AyeDubbleYoo

Yeah, it's a double-edged problem though, most of our team are so immobile that their passing options are very limited. They still should be better at keeping possession though, I agree.

Guthrie is our best central midfielder, probably by quite a distance. Sad but true. We just need someone with real energy alongside him, and both the wingers to be playing. I think he would cope a lot better in those circumstances.

Simpson is shite I agree, but we've just given him a contract so I imagine the club are planning to use him if we go up.

Almost certainly not! The thing about exceptions is that it's very difficult to know when to make them. Imagine if we'd had a wage structure in the past and we'd made exceptions to sign Damien Duff for a cheap fee but with big wages, or in the case of Michael Owen. We'd soon be back to paying over the odds for 'star' players who aren't really worth it. IMO if you're to have a wage structure there can't be exceptions.

thing is there would often be times when the uefa cup was stronger the the european cup because teams who won the league weren't doing so well by the time the european cup came round the following season.. however i agree that 4 is too many. definitly top 2 or 3 though. top 2 with third going into a play off like we had with zaleznicar would be ok. Yeah, I just think it puts undue emphasis on coming 4th... it shouldn't be an acheivement in the top division. I know the only way for European football is to get bigger, but a lad can dream.

There shouldn't be four Champions League places anyway, it's ridiculous. The idea that people can celebrate coming fourth like they've won the league is stupid. I would much prefer to see the CL kept just for 1st place.

We got relegated with a team of massive earners, so the idea that we will be worse off by getting players who aren't here for the money doesn't really stand up. 15k for the Premiership doesn't sound much, but it might not be for the Premiership (or true at all, obviously).

Fuck's sake, this is the second set of train tickets to Reading I won't be able to use! The fair is £15 and the refund fee is £10... making it almost pointless to get a refund and meaning I've now wasted £30. Fuckers.

Rank performance yesterday, Kevin Nolan is an embarrassment to his profession. As has been said, a lot of players dwelling on the ball and being tackled, partly because of the lack of movement around and ahead of them. Without Enrique and Jonas we look a much poorer team, if we can get them back in decent time we'll probably get promoted - if not we might struggle.

Same, would be very nice to get a win and pop back to the top. Impossible to predict after recent results really.

Agreed. He's a bit of a bulldozer. Just a shame a lot of decisions go against him. In other news, Bobby Zamora is fucking awful. He's some kind of cult hero with the Fulham fans, but if he played for the toon we would absolutely crucify him... he wouldn't stand a chance, worse touch than Carroll.

I actually laughed at this!

Fulham game was alright, if we need a cheap midfielder we could do worse than get Bikey from Burnley - he looked good tonight.

On the other hand we were winning comfortably before he came on, and when he came on he scored twice. Could go either way! He came on when it was 0-0, with the rest of the players. Oh, I thought it was later, forget I said anything!

Where you sitting? It's a lovely ground. Not sure exactly, on one side at the back where it's cheaper. They have £50 tickets, it's mental! I only paid £25. I've been to Craven Cottage a few times, but always in the bizarre Putney End, the neutral stand. Thought I'd pop along since there's no chance to see a Newcastle away game there at the moment. I considered QPR but their tickets were £30 as well... ludicrous.

I'm going to Fulham v Burnley tonight, should be a feast of football!

On the other hand we were winning comfortably before he came on, and when he came on he scored twice. Could go either way!

I would be tempted to go with Best from the start again, and give him a chance to nick a goal to get him started.

I know, it's crazy What is it? Like 5 mornings of training a week, followed by a 90 minute appearance (if you're lucky)? All that for thosands a week Yeah, there's a lot of shit that goes along with being a footballer as well I suppose - but day-to-day it must be brilliant. If you keep your head down and out of the press the lifestyle must be fantastic.

When I see the training photos I always think how mint it would be to be a footballer. To do that as a job is mental.

When I popped out of my mother's birth canal. I actually wasn't that into football when I was really little, I was a bit fat and clumsy so I played Rugby instead. I went to my first game at SJP with my Dad when I was about 7, and I fell asleep! I properly got into football later, about aged 12 probably.

We should do the business tonight, hopefully they've realised that if they just set up in a 442 and get on with the job of attacking then they can take most teams apart.

I wouldn't argue against that. As much as I want him available for us, getting his head sorted now might be good for his career in the long term.

Just attacking is a start, counter-attacking can come later!

Hopefully that will come, he's still pretty young. I would recommend muscles rather than fat!