Rich

Hope everyone's put a day's holiday in for the Friday and turns up at least on their way to being pissed for the match. We're overdue a "magical" European night. If we go through, that's exactly what it'll be - regardless of how the game is won. Ideally hope it doesn't go to penalties, though. I can't see us doing it, but I may feel differently if we beat Fulham. Think we need to do that in order to be in the right frame of mind to go at Benfica. Think you put the same in the Fulham thread, so definitely agree with you on it. Everything needs to align.

People must be more optimistic than on here because tickets are selling like billy-o for the home leg, even at this hour. Atmosphere will be immense if we score early doors.

The daft thing is, a player like Sissoko coming in to replace Jonas in the 4-3-3 is what a lot of people were hoping for before the summer. Pardew likes him further up because he can kick onto him from the goalkeeper as much as anything, now that he no longer has Ba there. I'm still hopeful the long-term plan involves a more attacking line-up with Moussa a bit further back.

:anguish: It wasn't a foul throw as such, jonas was told to take further back more than once but took it way further forward than where it was meant to be so the ref gave them the throw. Was that the foul throw? I didnt even see it properly there wasn't a replay. Cheers Ujpest Bimpy saw it right, I was too busy spitting bile.

Every club agrees with that. This cup is nowhere near as important as the old UEFA Cup was. When the last trophy you have won is as far back as 1969, every cup is important. That's why, considering the chances we had and the goals we gave to you on a plate, that this is so so disappointing. You think I don't feel your pain? 1962 here. We had so much luck today. No doubts about that. You haven't won anything since 1962?

Think the latest is that Haidara and Tiote are likely, but Debuchy is probably out.

Either way it was a farce. Things like that when you're under the cosh and away from home seem to happen to us all too often, it's just another area of our game that we're sadly lacking in. Should be so fucking basic as well.

:anguish: Was that the foul throw? I didnt even see it properly there wasn't a replay. I thought the ref gave it to them because Jonas took the throw 5 yards too far forward to where the throw in was given. Stealing yards if you like. Their player then took it, doing exactly the same and the ref let that go. I didnt even know that was allowed! Unbelievable if true. Ref normally just makes them retake it in the right spot. Had to have been a foul throw surely. I think he stepped over the line while taking it, if I was reading the referee's signals correctly.

:anguish: Was that the foul throw? I didnt even see it properly there wasn't a replay. Aye. I know it may seem daft to some to go back to an incident such as that, but to finally have gotten out of our own half by winning a throw-in to take some pressure off we proceed to allow Jonas to take it, he foul throws and then they're 2-1 within a minute of them taking the restart. Leave it sitting there and get Santon on it, then try and retain some possession from it ourselves perhaps? It was so fucking schoolboy I wanted to run head-first into my TV.

:anguish:

All of this from that fucking foul throw by the way.

Need some leadership here, this is getting away from us in a big way regardless of this going in.

This is getting me far more annoyed than it should be

Artur, Almeida, Luisão, Garay, Melgarejo, Matic, Gomes, Ola, Gaitán, Rodrigo, Cardozo

Can't agree with this, he's been turbo lately.

Very happy with that team, was worried we would see Shola starting. Bench is turd, mind! HTL.

www.tvcatchup.com will have it on, I use it all the time when I'm on the move and there's footy to be watched.

Aye, I can't wait. No idea how it's going to go but this is what football is all about for me, been far too long since we had a game like this.

Sold about 3,800 according to reports. Still a good number of supporters. Home leg is almost sold out now too. Wow, already?! Expected many to wait to see if we get hammered tonight Thats what I was/am doing! On the online sale there's only L7 remaining and it's probably just going to be the Milburn stand by tonight as the corner is selling quite swiftly, with 130 or so left in there by the looks of it.

We had one good season, followed by one bad season and as far as I've seen there aren't any players suffering internationally for being here. Out of our two hottest commodities Cabaye looks like being made club captain and Ben Arfa keeps getting knacked. It's fair to say that like most of us none of the squad are probably sure what our true level is. If we stay up the most likely option I can see is that they stick around to try and have another season like 11/12 without the Europe excuse and with a (hopefully) lighter injury list. If we have another season like this one then we'll really be struggling to keep them. As always, we'll see.

I still think most will look at it and give it another year to see which way it falls.

Sold about 3,800 according to reports. Still a good number of supporters. Home leg is almost sold out now too.