midds

I'd go along with that.

Play the kids with one or two of the squad who need a game (Lovenkrands, Smith, Ryan Taylor, Ranger etc) and see what happens. I'm expecting to lose it because the Arsenal kids are always very good but I hope we give them a game and try to match them.

I think both teams would probably settle for a draw tbh.

Not only does it put a bit of breathing space between us and the drop zone but it also demonstrated how poor west ham are. Got to be encouraging from our point of view.

Great result for us and hughton. It's that type of reformance that we need to keep us out of danger. They look like we did 2 years ago, no spark, no passion, nothing. Unless they make big changes they'll go down with a whimper.

The leg has been operated on so will heal much quicker than a broken leg which is just put in plaster. He'll also be able to put his weight on to the leg and the muscle wastage will be minimal, especially his thigh muscle, he'll be back earlier than most expect. Having the bone pinned will also mean that his ankle isn’t inside of a cast so all of his joints will be working as normal. The bone should be healed perfectly by Christmas, after that it will be a case of building up the muscle in his lower leg. No mention of any ligament damage makes all of the difference and is the reason he'll not be out as long as some of the high profile leg breaks. Hey, fingers crossed mate. He's by far the most talented player in our squad and the more games he plays the more chance we have of staying up.

Were we as shit as this last season? QPR are racing away with the division but this is like watching Hartlepool. My perspective is fucked.

Our last 12 games will be made easier by the return of Ben Arfa who I think will return some time between us playing Arsenal and Bolton as long as he doesn't pick up any knocks or tweaks while building up his fitness. I know I'm being pessimistic but I can't see Ben Arfa coming back before the end of the season. I know that's what the reports say but it'll take at least a month to build him up and another 3 or 4 games to get up to speed. He might play for us again but I can't see him contributing much immediately. Hope I'm wrong obviously.

Still on a knife-edge although as our easier fixtures pass us by without winning then it's getting more likely we'll go down. Still expecting Blackpool to hit the wall but we need 25 points on the board by Xmas or we're right in the shit as our last 12 games are tough.

I feel sorry for the fans but if it gives us a better chance of staying up then so be it. They're innocent in all of this, I'm just surprised that no criminal charges have been brought against the pricks running the gaff for the last 5 years or so. Unless they're in the pipeline obviously.

Aye, it sounds like the administrators are trying to force the situation by going public. Couldn't give a fuck what happens to them tbh. They cheated, they fiddled, they got into a mess as a result and now they're on the brink. Tough shit - play by the rules.

:mackems: Yeh of course mate. I think most on here were impressed with Bale and acknowledged it tbh. Had you spun it right you wouldn't be getting half as much s***. Just my twopenneth. I don't agree. A poster openly stated us losing is just as good as Newcastle winning, a poster mentioned that we're a 1 man team, a poster mentioned that Bale did well but not the team, a poster mentioned that Inter gave up second half which is why we scored ect ect. To say the reaction would have neen different had i responded in a different way is false imo and has been proven numerous times. Fair enough.

:mackems: Yeh of course mate. I think most on here were impressed with Bale and acknowledged it tbh. Had you spun it right you wouldn't be getting half as much shit. Just my twopenneth.

If kd had come on here and talked about the positives of Bale's performance and how they played in the second half with a bit of humility then I think most on here would have gone along with it.

Bale has just made the big clubs sit up and take notice. He'll get a move on the back of that tonight, great hat-trick.

Has it caused much of a stir in the national media though? No idea mate. Might be one of those things that spreads gradually as more (away) fans see it?

The fact it's caused so much uproar/interest/discussion means that it's already served it's purpose tbh.

I actually wasn't aware of that. That's shocking City at home. They've already got some difficult games out of the way and they'll be strong at home all season.

They've still only won the one game like, and that was with a last minute penalty. They're better than us but not hugely so.

For which team? Sunderland probably.

Got last-minute winner written all over it.

Hughton's arse.

Who on Earth is going to be stupid enough to be the first to attempt to fill Fergie's shoes at Man Utd? Talk about a hiding to nothing...

Was good to catch up though chap.

I think you'll find it was the excessive amount of alcohol that fucked it up.