Benwell Lad

Their financial decision is not just bad, it really is seriously grave. While I do feel sorry for the awful situation they have put their genuine decent fans in, thinking about the hypothetical "would you donate" question ? Let's see. Would I donate to a football club who have spent way above their means for over a decade in the world's richest league; pay people like Rodwell and Cattermole more in a week than many hard working people earn in a year; knowingly played a paedophile in a desperate attempt to keep their snout in the money trough and then paid a fortune to their CEO to go quietly ? Can I think about it for a while ?

It is a penalty though, just the law isn’t enforced consistently. Then technically every corner, every free kick into the box and most crosses are penalties.

May as well award a penalty as soon as the ball is kicked,for every single corner and free kick into the box and be done with it

I've noticed a bit of a mackem trait over the last few years that when they feel they've got the upper hand it's about Sunderland and Newcastle, but when it's the other way round they like to lump all NE clubs together in a collective malaise. While there is no doubt that the region's other two main clubs continue to under perform and could do a lot better, their situation really is something very different and much worse. Their's is financially catastrophic and potentially terminal and while they are not happy with what is going on on the pitch it probably pales into insignificance against what is happening off it.

Toon fan Chris Paisley just won the South African Open golf. Congratulations fella !

This pub league is proving to be a very sobering experience for those who were gloating last season. Not many bursts of laughter to be heard down there nowadays.

The 381 fans they took to Gateshead were more indicitave of their real support so while they're entitled to enjoy their day out, I for one won't be in awe of their 'magnificent' support this weekend. Well put. The 7,000 can enjoy their big day out but it's those 381 who deserve a pat on the back.

f***ing hell. I didn't know there was that many football fans in Luton. Probably isn’t, Be all day trippers and people that support other London clubs coming for the big day out. Can’t be arsed following them normally though. Really annoys me this sort of thing Always a big day out for supporters of little clubs in the FA Cup. Even Sunderland are taking 5,000 to Boro. There are going to be a deluge of "our fans" threads on RTG

Really warming to the kid, feel quite positive when his name is on the team sheet as opposed to earlier when it was a bit "oh no".

The way Rafa spreads games around the entire squad should mean that the starting eleven should pretty much resemble a PL starting eleven.

When/if they go down will it be the highest earning squad ever to be relegated from the second tier ? They still have a lot of bloated high earning players on top end premier league salaries, most of whom don't seem to be too bothered about their relegation woes.

He definitely has a catalytic affect on the back four.

There are few more pleasing sights in football than the miserable face of a whinging Mark Hughes.

I'll hold my hands up, he's turned out a lot better all round player than I ever thought he would.

Still think because it's Sunderland people aren't quite getting how desperately bad they are, or how knackered they are financially. Their recent victories have been flukey and very much against the run of play. The Sheff U and Barnsley results have been closer to the reality of where they are. They may stay up, but I can't imagine any sane person would bet on that as things stand now.

Wenger's correct. Reffing standards haven't improved since they became professional. Might even have gone backwards. Only been two stand outs during that time and unfortunately they both support Newcastle so we never see them.

Most of the 52,000 screaming Jawdees inside SJP seemed to understand who we were up against, how big the gulf in class was, why we set up the way we did, and stayed with the team for the whole game. They don't do that for poor performances nowadays no matter who we are playing, so that would probably indicate that what the team and the manger were doing was largely appreciated.

While it was a delightfully executed chip imo it was the wrong decision. I can understand people saying he did the correct thing from that photo but that was after he delayed the shot and allowed the keeper to take that position. I was directly in line with him and the keeper and I'm convinced that an early driven shot made it a relatively easy goal.

Aarons chance was straightforward for a left footer and if he'd driven it it was in. Atsu is currently way ahead of him. Rafa tried to condense the game into a last ten minute contest and in fairness he nearly achieved that. Not universally popular but it was the only way that we stood even a slight chance of getting a result and the crowd were right behind the manager and team's approach.

After that initial stage fright he suffered from he now offers something different, and positive, going forward.

We set up the only way that gave us even a remote chance of a result. Not many would have seen the game being poised the way it was at 90 minutes, so arguably our tactics were correct. Aarons drives that ball it's in. It was very straightforward for a left footer. The crowd were very patient and supportive right to the end. They knew what we were up against and what we were doing - a million miles from the "rather get beaten 4-3" cliche.

Sissoko had a storming match that night just behind the striker iirc. I've posted it loads before but I'll never forget Louise Taylor's match report of the game: Not wishing to doubt the esteemed mackem journalista but isn't the point of playing offside when defending to leave the forward in a clear offside position ?

There's still some kind of misplaced belief that because it's "Sunderland" they should be able to turn it round. Some people seem to be forgetting just how rotten their current squad is and how crippling their financial situation has become.

Says it all really "Shame on you, West Ham. A decent enough club and support that has been emasculated by two greedy sex toy sellers and their smug henchwoman. Trying to pretend that there is a Bobby Moore Stand and Trevor Brooking Stand in a soulless bowl doesn't convince anyone"

That's the kind of support they will now attract as a global club. They definitely look like the best PL team ever and play like the Harlem Globetrotters of football - unbelievable stuff, but at what cost ? The soul has been ripped out of them and they are now a rich Arab's toy, loaded with global superstars who just by co-incidence ply their trade in Manchester rather than Paris or Leipzig. Cynical maybe, but had they evolved in a Man U or Arsenal manner rather than just bought instant success it would be easier to admire them,but like PSG and RB Leipzig they are broadly despised by real football fans around the world. Your friends' son will fit the profile of their fans from now on while the old hardcore become a small minority.