Wullie

I had Toure, Distin, Cesc, Tevez, James and Barry. Got Anelka and three City players to come tomorrow - picked them all to try and throw some of my bad luck over them.

I did well, but Laursen and Mellberg I've totally fallen out with. Twats. How dare they not make me pick them?

Mellberg and Laursen. What a pair of benchwarming arseholes. >

Go for him.

Depends what you mean, if "Sticking up for the club" means saying we're getting there, in five years time we're gonna be contenders, it's going to come good in the end etc it just makes us look deluded when from the outside looking in we look very ordinary and are not showing much potential. As for only writing this stuff now, doesn't he write all the time? How do you know he was against the appointment at the time if he didn't give his views on it then? This is where some balance comes in, not once does BF point to the manager needing time or money or any of that stuff or some of the good things that's happened. In short he just sounds like another whinging Geordie expecting too much too soon and when it doesn't happen, stamps his feet. That article didn't need so many words - "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" - would have done. He has hated allardyce since before he came to us. The chapter on Bolton and the quote on the back cover sort of confirm that. Exactly, so it's personal. Ah right, so if he says nowt at the time, he's jumping on the bandwagon but if he does say something at the time, then it's personal. So he can't win basically in your eyes. Why is everyone who offers an opinion in the public eye always trying to sell something? Is it possible for a single second that it might actually be their honest opinion, in this case gained from years of following NUFC home and away? He didn't storm the Times office and force them to print anything ffs. He's the best writer about NUFC at the moment and has been for a long time. Bet he wouldn't be just "trying to sell his book" if he'd said Allardyce was the best thing since sliced bread would he?

Love how Enrique gets slagged off for not getting picked.

Good article that. Farrington often comes up with the goods, I find.

You say that about everyone man. If it was up to you, no-one would ever have written a book.

I'd be surprised if it wasn't us tbh. Would explain the constant chopping and changing too as much as anything.

I love the "so-called proven manager route" that's apparently been so bad for us in the past. We've signed quite a few professional footballers on here that've been shite, let's sign some amateurs instead. A lot of them have been blokes too though, better sign some women. Ah but those humans might be the problem altogether. Anyone got London Zoo's phone number?

Indeed Edd. Most of those sides down to Man Utd at the top have a tall striker who will win stuff - Carew, Berbatov, Crouch, Kuyt, Ashton, Cole, Jones, Mido. I wish it were better, but it doesn't necessarily mean an awful lot. Chelsea and Arsenal aren't pulling up trees in that department.

1878 said previously that it was some sort of tribute to Fitz Hall's clothing line. Apparently that's a myth. So says Google anyway.

In the first dozen or so games of this season he was very poor, easily the poorest he's been for us. He had an entire season last where he was quality on the right.

Might as well sign someone from League 2, they'll turn to shit when they pull a black and shirt on anyway. Cut out the middle man and save a few bob.

Promoting some youth thing being run by Fitz Hall apparently.

So Geremi was stripped of the captaincy because of this? He must have been on the phone in the dressing room in that case. Ludicrous to even be guessing, never mind thinking one guess is any more likely than the next.

Mackems as usual looking like something that just crawled out of the primordial ooze.

Well, that didn't get much of a mention. I must say I am surprised! Other way round, they'd have been round the linesman's house.

Ginger arsehole.

Christ, he's so good, why does Cesc have to be such a big fucking tart?

Carr. Or Owen. Possibly Harper. Maybe Beye. Could be Edgar though.

Poyet smug?? Seems a genuinly nice guy imho. Don't make me ban you.

Superb.

End of the world stuff tbh. This forum reads like the book of revelations sometimes. I find a problem with this forum often is that a lot of people like to take results in isolation. Sam got a lot right today, but it was the same old story tactically in the end. We invited unnecessary pressure when we had them rocked back and not only let Chelsea off the hook but there was only one team going to win it in the last 20, when 15 minutes prior to that, their fans were booing them and they were looking very rattled. I'd have said that if we'd got the point, which would nevertheless have been an excellent result, albeit against one of the weakest Chelsea league sides in memory, another reason not to be scared of them. Sam is still not learning these lessons. For such a strong character, he isn't half a coward when it comes to trying to win games. Quite the opposite IMO. I think the problem is the shite results and performances we have been served up in the last 6-7 weeks mean that we almost needed at least a point from today, having not achieved anything from the games we should have been picking up points from. To have got so close and still not achieved it is what is pissing people off Indeed, that was partly what I meant when I said too many people take results in isolation without looking at the general state of play.

Mate I watched the game. Duff was denied a certain goal by some great defending at the back post and Martins had a half chance early on. That was our lot. At the other end, Shay had a lot of work to do. We played ok, but let's not start pretending we were cutting Chelsea apart at the back. Wullie's turning gloomy. Big Sam's done for. Seriously though, we're getting expectations lowered by our away performances. Same as at Blackburn, where we were better but still well beaten, some people go on like we were Holland 1974 in that game, masterful but cruelly denied the victory. Due respect Wullie and I agree that we are clutching at straws compared to the Keegan or Robson eras, but we were not well beaten at Blackburn - the scoreline was a travesty of the balance of play. A travesty? I was disappointed not to get something at Blackburn but I certainly didn't think we were robbed. Blackburn deserved those three points more than us, imo. I think if it had been the other way round, us winning at home to Blackburn, we'd have felt like we deserved it.