Razor

Man City game just got a whole lot tougher.

Well we've won the first of two games that puts us in the mix with 3 to go, and in some significant style too. Tottenham's favour was glorious, but I think we'll be needing them to drop yet more points on what is an easy run in. Win at Wigan, and then I'll start to think about it as 50/50 prospect. Catching Arsenal is less likely than Chelsea winning the CL for me, think Barca will do the job during the week. Missing out on goal difference to Tottenham would be unimaginably heartbreaking, especially after our away tonking gave them 5 and lost us 5, but that too isn't worth thinking too much about yet. Beat Wigan, it's on.

47.2%

If Everton get knocked out by Liverpool and we know we've got the Europa league in the bag, I think we'll go on and get 10 points from the remaining games. If that happens I think we've got a better than evens chance of coming 4th. That will take the pressure off, we've got nothing of consequence to lose, if its 5th of 6th with Europa its no big deal. This is the first time the manager, the media, and the fans have really acknowledged it as a real possibility. The players are definetly going to have it cross their minds, and have time to ponder it in the 12 day break, so how they react to this new pressure and expectation (albeit positive) against Stoke will be a good indication of our chances. Slip up against Stoke and its pretty much over just as it begun I think most would agree. So far this season we've earnt it, and had a bit of fortune in Spurs late season wobble. To get 4th from here is going to take some of the best play we've had this season, and the stars continuing to align. It's in spurs hands, we've got to snatch it from them if they slip up.

commentators seem incapable of not mentioning Carragher and 'experience' in the same sentence.

Balotelli related surely

Win or mid-table mediocrity beckons. It would be a crime if we didn't muster up enough points in the final 10 games to nab 6th. Liverpool have a fairly easy run in, would rather Everton took the points tonight, or a draw ofcourse. Must be an attacking mind-set, we can put goals past these guys. Crowd has to give players like Obertan a chance as they're often quick to jump on his back, he's not our best but at 23 he's hardly a write off, and being quick to groan definitely doesn't help. Hope Guthrie doesn't feature, haven't been impressed lately. I think we'll go behind, and need a reaction to get the 3 points.

Cabaye - worst ive seen him play HBA - great when we actually played it, obviously not going to feature in a negative hoofball game Perch - did a very solid job, definitely better than what Santon was doing Season will be won and lost in the next 5 games, they're all winnable, play as we did for the first 30 mins and we'll be fine.

Atrocious throw in to lose the ball, too many bodies high up, chose not to attack with a decent oppurtunity - basic failings, deserved to fuck it up, I don't understand how people paid 40,000 pounds a week to do solely this can be so unutterably stupid in such basic circumstances.

thats basic shit it really fucking is

FUCKING SHITE

2nd half has been poor viewing, HBA always going to have reduced presence when we're hoofing it.

3-1, RVP double and an OG, HBA with a 60+ minute consolation. Hopefully I'm feeling it more when I get up tomorrow.

He could definitely be doing some things better, but as a whole I think he's done a very good job. The team is better defensively, the team spirit from Houghtons reign is still there, he seems to understand the demands of the supporter base. The time to think about better managers was when replacing Houghton, and I agree there could have been better choices (at the time I thought there were an infinitum of better choices). Too often clubs get a run of poor results and replace a manager but forget the downsides of doing so, which results in the merry-go-round of faces a lot of clubs have seen in the past few years. We're relatively settled and the value of that shouldn't be overlooked. Pardew does seem capable of learning, which frankly some managers don't, so I see no reason why he can't improve as we go along. One of the keys imo is getting HBA consistently on the pitch (performing consistently), which after that last 45 mins (and Pardew's comments) should result in him getting the opportunity to do that, if he's there we'll play it more along the carpet and that would fix the majority of our rectifiable problems at the moment. I think he's gotten carried away with the thought of two target men upfront lately. Its clearly going to be up to the hierarchy to decide get in a new right back etc at the end of the season with our setup. Chelsea and Arsenal have been (relatively) poor this season which has allowed us an opportunity which we have half grabbed. The exciting thing is at times we look so fucking good with the ball, but i think it would be unrealistic to expect that to have suddenly become the norm when we were undeniably mid-table last season. Other teams are going to have their periods in any match, but there's a temptation to put that down to being Pardew's or the players fault 100% of the time, which it's clearly not. We don't have a top 4 worthy squad, but that possibility is a damn lot close than it was last season, and Pardew has played his part.

Having two strikers that are friends and want to work together (and who are skilled in their own right) should not be underestimated, could be amazing. I also think its quite likely that Mike knows an unrefusable offer, like in Andy's case, could come in for Ba, so getting someone in proactively looks ambitious and stops price hikes when selling clubs know we need a stiker.

He's clearly not fully fit...

Playing City, Utd, Chelsea was bound to hit our season a bit but the real cost is the injury toll, yes he can be a liability but he's a huge loss, lets hope this is the last injury for a while...

We love a good penalty

I don't really understand the business decision, all emotions aside. Purely conjecture here - but considering it was already 'cunts @ SJP' changing it to Sports Direct Arena could be a precursor to another company coming in and buying the rights in the near future. As a name the whole @ SJP is a mouthful, and noone has actually used it, or would, but by changing it prior to an actual buyer coming in it takes the negative backlash of changing the name away from the company. As if you were Emirates, Thomas Cook etc you would hardly be keen on buying the naming rights to an historic stadium if you had to take all the sting from disgruntled supporters. So Derek and Mike may have taken the hit, and have someone lined up, the new sponsors would be seen as an improvement, and 'everyones happy'... I would rather that it was called something (anything) other than Sports Direct Arena, and the club isnt going to make much at all out of having Mike being the 'sponsor', real revenue is only going to come in if a true outside company buys the rights. So that would be better... But on the whole, changing it is a poorly timed and poorly thought-out decision, especially if it is going to remain SDA for the foreseeable future. SJP is right up there with Old Trafford and Anfield as a national heritage badge. The club is on the best wave of positive-feeling and actual results for years, why stir the pot.

Lawro must be well into double figures for his underestimation of our points tally by now ? I could look at that table all night long. We could be safe by Christmas

Great first half, but man did we miss Tiote Cabaye and Marveaux in the 2nd. That was hard on the heart that last 30 mins , amazing to get another 3 points and get to 25, i was targetting 25 points by christmas.

Was looking pretty dreary for a while there, 19 points is fucking magnificent. Don't like seeing the clock being run down, but we did it well. Obertan was very wasteful. Jonas great in defense - needs more of a chance to get forward. Arfa very rusty again but got into the game after his run and shot, still got that lightning strike on him. Marveaux in next game Alan.

Never going to get to sleep at 3am after that, heart pumping finish, great to come from behind twice, could have nicked it but so could they, they seemed to have a policy not to commit to Arfa in the tackle and just let him huff and puff, he needs more time on the pitch. Fucking wonderful from Shola

I don't buy into the long ball stuff just yet, the majority of the newly signed players are more speed merchant orientated which lends them more to ball on the floor stuff, if we were going to play long ball I would have expected different players to be signed, playing away today reeked of Derby a few seasons ago, maybe go for a point against top 6 sides, but not everyone else. That said, I don't think any game plan would have been properly executed today, was very poor, Pardew's tactics were an added hindrance.

If, as many are predicting, things don't work out at Liverpool, what would you take him back for? 10 million, 20 million? At the time i was utterly gutted to see him leave, and obviously its ludicrous that we haven't gotten a replacement striker, but im not sure what value i would place on him when comparing him to the host of other strikers out there.