brummie

There's a post in the middle of the away end, so a vast number of the tickets are labelled Restricted View, but unless you end up standing directly behind it, it really isn't too bad. Good point re the station, too. They always seem to make sure there's a train stood waiting both ways as soon as the match ends, which is a surprising sign of intelligence on the part of the train companies.

Charlton is one of the best away trips, in my opinion. nice drinking nearby, nice little atmospheric stadium, none of the knucklehead fans you seem to find at most London grounds for some reason.

I think he has done a fantastic job at Reading, but this comment for me is bang on. If he manages to do well with them next season, too, then he'll earn the plaudits. I do wonder about his mentality, though. That Man Citeh episode was somewhat odd.

With your convincing, cogently put argument, you've won me over, Given is the bestest goalkeeper in the whole wide world. Feel better now?

Sadly, as i loathe odious little fool, but it would be Ronaldo for me. Against us this season in the league at home, he was utterly brilliant, unmanageably good. Closely followed by Scholes. Then Drogba in third.

Don't worry, mate, I'm not. I'd insert that thumbs-up smiley here, but I can't find it, and I'm a bit too drunk to search for it, but you know what i mean.

I said consistently at the start of the season that a top half finish would be considered good for us this season, and i stand by this now. MON is the best manager we could possibly have, something I said then, and something i firmly believe now. Not that that is anything to do with me disagreeing that Shay Given is one of the ten best keepers in the world. I don't even understand why you've got such a hump. It's not as if I was saying Sorensen is a better keeper than Given (he isn't). "shit club, shit fans"? And you're accusing me of being the wind up merchant? Oh well, just lash out when someone says something you don't agree with. That's very mature.

to be honest, whenever i see it, i always find myself thinking "if i were a Newcastle fan, I'd be cringing a bit now".

Certainly, the best 'keepers have very few weaknesses. And Shay does indeed. He's in the top 5 in the Prem, no bother, but nowhere near the top 10 in the world. Tell me 10 goalkeepers better than Shay Given? Off the top of my head, in no particular order, and a mixture of home and world players, if I could have Given or any of the following players at my club, it wouldn't be Given: Cech, Buffon, Lehmann, Van Der Saar, Casillas, Abbondanzieri, Jaskalainen, Coupet, Foster, Boruc. Don't get me wrong, Given has his definite strengths, he's a good keeper, but - as others have mentioned in this thread, like all but the absolute best keepers - he has his weaknesses too. To suggest he's in the top 10 in the world is blinkered thinking.

So our all time record goal scorer and one of our greatest ever players shouldn't get a statue because he didn't win anything here?! As others have said it's too soon, but to say he shouldn't get one is just bollocks. I'm not saying that, I'm saying that i can see the argument for it. This is what other fans will say: "Anfield? Shankly statue. What did he win? Leagues, European trophies, and he's dead. Leeds? Billy Bremner statue. What did he win there? Leagues, cups, European trophies, and he's dead. Old Trafford? Matt Busby statue. What did he win there? Leagues, cups, European Cup, and he's dead. Newcastle? Alan Shearer statue. What did he win there? Nothing. And he's on Match of the Day most weeks, and will probably end up walking past his statue on his way in to work every day". I'm not saying it is right, but that is how it will be perceived, and that is how it will be used against you. As you said, at least wait till he is dead. Then honour him.

He's only just stopped playing, he's a current media pundit, he'll probably be your manager relatively soon, all reasons why having a statue of him seems a bit, well, odd. I also think the "no silverware" point mentioned above has some validity, although I can see both sides of the argument.

That baby rocking, Bebeto style celebration should be a red card offence. And Corradi's (rare, thankfully) ones for Man City are cringeworthy.

I think Given is amongst the best keepers in the league, and a good, solid keeper all round, but listing him as one of the top 5 in the world seems a case of partisan thinking (which we all do) gone mad.

I'm amazed so many people are not choosing Vidic. He has been awesome this season, and has contributed as much as Scholes and Ronaldo in winning the league for Man U (which obv they will).

;D

Delaney is a quality full back, mate. The problem is, he is NEVER fit, hence him not getting a new contract. Shame.

^^^ this is true^^^ There's a whole swathe of the table where teams aren't seperated by much, and anyone who manages to put some consistency together (which nobody appears able to do) could make a UEFA charge.

Arsenal are a great side to watch, but they will only underachieve until they get consistency. For my money, Man United are infinitely better than Arsenal this year - they might not be as entertaining to watch, but they get the results, which is what matters most. Also, the media cringe to Arsenal is vomit inducing. Listen to Ray Stubbs when he presents 606, and he has got his tongue right up Wenger's sphincter. He actually refers to him, every single time, as Mr Wenger, in a 'we aren't worthy' style.

We played them last week, and I've never seen a team with so many players who clearly could not give a fuck if the team stays up or goes down, they were an absolute disgrace. I actually felt sorry for their fans. The only one of them who looked even remotely bothered was Reo-Coker, who I'd have at Villa like a shot. Any team with a manager who chooses Bobby Zamora ahead of Carlos Tevez deserves to go down, tbh.

West Ham deserve to go down for the reasons Dr Spectrum mentioned. And their endless "we won the world cup" bullshit, plus their conviction they are one of the bigger clubs, despite having won next to nothing. Oh, and the inexplicable love-in the media has with them. Charlton is one of my favourite away trips, nice little ground that suits the club perfectly, with a stand that was there when the stadium was derelict for years. I loathe Watford's brand of football, which is horrible to watch, but Adie Boothroyd said lots of very nice things about us and MON when we signed Ashley Young, so I'll opt for the utterly pointless Wigan to go down with West Ham, either of the other two would be a shame, but I'll go for Charlton, leaving Watford to survive.

Paul McGrath's autobiography.

Mate, just search the site for posts including "NE5" and "Mick" You'll squeeze at least an MPhil and possibly a phD out of that.

I get the SKy+ Multiroom thing. Not sure what it costs, £50 or £60-odd quid. But Multiroom is a MUST if you have kids. Little remote-thieving gets. Me too. Sky + is the one home gadget I honestly couldn't live without.

Yup, you can wear colours in there. Didn't go in this time but have done in the past and I've never seen any problems. Cheers mate!

Sorry for bumping this, but did any of you lot go to this match and sit in the "neutral end"? We're down there in a couple of weeks, and I'm toying with sitting in there, as i can't get tickets for the away end. How "neutral" is it? Does it mean supporters of *neither* club or supporters of both clubs? Is wearing colours in there a problem?