brummie

The Basel players looked like well-drilled machines from the Planet Penalty. Not one of them looked like they knew what "missing" meant, let alone doing it.

One thing I remember about Friedel with us is that he never, ever even got near saving a penalty for us. Not once.

Don't be going and not winning this, FFS. Sunderland are utter shite. All Di Canio will be able to do is to get them running around a bit more than MON did.

Di Klanio will probably run on the pitch and drag him off

Thank fuck for that

Martinez, and giving him time, would not be a bad shout, really. I wasn't impressed when we were linked with him post Houllier, but a year of DeathByMcLeish and a year of nerve-shredding rebuilding has made me realise that it would actually have been a good appointment.

That's probably why then, if you've seen us a handful of times, it's difficult to judge over the whole season. Like I said, it's easy to make the mistake of looking at the table, and even some of the dreadful results, and extrapolate from that a season-long awfulness. Last season, now that was awful. I imagine one reason Lambert still gets such support is last year gave us a staggeringly depressing lesson into how unambitious, negative and miserable football can be. the few times i've saw villa this season they've been decent but very bramble-esque. Defence is incredibly porous, too many kids making too many mistakes. I can't remember our last clean sheet. We're capable of scoring goals, which is just as well, as we can't defend for shit

To be honest, he's done it too often at times. I love the fact he is the opposite of McLeish in that sense, but he's had us do it and it has cost us points a fair amount - hence that stat that, if games finished at half time, we'd be sixth now. I remember early in the season we beat Swansea 3-1 at our place, and coming out of the ground, people were saying how amazing it was to be in the lead and actually looking to extend it. However, at times, he either goes mentally gung ho or opts to try to advance the lead rather than hold it (although that's to do with us being unable to defend, I guess). Worst example was Bradford semi final second leg, at Villa Park. 3-1 down from first leg, in the first half, we score, and we let Bradford touch the ball about three times, it was men against boys. Then Bradford score from a corner. All we needed to do was keep our heads and carry on doing what we did in the first half, we'd still have come through, I think, but instead, he decided to go batshitmental and start playing with six men up front and no clear thought about how to get the ball to them. Clanger.

That's probably why then, if you've seen us a handful of times, it's difficult to judge over the whole season. Like I said, it's easy to make the mistake of looking at the table, and even some of the dreadful results, and extrapolate from that a season-long awfulness. Last season, now that was awful. I imagine one reason Lambert still gets such support is last year gave us a staggeringly depressing lesson into how unambitious, negative and miserable football can be.

Villa have been fucking dirge all season man. If only Pardew could work on those 40-yard wonder strikes. We've been nothing like dirge all season. Some of the stuff we've played at times has been marvellous. We are at a difficult time, shedding overpaid shit players and relying on kids too much at times but there's a reason why despite being in the relegation places a lot Lambert has such support (and it is considerable). Too easy to look at the table and say "shit"

unless not being in the top 4 is all a part of as the chelsea "fans" put it "the interim ones" grand plan to avoid the CL places to fuck over Chelsea because he hates the club They really are a bunch of vile, screaming Tarquins. In most clubs, even ones I hate, I can see the odd redeeming feature. There is not a single redeeming feature about Chelsea. Not one.

Me too, and it'd be a brilliantly important result if they did.

It is all about momentum at this point, and Stoke's and Sunderland's is awful. I hadn't realised just how awful Stoke's run in is, too. Even their home matches are tough. We are fortunate, too, in that we've the double benefit of having won three of our last four games, and all of them coming against fellow strugglers.

Holy fucking shitbiscuits. What a season this has been. I can't stand it anymore. I avoid the game, can't resist looking, see we are 1 up, smile, then instantly they equalise. I then turn it off, stomp around the house nervously, swear at the Mrs a few times, check back and Lowton has apparently scored a decent goal and Benteke has added a third. If we could only learn to defend, we'd actually be a decent side.

Completely disagree. It'll be tough, but it's clearly possible. Two massive fuckups tonight have given them a big lead but we've had more than enough chances to score ourselves. From what I've seen, 3-1 is nothing like impossible for you to turn around.

He's got DUX tattooed on his thigh, and has spent a lot of time being unapologetic for his views, and giving the fascist salute at the scumbag element in Lazio's support. I love the way it gets turned into "he obviously doesn't know much about fascism, like" or "he's not really a fascist". Fascist supporters like Lazio's following are repulsive, but dodgy supporters is one thing, appointing one of them as your manager is another entirely.

Number of black managers in the top flight = zero. Chris Hughton says hello Fair enough, but even so, it's a depressing statistic, especially the "fascists 1" bit.

No, it isn't. Democracy protects the rights of people to hold views in that they do not infringe on the ability of others to do so. I'd also say your argument misses the fact that fascist views are utter reprehensible, and are all about infriging the rights of others to hold their own views.

One other thing, the criticism of Miliband on RTG is nuts. His parents were refugees from fascist Europe. What is he supposed to do? Act like it doesn't matter? He has done the principled thing.

Thats the thing, you cant just dismiss it like that, it's not him coming out as a Tory or a Eurosceptic, he's a self confessed fascist, and a lot of people - quite rightly - still have a problem with that. You're right, he's entitled to his views, as that's the sort of thing we protect in a modern democracy - see what your average fascist thinks of that. With all the talk of racism in the game recently, it's kind of a bit ironic to think that: Number of black managers in the top flight = zero. Number of admitted fascists managing in the top flight = one. I think Sunderland have dropped an almighty ricket here. Not because they're signed up a league one manager who has a clear temper problem, and proven history in being slightly nuts, but because they've effectively looked at the potential backlash from this and thought "What the fuck". It is not good.

Villa won the NextGen final today. Next generation is good. Current one, not so much.

RTG today is a depressing indication if just how thick some people can be. One person calls those concerned about his politics "precious", hundreds line up to pat him on the back and agree. What a monumentally stupid appointment. Although I'd love to have been a fly on the wall when they binned MON. "Sorry Martin, but we're going to have to let you go. On reflection we think a fascist nutjob who fights with his players during games probably has a better chance of keeping us up."

Truly remarkable. Where to start with this? Really?

See, that's the sort of thing that makes me fucking angry. Short: You've got £30m to spend. MON: OK, I'll see what I can do. *time passes, Martin, having realised he desperately needs a number of players decides to waste 25m on just two players, Fletcher and Johnson* *time passes, results go badly, MON complains hasn't been able to bring many players in* *gets sacked* Pat Murphy, Oliver Holt, Patrick Barclay, Henry Winter: "He wasn't backed in the transfer market" Honestly just FUCK OFF the lot of you. Adam Johnson + Steven Fletcher + Danny Graham = THIRTY MILLION POUNDS. £30m for the manager of SUNDERLAND, FFS. When will these people wake up and smell the coffee, for fuck's sake.

Seconds, sadly. Ollie Holt Patrick Barclay Henry Winter.