leffe186

We need them to f*** up twice though, rather than just the once if they'd lost. Still, a decent outcome. With their away form it's entirely possible. Kinda, but our away games this year have been Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Everton, Chelsea, Sunderland. That's pretty rough.

Today was typical Foy. Generally speaking he's OK, picks up most of the decisions well. The problem is that he's of the school of thought that says a good ref should be seen but not heard - which is fine in most games. However, when one team sets its stall out early to use all those little niggly, cynical fouls (or worse) then he never books them, which only encourages them. It's no coincidence that this has been exploited against us by Stoke and Sunderland at their place. He's sort of a plainer, duller Roger Milford (for the old ones among you). That said, Foy at Stoke was one of the worst reffing performances I have ever seen.

That was terrible. Still, didn't lose, and I fully expected us to in that second half. The end of this season is going to be crazy.

Get the ball, look to break, get fouled. Come on Spurs, sneak it.

He's up there with Suarez in the diving table. And the pissing and moaning too. Makes me feel good to remember he was Arsenal.

Cheat

Larsson is such an irritating little shit, isn't he?

Great tackle. Wish Bale had gone down when Colback tried to trip him though.

What a weird, weird atmosphere.

Oh shit, magic, had to look down to type and didn't realize he'd booked Larsson.

Fucking diving cunt. He was desperate to win a free-kick in that area.

We give away some silly free-kicks just outside the box. Was particularly worried about that before this game, coming up against Larsson.

Yeah, Modric has been decent this season, but no more.

Well it wasn't exactly this team, obviously, and you let in a goal while you were sleeping. Your tactics were wrong - Pardew said as much. MON's tactics are perfect to play against us.

That ball outside the quadrant on corners is starting to piss me off too.

He died yesterday, man. Loads of sins today - he went too early.

Jesus. Just score, man.

Yeah, think he's done a good job today. Hopefully the game will open up a bit now. If you think it's horrible to watch for the neutral, it's f***ing horrible to watch for me. You can smell the Sunderland goal in the air.

A better team than the mackems would be ripping Spurs apart on their current form. I think you've been getting the wrong end of the stick all game, Neesy. A better team than Sunderland would not use the tactics they have, and I think that would suit us. I think we were pretty good against Swansea; it's just that today's game is really awkward and most teams would struggle to look good. It's MON's speciality, and you just end up having to grit out a result. Nah, your passing today has been dreadful and that has very little to do with Sunderland. It has been mixed - obviously that last bit was shit, and Sandro was lax. However it does have a fair bit to do with Sunderland. If a side is well-organized defensively and snapping at your heels, plus the pitch is dry and bobbly, it makes passing harder. There we go, Modric about to break, player grabs him right in front of the ref, who waves play on. Foy winds me right up.

A better team than the mackems would be ripping Spurs apart on their current form. I think you've been getting the wrong end of the stick all game, Neesy. A better team than Sunderland would not use the tactics they have, and I think that would suit us. I think we were pretty good against Swansea; it's just that today's game is really awkward and most teams would struggle to look good. It's MON's speciality, and you just end up having to grit out a result.

Part of the problem is that Sunderland are well-organized defensively and set up to hit teams on the break. You can see that on the one or two occasions we have drawn them out, we have tried to hit quickly but either the ball bobbles up off someone or Colback/Cattermole/some other neanderthal finds an alternative way to stop the break. Hopefully we can draw them out a little more, or Lennon will scare them shitless.

It's a typical MON set-up. Defend in numbers, harass and work hard, look to catch the oppo on the break. Throw in a bobbly pitch and a laissez-faire ref and it's never going to be pretty. We just need to keep probing, not let in a soft goal, and if it's still nil-nil in the last twenty we have Lennon to bring on. Leffe, what are your expectations for the rest of the season? Are you confident you can hold onto third/fourth? Well this is clearly our toughest match, which helps. Yourselves and Arsenal still have Man City and Chelsea to come, and I think Chelsea are out of it now. I would only actually be confident if we won today. I can see both yourselves and Arsenal going the rest of the season unbeaten (although I really think you'll lose that last game against Everton). The big problem with today is that everything is in place for Sunderland to win - awkward pitch, pissant ref, plus a team like us who will keep going forwards and play into their tactics. Winning today would be a massive, massive boost, and if it happens then I feel Arsenal will lose to City.

Especially against Wayne Bridge. His hamstrings are still a worry according to Harry earlier in the week, think they're trying to easte him up to speed before the cup semi final. Yeah, it's not so much the cup semi as just not wanting him to break down now, as that would be the end of his season. We've got a decent enough line-up without him, and the chance to throw him on as an impact sub. Plus, on this pitch, against Colback, Cattermole et al and reffed by a chocolate teapot, it's just crying out for him to get injured.

It's a typical MON set-up. Defend in numbers, harass and work hard, look to catch the oppo on the break. Throw in a bobbly pitch and a laissez-faire ref and it's never going to be pretty. We just need to keep probing, not let in a soft goal, and if it's still nil-nil in the last twenty we have Lennon to bring on.

Just make the inevitable straight red more funny. Problem is it's us who's going to get it. I've seen this movie before.