Rod

Can't see why anyone would have Murphy in the team. I am losing patience with this lad. Totally useless on Sunday.

School holidays eh!

Atmosphere was fine. It's only the stayaway arsehole that say otherwise. I mean ....... how on earth would you know what the atmosphere was like whilst sitting at home or in a pub?

HTT descibed him as "superb". Did he actually watch the game?

Kane was totally anonymous.

Actually I agree with everything 2Ameobis says WITHOUT playing footy with the sad bastards. He is bang on. Just shut the fuck up you whinging arseholes. Yes we know, Ashley cunt this and Ashley fat bastard that, but just shut the fuck up. Rafa is playing a "blinder". It may not end the way we want it to but Rafa has him in a corner. Ashley either backs him, does not back him or do fuck all. But you know what? I'm into my 30th season as a ticket holder and I also want us to go out and bray the opposition with what we have. Just get on with it. By the way, I think Ashley is a cunt!

Oops sorry, in response to 2 ameobis. I totally agree.

We obviously watch different football.

If anyone can be bothered, watch the game again. Henderson was atrocious. He has the 3/5 yard pass backwards or sideways that is always 100% perfect. His forward passes are quite comical. They normally go out of play or to the opposition. Some of his fans will point to his "workrate". This workrate is useless without a conclusion. What I mean is he hasn't a clue what to do next, do I move with the ball (highly unlikely), take a shot at goal (prolific), make a killing pass (I'm pissing myself now) or ........ you've got it pass it 2 yards sideways. He couldn't lace Shelvey's boots.

tmonkey is bang on. At the end of the day, regardless of what "achievements" England have done, and let's be honest the only decent team we played defeated us, Shelvey is far superior than at least three of the midfielders included in the squad. The midfield we have taken are very similar in style, Shelvey would have been another option. I personally think we will progress to the final but many fans will be saying "why haven't we got a player to deliver a killer pass". We have but unfortunately at home.

The "Mad" phrase is so wrong. His first red for us was against Arsenal at home (I think). It was never a red. He was trying to express himself and was conned by an experienced defender and a gullible referee. He takes loads of "stick" from defenders and referees do not help him. See the game tonight where he is "mugged" by two defenders. Nothing given by the officials, shocking. No wonder he gets annoyed.

Ashsley was the second bottle of wine.

Sorry for repeating myself but I totally disagree with the "punching above our weight". An absolute nonsense comment that creates negative reviews on this site. We were well worthy of the tenth position at the very least. I also had issues with people's comments of "Championship Club with a World class manager". Total rubbish. We actually have a good core of players with an actual excellent manager. Rafa knows this and the squad will only improve under him. We will be ok under Rafa's regime. It's the carnage afterwards we have to deal with (Ashsley).

Ha ha,

I actually think we were better than tenth. The numerous games we lost by the odd goal that could/should have gone the other way. I mean, Everton did the double over us and I personally thought they were abysmal both times.

I agree about the refereeing decision by the way. It still haunts me to this day. It was Howard Webb wasn't it?

He scored 7 goals in 38 games for Newcastle. He was finished when he came to the Toon. Complete donkey.

Viduka was a complete donkey at the Toon. One of the reasons we were relegated. Him and Owen, who would of thought it eh?

The last two years have been pretty good in footballing terms (although let's not forget one was in the Championship), mainly thanks to Rafa and very much in spite of Ashley, but one would have to be pretty shortsighted to not see the bigger picture when it comes to NUFC. In the decade Ashley has been our owner we've regressed from being regularly qualifying for European football to being a yoyo club. It doesn't bear thinking about where we would be if Rafa hadn't seen us as an interesting project. I'm not glorifying where Sunderland are at this point in time, but they have a clean slate which they wouldn't have had if they were still clinging on in the bottom half of the Premier League and it probably took a double relegation for Short (who was out of his depth but had the right intentions as opposed to Ashley) to cut his losses. It's going to take something similar for Ashley to do the same I fear, and whilst he's here we will just continue to gradually drop down the football pyramid. Rafa will eventually leave unless he gets what he wants (highly unlikely under Ashley) and we will be back to square one. If given the choice I would swallow the bitter pill now and built afresh under new ownership who have the right intentions and the ability to let this club fulfil its potential, rather than continue to be driftwood for the benefit of one very rich individual. Let's wait and see how their new owners do before we laugh them off as chancers. As it stands they have an opportunity to steady the ship and by this time next year be a newly promoted Championship club with the finances in place to make a push for the Premier League again. They could fail spectacularly, and I would laugh my bollocks off if they do, but it's much to early to say either way. And besides that, as you implied we could just as easily get taken over by somebody with the right intentions and financial means to make it happen. As for our best chance of a change of ownership being in the Premier League I don't see why at all. We're just too valuable as a Sports Direct advertisement hoarding for Ashley to consider to pay at a price somebody else may see as reasonable. It's just not going to happen unless we end up in a similar situation to Short, who was prepared to cut his losses in the end to avoid further damage. I don't believe that for a second. There is a reason why we only ever invest significantly in the January window (and even then, not always) when we're in trouble or after we've dropped to the Championship; he's desperate to hang onto the exposure and TV money that comes to being in the PL. If we're bleeding money in the lower leagues without exposure for SD he'll want shot pretty sharpish. But what you are suggesting is that you want us to fail in order to progress. It is totally illogical thinking. I agree that Ashley is suffocating the club with his lack of ambition. I get that but wishing us to do a "sunderland" just can't be right. I actually think the dirty mackems will gain promotion to the Championship but they will be away from the Premier League for a very very long time, if they ever get back at all is questionable.

Not sure if you would trade places? Good grief, get a grip man! Make the most of this and stick the boot in whenever/wherever you can. I for one am loving the mackems squirming in the third division no matter who our owner is.

I watched Cahill today and he was rubbish. To think he is ahead of Lascelles in the England pecking order is outrageous.

And this is why I love this board. Mad, the lot of ya!

Thanks all. I love this board really. ?

I said fuck off!