ChrisJbarnes

Reading just equalised at Bristol...

Morally bad and criminally illegal are different things. The man has not been found guilty beyond reasonable doubt. Regardless of what happened, our criminal justice system is the best we have and he should now be accepted into society and compensated for the time in prison. Whether he is able to continue as a footballer is a moral issue, and clubs will have different views on that. When you have the likes of Barton (legitimately convicted) playing, I think its difficult to continue the witch hunt against Evans.

Thats asking to be photoshopped...

Not many clubs will have the capability to score 4 against a top (championship) team like Norwich or 6 against Wolves. Most wont score 4 goals in a game all season.

Would rather lose 1-0 thanks

If he's not one of the others to be uncovered, I'll eat all your hats.

My brother was at the Villa game in the home end, commented that most of the home fans were pissed up, coked up nutcases.

RIP

I was just about to post this! I was there that day and he literally gave the most biased display of refereeing I've ever witnessed in over 30 years of watching Newcastle. It wasn't incompetence, it was downright cheating. I think if it had been a league game the club would have made a big thing of it and maybe asked to speak to the FA but because of our cup policy at the time they probably thought he'd done us a favour. Remember that game well! Sat in the away end with my mates who were Ipswich fans. They said that he was the worst ref they have ever seen in their life, having watched football league football for 20 years!

Pardewddllllldlldlldwddllwlll sounds like a small village in North Wales

Based on the idea of needing to win your home games and draw your away games to win the Championship, we're 3 down at home and 1 up away. We were never going to win the league at a canter, but I think considering we havent played well generally this season, 6 points from 12 is something to build on.

How much of that "poor positioning" etc. was due to poor coaching in a poor team for several years? I mean, we were woeful last year but you were off the scale. Could anyone look good in that sort of environment?

Would be good to see Derby promoted, since we'll never ever beat them in the Championship

Villa fans laughing at us going down with them won't be so happy if we appoint Rafa....

Whether he would sell the club now is a mystery. Lets remember that this is the man that put an advert on our club website asking for people to email him with offers for the club! He has run this club into the ground and its value falls accordingly. His business plan involved free publicity for Sports Direct in the Premiership. This will be worth substantially less in the Championship, in addition to the £70m (?) quoted by various of you that we lose as not being in the part of the TV deal. Although the man is not seen to be swayed by protests, the financial losses he has made and will continue to make as well as the reputational damage and constant poor media coverage makes you wonder what benefit does he now have of keeping this club. He must know that he has cocked it up and made a complete car crash of it. Once we were relegated the first time, we had a great opportunity to clear out a load of dead wood and with Chris Hughton in charge in the premiership, we looked like we had a solid platform to go forward again. Since then, every decision made has taken us backwards. Surely IF and it is a big if, we manage to somehow keep Benitez, it is an appealing prospect to buy NUFC. Surely the best move he could make now is give Benitez a good contract, give him full control of all footballing matters and then sell it with him in place. Surely although he wouldn't show it, sustained and vocal protests against the owner would force him out. Theres only a certain amount of hassle a billionaire with other business interests and no affinity to the club wants.

Didnt remember seeing their keeper get abducted by aliens...

Talking up his England chances on MOTD!

Both of them look to see who's top of the pile and say that's who it will be, it happens too often in relegation battles where people just say 'It will end as it is'. And then whoever stays up, they will obviously say they backed them all along.

Unfortunately they just see whichever way the wind is blowing and talk some shit. Its the same squad that has played under the rest and still has significant limitations, which is why I think beating Spurs will be difficult, but with a bit of heart and bit of luck it could well come off.

Great results today. This will be very close, and I think we will need 2 wins from our last 2 games to reach 39 points and probably GD -23 or so. If we get this, I cant see us going down. Norwich can now reach 40 points maximum, with a home game against Man Utd to play. If they get 2 wins and a draw that would take them to 38. We would have the edge on GD over them if we finished level on points. Sunderland can reach 41 points maximum, with a home game against Chelsea still to play. Realistically, they probably wont get 3 wins but 2 wins and a draw isn't beyond the realms of possibility. That would keep them up on GD- meaning the goal for them today was massive. A bit of the pressure is off after today, and now 2 more massive games against a woeful Villa side (with a player sent off today) and a Tottenham side with probably nothing to play for and minus a key player. I fancy us to scrape a win at Villa and then throw the kitchen sink at Spurs at SJP- it could happen. For me, if we get those 6 points, I'd see Norwich as all but down and it would be us or Sunderland. Both us and Sunderland are down the bottom for a reason, and so the "occasion" and "passion" and "support" wont really make earning the points a given. I could see Sunderland getting 5 but not 7 points from their 3 fixtures meaning we would need the 6 points from our 2 fixtures. Get them and I think we'll stay up. Fail to do so, and I think we go down. I'd fancy us to get 6 points more than Sunderland to get 7 or 9.

If Leicester win the league now, they would deserve a square in Central London named after them.

Jermaine Jenas reckons sunderland are "nailed on to stay up" if they keep playing like that.

Generally good results today for us I think elsewhere. A loss for Sunderland would have been better, but as long as they dont win 2 games, we can hope. Palace and Man United winning means that Everton and Watford dont have a reason to rest players for Sunderland and Norwich games. Leicester winning means that it looks likely that the league will be won before the final game and Tottenham come to SJP with nothing to play for. Palace (H), Villa (A), Tottenham (H)- all of them have nothing to play for, in principle. Its a tall order but 9 points is what we need and it doesnt look impossible now.

And Danny Simpson winning the league...

Our maximum total is 39 points assuming 3 wins. Doesn't look like we will overhaul Sunderland's GD and definitely not Norwich so realistically, if one of them gets to 39 points its curtains for us. Thats 2 wins and a draw from their 4 fixtures. I see Sunderland getting at least 1 win- possibly Everton (H) or Watford (A). Norwich- probably not 7 points. It's a big ask for us now and we are dependent on Everton and Watford!