Wolfcastle

Didn't know that. Fenton-vibes thrown into the mix now

Commentary is weird and just getting so much worse its still a story and something worth getting excited about for Arsenal to blow it

That format is foul. Doesn't matter who it is running football they can't leave well enough alone.

I've never thought we'd beat them - had it down for a draw months back doing the predictions. Our qualifying for the CL may well rest on beating these and people got chewed out for being unsure whether we'd make it!?

Cup

If a game of football can be won by a terrible refereeing decision or massively against the run of play then false positions can exist at any point. 'evens itself out over the season' is a nice mantra but illogical and unscientific.

Can and did. Twice

I do know I don't want Brighton spanked. Wary of playing teams after a hiding.

Its one of those things that's definitely taken on a life of its own. Where I sat we booed the people that were booing Robert and Viana got the brunt of it only in retaliation (shit though he was) The context is always forgotten. Fans were (rightly) worried about the direction of the club that seemed asleep at the wheel not whinging about finishing 5th (which hadn't even been confirmed). The game was dire and far from the first where there'd been boos at the end (Fulham on way to finishing 4th in 02) The stadium was half-empty for the walk around four years earlier and its never mentioned.

Leicester and Everton and to a lesser extent Leeds (Spurs) have cracking last day fixtures for their situations which is intriguing.

Got a hunch it'll be mackems v Coventry, since the mackems/Boro scenario has been most discussed. Either way it'll be a derby final in the minds of one set of fans.

Would have preferred them to get a home win out the system before hand for sure.

The massive decline was as a result of finishing 5th not to finishing 5th. It caused everything that followed that lead to that decline. Which was even bigger than feared at the time. Its understandably hard to have a good attitude in such circumstanes and go 'oh well'. It wasn't a commentary on 'only finishing 5th' so much as on the complete fuck up that was likely to be critical to the club. The half that didn't boo Robert off booed Viana on in response,

Nice thought. Suppose its either the CL or something we'll be at least one of the favourites to win.

You Pies love justice

Man United under Ferguson did a lap of honour in 05 or 06 in a third full Old Trafford. Was hardly Ferguson out.

There was two games to go, 5th or CL had not been confirmed. The fans that were disappointed were right to be because missing out on the CL (through stupid decisions - Lua-Lua, playing Arsenal 46hours after a CL game for TV money, only signing Bowyer) caused a massive decline at the club. It wasn't just finishing 5th, it was with Abramovich on the scene squandering our seat at the top table. I dunno if there was 5000 there, I left, but I was one of the 35,000 that stayed behind after the horrible 00/01 so I don't how that gets squared.

Had the same doubts in 92 with three games to go until the end of the season fighting relegation to the third as I do now, being fair weather as fuck.

No chance. He doesn't even often play well nevermind live up to the hype

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Cant judge on today but how often does he live up to the expectancy placed on him when he's out?

Speaking of which, similar scenario to today, we lost at Sheffield United, deservedly so, probably the worst performance under Keegan. People were allowed to acknowledge the fact, would have been delusional to think anything else, without being attacked as not being supportive or delighted with the season overall.

That, with the same points, is classed as 'bed wetting' before the fact but the opposite of it afterwards. Think the concept needs to be better defined.

More measured would just be to accept that whatever position a team is in fans always have and always will have justifiable doubts.

We battered you at home more than they battered you at home in fairness.

Even if things worked/work out it was totally reasonable for folk to be unsure of things and urge caution because far weirder things have happened in football than NUFC dropping good points. Going to have to beat Brighton most likely and always had that down as a draw so cant welch on that now, so its probably down to the wire.