durhamunigeordie

Just what I thought. It makes sense though, no need for someone who can only play RB to be on the bench instead of Ferguson (who can play as a defender and an attacker) when you have Santon/Perch/Taylor who could all fill in there. Simpson just isn't versatile enough to warrant a place on that bench. EDIT - well looks like he is now on the bench anyway, but point still stands.

What a selection from Pardew.

May well have already been mentioned, but did anything ever get made of what Bellamy quite clearly said to Tim Krul at Anfield last year?

To be fair Peter Reid/Monkeys Head song is an example of something that I would classify as a non-racist monkey chat.

Fair play to the club by the way, they're certainly doing their best to fill the ground and make games affordable, particularly for families.

That and the fact he backs off and shows attackers onto their stronger feet.

Was just coming in to post that. Wasn't he knocking about on a free two years ago and we signed Kuqi instead? Shows how highly Pardew rated him.

Exactly, in isolation Santon is probably better on the left, but a Santon - Fergie combo is preferable to a Simpson - Santon one for me. That said, Simpson did somehow manage to look like a competent defender against the mackems.

Not really sure how we will line up at all. Just hope that we start with 3 in the middle. Shola shouldn't really be starting either. Ba up top with Hatem and Obertan/Ferguson/Sammy off him would be preferable. I'd quite like to see: Krul; Santon, Taylor, Colo, Ferguson; Anita, Jonas, Cabaye, Ben Arfa, Cisse, Ba. But don't think in reality it will be anywhere near that side.

Just hope we're in the home kit tonight. Probably wont be, but we really should be. Guess it is just one of my pet hates. At SJP we play in black and white. Taking my lass to her first game tonight and it will just be another thing for me to have to explain!

Yes not disputing this bias of the article, just re-call seeing him disappear fairly sharpish and thinking that was the back of him. Luckily football is a fickle mistress.

Colo was one of the first down the tunnel that day. Remember it well, didn't think we'd ever see him in Black and White again and, to be brutally honest, at the time I wasn't bothered. A lot has changed that day and the bloke just oozes class both on and off the pitch.

Remember Fellaini catching Williamson with a very stray elbow in the Ben Arfa game at Goodison. Cracking player, but one of the dirtiest around.

Love the fact that we have personalised neck warmers for the players with their initials and country flag on it. Great touch.

So definitely a left hand side of Ferguson - Sammy which is quite exciting. From the video on NUFCtv it looks like Tiote, Shola, Harper, Obertan and Cisse will also start, although they were deliberately being very careful as to who they showed with bibs on in the practice match.

They must be up in L7 as the SJH West Corner is open for cash turnstiles. Might get close to 35k in there if we are lucky.

One stumbling block would be that they didn't sack Barton even though he was handed a jail sentence. Therefore had they sacked Ranger on the back of his previous conviction his lawyers would have flagged this up straight away. Substantive unfair dismissal is quite hard to prove and there one thing that the employer must show is that the action was in the 'range of reasonable responses' - i.e that somewhere around the world there is another employer who would have reasonably taken that action (it's quite favourable to the employer), however, because they didn't/couldn't sack Barton then there would be no consistency. If, as reported, the club have given Ranger a final written warning, it looks like they are going through the motions properly so that they are covered against a claim for procedural unfair dismissal (verbal warnings, written warnings etc.) for when they eventually try and boot him out.

In the development squad to play against Stoke tonight. Seems to have slipped way down the pecking order since starting at Everton.

It's probably (and rightly) going to be Perch, but wouldn't mind seeing Anita given a go from the start in at least one of the home games that Tiote misses.

Has O'Shea's nose always been like that?!

Wow, did not expect that.

Ba's not had a great time against them to date.

From the refs angle it didn't look pretty.

Is it one game ban for serious foul play?

I thought he was a good outlet for us today.