Groo

7am kick-off time here, so another early one, getting up early enough to scramble around looking for an on-line site. The second of only 2 games this season of where I'll be rooting for the other team. I was hoping for a better showing at yours, bad news for us that Colo will be back. Can't begin to guess who we'll play as Sousa's been confusing everyone with squad rotation, like Allen and Cotterill were the pick of the bunch against Preston last Saturday and both dropped to bench for Tuesday. De Vries in goal, after that who knows? Lets hope for an exciting 2-1 to the Swans and 2 promotions at the end of the season so I can support the oppo twice again next year.

Just started following my home team Swansea by being taken to games with a mate by his dad. As they were in the 4th Division at the time most of classmates followed a 1st Division team, mostly Everton, Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester United. After a great deal of thought I decided I liked the name Newcastle, they played in black and white (same as Swansea) so I chose Newcastle as the team to champion in the playground arguments, a team to follow on match of the day etc. Have followed Newcastle ever since, always an excuse to go to the pub to watch Newcastle play on Sky etc. The year was 1969 and Newcastle had also just won the Fairs Cup. Sorry chaps, my fault.

Swans 2-0

Swansea winning 1-0 half time if interested. Well done on walloping the in-bred's yesterday. We hate being put in the same bracket as them because we are Welsh, totally different interaction between our fans and yours and their thugs.

I can only think this is a panic buy after failing to get Moses (who I still can't get me head around chosing Wigan over any of the 3 other names involved, Premiership pull ??). Only thing I can say is, wait and see what he can do in Black and White before crucifying him.

That was the first time I came to Canada, I spent 9 months in Montreal and was looking forward to go see a game. The players went on strike and a whole season was cancelled, in the end the players signed up to the capping ready for the following season.

You think teams that win the league in N.Ireland and Wales should be in the Champions League ahead of the likes of Arsenal/Chelsea/whoever doesn't win the league that season? Pthmadog vs Barcelona and some N.Irish team vs Inter Milan...sounds amazing whilst Chelsea play Real Madrid and Arsenal vs Juventus in the UEFA Cup. Think this is a bad idea but each to their own. Why is it called CHAMPIONS LEAGUE? The Ironioc thing is, it was exactly as proposed above before the big clubs united to enforce the change from the Eurpoean Cup to the Champions League. The problem they saw were: 1. Unless you finished top you did not get into it. 2. Early rounds were not top SKY attractions. 3. Possibility of a shock early exit. All of the above had finincial implications, so it changed to the Champions League, thanks to the mega rich grouping together and (once again) threatening to create their own Super League. So it changed to the current format. 1. The Leagues that contained the mega rich have up to 4 entries (so much for Champions), thus giving them an each way bet, no need to actually win a league, just get close enough (those extra pennies come in handy, can buy the best opposition players to warm the bench and play in the reserves, so they can't hurt you). 2. Make the unwashed play off so the mega's have no need to go to their grounds. 3. Make mini leagues (again a deterent to the freak one off result knocking a mega out), this by the way again generated more money. 4. If a mega does get knocked out, the bets are they will be 3rd, so let them go into the EUFA (or whatever its called), at least not all is lost. EVERY MAJOR DECISION THAT HAS BEEN MADE IN THE LAST 20 YEARS HAS BEEN HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY THE FEW TO THE BENEFIT OF THE FEW AND DETRIMENT TO THE MASSES. The Football authorities are always too frightened of being pushed aside by the mega's. As I said before the only way I see it controlled is by only allowing a team to play under licence, they don't play ball they don;t play. The threat of a break away would be nulified as they cannot play under any circumstances without said license. Until the mega's influence is taken away the game will contiunue to be manipulated and plundered by the mega's.

