No excuses for this third defeat. Very disappointing and very, very alarming.

Having said the above, the established PL teams seem to be very inconsistent so far this season : Everton suffered home defeat, Spurs suffered their second home defeat, City also lost at home. Arsenal is faring better although they drew a couple of times already.

The only consistent team so far is chelski. Of course PL champs have to be most consistent, and I think chelski is clearly the early favourites now.

Money does not always yield positive results. Well, at least as far as manure is concerned!

We are staring at a tough season now but I still believe we can make it into the top 4 again. Obviously we miss a consistent goalscorer at this moment but we should have Sturridge back this weekend.

A good win against Middlesborough should boost everybody's confidence.

Experienced and good players can be coached to adapt to a system. Players who are not playing according to the system or instruction can be managed to buck up.

Our new players are good and not inexperienced. That's why I think the coaches and manager have slackened this season.

While the Boro players defend in numbers, they can counter attack in frightening speed and with energy. Our players are slow, even static and certainly are no longer consistently running off the ball, as many of us have pointed out.

Yes, there are a few players who really don't seem up to par so far this season :

- Mignolet : made some dreadful mistakes for an experienced international
- Lambert : one cannot imagine someone playing for his favourite team, having so little passion and energy
- Toure : what can motivate him?

I don't blame Gerrard at all - who doesn't grow older and weaker/slower? It's up to BR to analyse how best to use his strengths (and Gerrard still has lots) and pre-empt situations where his weaknesses may be exploited.

So I feel, after these 7 games, I'd say : Hey BR, wake up man!!!

Don't think Sturridge's new calf injury is linked to his thigh injury. So, BR better stop blaming others and concentrate on his job.

Really wonder whether his training methods are up to par. Some players are like glass and have to have a different approach, while others (like Suarez) are like tanks. They cannot all be put through similarly intense workouts, can they?

Well, one can only hope for the best now.

I remember saying that Suarez is good but not a prolific striker, and not long after that, he began scoring for fun. So, here goes :

Balotelli is good but he is not such a prolific striker lah!

Perhaps Wenger may not want him in the first place, judging by his record of injuries!

Then again, Wenger is obviously not the know-it-all either judging by the number of injured players he has now, and how with each injury Arsenal's performance suffered. I remember how the gunners seem to be blazing last season until Ramsey got injured and then, later, Walcott got knocked out. Of course, Arsenal just squeezed into the CL by the skin of its teeth!

They look clueless because the manager doesn't quite know how to make these expensive players work effectively together.

What is his plan for Gerrard, I wonder?!

If I remember correctly, Balotelli scores when he is nearer to goal. He is not getting anywhere near because our midfielders are not able to penetrate. Our midfielders are also not running off the ball and getting into good positions.

What has BR been telling these guys?

I have this feeling that BR has got his tactics all wrong in this game so far.

Poor QPR!

Our set piece defending has always been begging to be hammered.

Fortunately we still have Sterling and Coutinho. Gerrard was played back in a more rational position in the second half. What I dislike the most are players who just want to sit on a slender lead and stop playing or waste time. That's not a champion's mentality.

Guess who I am referring to in this game?

Shearer's comment about our defence lacking leadership makes sense. I think we all know that Skrtle is not a leader. It is becoming clear now why Lallana was captain at Southampton instead of Lovren. Toure is a good leader but his playing days are almost over.

So, we do have a big problem in defence.

That's also why moving Gerrard from his new defensive midfield role last night is like kamikaze!

You misunderstood me. I was reflecting on what Shearer said about our defence, and in my opinion based on what I have seen so far in our games, Lovren is not ready to marshall our defence. In fact, he has much to improve.

Just in case you still don't get it, I am not talking about being captain - Gerrard is still very much the captain - just talking about organizing the defence, making sure everyone is in his position during set pieces etc..

Read properly before you shoot my friend.