Ashley17

1-1

Chelseaa lead very early on, Anelka

If only we can get out of this weekend without a huge dent in our goal difference and Hull and the mackems failing to win..

Viduka is so lazy

The same source that told him there wasn't much difference between us and them back in December

1 out of 1 for it so far in terms of clean sheets this season And no, I don't count the Hull home game under Hughton

5-1

Vukic lad

Nice free kick in fairness

Probably the old chestnut between "The Champions League" and "The European Cup"

Liverpool have Degen, Plessis, N'Gog, El Zhar all playing, all have featured in the first team.

4-3-3, rest Martins for the home games and play Lovenkrands. Make sure Lovenkrands works the channels, something we didn't do enough on Monday. If it was up to me Geremi would play too but I think that ship has sailed. So we're looking at: Harper Beye Colo Bassong Edgar Butt Smith Duff Owen Viduka Lovenkrands So you've got the back 4 which just sit and don't over commit, Edgar in for his height against Kuyt. It will basically end up with Butt and Smith sitting in front of the back 4, Duff milling about aimlessly as usual. Lovenkrands working the channels should pull a centre half out with him and that gives Viduka and Owen some extra space to work in. Problem we'll have is if the full backs just sit there is no width whatsover, and we'll soon get pressed off the ball as Mascherano/Alonso/Gerrard go mental.

Because Kuyt isn't an out an out winger I wouldn't be shocked to see a return of the lopsided 3-4-3 or whatever it is. Alternatively play Edgar at left back as he should do okay in the air against Kuyt.

My favourite Pleat moment tonight was early on when he finally lost patience with Tyldesley: Tyldesley: [Cech clears ball down field straight to Valdes] Does that go down as a shot on goal? Pleat: *Notable sigh* If you want it to...

agreed about the Hull-Stoke game, stoke are safe and will take their foot off the pedal, hull are huge favourites for that game imo. i think Hull will get 3 or 4 points more than they have now so we need 6 or 7 and atm thta looks like it is asking too much. What about Sunderland like? They have a home game against a team in the cup final who to a man will be terrified of getting injured having seen what happened to Jagielka, 2 away games against teams who will be safe, and a home game against a side who may have 2 finals to come. They'll get the points if they need them.

I'm clinging to the fact that Boro will have to come and play for a win, they need points as much as we do. Even then though, we're shite. The Boro game is fucking huge and what's worse is I expect Hull to beat Stoke 2 days before we play, so we'll be 6 points adrift.

Is Barton even allowed back in Liverpool yet?

I'd say Fulham will be quite harder if they're still pushing for Europe when we play them. Ironically if a team comes out to try and beat us we have more chance. Portsmouth came for a point and we don't have the creativity to break them down. Sad but true.

Just got back. I think we must be the only team in the history of relegation battles to barely see the ball from 80 minutes on in a home game we have to win, it was embarassing. We finally got the 4-3-3 we've been begging for and it was about as successful as you can expect when 2 of the midfield 3 are Butt and Smith. Neither of them had shit games but neither of them can create anything. If there is nobody to provide, then playing Owen in this deeper role is pointless. Having said that, playing him at all is seeming more and more pointless by the game. Even when he gets a chance he misses these days, and he's running out of excuses. Width was a huge problem tonight, once Duff was moved to left back he seemed reluctant to cross half way. When he was in midfield he was constantly in the centre. Not good. Guthrie came on and was decent, faded in the 2nd half though. Coloccini, Bassong and Butt saw so much of the ball but the movement in front of them was shoddy and most things fizzled out without incident. Carroll actually worked the channels when he came on, something Martins didn't do at all second half. Problem with this was there was ntohing to aim at. Urgh. Smith wasn't seen at all second half, I don't even recall him touching the ball. Jonas came on and ran about a bit...then stopped. Carroll had the ball on the left touchline looking for somebody to lay it off to, and Jonas just stood and watched, backed up by Duff 10 yards further back. Duff actually bollocked Jonas for it when the ball went dead but how fucking hard is it to move forward. The fans were pretty good, as good as you can expect with that performance. I thought it was disgusting that people left early but each to their own, if it's for transport reasons then I can understand it, but if it's just to beat the crowds those fans needs to have a serious look at themselves. The solution? I have no fucking idea. We played with 4-3-3 as hoped and we lacked width. So many 2 on 1's against our fullbacks, just not acceptable. 4-4-2 doesn't work because Michael Owen is no longer a threat in a 4-4-2. Viduka and Martins? I don't know, fortunately it's not my job to. The Liverpool game is a write off, then we have to win the 2 home games and go into the Villa game with a chance. Then anything can happen. But I can't see us winning any games anytime soon, they just don't seem to care. On a positive note, Greame Danby was good. The club got their money's worth from him tonight, what with his singing and then brief comedy routine....and then reading the teamsheet.....and then welcoming the players back for the 2nd half. Think it was good for the atmosphere though.

I'm about to head off for this, really fucking nervous now

Ashley Young is in Premier League team of the year on the left wing and he's been capped how many times by England during this season? Capello must be furious.

You my friend aren't playing with a full deck

.com alluding to Martins only being a sub due to him not having any injections, fuck that. Play him for as long as possible and rest him at Anfield, we aren't going to get anything at Liverpool but this is a must win. However, I'm not a doctor.