Beren

Our squad is smaller and our players more crucial than those above us in that table, mind.

Also good ^

I like the Fifth Official http://espnfc.com/columns/story/_/id/1379547/the-fifth-official?cc=5739

Hope the club have got better procedures in place for relations with international sides now. That Cisse debacle, man. picard.jpeg

Do you have any plausible rationale*, beyond wanting to give the management the benefit of the doubt, for why it hasn't come together, Stu? * - Ignoring Inochi, and the straw men that he is mercilessly pummelling I know you don't want to blame any single factor, but beyond wanting to believe there are good reasons for us playing poor football to increase/sustain your enjoyment as a fan, do you have any possible explanation/combination of explanations which you really believe hold water for why we've got such long-standing problems with our football? You mentioned players possibly nursing training ground injuries, the Europa etc - do you believe these are reasons, or were those just off-the-cuff examples? Would these explain why we are vulnerable when we take corners, for example?

our players are fine, how is the Benfica B manager though?

Get in Haha, really? I missed the last half hour. I should've left the right wing bit in my sig! I thought you were on the wind up He looked to me to be operating as a right midfielder for a lot of the second half.

Krul Debuchy Taylor MYM Haidara Santon Cabaye Sissoko HBA Cisse Gouffran Dreaming of next season/a world free of injures^ - robust on paper Presumably Colo will be off in the summer. Well, a guy can dream.

We're short on natural width in midfield too, which makes Haidara's injury that much more galling. Wouldn't have minded seeing us having the option of a Debuchy-Santon right flank with a Haidara-HBA left flank (should we ever revert to the madness that is 4-4-2 )

Get in

Home games against left against Fulham, Mackems, Liverpool and Arsenal. Lot of pressure on that Fulham game (as there was earlier in the season in our home matches against Wigan and QPR). It's the one that is sandwiched between our quarter-final legs too, sadly. Man City, QPR, West Brom and West Ham away.

I'd assume the same as what goes through his mind when he lashes them in from 30 yards. Bit different when there are no options ahead of you (vs Chelsea away last season and vs Southampton recently).

I properly just can't understand what, if anything, goes through his mind at moments like that.

If they go down, Brighton & Poyet will come up

Funny that given we're only a few points apart. I suppose with a few games to go fixtures, form and the like are quite telling. I rage-bet on us at 4/1 or 5/1 a while back before we signed Debuchy, Gouff & Co. - think they'd have paid out already had we not!

Gouff was fantastic in the build up to that. Everyone was actually. Could understand if they were furious with him for always having a pop from ridiculous positions. Little wonder yesterday was only his second assist of the season. If he'd been facing the goal, I'm not sure he'd have passed!

http://www.damnomg.com/pics/7/fatboy-reacts-7592.gif

Marv I thiiiink. Edit: don't have any replays or anything though - could be wrong

I'm always annoyed when Simpson does it (with offsides), but if a team does it together on a handball in the box, you'd think it should have more effect on the referees - and I think it probably adds extra impact to all stop together (as though to say - this is so clear, we don't even need to continue) - but today we weren't getting shit from the ref Just one of those days.

The commentary on that handball - Murray (I think!) saying it wasn't easy to see the handball in real time - as the BBC show the replay in slow motion with Shola appealing for handball from the backpost, get this, in real time.

Most managers would have said the same. Still not right though IMO.

The man's a useless Spanish cretin, dragging his team towards relegation. Thought Maloney's (think it was him) interview was spot on for the circumstances. Showed his manager how not to be an ignorant bastard. Only caught a bit of it, but Maloney did seem to have more humility/contrition in his body language about the game/incidents. I understand that Martinez wouldn't publicly lambast McManaman but his tone strikes me as saying "well, these things happen".

The media coverage won't reference it every time less horrific challenges are rewarded with red cards like they have done for Nani, certainly. With us, it's just something that happened, referees are human, things even themselves out over the season and you move on with it.

Martinez's interview: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21823907 Fast-forward to 2:07 and look out for the old eyebrow-stroke 'tell' at 2:15.