Dr Gloom

Just chalked up an iPad. In fact I'm writing this from it now. Anyone else got one? What are the best apps? When's the toontastic app coming out?

speaking of darren bent, i just bought a darren bent tea tray. it's great - it carries ten mugs.

two very winnable games. i'm finding it hard not to get carried away at the moment. we're back!

he looked good for everton last year. not sure he'd get in the current side when ben arfa is back and fit but he'd be a good option coming off the bench and we do need the numbers.

I get where you are coming from but its rose tinted spectacle stuff for me. Jonas's runs virtually all resulted in conceding posession. Taking the pressure off should be popping crosses on Carrols head. he's a good out ball thoug isn't he when we're backs against the wall - give him the ball and he'll run half the length of the pitch then win a free kick.

he could come in for shola and play just off carroll or on either of the flanks, or central midfield even. i'm pretty sure he'd improve most of those positions. though you don't change a winning team so he wouldn't expect to walk straight back into it.

he conducts himself superbly. He's done a great job, said last year that if Alan Shearer had came in and did what he had done, we would be saying we had a Brian Clough on our hands. Early days yet. To go higher, he needs big backing [whatever anyone thinks to the contrary] and show he can handle higher calibre players because with them comes personality and ego problems. Thats just the way it is. Give him a contract, and it also blows the theories that appointing someone from within, timing is important, all of this sort of bollocks to smithereens. To be honest I would be happy if we keep the decent players we have got and carry on going for the likes of Tiote/Ben Arfa. I don't see us ever buying right at the top of the market again I just hope Ashley realises how lucky he has got with Hughton and the way he has pulled everybody together. The trouble with team spirit is it is so much easier to destroy than it is to create, and I have absolutely no confidence that Ashley wont pull the rug out one way or another at any moment so true, the team haven't played with this kind of spirit since sir bobby's time. a unified team and coaching staff is key to any kind of success and so difficult to create and maintain. it's funny how the comments in this thread have evolved from most being pleasantly surprised to him with our early season form to hughton gradually winning widespread respect to the extent that it's now turned into an outright love in. he has to keep wearing the suit. in three outings, it's been worn, we've had three fantastic results. goodbye tracksuit manager chris

if we can keep this up for the season, then yes. a top half finish, let alone a top6 or top 8 finish would be different class.

kiss of death maybe? it wouldn't surprise me if we were to stumble on wednesday. we're all buzzing after the run of results we're on, it would be just like us this season to lose one of the games most of us fancy to do well in. how good would it be to keep this run going though??? i'm finding it hard not to get carried away. this unity the lads have is worth so much

this is the sort of game we ought to be winning

aye a few of them did that - barton, krul and colo too. you could see all the players and staff buzzing after the final whistle. all of them hugging and applauding the away supprt. speaking of which, the atmosphere from our end was quality. i enjoyed the "are you sunderland in disguise?", "can we play you ever week?" chants plus tiote already seems to have his own little ditty to the tune of "music man"

any good pics from the match?

Thing I like about him is he isn't stubborn. He learns from his mistakes and isn't afraid to change things if it isn't working

Ashley deserves little credit for unearthing hughton- to him he was the cheap option. But sometimes you stumble upon a manager that doesn't come with a big reputation or personality and isn't fancied to do a great job yet turns out to be a gem. Ashley may have accidentally stumbled across the right fit for us.

Absolutely! Comes from watching a team that play as a team and all work their socks off. You can excuse the odd bad result when you see the players working their socks off every week. It's been a long time since had a team that work for each other like this lot. Well done hughton!

Just back from the match. Fully deserved win. Defence looks the most solid it has in years and tiote is really living up to the hype. He was mopping up everwhere. Nice ball retention all round - only went long when we needed to and yet again played with a spirit not seen since the days of sir bobby. Even when they came at us second half we didn't sit back and still attacked when we could. Nice touch to see all the players and the manager applaud the away support and for a few players chuck their shirts to the crowd. These results don't come around too often. Happy days!

thats about right. Who cares about Everton ? Nolan is a good captain. He lacks the athleticism to be a box to box man, but in front of goal he is really a very good finisher. the lack of athleticism was a problem when he played alongside smith in midfield or off the front man. it looks like having tiote next to him has given him a new lease of life. he's always been a good finisher

the depth up front is very limited and one dimensional. we don't really have the kind of player with pace that can play on the defender's shoulder. i would be looking to move on lovenkrands, xisco, and best. midfield's looking well stocked but a lot of those are young and unproven - like vuckic and lua lau - or older and a bit shit - like smith. for me, it's the defence that's the strongest it's been in a while. still need a decent right back mind, or for simpson to step up a bit.

shit week at work. could murder a bifta tonight but not worth the aggro.

christian bassedas! i should have put him in the worst 23 ahead of barnes.

i'm in a corporate box for this one so will have endless free champagne and food to drown the sorrows if they hammer us again

redknapp seems to get loads of stick on here. because he turned us down maybe? i don't find him that annoying. he's refreshingly honest if you ask me; in the way he talks to the press i mean, not his wheeling and dealing. and i agree with shackbleep - he's done a great job at spurs. and if the fa are going to stick to their word and appoint an englishman next time around, he should probably be the next england maager

buying him back would be a bad move, no doubt. the new dressing room spirit has thrived on a lack of egos. i'd still rather a player of his ability as a sub ahead of ranger or lovenkrands though. not that he'd come back to warm our bench anyway. if we consolidate our position, in the prmiership it's going to become an issue again. big players often come with big egos and bad attitudes. it will be hard to maintain the team spirit while improving the quality of the team. can't think of too many clubs that have done it on a shoe string. moyes' everton teams are assembled relatively cheaply and he usually gets them playing for each other. is that picking up the right kind of players or is it down to the manager?

a mate of mine is a big west ham fan. he reckons they're dead certs to go down. gutless performances,crowd on their back, no fighting spirit if they go a goal down. sounds a bit like us in our relegation season. could be doomed