey. McArthur and Zaha are the only players that have been in form for the past year, so they keep their place. Benteke can still notch a goal up front. Ward and Dann keep their place only by virtue of there being no one else to come in in their positions.

Flamini and Campbell are probably more unscathed by the awful form too, so might be worth giving them more time.

Not a bad idea, would need a run of games to gain familiarity though. Also Townsend's been pretty decent lately so I'd be tempted to rotate with Schlupp and Zaha. We do need fresh (and competent) legs in midfield though, and I would bed in Milivojevic asap, we need him desperately IMO. Especially after today.

I have been thinking the same thing. Ringing wholesale changes could be the only option left. Couldn't do any worse.

Irrespective of the personnel available/picked, the one thing Allardyce definitely needs to take from your suggestion is to play 4-4-fcuking2 or 4-3-3 (or at worst 4-2-3-1), because playing three at the back isn't working and it was just a fluke that we got something at Bournemouth (or we just took them by surprise). I don't give a flying fcuk that it works for Chelsea, we aren't them by a long stretch.

We have had two very good spells in the PL, Pulis' half season and Pardew's two half season's in 2015, then it all went wrong, even though we basically have the same, or considerably better personnel. Apparently we employ experts in analysis and tactics and they need to examine those good spells, figure out what we were doing right, and get back to doing it again. We have to balance solid defending with actually scoring goals; when we can do that, we'll start winning games.

Bexley Dave

Can you hear the Brighton sing? I can't hear a ******* thing!

"The most arrogant, obnoxious bunch of deluded little sun tanned, loafer wearing mummy's boys I've ever had the misfortune of having to listen to" (Burnley forum)

No Ward please. We've no one else but I'd rather have a youth team player.

Agree about a midfield of Flam/Mili. The others, all the old boys you've mentioned I reckon need a chance to get fit to SA levels and prove themselves once again, but could definitely do with missing a few matches.