Papa Lazaru

I think Ben Arfa would have made a difference to our points total from the home games, because he's the game changer who can pull a bit of magic out of nowhere when the team itself is struggling or we can't break down the opposition. Also he would do something to excite and fire up the crowd which would then lift the other players hopefully. So the games against Blackpool if he'd played more, Stoke if he hadn't been taken off and then Fulham and Blackburn might have been very different, but we'll never know sadly.

It is a great start, but still disappointing because of how we had them when 5 wickets were down and we could have really skittled them out, but far play they fought back and England have ended the day well on top. Managed to stay up till about 7:30 but couldn't make it till the end!

What a catch by Collingwood, Ponting Fails again!

Get in Tremlett, great start!

England win the toss and choose to bowl, but Ponting also saying he'd have done the same, seems they all think theres plenty of life in the pitch for this morning!

I haven't actually seen waht he did, but i was watching that and thought they were taking the piss and havign alaugh and would then show it, i couldn't belive they were serious! No doubt the fa will ban him again for doing stuff plenty of other players will do, but its barton has to be a ban. Also whenever a toon player gets trial by tv you can guarentee they'll lose. Barton is an idiot though, he should have learned to keep out of things by now!

Even better second half, proper prem game with two teams attcaking at pace all game. Miles away from the turgid shite the likes of Allardyce, Pulis etc reduce football too by spoiling and being negative. Typical Drogba playing for himself though, wants to prove a point about being on the bench so grabs the pen and misses it when Lampard was there to take it.

Barton, Carroll and Titote would all be a deserving call for player of the season so far and its great that we have the choice, with Enrique in the mix as well. Think i'd probably go Barton by a tiny fraction, because he offers plenty going forwad and plays good football, but has the energy and effort required to get the ball back and his set pieces have been spot on alot of the time.

Not quite though, because of Carroll it gives Barton the other surprise option. The freekick after that i just fancied something different would happen so i was watching and Sol went to the oppositte side of the box to Carroll and whilst Barton seemed focussed on Carroll i watched the odd surupticious glance at Sol and that's where the ball went and it nearly worked as they were all watching Carroll. Its getting like Shearer back in the day when he caused such panic that too many defenders were drawn to him leaving others free to take advantage, and as you said, if it does g to Carroll and he's marked it doesn't stop him!

Blackburn got a late equaliser only for Bolton to score straight away from kick off and win it!

To be fair as much as i think the player do respect and admire Hughton (as they should) and everything he did, football is a fickle game and everyone moves on very quickly rightly or wrongly. If Pardew starts well and doesn't ruffle any feathers early on they'll be fine IMO, just keep that team spirit and unity and chanell it as they did against Liverpool. Obviously a shocking start and Pardew getting at players would have kicked it all off, but i don't see big problems myself.

Couldn't have asked for more from the players (well apart from Shola!) they came out fired up and gave it everything, whoever/whatever they were playing for. As everyone has said Barton was outstanding and as everyone bar one has said Carroll was awsome, he's gettign to that stage now where you'll see some defenders will pretty much give up competting with him in the air and back off to try and get it back after he knocks it down or holds it up. The difference Barton makes is phenominal and for all the criticisms aimed at Nolan in his time here (plenty by me as well) he is one of the most intelligent and sharpest players we have in the box, he knows where to be at the right time and finishes very calmly when chances come. We need Colo straight back into the team at the back and somebody in for Shola as he's gone right back to his lazy, couldn't give a fuck type performances. As for the dippers, take out Gerrard, Torres looking lost and they are a midtable team in every resepct, though strangely the ref seemed under the impression they are top 4 as he gave them every fucking decision possible, at times just inventing freekicks out of thin air.

Or Tremlett who did well in the lead-in game. No, the loss of Katich is critical. The middle order are shaky at best as you say, so if we don't have proven openers that can set up a foundation it will go pear-shaped. Has to be Tremlett for me, unless he has a shocker in the warm up game. He's the most threatening bowler and should be really suited to the pitch coming up. Bresnan just doesn't quite look like a test cricketer to me, one day and 20:20 fine but i don't think he can bowl well enough at test level and his batting isnt enough, plus with virtually all the England batsmen in good nick we shouldn't be worrying about batting that far down the team. It is a shame to lose Broad though, he had bowled better than his 2 wickets fro me, and is a big part of this unit we have put together as well as being capable of some runs in the lower order and fielding well. To lose him and have Anderson coming back with jet lag and no sleep from seeing his baby being born isn't ideal, but i'm still very confident.

Yeah, for TV it was pretty surprising, but fair play the second episode was funnier as well as being dark, sick and disturbing, helped by the sketches being shorter and getting laughs and finishing rather than the droning long efforts from the first show.

