The Prophet

Well played sir Hannover can go and suck on a fat one though.

La Liga is a two team league where many players would struggle to cope with the extra intensity in the English game, have you not heard?

From a betting perspective I'm beginning to develop a strong hatred for Hannover. Bet on them, they crumble. Lay them, well you know the rest...

Twente/Liege double.

Howay APOEL. I'm a sucker for a good underdog story.

Reading had a similar run a year or so ago, naturally a surefire home banker they drew 0-0 in a late kick off costing me a healthy looking accy.

Can't see us taking a beating, there's no way we'd of taken such a predictable battering at Spurs if we'd of had Tiote and Cabaye available.

Some of Milan's defending has been comically bad like, even Thiago Silva is having a shocker. They must have been using Wolves as an example of how to defend in England.

A cheeky little knock for Van Persie wouldn't go amiss.

Milan do enjoy a good collapse don't they? Recent history has thrown up classic come backs for both Deportivo and Liverpool, this could better both of them if they aren't careful.

For a player that has recently enjoyed success just off the strikers Emanuelson is cracking value to score any time.

I've been meaning to respond to this. You raise some very valid arguments, if I've missed any of them apologies:

Oddly I don't have the usual crushing pessimism before a visit to a pass and move side like Arsenal, give it a few days.

Well, we were comfortable enough to be shocked at Hughton's departure. Cant compare it to the shambles Sourness left us in. Give the very different circumstances of their arrivals and the very different teams they inherited it's a bit of a strange comparison to make.

Foolish career move on his part, especially with the exciting side being built at Dortmund. You see it so often though, a player going to a 'big' side only to sit on the sidelines and essentially ruin any development they could have enjoyed in their footballing career.

If anything it's the other way around, we attempt to contain when we're under pressure leading to poor football.

You mean such as the second half today where Sunderland parked the bus and we played some really good stuff?

We kept it on the floor for the first and last five minutes of the first half and during a large majority of the second. I can't help but feel as soon as the Cattermole challange flew in all compsure was lost and we resorted to what is a very poor plan B, by that I mean aiming to get it into Ba or Cisse by lumping it long.

You're wasting your breath fella. I know, people will look back on their posts on here with utter f***ing embarrassment! Jeez, there's some fuckwits gan about. I think some of his tactics and decisions are far from perfect, but come on. Realism needs to hit some of these fuckers clean on the nose. So what football team have you been watching for the last 2 months? We've been fluking results i.e. Blackburn, QPR and Villa. Can you please explain how those games were flukes.

A mixed bag for Pardew today. Conforming to expectation, Taylor was chosen in favor of Ben Arfa in a line up most could have predicted. With his team talk ringing in their ears the players started well with some early possession, but any form of game plan soon went out of the window and it was Sunderland who looked the more composed side. Many of our lads frequently panicked on the ball resulting in a misplaced pass or a wild long ball, there was no focus, no intensity and no composure. Pardew got his half time substitute spot on, a below-par Santon being replaced by Ben Arfa. Whatever was said at the break appeared to work, we looked more comfortable on the ball and far more dangerous in the attacking third. This was aided further by the Sessagnon red card. Overall we were well worth our point and with a bit more composure in front of goal we could have won the game. Two points from our recent back-to-back home games is a disappointment. Wolves being some of the worst football we've played this season, but today we were a little unlucky. His team selection is typically what we've come to expect and while we lost our cool for thirty five minutes few could argue we were worth of three points. On top of that we're still well in the mix for fifth spot with both Chelsea and Liverpool dropping point this weekend.

Before I get into the nitty-gritt, I have mixed feelings about that: Obviously I'm relieved we nicked a point but I can't help but feel we had more than enough chances to bury the odious little scum bags. First half was pretty awful, a scrappy affair with the best football coming from their lot, saying that we always looked a threat from set pieces with Ba unlucky not to register. Second half was a completely different game, even before Sessagnon foolishly saw red. O'Neil had clearly instructed Sunderland to sit deep and play on the counter and it nearly worked with McClean missing a glorious chance to put them two up. Other than that it was one way traffic, Ben Arfa, Williamson and obviously Ba squandered great chances to level the score in a dominating performance. On a sour note, Mike Dean had a dreadful game, in comfortably one of the worst refereeing performances I've seen at our place in a long time. In a catalogue of major cock-ups: Cattermole should have seen red after three minute, a penalty should of been awarded after Turner blatently handled with his arms well above his head and Ba's penalty should have been re-taken with Mignolet standing a good yard off his line. Their penalty was also debatable, following the letter of the law there was a foul and it had to be given, but how many referees actually give that sort of decision given that form of offence goes on a gamely basis? Bizarre.

I've been going along these lines for a while, when we're under pressure or begin to panic we do resort to long ball a bit too much but on the whole we do mix it up, it isn't always good to watch but it isn't always long ball. I think most would agree our best performance of the season was our comprehensive demolition of the Mancs, it was a high intensity, top quality performance but we were still very direct. I'm pretty sure Pardew's intentions are something within that scope, not totally reliant on pass and move nor on the long ball but quite simply to pressurise the opponent’s eighteen yard area as soon as we're in possession. I'm not certain whether that is his end game or if he is making do with what he has, but the similarities with his West Ham side certainly suggest it could well be the latter. Taking this into account I do believe we will play our fair share of direct long balls during a football match, most sides do. However this doesn't excuse some of the football we've played at times this season. This has largely come when we've been under pressure and blame has to be attributed to Pardew. Plan B and sometimes even Plan A (see the post-Chelsea blip as an example) has consisted of us trying to contain the opposition. There's always a certain element of this in Pardew's game plan, it's been part of our success this season but on occasion it has become a double edged sword. We're so desperate to protect what we have the wingers come either too deep or too narrow, Cabaye our playmaker sits in his own half while at times Ba also drops far too deep, this leaves the keeper and the centre backs with no option but to lump it forward and hope a ridiculously isolated Ba/Cisse/Shola makes something of it. This obsession to contain also explains and extends to leaving our talented playmaker warming the bench in order to field someone who will protect the vulnerable Danny Simpson. Pardew and a couple of our plays do need to learn possession is the greatest weapon a side can use to contain the opposition, not sitting deep, nor the easy long ball, both of which instantly hands the initiative back to the opposing team. As this suggest I haven't been totally elated by all of our football this season but I do believe criticism has been too sharp. We are a work in progress, we still carry deadwood (Williamson, Simpson, Perch, Taylor, Obertan) in and around the starting eleven and as a consequence we'll still be very hit and miss this season. I’m almost certain a bit more quality in defence and an additional year of experience for Pardew will see confidence grow and we'll improve again as a consistent footballing outfit next season.

It's important we win on two counts: a) An objective analysis of the table shows we need to keep winning in order to continue the pressure on the sides around us, it would also put us in a more than likely unreachable 13 points ahead of one of the chasing pack attempting to catch seventh. b) On a completely subjective note they're an average team with a set of delusional, horrible, inbred fans who need putting in their place, we should be looking to beat this lot every time on our own patch.