Colos Short and Curlies

Should be competing to be top of the third group of teams (City, Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal = 1, Spurs, Liverpool =2). The next 6-7 spots will be tight throughout the season and we should be up there with Everton and Swansea rather than down with Palace and West Ham

Put Colback in that line up and then play 'spot the odd man out' That front 4 would cause Arsenal no end of problems, then the possibility of Aarons and Sissoko from the bench when legs get a bit tired

Yeah I never had a problem fielding 'weakened' teams against clearly inferior teams like, the problem is as we know Pardew only cares about his first 11 or so players and makes no effort to integrate fringe players properly so he was essentially just throwing them in and hoping it came good. Plus he wasn't really trying to win anyway the prick. That's the key part - we could have put out our first 11 in the 'fifth' season and still get knocked out by Stevenage Borough (years may not actually align!) all because they were told to stroll around and not exert themselves. Now I reckon that any team we put out will be under instruction to play it like a league game

Two things for certain... Giroud will score and Walcott will score

Sod the stereotype of us loving a number nine up here - we love a mecurial left footed Frenchman more

Mbemba and Taylor centrally 100%. We're going to see the partnership at some point through necessity so makes sense to give it game time on Tuesday. Lascelles to come on second half for Taylor. Janmaat to come back in at RB, either Dummet or Haidara LB, don't mind. Tiote, Anita, Wij midfield three with Aarons, Perez and Mitrovic up front. I'd be tempted to give Darlow game time as well

Bar Colback and Obertan they all deserve their Dominoes on the bus home this evening. It's getting there and a bloody good 'bonus' point at this stage

Didn't Edgar also score in that game?

20 years ago the debut of Sir Les and the birth of the greatest team never to win a trophy! 14 years ago the debut of Robert and Bellemy. Really doesn't seem that long ago for either.

Possibly the worst foul throw ever by Everton just then

Alan Armstrong for Coventry

Kamara looking like the child of Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder

I think City are waiting for Pep and are happy to keep Pellegrini until he's available as long as he is in the top 4. The switch will happen next summer I reckon

I hate it when fat people show off their ribs

They'll be pretty decent (I.e. Top half) or dog shut bottom 5. They'll have 3 streaks of wins or losses and it just depends on whether its 2 winning streaks of 6 games or 2 losing streaks. We'll finish between 9 and 12 and is be pretty confident of finishing above them.

Not sure on finishing being something that can't be taught. Riv's lowlights from last season were all a lack of composure and falling over his own feet when trying to finish. That can be improved on. Same with cisse, his instinctive finishing (which absolutely is natural) is generally good but his thinking finishing could do with some work.

Just had the pleasure of telling a palace supporting colleague of what to expect from woodmans coaching. He thinks they are after obertan as well

Huh? Well it looks like an Adidas shirt and has an Adidas logo on it (well the picture in today's papers of it certainly does) so I'd assume Adidas are happy with what they have done....

I like the magpie shirt but I do think they've missed a trick in the template when they've got Adidas backing and it's the 20th anniversary of the grandad collar shirts

Age unknown?

I read something on gluten free diets the other day, gluten free food is typically more calorific then tasty food. Maybe fat Mike has been gluten free all of his life

Wingers.... Good Job Pardew isn't here anymore, he'd stick him out wide of a front 3. That far forward? More like a hard working right sided midfielder Whose first only job is to protect the full back before doing anything else.

Wingers.... Good Job Pardew isn't here anymore, he'd stick him out wide of a front 3. That far forward? More like a hard working right sided midfielder

That would be epic I want a hybrid of the Shearer one-arm-aloft and the 'silence-the-critics' tongue slice.

Colback being sold - that would excite me as much as any signing