Chris_R

Ben Arfa is just so fucking good.

Minimum would be 2620 based on our stadium capacity being 52404. Birmingham upped their allocation to higher total to cater for their fans in order for Brugge to then up there allocation from 1470. Newcastle apparently tried to do a similar thing and negotiate but failed to come to an agreement. If we handled the negotiations anything like our transfer negotiations no wonder it fell through. Ashley's terms or no terms. Ashley probably asked for 5,000 extra tickets for their ground in exchange for 1 more from us. Then stormed out when they said "No".

Think we've just given up hope of him ever leaving, realised he'll play here until he retires so we might as well embrace the lunacy rather than attempt to fight it. It's the "If you can't beat them, join them" mentality.

Yup. Nothing at all to suggest its Cabaye only. Absolutely not, it implies heavily that a number of players feel this way. So do I, so I can't exactly blame them.

I think it did more to highlight how utterly woeful Simpson is. Seeing someone play who isn't terrified of the ball and can do something other than wherever he is on the pitch just turns round to face the goal and pass it back to Steven Taylor is, frankly, a godsend.

He's on 50k pw. I know the guy personally. If you know him personally, then do you have any idea why he hasn't been much cop since he's joined? By his words. He has been frozen out, sometimes doesn't even get told when to report to training etc. Sometimes I don't get told when to report in to work. In fact I never get told. But somehow I still fucking manage to get in every day, and nor do I consider myslef "frozen out" at work because nobody comes up to me and tells me when to go in. Why would anyone need to be told when to go in to where they work? And if for any reason there was any ambiguity, surely you just fucking ask someone? You don't sit in your pants playing FIFA because nobody told you when to go in ffs. Not having a go at you. Or Xisco really. Just the whole idea that not telling a professional adult when to go to work could possibly constitute freezing them out.

reckon there's nowt wrong with raylor, just trolling Ashley at pardew's behest. He'll start v villa after we sign debuchy.

Sister / Lass ... Same thing over there, iirc.

Look, I'm all for upping his wages but we really shouldn't be doubling them.

With the fairly bland thread title I opened this up with the intention of posting "Ha, thought he must have died or something " Did a lot of good whilst he was here but will unfortunately be remembered for the bond debacle. RIP.

Ryan Shawcross

Yes, I'd have liked him here but if he doesn't want to come then fair enough. Last thing we need is someone just here for every penny he can scrape out of us. Look how that's turned out in the past.

Simpson being substituted? Has that ever happened before? Wow. Highlight of the match, tbh.

Very good signing for them IMO. Yup, an excellent signing for them. Also exactly the right step for his career, time for him to show the quality he seemingly has deliver constantly as a 'main man'. Wrong move if you ask me. If he is to be an International player he should have gone to a European competition team, imo. Or a London team, if you want to play for England. Bot-all chance of regular England starts if you're playing up here and outside the European competitions.

Plus we get the January window to get someone in if need be to cover Ba / Cisse. Not ideal, admittedly, as we'll likely get held to ransom.

I don't think we're FAR better. We're better, but it's not that clear. They've got a decent GK, they have a decent defence, and now they're threatening to have a very decent midfield and forward line. They lack depth, but so do we.

Really don't what Johnson signing for that rabble, he's far too good for them. Not a world-beater by any means, but too good for them and would help them get a lot of points. Sessègnon, McClean, Johnson, Fletcher - It's quite a decent lineup tbh. Not stellar, but good enough to worry teams and get results. Certainly good enough for a top-half finish, and considering we're looking at 5-8th, top half for Sunderland is far too close for comfort. I'm hoping for an 11th hour Spurs bid or something. And then Sessègnon to go as well.

What, like slowly lowering himself feet first into a blender?

I think we'll only be able to establish if Harper's to blame once he finishes getting down for the shot.

My thoughts too. Just doesn't want to be cup tied. Wouldn't be anyway. Not having a go at Chris_R with this but this must be the 50th time i've seen that statement and your correct answer. Now I could well be wrong here but I was under the impression we could only re-register one player who'd played for another team in Europe already this season? Of course that could be Carroll, but we're also in for Debuchy who could end up in a similar predicament.

Did nothing tonight. But then nor did anyone really. Some played with more energy than others and ran about a bit more or got involved more, but nobody really "played" well.

In no way did he play well in the second half. He was just less terrible than in the first half.His crossing is terrible, I keep hearing that he's allegedly super skillful but he only ever runs in a straight line and is incapable of completing anything but the simplest pass. I'm pretty sure he created our 2 best chances with his 'terrible' crossing... Alright, I've had several beers and the wife spent the entire match trying to talk to me about shoes, but from the little I can coherently recall the crosses he put in were s***, but their sunday league defence flapped all over the place and the ball dropped kindly. Against any team with even the merest semblance of competence, his crosses would have yielded nothing apart from jeers. Let's not praise him too highly for what were effectively a couple of floated, lofted chips that broke loose in the box. (I reserve the right to retract the above opinion in the light of any evidence that I wasn't paying proper attention due to excess beer / shoe related discussions. It's been a long day.)

In no way did he play well in the second half. He was just less terrible than in the first half.His crossing is terrible, I keep hearing that he's allegedly super skillful but he only ever runs in a straight line and is incapable of completing anything but the simplest pass.

My thoughts too. Just doesn't want to be cup tied.

The only way he could have been worse is if he spent the entire second half wellying the ball into his own net. In fairness.