I was thinking today on issues liek this, how much has Pardew watched of our team and what will be the advice he gets from Pedro and Stone. I actualyl hope he phones Hughton because he is such a top bloke he would offer any help asked for i bet. My worry is he goes for the "obvious" and experienced choices and the absolutely frightening situation will be when it coems to good old English battler Smith against "unkown" foreigner Tiote. Things like this will come down to what Pedro and the like tell him and if he's stupid enough to think the likes of Smith should be in the team! Think he will listen more to Nolan as Captain, particularly because he needs to get the players on side. We all know our best team anyway so its really just a case of who's fit. Once the Liverpool game is out the way, it will interesting to see what he does with the likes of Vuckic. Im also sure he has being studying the back catalogue of every one of our games over the last 6 weeks. Yeah, you're probably right about him talking to Nolan, but if he talks to the senior pros i'm sure Smith will tell him he's in the form of his life!! And i suppose he can indeed get access to as much of our games as he likes.

exactly Yeah, i can't see the issue with Pardew himself. Ashley and lambiarse have gone to him (anytime within the last few months possibly) and have said do you fancy a massive managerial job at a great club on a big contract because we're going to sack Hughton sooner or later. Whether Pardew felt sorry for Hughton or was apathetic either way he wasn't goign to stop him being sacked, so why wouldn't he take the job. If people on here were out of work and some MD of a big company comes along and says do you want a job, the current guy is out soon, you really not going to take it? That's a completely seperate thing to the fact he isn't good enough and i don't want him as manager here and that if people want to spend the whole Liverpool match protesting i'd completely understand it. But Pardew's here now, i'm not going to slate him, though i'll happilly have a right go at ashley till the day he fucks off, or even better dies. There no reason at all to believe Pardew can do a better job than Hughton. Yet he has to be bringing something extra to the table and it can’t just be being a good boy because Hughton was no bother at all. So what is it he’s offering that Hughton (or any other new manager) isn’t to make him the number one candidate for the job? He's offering fuck all more than Hughton but he is mates with the fat cunt and lambiarse! I'm totally against the choice of Pardew ahead of Hughton but i don't hold anything against the guy personally for taking a great job on big money when he's obviously been told Hughton was beign sacked.

I was thinking today on issues liek this, how much has Pardew watched of our team and what will be the advice he gets from Pedro and Stone. I actualyl hope he phones Hughton because he is such a top bloke he would offer any help asked for i bet. My worry is he goes for the "obvious" and experienced choices and the absolutely frightening situation will be when it coems to good old English battler Smith against "unkown" foreigner Tiote. Things like this will come down to what Pedro and the like tell him and if he's stupid enough to think the likes of Smith should be in the team!

Couple of people at work who have never before stopped going to see the toon are jacking in their season tickets, and i think a fair few will be doing the same. Most toon fans can take some shit, be it a poor team, crap manager, even relegation, but when the owner at the top is literally taking the piss and humiliating the fans and the club on a continual basis then people will say its enough. And its not going to change, even if people do protest, he'll go only when some idiot matches whatever insane price he wants for the club and not a moment earlier. And that's why people have finally been defeated, because whatever happens, be it Hughton doing a good job, playesr emerging like Carroll and Tiote etc. beating the mackems and arsenal, we're all utlimately remeinded that the cunt in charge will destroy it in a second whenever he feels like it.

No, if Krul had struggled you'd expect the senior keeper to get back in, but when theres little between them and Krul is young and getting better with time and confidence and is clearly going to be much better down the line IMO then he has to stay in the team.

exactly Yeah, i can't see the issue with Pardew himself. Ashley and lambiarse have gone to him (anytime within the last few months possibly) and have said do you fancy a massive managerial job at a great club on a big contract because we're going to sack Hughton sooner or later. Whether Pardew felt sorry for Hughton or was apathetic either way he wasn't goign to stop him being sacked, so why wouldn't he take the job. If people on here were out of work and some MD of a big company comes along and says do you want a job, the current guy is out soon, you really not going to take it? That's a completely seperate thing to the fact he isn't good enough and i don't want him as manager here and that if people want to spend the whole Liverpool match protesting i'd completely understand it. But Pardew's here now, i'm not going to slate him, though i'll happilly have a right go at ashley till the day he fucks off, or even better dies.

Swann rightly finishes it all off with a lovely delivery! Great stuff all round, the aussies first home defeat by an innings since 1993 and how vital might Pietersen sneaking Clarke out have been last night to set up todays effort!

Come on, we can rattle them out now! Good to see both quicks chip in early with Broad being out, couldn't just rely on Swann to di it all and they've come up with the goods.

Just to depress you a bit its brighter now than expected but still predicted for rain, i think this might end up being tight in terms of how long we have to get them out if Hussey and Haddin take some getting out. However if the pitch has continued to deteriorate, and Hussain was saying the Adelaide pitch goes very quickly later on, then Swann and perhaps KP can rattle through them.

Christ i just put SSN on and they showed interviews with 3 or 4 toon fans and they were all intelligable and talking sense, sky are letting their standards slip not having a bunch of complete bellends making us look stupid!

Can we even rule him out with ashley in charge! Were you in Frankie and Bennys on Saturday btw? Yeah, my mate fancied a pizza and i wasnt that hungry, usually indian or chinese on saturday for lunch! didn't see you there?