brummie

I kind of know what you mean. Today was a great game, but I'm not entirely sure I enjoyed it as it was so fucking tense. I meant the goal was scrappy from our point of view, with our slapstick defending making it easy. There's definitely a gap between us and the rest, though. An amalgamation of our squad and yours would have a good chance of cracking the top four. Unfortunately, neither team are good enough at the moment. With us the problem is that we've got the money, we're too hit and miss with our signings. With you, you don't have the money, but when you do spend it, you spend it well. Moyes is a quality manager, though, at least as good as, and arguably better than, O'Neill, overall because he makes some really great signings.

Stoke have taken four points against us this season, including beating us at their place. They're the anti-football, but they've a tremendous spirit and that alone makes them hard to beat. I know it is obviously easier as a neutral, of course it is, but watching your game yesterday, towards the end I was thinking "that's it, they're fucked" then when you got the equaliser, I was thinking "that's possibly such an important goal". Going there and getting beaten would have taken the wind, what wind there is, firmly out of your sails and with precious few games left. Going there, playing poorly but showing enough spirit to battle for a point is at least something to build on. Sometimes the importance of a point gained / lost is greater than it seems at first. We drew 2-2 at home to Stoke with two goals for them in the last four minutes. The ramifications of that were far greater for us than one point instead of three, it had a longer lasting negative impact on the team. Shearer, if he has anything about him as a manager, will be exploiting that hard fought point for all it is worth this week.

I don't know how you can say Webb was shite in favour of us. He was rubbish all round, there were plenty of decisions he gave your way which were clearly ours, and vice versa. Fellaini is a great player, but elbows all over the place, and has been that way all season, hence his dreadful yellow card record. God knows how he got away with it today. The free kick was definitely a free kick, was right in front of me, but I didn't see the penalty decision as i was engaged in an argument with a truculent old twat who sits behind me and was irked that I stood in a moment of excitement. Incidentally, there was a clear push on (I think) Davis in your area from one corner which was a very good penalty shout, which Webb missed. He's a shite referee but was shite all around. To suggest that's why you didn't win today is way off the mark, though. You didn't win because whilst you got two scrappy goals from our shite defending and a goal out of nothing (which, in fairness, was quality), with the exception of the first 20 minutes or so, we were the more threatening side. Great game though. Solid, methodical, patient play by Everton versus our weird mixture of slapstick defending and fast movement of the ball. The two league games this season between us have been really excellent stuff. I'm not mentioning the cup game, mind *whistles* I know both sides are capable of being a bit hit and miss in terms of form (especially us of late) but today did make me think that there's a gap between the two, as the best of the rest, as it were, and the rest of the table.

Fucking great game at our place today. Result probably about right, even if we looked more likely to nick it at the end. Ashley Young needs to stop diving so often. Apart from anything else, he then doesn't get decisions when he deserves them. Fellaini is a dirty cunt, two blatant elbows today. Our defence is fucked. We miss Laursen. Who wouldn't, mind

Classy, restrained celebration from Faye against his old club. I can't remember the last time I wanted a newly promoted club with whom I have no obvious beef to go down as much as I do this bunch of cunts.

WTF is that being sung to the tune of our Paul McGrath song?

Still glad MON didnt put more weight in the UEFA? Yes. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, though, isn't it? He had a difficult decision and he made the right one. It didn't work out the way he hoped it would do, but I think he made the right call at the time. I thought we were very good today, but we need to fucking shut up shop and defend a lead at times.

What a disappointing day.

I understand the excitement, but looking at this dispassionately, ie as an outsider, there's no doubt that the Kinnear appointment was a disaster, but is this the best idea now? Running out of games, tough run-in, in the relegation places, time running out, he may be a Newcastle legend, but at the end of the day, you're still appointing someone who hasn't managed a parks team. Ashley tried the emotional appointment with Keegan, and he's done it again here. Would it not make sense to appoint someone with (recent) experience now and then Shearer from the start of next season?

Thought you'd like them tbh. What made you think that? The only thing I do like is the fact that Heskey is wearing one of those today rather than one of ours. SHARE THE PAIN! Dunno, just the fact they're very basic and retro. Plain colours; thought that would be right up your street. I like the design, the badge looks spazzy. Heskey is going to come off. His ankles are fucked, incidentally, the club took a gamble and are downplaying it, but they are. Ah! Over the bar from three feet. That's more like it.

Well, would you fucking believe that.

Thought you'd like them tbh. What made you think that? The only thing I do like is the fact that Heskey is wearing one of those today rather than one of ours. SHARE THE PAIN!

That's why they were hiding the tops. They're fucking horrible.

When we played them at our place, they "parked the bus" from minute one, and were timewasting within 30 minutes. I like Hodgson, and I like Fulham, but they were wretched to watch. Still, I guess he is doing his job, keeping them up.

Chelsea fill their stadium week in, week out. They're awesome supporters, aren't they?

Absolutely agree. Hats off to the, errm, Hatters.

What is noticeable is that the better teams have no trouble in passing the ball around and never get hustled off the ball like we do. There again we seem to kick the ball up in the air a lot so keeping posession is always going to be that much harder. I've said all along (here) that I didn't think we'd break the top four, and I was clearly right. However, it does show the gap between the top four and the rest. Villa and Everton are the two next best sides by some distance, but still the gap is immense. Sky will be creaming their fucking pants, naturally. Normal order is resumed, nothing changes.

To be honest, after what you';ve had served up this season, you have my respect.

Our fans today have been absolutely fucking magnificent. 5-0 down on 93 minutes and they're still all you can hear.

How is everyone? I'm having such a lovely day.

That's about as "against the run of play" as it gets.

It's much worse when they're on ITV in the Champions League with Clive Tylsley and Jim Beglin. Oh, absolutely. I was just thinking that with the owners hating each other, Parry booted out, Benitez's contract hoo-haa, "family" is the last way I'd describe Liverpool, other than when meant in the sense that that Fritzls were a family

I can barely watch when Liverpool are playing, Sky's coverage is so sycophantic. "The family that is Liverpool Football Club" indeed.

Us and you are both making it quite easy for the top four to stay intact.

I've got a bad feeling today. We're playing quite well, but we just can not score. Heskey and Carew. That's a brick wall, not a front two.