Papa Lazaru

Amazing crowd given the circumstances. 46'000 + for fucks sake. Yeah, their one sane poster actually pointed out a load of their fans bottled the Everton match because it was raining!

Mackems just got the 4 threads about our match today, they're slipping! Two for the match and two crying because the commentators love us too much Oh and an Andy Carroll thread as well!

Good to see them battle for the point there because we were under the cosh most of the second half. Very good effort from the two CB's considering they've barely played a game between them and were up against a quality attack. Thought Routledge was better than he has been this season, much more lively, but Guthrie was woeful, needed far too much time throughout. And Jonas was in full headless chicken mode, for all the possession they had, we had some great chances on the break but he ran into his man time and time again, and Shola was off the pace. But all round a good battling effort and they can take confidence from it.

Stayed up for the whole days play and it was well worth it, previously managed about 4-4:30 for the other days! As people have said the aussies have an ordinary attack, the freak of a siddle hattrick gave the first innings a lower score than would have been achieved. But England were outstanding throughout, not just losing the one wicket but scoring at a good rate all the time, never letting any pressure build on them. Could be another of those draws pulled from defeat which they kick on from like Cardiff last time and take all the momentum into the next test. And Swann will step up next time he bowls, there's no way he'll struggle like that next time, with Anderson looking like he can do much better down under than in the past. Broad didn't do badly and Finn for his first ever ashes and first time in australia couldn't have done much more than take 6 wickets.

Came close under Shepherd though surely? I agree with you he'll probably end up a nearly man, he's good enough to beat any of them and indeed has, but when its a major tournament or a final you just expect the main men to beat him. Also in tennis you've usually won your first of the 4 majors by his age if you're ever going to win one, though that doesn't mean he won't, but it'll be tough.

Wolves 3-2!

England and particularly Anderson having no luck whatsoever here, Hussey was LBW but no reviews and he's beaten him time and again here with no reward. You just know they'll spawn their way through to the ball being dead and then make some runs when its easy going.

Cook and Pietersen were definitely the positives, like you say Cook would be targeted, and KP was showing signs that he'll score well against the aussies again. Agree about Bell, i'd have started him at 5 as he's in good form and Collingwood can do a good job at 6.

I stayed up till about 4am and went to sleep with us 117 for 3 thinking, not bad, couple of good partnerships and we're looking good and i wake up to 260 all out! Few really bad things happened in that Strauss chucked his wicket away when you want your captain to lay down a marker from the start and as the pundits have said, if your captain loses confidence it spreads, luckilly i think he'll bounce back with a big score pretty quick. Then we gave confidence to some of their bowlers with wickets and didnt get a decent score when winning the toss. What's more annoying is aside from Watson a bit, from what i saw not one of their bowlers should worry you that much and are all their for the taking, its really not the kind of aussie attack you expect to see. Still, couple of early wickets and the game is far from over, and even if it goes badly this team has a very good habit of responding to defeat with a cracking performance next game.

They're a joke, the decision seems to be based either on which club you play for or who you are, or sometimes just a random choice on a whim. Williamson should have put on a Spurs shirt and stamped on Elmander, because according to the fa that's fine. I knew as soon as it was highlighted he'd be getting a ban, its always the way for us, if it had been say Gerrard then motd would have managed to defend him and claim it was somehow Elmander's fault and the FA would follow suit!

The problem is we expect it all to blow up at some point soon or down the line when he makes either another fuckup or sells a player/players the manager wants to keep etc. If it wasn't Ashley in charge and we knew Hughton would be backed in January and then really kick on next season in terms of spending i think we'd all be happy with the fact we are much more settled and calm as a club, have shifted alot of wasters and mercanaries and have a good team spirit etc. But Ashley needs to show something in January and next close season to prove he has any intention of moving us forward ultimately.

Carroll didn't get injured so night went ok for me, England have been utter wank the entire match and he'd have got more service from our reserve team than this lot. Seemed to have been appreciated by the crowd, got a good reception as he left the field.

Surely there had to be better options than Gibbs who has played 20 mins of football according to the commentators and Lescott who isn't good enough, out of position and hasn't played loads himself.

Its been pointed out on the net that Gillian Mckeith is the same age as Nigella Lawson, you literally couldn't get two people further apart in every aspect imaginable!

Really like it myself, but it does help if firstly you're a big fan of Coogan particularly and Brydon and secondly that you know a fair bit about their real personas and Coogan's reputation to really appreciate them playing this version of themselves. But i'm impressed after two episodes with the third sky+ and ready to watch.

I said this at the game but it does seem like since we've been away and come back that cheating, gamesmanship, timewasting has got much worse. It may well have done but its certainly magnified by the fact the championship has such a lower proportion of complete cocks and cheating pricks that we got used to people sometimes staying on their feet, getting up after a genuine clattering as if nothing happened and people getting on with the game. Not saying there wasn't any down there but by god there was alot less than the prem which is frankly a disgrace.

Football's about the only sport stupid enough to suffer from it, firstly because the players are largely pricks and secondly because officials and the people running the game do fuck all which encourages it. We had a chance to cross into the box with Fulham struggling and get a shot in, instead one of them fakes an injury the ref stops it and we end up not with a chance to score but the ball hoofed up to Krul and 11 men back defending. Then you see the rugby and a guy with an actual real injury is practically trampled over as he gets treatment by the rest of them getting on with it, because thats what you do.

Can guarentee you when we play chelski they'll have all the centrebacks in place and they'll be on top form instead of shite like today, however the mackems have deserved their lead.

How can chelski with all their money not have more centrebacks, they're playing two fullbacks in the middle and they've not surprisingly been utter shit. If Welbeck wasn't a worse finisher than Heskey the mackems would be 3-0 up here!

How lucky have the mackems got, facing Chelsea with no centrebacks and no Essien, they're completely open through the middle. But for the keeper and the ref bottling it there the mackems could be looking to win this.

I agree, he should easilly have scored it and sadly 1 goal is all we were ever going to need in that match.

I don't think he's shit, i think he is just way of the pace. He takes a run of games to get up to speed as shown last season, and nowadays he won't ever get that, just the odd one here and there so i think he's going to struggle. I don't think he's a world beater either mind, on current form i'd have Shola in ahead of him. You may be right but I think he's Championship standard personally. He's certainly in that group who excell at that level but might (certainly at the tail end of his career) not quite cut it in the prem, and as he won't get a run of games i don't think we'll see much from him this season.

I don't think he's shit, i think he is just way of the pace. He takes a run of games to get up to speed as shown last season, and nowadays he won't ever get that, just the odd one here and there so i think he's going to struggle. I don't think he's a world beater either mind, on current form i'd have Shola in ahead of him.

About right, before this season i would have said there was little between their delivery from deadballs, both capable of a some good ones and some poor ones, but overall reasonable. But this season Barton has really stepped up from what we've seen at this clb from him. I'd be happy enough with Guthrie though, he'll get some decent balls in there and does think about it at times.

What an absolute bellend! And does Bruce like many of the retards in football need it explained yet again that winning the ball doesn't matter if its a tackle that could break a leg, that's just luck.