Elma

I randomly chose Hull, Boro and the mackems...then did the predictor and got the same result. Hull (20), Boro (19), mackems (18).

Certainly hope so. Imagine Rafa's press conference on Friday is when we'll hear further though. Was thinking about this earlier. The 'late fitness test' has gone out of the window with Rafa here. He's so methodical he needs to be planning at least 2-3 days ahead of the game and know the personnel available. If a player isn't fit in mid-week for a weekend game then I think he rules him out, at least from the starting eleven, so that he can prepare properly. This is probably impacting the return of Gayle, but at the same time makes sure the eleven that go out there are able to execute the plan as closely as possible (thought they did this perfectly v Brighton), whilst also reducing the chance of rushing someone back. Gayle pulling up v Villa doesn't really fall into this as scans proved no additional damage.

Would happily take a draw in this one. Huddersfield's game in hand is away at Wolves, which isn't easy. A loss, however wouldn't be great with Reading up next. A win, and although I wouldn't say we're up, would mean that effectively eight wins from our last eleven games (same points ratio we have to date) would force Huddersfield to win every remaining game.

Incredible that he's allowed to referee this match. I see he made (yet another) cock up yesterday in the Palace game and booked someone for diving yet it was a clear pen. Agreed. It's not asking much for the referee to be impartial and with no vested interest in the outcome of the game. It's a joke to be frank and I really hope it doesn't bite us in the arse. you know it will You'd have to expect at least a yellow for Ritchie and maybe a red for Shelvey, thereby ruling them out of Saturday's game v Huddersfield. Shocking that they couldn't find a better appointment for this one. Would rather a championship ref than one off the prem list with a vested interest.

Me too - seemed to click at our place and had a good relationship with Rafa. Made a professional decision (wrongly in my opinion) but did it in the right way and as far as I'm aware didn't twist in public. No hard feelings at all towards him and would welcome him back.

That's just normal for Pardew. FYP Good job he got to play Stoke twice in all of that. Thought the same - they must feel like shit losing to him twice. Throw in a win against a promoted team, one against one now relegated, and one against the mackems. They've only really beaten one decent side in 2016 (Southampton).

If Carlsberg did message boards…

We'll appeal them both, but only got a chance on Dummett.

League record in 2015 was 19-6-14 (very quickly worked out so may not be 100% accurate). That's 63 points on top of the 41 from 2014 and 2016 to date. Combined that's 104 over three whole years, giving an average of 34.6 per year (likely relegation over a full season). He might be able to get that up slightly if he can pick up a few points before the end of December.

A month ago my cardiologist actively encouraged me to move to a different country (developed one) as in future years I would likely receive better treatment there than here because of lack of funding partially down to Brexit. On top of this I have lost 1/5 of my pensions (accounting for a years worth of contributions), the career I have been working 5 years towards and currently at uni for will virtually not exist in the UK after 2020, this is all things that have happened before we have even left the EU. So yeah, imagine being p*ssed about all of that. Here in Turkey, sterling has just got back to the pre-Brexit lira rate, a few short hours ago. That's not Sterling recovering but the Lira crashing through the floor due to a military coup, the arrest and detention of thousands of academics, journalists and opposition MPs, suppression of the media, billions of dollars of international capital being withdrawn, the credit rating being downgraded, and ironically, the suspension of EU talks to get there. Article 50 not even served yet too. Would be funny if it weren't so serious. I'm not surprised you're p*ssed off - a lot of people are.

My last live game moment was the 69th minute of the Cardiff home game, when my dad and I walked out, having cancelled our season tickets in the January. Although the root of it was Ashley, had there been a decent team to watch, organised and putting in effort, then we would have stayed. I too laughed when the opposition scored under Pardew, although my disillusionment was more or less coupled with a move abroad, so it made it easier to keep my distance. I dropped down to watching maybe one game in four on TV, when it didn't interfere too much with anything else going on in my life. I wouldn't say I had gone as far as a mate of mine (Luton fan) who has zero interest now, mainly driven by the money in the game and what he perceives is a corrupt sport, but I was starting to become disconnected from the club. Despite relegation, I got re-energised to a degree by Benitez. As much as it signalled a departure from the failing blueprint, that turned into something more tangible when he decided to stay on and I was really anticipating the Fulham game. This weekend is my first trip back to the UK since June and I'll be cramming as much NUFC in as possible - straight to the match from the flight, then tickets for the beamback, Forest on the TV and then the Brum game before returning home. I actively jumped up and celebrated the goals on Sunday for the first time in years. I'll always have a deep suspicion of Ashley, but I feel I'm back at 90% of what I felt for the club before the disillusionment kicked in, probably around the time Keegan was forced out. My dad is now going to virtually every game again now too, but on a match per match basis rather than with a season ticket.

