icDP running Shearer quotes after last night's match. Al says Robert came on after HT because Elliott is injured. Has anyone heard anything? Did anyone at the match see him limping or anything?

Also in the same piece he admits to being a bit worried, initially, about how the midfield would cope.

"We had a lot of players missing and we had a little bit of inexperience in Clarence Acuna and Jamie McClen, and I thought that Spurs in Gus Poyet, Tim Sherwood and Darren Anderton might have overrun us in midfield.

"This was the way things turned out in the first half but in the second half it was a different story and I thought every player in the team was fantastic.

-- Anonymous, January 31, 2002

Answers

Ciara, Elliot always looks like he's limping, that's one of the reason's he's crap. Can't believe YBR didn't see what we saw, ie a bloody big whole where the left defence should have been in the first half, hence a tactical rather than enforced substitution. Don't want to sound uncharitable, but I hope Elliot's out long enough for Distin/Bernard to settle in

-- Anonymous, January 31, 2002

Er, meant hole. There was nothing whole about Elliot last night.

-- Anonymous, January 31, 2002

I disagree about Elliot...i'm not saying he's a fantastic player but I thought he played/tackled very well...especially in the first 25 mins.

The gaps down the left were because he had no-one covering with him!

Like I said, i'm not defending his season or even saying he's a good player but I thought he played reasonably well last night....

-- Anonymous, January 31, 2002

Nah, okay for 10 minutes, then lost the plot. I know it's easy to kick a bloke when he's down (ask any Leeds player) but I definitely think he's the weak link at the back. Lets face it, how often do we have to come on here and say 'I thought so and so played okay yesterday' as if it was unusual. Not very often unless it's him. But, you are of course entitled to your opinion Gav, and we've seen others vilified here and then come good, like Barton, Bassedas, Marcy, etc. (surely some mistake here - Ed)

-- Anonymous, January 31, 2002

This is why I was surprised Shearer said it's because he was injured. Seemed as though the rest of the world thought it was tactical.

-- Anonymous, January 31, 2002