Benwell Lad

Hope the kids get a good turn out and a decent result tonight. They've done well to get this far. Like Leffe mentioned the playing field at this level is so uneven these days with what Man City and Chelsea have done. I heard from a good source that it's not unheard of for Chelsea to be paying million pound a year packages to under 18's nowadays! Just a week after the news that decent people at Sunderland, who probably love the club and earn little more than minimum wage will be getting fired at the end of the season it's a sad indictment of what has happened to our national sport in the last couple of decades.

It's not possible for us to be out of the top two a week from now.

American. Nothing remotely italian about their style of pizza's. It's like indian takeaway and restaurants in this country serve little of what you get back in India. They're Bangladeshi innit Mostly. Prepared by Bangladeshis if not necessarily typical Bangladeshi food. Sort of amusing that we use the generic term Indian to describe food from the subcontinent when it has a population one and a half times that of Europe. "What are you eating tonight?" "I fancy a European" Oh and I saw Shearer's missus the other day.

He was probably the Bournemouth fans favourite player last season, in what was a very good side. Great player but wouldn't bet against him missing two of the three upcoming away games

Adam Johnson, Paolo DiCanio, Gary Rowell, Lee Catermole, Wearside Jack Fat Sam would be up there having been the manager on the greatest night in their history when Everton rolled over for them and they "relegated the Mags"

With various mackem halfwits trying to deflect from their own miserable plight by peddling nonsense about Rafa such as he "relegated us" or spent a fortune assembling the strongest squad ever, it's worth remembering just what an excellent job he has done in less than a year. He came to a club in turmoil which was fragmented from top to bottom. He moved on most senior players at the end of the season (Krul, Janmaat, Colo, Taylor,Wijnaldum, Sissoko, Cisse and others) and replaced them for a lot less money. He displayed an almost ambassadorial demeanour which pulled the club, city and fans back together again. Faced with a 46 game scrap, a team and squad in transition, against teams who whose big day of the season will be against us,he has done an amazing job to have us where we are as things stand. If it needed further illustration just look at Villa and Norwich who many reckoned were better equipped overall for the second division. If we do go up this season I would put it down as one of his greatest achievements even though there have been many and mostly at a higher level.

whats this? Obviously a rumour about Newcastle United which no one in Newcastle has heard. A rare thing indeed.

Brilliant picture that like. Wor Jackie/ Mitro lookalike possibility

Yeah when coming on as a sub, I don't think he's trusted enough to start which says its own story when the comparison is gouffran. Much as we love him - in some ways Rafa is Allardyce/Pardew. He likes to play the percentages, he likes hard working players he can rely on and he struggles to trust purely flair players. If his name was Ralph Bennett.... <\controversial> No doubt at all that Rafa is firmly in the pragmatist section of managers. Much as we will him to just occasionally be a little "Keeganesque" it isn't going to happen and that may well be the best thing for the next three away games.

With Gayle that was a goal without doubt.

Thought he did a lot of very decent link up stuff last night. I think we're lucky to have someone as good coming off the bench. What did seem evident was that he held back in a couple of 50/50 situations and he was trying to jump with minimum arm movement. Of course it slightly inhibits him but probably something they're working on given that some referees have him in the book before the game even kicks off.

There was almost a consensus around where I sit that he was MOTM last night, but of course how ridiculous that the eyes of people who watch football should dare to dispute "stats".

Whilst London is undoubtedly one of the world's greatest and most exciting cities this notion that footballers only want to be there is a bit of a nonsense. Sure there may have been an odd player or two who only wanted to be there but equally other players may insist on being in other locations that suit them best. It may be more to do with London clubs having been quite successful for a couple of decades, even QPR, Watford, Charlton, Fulham and Palace having stints in the PL meaning there's a lot more options in the London area for top pros.

Worse than that, we've lost them all. That's appalling Almost defies the law of averages.

Didn't some economic think-tank (whatever that is ?) suggest a few years ago that it would be best just to bulldoze Sunderland and pay it's inhabitants to relocate somewhere else with better prospects ? Seem to recall it was, quite understandably, met with uproar. Unlikely the football club would get away with such a negative suggestion.

Rafa will select the Atsu type player ahead of the Gouffran type about the same time as he decides to play two up front.

Just noticed they've got Everton away next. Everton might think it's a testimonial match and be waiting for the ref to award Sunderland a comedy penalty at the end so one of the old boys can score a consolation goal.

I think most football supporters, not just Newcastle fans, would be glad to see them get their comeuppance for the way they tried to cover up the Johnson case and that a lot of their fans have continued to support him since.

This game and the three difficult away games which follow are exactly the type of challenges that Rafa has made a very successful career out of.

Think he's going to be a key player with a big role to play for the remainder of the season.

I wouldn't be surprised if those who are overplaying any dip in form are the same people who were talking about record points, unbeaten season and promotion by March etc etc before a ball was kicked. I think most rational fans knew it would be a difficult league to get out of (as it always has been), there'd be ups and downs along the way but we'll probably do it in the end.

Quite a stunning result and important 3 points for them, however it should be taken in the context of what it was, a freak result that happens from time to time in football, against a team who have some serious problems. They're awful and the league table doesn't lie.

Years ago I was talking with a Danish guy about the Laudrup brothers and he said they were the same as their father in that they could play 90 minutes in a muddy battle and still walk off the pitch looking immaculate without a hair out of place. There's a touch of that about wor Karl

You clearly do understand what being a mackem is all about, despite not being local

Obsessed Sometimes you just have to remember what level of humanity you're dealing with there. Below are the comments of a beleaguered mackem on RTG after the Burnley match on Tuesday. You'd think having got away almost scot-free from the football authorities and media for knowingly playing a paedophile in their team they'd keep quiet about it, but no it seems they still celebrate their nonce hero. Little wonder most decent or sane supporters gave up on them ages ago. Powder puff 11, couldn't pass to one another, only communicated with exasperated outstretched arms to each other, young uns singing about a sex offender who shags who he wants, nee meat and potato pies left. Signs of acrimony at the players and manager at the end. I could go on.