As many have said, the ideal squad enables you to field two strong starting XIs. Very few clubs in the Premiership can afford this. We have had a simply shocking roll-call of injuries throughout the season, as bad as or worse than any I've seen before. To lose three strong centre backs in successive matches is unprecedented, for us or any other club, coupled with losing Wickham earlier in the season leaving us with f*ck all other than Benteke up front. Take two or three players out of the equation and suddenly we're an average championship side. Thank f*ck we've had a fit Zaha this season.

The threadbare nature of our squad has come into sharp relief this season and, notwithstanding Pardew and his inexplicable "tactics", it's a miracle we're not dead and buried already. Improving quality in depth is an absolute must if we are to even aspire to a mid/lower table finish next season.

Edited by Cucking Funt (30 Apr 2017 7.22pm)