leffe186

Jenas

Agreed, and the media almost succeed in ruining it. Almost, but not quite. It's the fucking World Cup, it's brilliant, watch as many games as you possibly can, fall in love with some random team/player you've never seen before, try to watch games with people from as many different countries as possible. I remember jumping up and down and hugging an Arsenal-supporting mate when Campbell scored that header against Argentina, sitting in a pub between a Romanian family and an Italian family when they went head-to-head, Australia-Croatia in Walkabout etc etc. I had to watch the last one in Glasgow - supporting England actually felt dangerous. I love it. Sure, many of the England team are cunts but, well, every team can say that. I'd rather Spurs won the League than England the World Cup, but it's a pretty close-run thing.

Are those Wolves players real, or wax?

So, anyway, er.... I'm not convinced that the points total required will be much shy of 40 this year. I know it's been going down, but I think the real pish has been excised from the PL this year and 40 will be needed.

The Star had a made-up story about Gudjohnsen on its front page to unsettle Spurs before the match. Apparently two members of their editorial team are City fans. Ultimately, many (particularly tabloid) journalists are lazy twats with agendas - some pro-certain teams, some anti. I know there's an 'Arry bandwagon etc but surely suggesting that the media will "probably claim they're the first team to do it in recent history" implies that it's you with the agenda here.

Yeah, didn't want to go up North iirc. He's fine under a chairman with a brain. ITKs at the time said exactly what he's suggested about the Bellamy deal.

Ha Wei Man.

There's a good reason for that - it was a photoshop job based on a white T-shirt in a catalogue. Look more closely at the collars in the WHL picture. Some claim it's a training top, but can't imagine we'd have a photocall for that! Opinion seems to be divided right down the middle, by age mainly. I like it, but it would be easy for the new sponsor to arse it up, plus word is we have a light blue away top (and we're always shite in light blue).

Taarabt, man. So much debate on the Spurs sites, so many opinions. For what it's worth, I think he'd be a luxury for you guys and potentially divisive in the changing rooms. If he makes that step up he could be a world-beater, but his head just doesn't seem to be in the right place. Lovely touch, great vision, two-footed - but can't be buggered to learn when to do the simple things.

If Arsenal lose their last game and then we win our last two I may explode.

The thing is, I can't see the two clubs coming up with you doing any better. As a result, you'll be competing against sides such as Blackburn, Wigan, West Ham and Wolves to avoid the drop, over one place. I can see the logic in Hughton keeping the squad largely together (as they will have got 100 points after all), and just making a couple of opportunistic tweaks. That way the morale stays high and the winning habit might just stick. You can't convince me that Newcastle's team and squad is that much more limited than Stoke's - and they stayed up comfortably. The main reason you went down in the first place was Hull's form before Xmas. If you make a good start you'll be fine. I can't see Ashley making too much money available in Summer, but if it's going tits up by Xmas then you'll see a new manager and some money spent.

Other sides have had the same privilege so it makes sense. It does point up the iniquities of the loan system, whereby a club with money can stockpile players and get them a good grounding elsewhere, allowing them to play against their rivals but not themselves (witness Maik Taylor in goal the other day). To whoever said that the loan system was good for England with Hart - well without it he would have demanded a transfer to someone else. The loan system rewards the clubs with money. It would have been nice if it punished them in this case too.

If we'd have scored by now then maybe, as it is we're dropping like flies. Can't see it.

Craig Gordon brilliant again, bastard. How good has he been since Xmas?

Sunderland have played well, but the ref's a classic homer.

This ref can fuck right off. Such a dive, and the ref waits for Cattermole's fifth cynical hack to book him. Looks like injuries are going to screw us thson.is sea

Fyp

How did the lino miss that!?

That should never be given as a handball. Good decision.

Scholes man. Fucking hell.

I think he was in some 'shagging around' story in the NOTW a while back Allegedly has a couple of kids from a while back. His defining characteristic is not that he's a twat, more that he's unbelievably stupid.

It is set up nicely for Spurs to f*** it up in the last few weeks. Ideally they will be 3 or 4 clear going into the last week then lose to City and mess it up on the final day. I would love to see City send West Ham down too. If we get some of these injured players back we'll be OK. Not convinced if not.

My wife is Villa and I used to work near(ish) the ground so I've seen a lot of them these last couple of years. I don't think any Villa fan would argue that he's done a great job turning them round, the problems people have are (1) The football played is counter-attacking, with no Plan B, and no suggestion that this will change soon (2) He makes peculiar choices (teams, substitutions, full-backs, alleged favouritism) to the extent that some see as pure bloody-mindedness (3) In the last 2 years he has spent a lot of money without a great deal of progress, from a position of some strength Mix that in with the grumblers that every team has and the lack of trophies won and you've got trouble. The fact that the chairman has done a fantastic job and is seen to have supported MON fully (particularly with money) and MON has had nowhere to hide. Then you've got Spurs & Everton visibly improving and City getting wodges of cash. If I was a mid-table or worse Prem team, or a side looking for promotion to the Prem then I'd have him without hesitation. I'm not convinced he can take a side like Villa that extra step.

They've played really well. Doesn't make Alan Green any less of a cunt though.

Liverpool would be safe in fourth if they'd played like this all season. I'll be annoyed if our injuries (Spurs) end up costing us fourth. Liverpool and Villa had their best teams out this weekend, Everton are almost back to full strength and City were only missing a couple - our first team squad injuries are now in double figures.