Wullie

Second half v Sundeland and first half today we actually played decent football. We did go long when Shola came in but it wasn't helped by our defence being so deep for the majority of the second half and our midfield having no sort of grip on the game with the anonymous Cabaye leaving Tiote with far too much work. We went long a long time before Shola came in, he was sent on because Ba wasn't coping with it. I know it's your position to defend the manager come what may but it's clear that kicking it long as much as possible are his instructions. It's been like that every week since before Christmas. See no logical reason he'd have suggested adopting that tactic after he clearly hadnt suggested they start the game with it & keeping it down was working well. Because he wants to defend, defend, defend all the time whether it be 1-1 at the Emirates or 2-0 up at home against Wolves and kicking it long means the midfield and the back four keep their shape. Canny obvious to me.

Second half v Sundeland and first half today we actually played decent football. We did go long when Shola came in but it wasn't helped by our defence being so deep for the majority of the second half and our midfield having no sort of grip on the game with the anonymous Cabaye leaving Tiote with far too much work. We went long a long time before Shola came in, he was sent on because Ba wasn't coping with it. I know it's your position to defend the manager come what may but it's clear that kicking it long as much as possible are his instructions. It's been like that every week since before Christmas.

He was injured according to Pardew. Aye I can see why that would affect him hoying a throw in into nowhere as opposed to dropping it at Shola's feet.

Mistakes I can handle, being absolutely thick as mince I can't.

Ba must be absolutely fucking sick of trying to flick balls covered in snow straight to the opposition goalkeeper.

We had 4/5 players alone up in that corner. It should have been HBA throwing to Shola, nothing more. Rank unprofessionalism, as was the desperate lack of just fouling someone when they got the ball and taking a yellow.

Simpson can fuck off, that was the most ridiculous throw in ever taken in a football match. Stupid cunt. Webb's a total bellend as well, worst ref in the league for me. Five fucking minutes??

More long ball then.

Obertan, fuck me.

Can't get my head round people wanting Cisse dropped.

I've been confident since the slump Man City had in December/January that Man United would win the title. City simply haven't enough bottle and they don't pull results out of nowhere like Man Utd have always done.

Assume it's because he's wearing one of those vest things. Like a few of the other first teamers. FFS. Aye, I can definitely see Danny Guthrie and Abeid replacing Coloccini and Jonas, why didn't I see it coming before now?

Yeah BBC.

I was similar after the Man City game last season, got in at 1-0 down without realising then they were 2-0 up almost immediately, I thought Carroll had equalised then Tevez had won it 2-1. Didn't realise until I got into town and got the internet back that it had finished 3-1.

Ranger was absolutely excellent, nearly made the winner for Nolan too. Easy to forget how much he changed games against Liverpool and Arsenal. Skinned Koscielny at the Emirates too ending up in his dismissal.

1st April: Please please please please please please please please please please please please please please beat them. Please.

Probably a good thing for Zat Knight if Shearer's past opinion is anything to go by after the way he ripped into Coloccini.

Of course we can give any one a good game. But to say "we must get something" just because we've dropped points lately is stupid given we still have 5 points on 7th. I'd love for us to turn up with our 'A' game on Monday night and have HBA, Cabaya, Tiote, Ba and Cisse on top of their game - those 5 along on song with an OT-esque defensive performance (not that they'd be under so much pressure with the attack on fire) is more than enough to beat anyone in the league - I just can't see it happening for the first time, away from home on a Monday night at the Emirates against a reasonably confident Arsenal side after we've just had two 'disappointing' home draws. Reluctantly, I think Pards will send them out trying to shut out RVP and "keep it tight" for the first 60minutes before looking to nick it. We have the playing potential in our first team to be much better than that, but perhaps they've not had the time to work together and develop the split-second understanding needed to do it without thinking when it counts. This is probably why Pards is concentrating on "percentages" at the moment - to the detriment of our entertainment. The way we've been playing isn't just to the detriment of our "entertainment". Pardew's gameplan when he tries to "keep it tight" seems to involve letting the opposition have the ball as much as possible. Logic seems to be that losing the ball when we're in attacking possession is bad because players might be out of position but losing it when the shape is ok is a good thing because... well, at least the shape is ok. Hence trying to take someone on is a black mark but Danny Simpson whacking it straight to their centre half is positively encouraged. It didn't work against Spurs or Liverpool, it didn't even work against Wolves (home or away) so I pray he doesn't try the same thing against Arsenal. If we just let them have the ball, it'll be another potential massacre. You can't just let other teams have the ball in the Premier League, it's insane, that's why we've been leaking so many goals.

Just goes to show though, the pundits can't win. How many times has Shearer been criticised by fans for not offering an opinion?

If only football was as simple as this. We're talking about a team that's just scored 8 goals against Spurs & Milan recently. What we did in our last 3 games against these has no bearing on Monday night. They'll be strong favourites on Monday, and we'll have to play at 100%, with them at around 70% to even stand a chance of a result. It has a bearing in that we need to try and recoup the points we've lost unnecessarily in two home games against poor sides. Spurs put 5 past us then couldn't beat Stevenage so I'm not interested in what Arsenal did last week or the week before. Of course they'll be strong favourites. We were strong favourites at 2-0 up against Wolves but we flushed that game down the toilet (and just how embarrassing does that look now?) and we need at least a point on Monday. Our form is dreadful and we need to arrest it, that'll have to be against Arsenal because we were unable to do it against Wolves or the mackems.

"Anything other than a savaging to our goal difference will be a bonus"? We've been neck and neck with them all season and we're supposed to be significantly stronger now than we were prior to January, what an absolutely ridiculous attitude. We beat a stronger Arsenal side with a weaker Newcastle one last season, we should be going there to win, a point's a decent result, a defeat is not good enough because we've shelled too many points at home in games we should be winning.

Everton really hitting form at the minute, they better bloody do it next week too.

Proper mental on that place like.

Still can't believe the BBC interviewer after the Carling Cup final saying to Gerrard that "it's been a tremendous turnaround under Kenny" Fucking dour racist old twat.