Minhosa

Gutted. I backed them at half time and backed the draw as a saver. Thought I was in the money when Stelling said 'there's been a sending off at the JJB' and all I heard was booing in the background!

The chairman should buy the players so his use of "I" is correct, it's up to the manager and those he trusts to chose them. Which is what we were saying.

Blackburn to come back and win is 16/1 on Skybet Draw is 6.5/1 on Skybet too. I think they're decent shouts. Might have a couple of quid on both. I can't see Wigan holding on when their 'get out of jail' card has been used up in Heskey going off injured. Any 'route 1' football will come straight back at them without Heskey on the pitch.

Brummie, Hows Reo-Coker settled? Supporters split pretty much 50-50 on him. He tackles very, very well indeed, but his passing is sometimes terrible. I'm not massively convinced, but then again, i wasn't hugely convinced by Young when he first signed, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Fair enough. Cheers

Which quotes? Big nose basically said thats Mort referral to 'I' in the article (as in 'I will be buying kids in Jan' and 'I don't think buying more Defenders would work' etc etc) was very worrying and he shouldn't be buying the players, it should be the Manager and that this talk was for the Boardroom and not the public arena. Just shit-stirring as Dave said.

Bad time for Wigan to concede. I could be tempted to check the odds on a Rovers win or a draw.

Brummie, Hows Reo-Coker settled?

Heskey stretchered off for Wigan. Good news for us.

Their coverage is fucking woeful. I'd rather it all went back to Sky. I'm all for their monopoly - all I want is good quality coverage of live football.

I'm hoping for a Smith goal fest (hows that for optimism?). I'm so convinced he's gonna score today that, not only have I transferred him into my fantasy team, I've made him El Capitan. C'Mon Smithy son.

You were quick!

TBH Anyone who knows anything about football doesn't listen to him anyway. How the fuck does he warrant a place on that panel? I think they should bring different guests on every week (a la goals on Sunday) and drop some of those useless old wankers. Merson just sounds like a cockney spastic. Le Tissier can hardly string a sentence together. I'd rather listen to a cat being cooked alive than the big nosed wanker. Charlie Nicholas is just about bearable. Fuck it, make it the Jeff Stelling show. He's the only bastard worth tuning in for.

Exactly what I was thinking! Does he still live around Liverpool? If so, I hope some fucker is robbing his house as he spouts his anti-newcastle shite today. Fucking hate that man.

@ Wigan: Played: 3 Lost: 3 Conceded: 3 Scored: 0 Doesn't make for decent reading tbh. Oh I agree. I just think that they, with Brucie in charge and the big Tit at the back, are there for the beating.

Sold to the man at the back with his gas mask in hand.

11? Going once.............................any advance.......................

Any advance on 10 pts?

He'll probably turn up somewhere on a short term contract. Then again, he's just as likely to turn up on 'I'm a Celebrity' the skinny skiving bastard.

Why is everyone so worried about Wigan away? I can't see us losing down there this time tbh.

Agreed.

Fuck that. I'll go for 9.

- So he's a glass half full kind of lad then?

As opposed to.............we get beat, those fickle fan-boys whinge about being relegation candidates, a team full of grafters with a past it Manager and a shite new Owner and the pleasure of reading Sunday rags full of shite stories. Other fans don't even bother to mock us because we're not worth it? ------------------------------- Get over yourself Monkey. We're not going to be a top 5 team overnight. What exactly were your expectations at the start of the season? A top to bottom turnabout throughout the club with a first team everyone's suddenly raving about?

Agreed. As he appears to be mad keen on the job I would have been inclined to offer him a decent basic (say £1m a year) and £10m for every major tournament he wins us. If he's that confident in his ability this will prove it.

Dennis Bergkamp was signed by Bruce Rioch. See here if you don't believe me (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Bergkamp) Mort and Co are intelligent, well educated guys and they understand the club's situation more than any of us on here (they would have inherited all sorts of issues from Shepherds running of the club behind the scenes I'm sure). It's up to Mort and Co to deliver on our potential and I'd like to think they realise that means implementing long term, sustainable plans and not the sticky plaster mentality of the past regimes. That doesn't mean less emphasis on the short term, but it will mean chucking resource at those planning for and working towards the long term. I get the impression that some people are waiting with baited breath for him or Ashley to fuck up in order to use it as some sort of justification of the previous regime and their handling of club affairs? He's not put a foot wrong in my opinion and long may it continue. Continuity and stability may be buzzwords but they're exactly what we need and in Sam and Mort I'm confident that in the medium term we'll be a much better club for it. I, for one, thank him for his work so far.