Beren

Marv is the key man today. He can unlock their defence. Really hope we start the game with some tempo and impose ourselves as the Premier League side. Will be really disappointed if our appetite and desire isn't palpable from the off - equal to, or greater than, Brighton's. Fans deserve that much.

Good post. Games we won't make hard work of: Reading (h)

Good chance to get our first away win of the season.

They need a CM more pressingly, tbh.

The poor bastards who are going down to this on the day must have had to have left hours ago! Ouch.

I don't know about that - we've had 20 goals in three games playing our kamikaze-football lately

Not his biggest fan, but that'd be hilarious/a great match Not beyonds the realms of possibility either IMO. Hmm. Tough one to call.

Can only hope we've seen and enjoyed the best of him.

Me too. Its brilliant. So much entertainment has been weaned out of his choice of coats already, can't see how you could dislike the things.

So you have hostility to all non-mates around the world who went to a better university or has a better job than you?! Nah, fair enough. I do agree about not getting hung up. It's just one of my footballing pet peeves that increasingly no one seems to get on anymore in football, really. Clubs, former players etc.

You mount a convincing case

I'll really feel for Fulham if Riise and Riether (sp?) gets injured and they have Simpson and Richardson as their full-backs.

I don't know. Maybe you're right, maybe it's symptomatic of the way modern football is... ...it just seems strange to me that fans can idolise and respect a player who gives his all one minute, but then turn on that same person for wanting to be paid more than Chelsea's youth team player/not be in a relegation scrap for the remainder of his finite career, as one of the league's deadliest predators. It seems the same as having hostility to one of your childhood mates back in school going to a better university or getting a better job than you, even though they clearly deserve it.

That's because a lot of people didn't rate him and thought we'd mugged Villa on the fee. Agree. Woodgate is a good shout from Tooj though. Although, maybe him going abroad had some bearing on that. If he'd gone to Man Utd, I'm sure his disastrous debut away from here would have been greeted with rapturous cheers.

Who was the Newcastle player we sold to a comparably-sized/bigger club whose exit wasn't greeted with hostility? Doesn't seem to me as there as anyway to leave without some fans being bitter, unless they can exercise a degree of condescension about where you're going

Nitpicking for negatives, isn't that mate?

So long, and thanks for all the fish!

Tav on loan to a CC club for me. Needs games badly not sitting on the bench, he can do that already. Simpson's negotiation position just got significantly weaker. Tav needs to go on loan now for the rest of the season, while Simpson sees out his contract here. That way at least Tav will have some experience of regular first-team football, should he have to come into the side next season. Simpson is adequate cover for the rest of this season. Also, not sure I agree re: some stick for Simpson. His attitude is far from exemplary - especially compared to someone like Williamson who does give his all, but also isn't quite good enough. Neither are at fault for having had to start so many games, but Simpson's tendency to shaft responsibility to others and to continue appealing to the ref once he's been beaten down the wing etc are unrelated to his lower ability. He's not Suarez or anything, but he isn't perfect.

Why?

In complete contrast with my doom and gloom (yesterday?), Im actually now very excited by this signing. Fickle, right?

Kicked the turf trying to scoop a cross into the heaves for me like.

Fair play to both Boateng and Jarvis :thup:

JH: I know. Trying to post less while I feel this way about the club. Having sat on the other side of this fence, I know how annoying it is to have some fucker pissing on your chips with their unwanted doom and gloom.