Rich

Just tried to get up to speed on all of this having not seen any news/read any internets all day. Jesus wept. Again.

He drowned in jizz.

exactly, that's what I was trying to intimate. Pardew's just about getting some of the fans on side - a defeat on Wearside and he'll undo all of that in 90 minutes flat. What happens if we win those two games, though? We'll be headed for Europe.

Williamson/Taylor as a partnership is the pits like, but for this game they did have the added element of an unsure goalkeeper and an out-of-position youngster in and around them. Plus no Super Cheick to shield them. Hopefully it's been a bit of an eye-opener for Pardew and he'll start to see why narks like me want him to bring in three new defenders.

Sort of a "let's just keep our heads down and do our jobs" type of thing?

Eh? Ultra-paranoid, if you ask me. Surely Simpson was just telling him to focus up on the playing side of things, in a round-a-bout sort of a way?

This type of thread gets made every summer, like. I'm sure I did one a few years ago, or at least contributed to one. It's not that difficult to understand. But of course it's easier for people like me, Prophet and Shak to be all sarcastic about it all than actually explain it properly.

I mentioned it a while back, players have certain poorer parts of their game pointed out and then it gets exaggerated massively. The backing off thing is another one of those N-O myths, for sure. I've disliked Simpson since day one and I've stated why plenty of times - not big enough, not strong enough, not particularly quick, not particularly good on the ball, passing is poor, doesn't offer much going forward aside from the occasional belting cross, etc. - but he's adequate enough for where we are. He did show some very promising things at (brief) times last season, too, and in theory he should only get better. I'd like to see another Jose quality player for the right, but that's not going to happen, so I'm happy enough with Simpson for another season.

About time someone who could make sense of this stuff showed up.

He might feel sorry for you for the same reasons after reading that tweet to Routledge. #helmet

It's an American thing, innit? Only time I've seen it is on NFL games.

I didn't say it wouldn't make a difference, I said it wouldn't have made much of a difference to the goals we conceded. Of course they'd have improved us This is still retarded Jonny, sorry. Those situations would never have arose with different players on the field, etc. Butterfly effect and all that.

Some people are being a bit dramatic, let's be honest. Nobody's in any doubt that a few more signings need to be made and that we need to get something resembling our best line-up on the field for the Arsenal game.

Aye. If I shit my pants every time a pre-season game was slightly disappointing my knicker bill would be through the roof. When did you get so brilliant man? New AS9.

And they'd have been able to stop Williamson/Forster fucking up how? Williamson wouldn't have been playing, for starters? What an odd argument

What's new?

Forum died badly there. Only 440 online.

One of them has a stronger accent? One of them's Scottish, you douche. Shit. Really? I didn't mean to be a douche. Now I feel like a cunt. Cheers.

One of them has a stronger accent? One of them's Scottish, you douche.

These commentators are heartbroken. Clowns.

Big Mike's got a nasty habit of getting done at the touchline. Shame, because most of his other defending is solid enough. Think Taylor has comfortably edged him out now anyway, to be fair.

He's just gone off Aye, I got that part. I meant before that

2-1.

Am I being special or have I not heard Gosling mentioned much at all?

Sammy's here!