gbandit

That prick thompson said we'd get relegated. Stupid ponce, there should be some sort of quota system on bad calls as a pundit. If you make too many awful predictions which obviously show you have no idea what you're talking about, you should be banned from all major radio and television shows

I think he'll definitely turn out better than Martins. I'd love to see Marv in the team and Obertan out at the moment but I still think Obertan has many of the pieces necessary to be a very good winger. He's young, has pace, can whip a ball in and is developing into that role. The only problem is, Marveaux is the better player.

He can't help it. Can you imagine what he must have been like at school? Must have been unbearable. I think he'll become more and more popular with age and become a 'loveable' figure. It's just a relief to not have him tweeting any shit from behind the scenes. I wonder how many 'the spirit is unbelievable' comments there'd have been, had he stayed with us

Makes you realise just how pathetic West Ham were last season. They had the juggernaut in their team steaming in and scoring goals for fun and they still got relegated. Joke of a team

If that was his line, that's quality. What a lad. Pardew seems to be devoid of negativity. He almost never says a bad word about anything. Rarely complains about decisions where other managers might. He's a good lad

The only ones really playing above themselves though are arguably R.Taylor & Best. The others are all very good players or playing as expected (Simpson, Obertan...) Before the start of the season, I think most thought was Saylor was a real liability, he's improved massively in my opinion. The same goes for Raylor, there were times today that he looked really solid. I don't know if you can say he got the most out of Shola today, it was just one of Shola's typical one-in-ten performances. Best, I always rated, but he's looked more and more confident and now is a genuine striking option as a starter rather than some desperate option after several injuries. Apart from that, I agree, the first eleven is strong and people are playing at their natural level. This little period since the middle of August has been bizarre even to me. I thought we'd prove a lot of people wrong and play some good football but I didn't expect it so soon and I really thought Enrique going would weaken us far more than it has done. On the cheap, we've managed to become a really tight team with a bit of technical nuance and creativity. November could trash us up a bit but the foundations are there for a really strong team here

I do think he gets the best out of weaker players. That's something only good managers can do

shitting it

Dream scenario is us getting a pounding in the first half, Pardew brings on the artillery: Santon, Marv, Arfa and we start to dominate, winning in the last five minutes

I like our bench better, I like our starting line up worse

Chris Wood again. Lad

Going to be an open game, can see it being stretched in the second half with loads of chances. Reckon we'll take an early lead then get pegged back. Then there'll be a late goal to us, Cabaye screamer ripping through the net. Either that or Adebayor will get in behind or defence and put one behind Krul in the dying minutes. Most excited I've been about a match for a while

What a disgusting little shit he is, can't stand his face. Is there a precedent in terms of bans for players who've abused others racially?

It's a nice line, there's nothing like a subtle compliment to build up confidence

Lawro's sick in the head. He has the objectivity of a suicide bomber. Stop being such a prick and just watch some football matches and decide based on that. If we were to get the results he predicts, we'd be relegated every single season

Went to Tallinn a few months back, loved the place, people were so friendly and the food was great. Is football the number one sport over there?

Those inter comments sound like nothing but I still think we need to help this lad settle in. Italian speaker who's meant to be a real hometown boy based on some articles. When he gets his first game in the PL I hope we show him some love

I think one of the problems (this is an explanation for you francophones) is that when someone criticises you, you take it personally. I'm not sure whether this is a British trait, it's certainly something I'm aware of but in general we take the piss out of each other as much as we can or, if we don't agree with someone we rip them apart for it. I think a lot of other places deal with it by having a reasoned debate but on this forum and on a lot of english-speaking forums, people just want to say a funny line or take the piss. If you look at other people on this forum, some get a shitload of abuse but are English and because they're used to it, it doesn't mean anything to them. What I would say is this though, if you don't like that form of interaction it probably is best not to post anymore rather than derail threads with talk of quitting. Not saying it's your fault but let's keep the focus on Ben Arfa and his return. I can't wait to see him back to his best, he has had a massive impact on us in terms of making us a more attractive option on the continent and he is the one player that I think most other teams will really fear. He may not have the consistency of a Coloccini or Tiote, but he has a quality that no one else can match in our squad and in most teams in the PL

70k a week justified. I guess he didn't take 'you need to find a new club' in the way it was intended and bought a new sand wedge instead. Very nice

I've got a feeling Mehdi will be world class. Can see him playing the Essien role when he steps up

Ronaldo's comedy but I like the French posters, especially Tunisia and BenBenBenArfa. They set the tone just right with some interesting lines.

Nice, Ben Arfa is far beyond the level of Malouda the anomaly

He'll get at least twenty five minutes, can't see Pards starting him. Would love to see him start but it's a quandary. I really like Best and Ba is tough to deal with. I would drop Obertan and have Marv or Arfa on the right.

Will always love Keegan, can't help it. I just fucking love the guy

I don't understand the argument 'given enough over the years to deserve his place'. Football isn't some charity, we're trying to win games, we're trying to push on as a club and become a real team again. I like Shola, I think his family are great, I think he's a great role model as a character. I don't think he's ever been good enough to play first team PL football, nevermind now. If I saw him, I'd shake his hand and thank him for his time at the club and wish him all the best, that doesn't mean I want him to play for us again.