You are wrong on so many fronts. How did it use to be: 1. Teams shared the match proceeds (this was when TV money was not as big as now, so match proceeds mattered even in the first division. Teams with 50K crowds would get the proceeds forma 50K crowd every other week and at all other times share the smaller gates. This meant that the bigger supported teams had a bigger pot over the season and could give themselves an edge. 2. The Football League took the TV money (plus whatever sponsorship) and awarded prizes throughout the leagues. The winners had the lions share but the difference was not the gulf we get today. 3. Money was reserved for developement of the game. What changed? It started for me with Manchester United's campaign to keep all the gate money, not satisfied with the edge that extra money every other week gave them they wanted it all. The League buckled under pressure and changed it so the home team kept the home gate. There were numerous threats of breaking away as the 'bigger' teams wanted more of the TV money but the League would not give on this, hence when Sky appeared on the scene and offered sums of money never seen before in the game, the opportunity was taken by the bigger teams to break away. The Premier League was formed on behalf of the 'bigger' teams so that they could cream the TV recenue. The League had to come to some compromise to retain a way into the money for other teams. I'm not saying that the winners should not have rewards, its just the rewards are now on a scale totally unjustified and makes the top end of the Premier League a 'privileged members club'. A well run small team always had a chance, the likes of Ipswich, Burnley, Derby all won the League, it cannot happen these days. Some clubs have far too much power and they have syphoned the money into their pockets to mismanage and drop down the drain. You seem to be mistaking teams buying success with earning success. The wealth in the game right now could make for an enteraining league, isn't it funny, at a time when there is more money in football than at any other time, the number of teams in financial trouble is at record levels.

The problem now is the gap in rewards is so immense. Where does all that money go? The big teams swallow the money like a whale algae. The money then pours OUT of football, via the pockets of overpaid footballers. The best team will always have the better chance of winning, the financial unbalance now means that the best team is the one who can buy all the best players. The current system means all but a few teams are handicapped and in a big way.

My answer to that is a lot simpler and something I cannot understand being the way it is. No matter what league you are in, the players contract should have a level per division, therefore if relegated the players would be paid a salary appropriate to the division they find themselves in.

Where's Stephane Guivarc'h in that list

Asking football to self regulate is like asking a child to spend the night in a sweet shop and just take one sweet. Greed has destroyed what was once a great game, now there is no real competition and no dreams left for the fans of smaller teams. Nothing can be done to change this whilst the ones influencing decisions are the ones filling their pockets. When was the last time a major decision was made to benefit the whole structure and not just the elite few. The only way it can will ever change is 2 senario's, 1 is the collapse of the TV revenue, which would be the end of those teams that 'take' the most. The other is for governments to come in with a way to enforce clubs to follow authority rules, the big one would be to only allow to play with a license. Therefore if a club wants to play, it has to follow the rules, it cannot use the 'form a new league' threat has been brandished so succesfully to the detriment of the majority of teams. The Prmier League would never have been formed, teams would still have a fair share of rewards and the whole structure would still have been more even had this been done 20 years ago.

If you believe everything in the Welsh press Swansea outplay everyone and never deserve to lose. Just because they play with 10 men behind the ball and pass from defence to midfield to defence their fans think that they are real madrid or liverpool from the 70s. I do believe you have a problem, perhaps you should make an appointment with your GP, definately something wrong there. Talking of definately something wrong, you gonna pop along to the Liberty to watch a real team once Ridders has seen off yours. That will make 3 now, with Lids and Barnsley.

Some words from our chairman, who's a big fan of the team by the way. http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/sport/Gulf-money-means-battle-match-Toon/article-1561824-detail/article.html

I can understand the desire to hold back when leading 3-0 and perhaps that is why we played a lot better 2nd half, was simply because you let us. I do believe if that was deliberate though, that is a dangerous tactic. Had we scored and we had our chances, it would be difficult to raise the game again. A second then may have seen a twitchy end. 3-0 in the end though, can't argue with that. The big difference for us is the clinical finishing, we don't have that, if we win its usually 1-0, very rarely score more in a game. The differencfe in class in finishing is demonstrated by the stats, we had more shots both on and off target and failed to score, I believe in the 1st half you only had 3 shots on target and scored all 3. We move on to Peterboroughg now, hopefully the start of the next 11 game unbeaten run. By the way, our boards are nothing but praise for your City, fans and team

Well done, but just wait for the return when we intimidate you with our 18000 fans.

Our best run last season was after a 0-4 defeat to Reading. Imagine what a run you will go on after we beat you 6-0 6-0!! We're getting worried after taking the p out of Wigan fans last week..

Our best run last season was after a 0-4 defeat to Reading.

I did see a game in the 70's where we went in 0-3 down and wion 4-3... nothing like optimism.

Start when you like, just let me know when I can get out from under this stone.

We're like rabbits caught in the headlights at the moment

Don't knock it til you tried it, I always say. aren't you coming up today? Or did you post that from a phone? Wish I could but the with 2 new twins here, can't afford the flight Mind you, Saskatoon to Calgary to Toronto to Schipol to Newcastle would have probably meant leaving last Tuesday

Don't knock it til you tried it, I always say.

George Boyd of Peterborough would be a decent acquisition.

Beckford, Koumas?? Surely Newcastle should be looking at players without baggage for a change.