To me last night's result and performance stemmed from very low confidence rather than tactics. We caught Brighton off guard by playing the high press and really should have taken the lead, but as soon as we went 1-0 down the players visibly seemed to sink deeper. Andersen made fewer long passes and the ones he did didn't find their man, Eze was awful and showed no belief in himself, Olise was too slow to make decisions, Mitchell's crosses were poor and Edouard looked lost.

Doucoure for all his hard work (and a couple of goal-saving challenges) needs to learn when to hold back from a challenge. I think he was saved by the fact Caicedo had just made a similar challenge without getting booked. Eze was the wrong player to replace him with as it gave Brighton more freedom in midfield and I have to say Mac Allister was head and shoulders the best player on the pitch. At least he won't be with Brighton next season (unless they break his legs). The one change I'll never understand is replacing Olise with Ayew when we're losing (unless he was injured). Ayew is a player who is much better defensively and at holding onto the ball, but that's it.

The only way confidence improves is with a win. Brighton were so bad at passing out from the back it was like they felt sorry for us. Arsenal will not be so generous and it is hard to see anything but a resounding defeat. While I've been more patient with Vieira than most in the end it is all about results and he must know his time is running out.

It goes without saying that Whitworth should be our MOTM for stepping up and being brave.

Sorry but I can't agree with the negative vibes ringing out against Parish (who effectively saved our club from near liquidation)

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I am sorry but that defence is no longer valid. We are all grateful but after 10 years in the Prem it is no longer relevant. Somehow, we are now going backwards. Seeing clubs similar to us, like Brighton, Fulham & Brentford, pulling ahead is painful to watch.

I think "the management" has been sidetracked by the new stand, indecision in strategy, direction and investment. Even the pre-season was a shambles with half the squad in Australia and the rest at home.

I do believe that the focus was on trying everything to get Gallagher back either in the summer or January. I think there was an assumption that we would not be in a relagation scrap. This has resulted in a dangerously thin squad low on quality and numbers.

Anything at Arsenal would be an absolute bonus. I hope that the international break is used to kick start the team. The World Cup break seems to have been disastrous for us. We need to come out fighting after the next break. One win might change everything.

I was at the game last night and the difference between our first 15 mins and the remainder of the game was incredible to behold.
In the first 15 minutes we looked the team to be pushing for Europe, pressing high and playing with verve.
We should have been 2 up…..and then they scored and we never looked like getting back in the game.
Doucoure started make rash challenges and was very lucky not to be sent off before half time.
It was the correct decision to substitute him, but it did affect our second half display.
We looked unbalanced, there were some very poor individual displays and in truth Brighton didn’t have to play that well to beat us.

Lessons learnt?
We lack leadership and fight and have a flakiness throughout the team.
People may not like to hear this, but we will require battlers for the relegation fixtures in the coming weeks rather than fancy Dans.
I hope we can get the likes of McArthur and Hughes fit and firing and people like Schlupp , Ward and Ayew may still have key roles in these games which will be as much about character as ability.
You can’t afford to have players who go missing.

What is it with all this cr*p people post about players 'lacking confidence'?

These are not junior trainees, these are grown men, supposedly professional footballers being paid hundreds of thousands of pounds a year to accurately and consistently kick a bag of wind around a pitch and put it inside 3 posts!

It's what they practice for for several hours, 5/6 days a week, so why is it so difficult, and why should they lack 'confidence' with all the benefits of a Premiership set up behind them?

We had too much of this nonsense with Benteke - let's pl;ease not now start attributing it to the whole team...... or if it is then get a bl**dy psychologist in to sort them out!

Sorry, rant over!

A stairway to Heaven and a Highway to Hell give some indication of expected traffic numbers

I agree Becky to an extent however most of them are young lads given fame and fortune very quickly and it can do things to your head , if I was given fortune and fame I’d be dead in a year as I would spend on things that arnt good for me , and these lads would be the same without direction, confidence will still be an issue when the world is watching to young lads

“This is a crisis, a large crisis.... in fact if you have a moment, it’s a 12 storey crisis, magnificent entrance hall, carpeting throughout, 24 hour portage , and an enormous sign on the roof saying “This , is a large crisis” - Edmund Blackadder

100%

Responsibility Deficit Disorder is a medical condition. Symptoms include inability to be corrected when wrong, false sense of superiority, desire to share personal info no else cares about, general hubris. It's a medical issue rather than pure arrogance.