Neil

Bolton should probably win this like, we've been cack. So, so bad in the middle.

Dribbled past a whole host of players, one-two with T-Hib and smashed it into the corner.

What about that? I thought N'Gog was shit?

He's got more goals than Hibbert.

TIM HOWARD SCORES!!! :lol:

Saha, Stracq and Donovan start tonight - an all-time attacking line up for Moyes.

Withdrew what winnings I had from the Ramires bet on Monday. Knew I'd piss it away yesterday and tonight otherwise.

Tamworth are 'only' 20/1 at the weekend. As a comparison, I believe you could get that price on Blackburn winning at Old Trafford. We're great value at 1/12.

They were getting plenty of luck under Bruce, just they were so shit they couldn't take advantage of it. They're now getting even more luck but this time O'Neill has got them working together.

Man City will yet again concede late on and rob me of clean sheet points for both Kompany and Richards.

Wigan have apparently had twice as many shots as Sunderland, but if their recent attempts are anything to go by, it's no surprise. They're blasting it from 30 yards on sight and not being anywhere near to close.

Barry.

Counter attack tastic.

Been talked about. The club's completely falling apart, and one man can pretty much be blamed squarely for that. That fucking stadium, man. Ludicrous.

Technically back in administration again again. Wonder what Reynolds is doing nowadays.

You have a way with words brummie, I'll give you that.

New year, new luck? Took 2-1 Chelsea and Ramires to score at 30/1. If only I put FGS.

De Gea has pissed me off one too many times. The Charlie Adam Experiment went wrong. Those 2 out, Friedel and VDV in. Both players I generally wanted but sweetened by the double GW. Friedel Richards Shawcross Kompany Enrique Sinclair VDV © Silva Mata Ba Adebayor Vorm, Sturridge, Walters, Simpson Shouldn't have really taken any notice of Sturridge and Walters both being "doubtful" as the Premier League site is frequently wrong.

Yes, he should have come on at 3-2 right after Ba scored to try and force the game, keep the ball in their half and pin them back. He brought on Sammy, so presumably you agree with him that Sammy could change the game but Ben Arfa couldn't? Your sentence about Obertan is one of the most ridiculous things I've read on here in a long time. Concentrated and committed?! No I don't rate Sammy tbh. Ben Arfa floats around, he lacks self discipline and would rarely chase back. The one time he did defend (City away) he gave away a penalty. Obertan for all his inadequacies in attack and actual contribution will at least track back and put effort into the defensive side of the game. Considering we've an absolute liability at RB you need that extra body. If you look at Ben Arfa's best performance for this club (Everton away) he was ahead of a fantastic fullback in Enrique, who could shoulder the burden of having to do a lot of work. Until we can provide him that solid backup I don't know if I'd like to see him outwide. We'll have to agree to disagree about Obertan, I think he bottles challenges and puts very little effort in defensively. I can appreciate what Jonas offers defensively even if he's having a shit game with the ball, I don't see it in the slightest from Obertan. I also think that's a very negative way to look at the game, exactly the way I absolutely hate managers looking at it, same reason I detested Souness for the Robert situation. You should build your team around your best creative players, not leave them out because they don't do enough graft. If they're not doing it, it's your job as manager to either get them to do it or get the other players to fill in. David Silva's hardly a workhorse, he'd be a poorer player if he was. Play your best players and let the opposition worry about them, instead of worrying about whether Player X will track back all the time. It's something I hate about Moyes too. Far too willing to pick the "hard working" but less able player. Pisses me right off.

The way the league is going they could well finish 8th. Look at Stoke, when we beat them they were in free fall and near the bottom. Now they are breathing down our necks and while that says a lot more about our own poor form than their good form, it says even more about just how unpredictable this season is and just how up for grabs most of those spots are, even the top spot itself. I agree about there being numerous teams who could finish in any such order, but personally I don't think Sunderland will finish any higher than 10th.

Oh right. Thought you had your tongue firmly in your cheek. They have a decent manager in charge who's put some belief back into the players, and they're riding that mix of renewed enthusiasm and fortune you often get with a new manager. They however are still 13th, you make it sound like they're likely to finish in the top 8 this year.

On the balance of play, Man City should have knobbed them. But they didn't bring their shooting boots (in particular, Dzeko was utterly woeful) and Sunderland survived. They then got (another) massive slice of luck with the winning goal that somehow wasn't disallowed for being blatantly offside. Sunderland fans will rightly laud their team for being so resolute in the face of a far superior opposition. However, you have to question how far this luck is going to stretch for them. As I said, people are already forgetting the 2 huge decisions that wrongly went their way vs Blackburn (no penalty vs Bramble, and the disallowed goal). They'll be enjoying their little run under O'Neill currently and you can't blame them - he was always likely going to inject some enthusiasm into them. A manager who knows how to set up a team, but a manager who can develop and change things effectively? We'll see.

Thought they typified what a new manager who knows the basics of setting up a team well can do. Mix that in with a fair quantity of luck and you're always going to pick up points.