midds

Someone's a day early I think.

I think I'd take a point. If we had Coloccini fit then I'd be much more confident of turning them over. As it stands I think we'll need 3 to win it, which we're more than capable of doing, but I think they'll raise their game too. They've beaten better teams than us this year home and away and unfortunately I think there will be a reaction from the Wigan loss.

Looking forward to Ben Arfa vs Enrique.

Hope Reading played them off the park.

It's a point more than anyone expected. Shame it'll feel like a defeat.

Who are Liverpool playing this weekend?

Could easily have been 5 or 6 here tbh. Howard hasn't even got his fucking knees dirty.

Great composure by Vaughn. A lot of players would have panicked but he took the pace off it and finished it really well. Good goal.

Sunderland need a Plan B. Thus far they've had some success by sitting back and hitting teams on the break. Now they're behind that won't work and they've got to force the game and press. It'll be interesting to see if they can break Everton down AND keep things tight whilst throwing afew extra men forward trying to equalise.

Lovely bloke, very limited. Honest pro who tries as hard as he can every game. Problem being his game isn't good enough for the level we're competing at. Could be upgraded for a £4m CH without any objection at all.

Got it spot on today. We looked lethal in the first half and scored 3 really good goals. Well-worked goals that involved getting players passing and moving without humping it. Was a joy to watch. Second half started poorly but I was impressed at how we kept hold of the ball for long periods of the second half and still created enough chances to have ended up with about 7, had they all been taken. Credit where it's due, got it spot on today.

Still reminds me of Andy Cole but a far more rounded player. Cole for us was lethal in the box but never really had an influence on the game by dropping deep and linking play. This lad can finish like Cole but can also play a bit and set others up by his passing or movement. Really, really impressed with him and kudos to Pardew and Llambias for coughing up to get him in black and white. Good stuff.

3-1. Just put your feet up lads, I'll keep you posted.

Getafe again. Valencia can't defend for shit.

Getafe get one back. Valencia all over the shop here...

BOOM!! Soldado again. Scores every time I watch Valencia.

Llambias called his bluff in the summer and it's turned to shit for him and worked out well for us. Had Barton handled the situation differently in the summer he could still well be here. Couldn't keep his mouth shut though and talked his way out of the club and straight into a relegation dogfight. Couldn't give the first fuck what happens to him or QPR tbh.

Once they're mathematically out of the race for 4th then he'll get a goal. That will be 3 seasons off the belt without CL football - their place in the 'SKY 4' will disappear. The money they're spending (wasting) has to come from somewhere and their prolonged failure to compete in Europe can only harm them.

Yep, but they won't. They'll boo his every touch and he'll wind them up. Nailed on to either score or see red. Assuming he's picked obviously.

2 goals in a minute at the start of the second half of Wolfsburg - Hamburg. 1-1.

3-3 now He's still a horrible cunt though.

Nah. Just random speculation on my part. I worded it badly. Sorry.

Maybe he's caking it because mid season, Ashley has told him he HAS to qualify for Europe, minimum Did that actually happen?

It's the whole 'settling' thing that's annoying me still. We get a goal, sometimes 2, and that's it. We've done enough (in Pardew's mind) to win the game so we just settle for seeing the game out by getting bodies behind the ball, keeping our shape and seeing the game out. We invite the pressure and look ragged as fuck by about 75 minutes so we're hanging on for the result. Why can't we just keep hold of the ball, knock it about and go for 3 or 4 and blow teams away? Is it arrogance, thinking we're good enough to soak it up for an hour without conceding or is it cowardice? A manager who is shit scared of losing and is transmitting his fear into his team? Something's not right. Earlier in the season we had nothing to lose and went after teams, home and away, playing 2 wingers and 2 strikers and tried to play football and we were doing quite nicely. Suddenly we hit November and it's all about preserving what we've earned rather than continue doing the things that have got us to such a good position in the first fucking place. Don't understand it. Or him.

Feel sorry for him. He's an honest pro who's woefully out of his depth. He's trying hard, putting the effort in but he looks a complete liability. He's awkward as fuck on the ball and has no other pass than to ping it towards the corner flag and see it bounce twice and out of play. If he's used sparingly, 2 or 3 games, to cover a minor injury or suspension he does ok but we've been relying on him for nearly 4 months now. We've not got another CH on the books who could play so he's got another 9 games to go. Poor cunt will spend the summer shaking in a dark, padded room at this rate.