Could see Rafa bringing in someone in the summer and dropping Gayle to back up, as Keegan did when we went up replacing Kelly and Peacock with Cole and Beardsley. Can't see Gayle or Mitro being first choice if we go back up, but would be surprised if Gayle were sold at all either in Jan or the summer. He's proven to be a perfectly capable squad player in the prem.

Certainly won't be far off a sell-out. Although it looks like they're not bringing many as we've already put two of the 'away' blocks on sale. Will be my first live game (i.e. not on TV) under Rafa, and I've got a ticket in one of those away blocks. Couldn't time it right getting over last year and been stranded overseas due to visa issues since 6 August. Also got tickets for the beam back, and then the going to the Birmingham game before flying back. Can't wait.

I imagine him reading radgie = chav, and then going....but what's a chav? Ostensibly it's translations for someone who already has a very solid grasp of English in the first place. Not sure what level they are at? On a related subject, surely Cathro must speak some Spanish I would have thought?

He's got Farage down to a tee there like...

I was at that game. Got a ticket from someone at the club in our allocation for directors/club execs. Aside from the small official allocation we were given, there were about 100 of us in with the Leeds fans - although the area was mainly family and pretty friendly. We got chatting to the guy in front who was hanging onto a brown paper bag, and when we asked him what he was hiding it turned out he'd bought a Gordon the Gopher puppet for his daughter for Xmas and had got them to plain wrap it so his mates wouldn't rip the p*ss out of him in the pub about it before the game. I remember a cracking move from us and McGhee getting on the end of it and drilling the ball towards the bottom corner, only for Mervyn Day to pull off a worldy and tip it round the post. From the resultant corner, they swept upfield and Baird scored the only goal of the game. At that point the bloke it front went crackers, and our disappointment was slightly assuaged by seeing Gordon the Gopher fly about fifteen rows forward in the melee. Don't think he got it back either....

Mitro should start. No point risking Gayle when we've got Leeds away after an international break where we can make sure he's 100% fit.

That's like a Viz top tip.

Man City were in division 2 that season. They dropped later than that I think. Remember as a twelve year old, listening to the commentary of the Gillingham home game in the play-offs on Metro Radio, relaying Cascarino's goals to the rest of the family. Something we've never done - played in the third tier of English football.

They'll be happy now though ironically probably the only decision he's got wrong They were, for about 5 mins Beşiktaş is my team here but you only really have one team in your life so I'm not too fussed by the equaliser. Was funny watching the dogs nearly crap themselves though as my brother-in-law knocked the table over when the equaliser went in.

Watching Beşiktaş against Napoli with my Turkish family at my sister in law's outside of Istanbul. Stupidly let on that Clattenburg is a Geordie. Getting shit now for every crap decision.

The thing which tickles me is that they don't see any inconsistency or hypocrisy in stuff they write between one post and the next. Most blame Rafa for our relegation (I know many are just on the windup but some aren't) when he only had 10 games, yet they are now saying if Allardyce came back he would have nowt to lose, as if he fails to keep them up in 28 games it would be blamed on Moyes. On a similar note they say Rafa took us down as he couldn't beat them, Norwich or Villa, whilst not recognising that two of those were in his first three games, and after he sorted us out he took twelve points from the last six. Sam lost eight out of his first eleven games but apparently allowing a manager time to sort out someone else's team doesn't seem to apply to Rafa?

Would expect Bournemouth to beat them. Am a fan of how they play and think Eddie Howe is a great manager. Just realised today that they have an issue away from home. Thought they would give Boro a tougher game. They are 3-1-1 at home and 0-2-3 away. Thankfully they are at home to the mackems next week so I suspect SAFC will be looking for their first win at home to Hull. I'm not sure who to support on Monday mind. Swansea to try and cut Sunderland adrift (although not change their gap to safety) or Stoke to increase the safety gap but leave Swansea as another team in trouble with them. I think it's going to be the mackems, the three promoted clubs, and Swansea filling the bottom five places. Therefore Boro's win and Burnley's point today are excellent as ultimately that's the gap they should be worried about.

This is delicious…doubt they'll get much of the ball at Bournemouth next week either.

Turns out it was the makems they were trolling… ?