Beren

Citeh up, btw.

Boro 1 up.

Wahey, we're pretty much part of the title race again! Good times.

No great loss, tbh. Don't see how you can be too gutted in all honesty - we weren't too close from sliding off the PL map not so long ago. That's not to say we shouldn't be ambitious and make the most of our potential, but even the Man Utds, Arsenals, Chelseas of this world know you don't win every battle. This is just one, and a small one at that. Well done to Spurs, though obviously I hope he is over-rated. Looking forward to today's game, personally.

Don't know what to say anymore. Surprised they were too lazy to manafacture an insider quote from one of the clubs or something.

Good shout re: Flamini. Under-rated within the Arsenal set-up IMO.

Team of the Season outside the top four, anyone?

Honourable mention for Sol. Maybe even a place on the bench.

Very interesting article here, too: http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_3463322,00.html

BBC: Confident!

Thought it was a decent game myself! Bit much pissing and moaning, but that's to be expected.

Four players in Garth Crook's Team of the Week squad, with Owen and Beye starting.

And whose fault is that? Haswell and his all-too-literal approach to bible-bashing, that's who!

This should have been an episode of The Simpsons in Season 5, tbh.

They're in a bit of a rut, we've got 4 points away at Spurs and Pompey. Though experience tells me to fear the worst, free-thinking tells me a 3-1 away win and happy days.

Disclaimer: Hopefully there will be some manner of brawl and loads of suspensions/fines.

Can't stand either of them, but I want Liverpool to progress because I'm more confident of Man Utd thrashing them in the final than I am if Chelsea go through.

Lay off KD, haters!

If only we'd got a work permit in 1994, and he then performed the frighteners in the Manyoo vs NUFC game in 95/96 season. Amen, you crazy sonuva.

In a sense, I understand what KD means. I don't by any means think they're a one-man team, or that he's the best keeper in the league even, but in a way, he's like an unpredictable force of nature that runs unchecked in the Premier League. He'll be average [by his own standards, that is] for a while, then one day he'll screw up the title race by single-handedly humiliating a Man Utd or an Arsenal offence. He'll tell his defenders to part like the Red Sea and invite the opposition to fail for 90 minutes in overcoming one, ostensibly mortal, man. On his day, he's frightening.

[Yes, best defence in the league, thank you very much ]

Take this with maybe two pinches of salt, but: http://www.4thegame.com/football-statistics/premiership/tables/currentform.html Who would have thought we'd be wishing the season didn't end in 3 games time, earlier in the season, eh?

Thought he was shite as a presenter.

If we we're gonna sign four players to go straight into the first team, that's what it should be. Address the midfield 3 times before getting another striker in? Take Viduka out of our team and we're absolutely bummed, nobody to lead the line. I agree with HTT's post on the previous page, a top class center forward has to be very high on the list of priorities, if not at the very top. Can't agree with that. We have three very capable forwards, and Carroll [who I rate higher than perhaps is warranted from the evidence thus far!]. We don't know whether Keegan will stick with the 4-3-3 or not once he has the opportunity to bring in his own players, but if we revert back to 4-4-2, I think we'll certainly be fine up front. Any more real quality we purchase up front would create an unhealthy level of competition - which we, as a non-CL side, couldn't handle/justify. Any forward we bring in should be very much as back-up [unless we sell Owen, Viduka or Martins]. By contrast, our midfield is malnourished. Problem with going back to 4-4-2 is that Viduka & Martins is the only pairing from our current group of strikers that has any real chance of being a good partnership. And, with Owen very much a key figure for us moving forward by the looks of things, I can't see that being the way to go. Viduka and Owen offers absolutely no pace, while Owen and Martins just won't work as far as I can see. You need one of your strikers to be adept at playing with his back to goal and offering some sort of size for high balls. Be very surprised if Keegan tries to switch Owen back to his old style of game, because I just don't see how it'll work with the amount of pace he has lost. Viduka has been good in recent weeks, but can you imagine what a really top center-forward, one who can offer a physical force and aeriel threat as well as the good link-up play and finishing that Viduka gives us could do in his role, and how much that would help the game of both Martins and Owen? We do need midfielders too, no doubt, but the single biggest impact on our team would come from a really top center forward, IMO. Difficult to say what our overall plan is, but given the fan's/Keegan's past record of favouring wingers, and putting crosses into the box, I understand why you'd say that. I would also go as far as to agree that Viduka isn't as much of an aerial threat on goal as you'd expect of a 'big man' forward, though he does lead the line and compete well enough. I can't help but feel that having better creative midfielders would obviate the necessity for the kind of striker you refer to. I wouldn't rule out the Martins/Owen combination until we have some pace in midfielder, some guile out wide and someone better than Butt threading balls through for 'em! Also, agree with Dev that defensively we're okay and no substantial investments need to be made. Seems strange saying that when we've got battered by 3+ scorelines on a regular basis for parts of the season, but I very much believe that was a team issue.

I like Avram. Funny in his own way. Everton and Chelsea was always going to be boring as. Especially at Goodison.