Shak

Hard to see Barca winning, unfortunately. Much as I love the Barca approach to the game in theory, against truly top class defensive units it just isn't effective. Against lesser sides their sheer ability on the ball shines through and they can carve teams open at will, but when faced with a quality defensive unit like Chelsea, or Man United in last years semi, there just isn't the room to play their way through. I hope they bring in a center forward of some sort in the summer, someone that gives them the option to be just that little bit more direct when they come up against really good defensive sides. Someone who plays well with his back to goal and can bring runners into the game and even provide some sort of threat in the air on crosses. It doesn't have to be some sort of Drogba-esque colossus either, so it's not like they'll need to change their game that radically. Adding Ribery, which has been rumoured, won't really make them any more effective in my opinion, though it'll certainly be fun to watch. Man U will just stick everyone bar Ronaldo behind the ball and defend all day, then do them on the counter attack. Only hope for this game is for Barca to score an early goal with a bit of magic from somewhere, if that happens it'll be an awesome game. 3-1 Man U.

Take it out on Hull Darren lad, there's a good man. I'd have just let him score tbh and not risked it, but obviously in the heat of battle that's hard to do so I'm talking shite of course.

Much as I dislike Nicky Butt and his continued presence in the team it's hardly the same thing like? Point is that Barton continues to do stupid shit like this time and time and time again. It's not an aberration for Barton, it's who he is. Shame, he could have been a top class footballer in my opinion.

What a retard, honestly.

Had a bizarre dream last night. Needed to win at Villa to stay up, went 1-0 down but fought back to equalise and then took the lead with a header from Beye with 5 minutes to go. Then in injury time Milner scored an absolute gem of a volley to send us down. Was devestated, then came on the forum to find that Jon was starting loads of threads about how great Milner was and how we deserved to be relegated for selling him. After having a huge slagging match with him I resolved to fly to London with intention of beating the shit out of him, but when I got there he was trained in kung-fu and was standing there like Neo in the Matrix, waiting for me to attack him. So I called him a fag and ran away. And that was it.

Terrified every time I hit F5 here.

No. I can still be won over by him, of course. If we somehow escape this mess we're in and then he gets his act together in the summer and starts running us in a competent fashion, then I'll support him again. Not that he will mind you, the man's clueless.

It'll be similiar to the Pompey game, we'll see plenty of effort but very little in the way of quality football. But, we'll create a couple of chances nonetheless, just need to take one this time.

Shak mate, with our clear lack of pace, I still can't believe we got shot of Charlie, especially considering his replacement(s). I can well believe it myself, we've just done absolutely everything wrong that we possibly could this year. We deserve to go down, we really do.

Harper, Beye, Bassong, Enrique and Jonas are players you could build a decent first team with. Martins I'd rather we just got rid of. He'll always be an enigma, you're just hoping he'll produce one of his moments of quality to make up for his panicked efforts in general play. We'd miss his pace I suppose, but we could offset that problem by buying someone else with pace. Everyone else can fuck off as far as I'm concerned.

Why on earth would you miss Barton? He's our only good mifielder. The only one that could actually make something happen and one of the very few in our squad that genuinely looks like he gives a shit. The only player that seems to give anyone else a kick up the arse when they deserve it aswell. He should be captain. I actually agree with the first paragraph.

Very much so, I think it was the manner of our defeat that has people bricking it. I didn't think we would come away with anyhting but hoped that we would make Liverpool grind a win out of us. From read I have read and heard it sounded like a training session. We actually did alright until their first goal, I thought. Heads dropped alarmingly after that, I agree, but we're just so shit at the moment that it's hard to expect much more.

Wahey! Get your eyes tested, Dave.

This changes absolutely nothing. The Sunderland game is far more important, as anyone expecting anything from the Liverpool game was absolutely deluded.

Boggles the mind that anyone could have such an incredible lack of basic intelligence, it really does.

womblemaster, are you really Joey Barton by any chance?

That would have been a goal had the keeper not been in the way. I don't see how you can blame Michael Owen for not scoring when it's not his fault that the opposition team have goalkeepers guarding the nets.

I'd give him one more chance, personally. He just needs some guidance.

These issues are crucial though Rich, and always will be. We know you love a good bumming btw.

Everton better beat Sunderland today. You hear me, Neil? Your ass if they don't, buddy.

And I'm back. Good job holding the fort until half-time, next 45 minutes could still be crucial.

Just need to keep them to less than five somehow, best we can hope for. Shambles, I really do warm to relegation with every game that goes by with these heartless, gutless, talentless, ugly, pathetic excuses for footballers that we somehow seem to have acquired. Get rid of the cunts, start again. Have the Hatton fight downloaded, gonna go and watch that I think. Can't take this shit.

Fair play lads.