BlueStar

Just over 3,000 at the DW stadium

2 Man Utd 24 10 1 1 31 8 7 1 4 25 12 36 53 31 points at home 22 points away But surely even if Man U play with the same mentality home and away, some teams going to Old Trafford give themselves a disadvantage by not doing so, which could account for the higher number of home wins Man U get?

I suppose its all ingrained so much that it works in a circular way and people are too scared to break out of it. One manager's reasoning is that he's going to sit back and bit and absorb pressure because he knows the home team is going to attack, the other manager's thinking he should play an attacking formation because the away team is going to sit deeper.

This is always something that's played on my mind, but it comes to the forefront when we're playing such negative tactics away from home, more positive tactics at home and we're having negative and positive results accordingly. Where does this "home advantage" come from? At the end of the day, you've got a field, 11 blokes, a ball and two goals. We're not playing teams on a home turf with a high altitude, extremes of temperature or a vastly inferior pitch quality that they're used to and we're not. Sure, you've got the home support, but that can work both ways - it's fine if they're behind you, can have a negative effect if they start getting tetchy. And anyway, away support is often far more vocal and, crucially, tends to keep getting behind the team when things are going wrong more than the home support. So does a home advantage exist anywhere except in the minds of players and managers and, if so, surely once you realise that should it not be a relatively easy to overturn? I think pundits tend to look at it backwards and imply that away teams play cautious football because it's easier for the home team to win when actually it's the other way round - i.e. teams tend to have a better home record because they play more positive football at home, rather than them feeling free to play more positive football because they have a better home record. By all means play in a more reserved fashion if that's the best way you can utilise your players against the opposition we're facing, but I don't see why if we're playing in Newcastle or London should effect that decision.

From what I've seen he's the kind of player who can look good when the team's playing well but can't change a game by his presence. Seems to also have the Shola style ability to look decent in one game and then have an absolute unmitigated nightmare another.

Who now?

Can I sing the Rangers' words to it? "You're simply the wrong religion"?

Basically seems like the kind of player who splits their support Good to know they think we wouldn't buy a wonky player

http://www.coventrycity-mad.co.uk/news/tmnw/best_in_newcastle_talks_490187/index.shtml

That's probably the point tbh. Surely it's risk free though? Or are Hughton an co supposed to sign someone expensive? Are we signing him as the player to fill the striker gap we have? If so, then that's a huge risk. If not, why are we signing him?

See they opened the ground to let their fans welcome him http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/9357/0104298368998005163061.jpg Actually, that's a bit unfair, when he's actually playing the stands won't be that empty http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/9186/url5304360.jpg

See they opened the ground to let their fans welcome him http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/9357/0104298368998005163061.jpg

Why this 'we'll sell him to you on Monday' stuff by the way? Is that a usual thing to agree or are they still hoping for a bigger bid? If it's agreed why not just do the deal?

More like Leon Worst.

Last 8 games in all competitions DDDWDLWD As I thought. 11 points from 8 games is pretty worrying. 14 points from our last 8 league games isn't all that much better mind.

Maybe he likes rugby...

Last 8 games in all competitions DDDWDLWD

I would, we had a 12 point lead once. 4 points is nowt. Plus if we're going to go about playing Cardiff in the same negative manner we took on 10-man Leicester than that game in hand isn't really worth owt.

Are any Pompey fans trying to start an FC United of Manchester style replacement team?

Is it fair enough to say Wigan are more likely to go down than we are to not go up?

Feels like a loss, they were more positive after the sending off than we were.

http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/5408/capturehp.jpg

"No one likes to see that kind of thing in football"

It's a local derby, minimises drinking and rioting presumably. Ah fair do's. Skipped my mind that it's a local Derby. For the Ram's every game is a derby game. http://www.sadtrombone.com/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/8487297.stm