The Fish

What did he say like? it's been deleted.

A football competition that needs 12 stadiums taking place over 8.4million square miles?

Surprised you were able to pick them out. Couldn't believe they were charging Newcastle fans £47 for tickets when there were nearly 11,000 empty seats! Stuart Attwell seems to be avoiding the any criticism, but he had a bad game imo. Not just Bannan's clear red card challenge, but throughout the game he was soft on challenges that should have seen a player receiving a caution. Just as the referee was in the reverse fixture. Shef Wed definitely deserved to win because we were poor, but had Bannan rightly seen red, (and had Gayle not gone off injured) the result could have been a lot different. 3rd placed Huddersfield would need to get 11pts from their final 6 games and us to lose every game, to usurp us in 2nd. Given they've been averaging 1.5PpG in the past 6, and they've still got Preston, Fulham and Derby to play, I just can't see us dropping out of the automatic spots. We're currently 2 pts off top spot and while winning the league would have been a nice ending, it, for me, is just a side issue to the important feat of getting promoted at the first time of asking. I know it's not mathematically assured, but I'm convinced we've got automatic promotion sewn up.

Good start to the 2nd half

Talking about how they need the crowd to get behind them and the lass on my stream says "Of course, many of the fans do leave early." That's a dig.

Ibrahimovic puts them 1-0 up. Sunderland have gone more than 10 hours without a goal.

I remember when the Manchester United team sheet was read out and you thought "Fuck me!", these days, despite having the likes of Ibrahimovic and Pogba in the side, the majority of their players get a from me. Fellaini, Darmian, Lingard (sp?) Rojo... just nothing the players who once had that position. Probably more to do with them currently underperforming as a team, rather than the individuals like.

Spot on. Brighton don't play expansive football, it's pragmatic, focussed on a solid defence and efficient attacking play. Same as Hughton's Newcastle side played. I don't remember coming away from many games in that season thinking we were dazzling, I do remember complaints about a pedestrian midfield, complaints about a Simpson's ability as a right back and concerns about how the team would fair in the top flight. I remember people talking positively about how other teams were playing, how they played better football. Well, they didn't play better football, they might have tried to play more open football, but that's likely as much to do with the players they had available, rather than anything else. Fulham have played some lovely stuff this year and deservedly beat us at home, but I'd take Benitez's pragmatism over a Play Off spot any day of the week. I'm hoping that our "struggles" strengthen Rafa's hand in conversations about summer recruitment. We clearly need a good number of positions improved; Centre back, Left back*, centre mid, centre forward. But I trust Rafa to not only know these weaknesses, but also to recruit the right players for them. I know that every optimistic prediction must come with the "Aye but Mike Ashley" caveat, but I see enough frustration from Benitez when his solid tactics and systems are let down by low quality individuals like Jack Colback and Jamaal Lascelles. If we'd been more fortunate with injuries and suspensions to key players I honestly we'd be first by a few points. We're a much better side with Clark, Gayle, Hayden, and Yedlin and any team would stutter without 4 of their first team available. I also think that bad refereeing has seriously disrupted our season. Would we have lost at Forest with 11 men on the pitch? Would we have won yesterday had Bannan seen red? Probably. fwiw I thought Mitrovic looked more dangerous than Murphy when he came on for his brief cameo and if Gayle is going to miss a few games I'd happily give the big dafty more game time.

Far too much cryarsing after any game we don't win. We're not down in the Championship for a laugh, we're down here because we weren't good enough to stay up. We've also come down with a squad that's hugely inferior to the one that enjoyed the previous Championship adventure. Name for me the players from this squad that would get into that one? I get being pissed off at a poor result from a poor performance, but honestly, do you think we're now not going up? Do you think Benitez isn't aware that the squad needs significant investment? Fuck me man, Shelvey wasn't the only one who grafted, it's just that he was the only one that was any good. Gouffran, Diame, Dummet all had really bad games imo. The two centrebacks played like strangers as well. We needed better control of the centre of the park, to get Shelvey on the ball more and we needed some presence on our left flank. It's fine to criticise and be disappointed, but honestly, the amount of toys that are now out the pram, I'd be amazed if there were any left inside it. True dat homes.

They're both coked up, but one is more bragging, the other more braying.

Huddersfield 0-1 Burton Forest 3-0 Brighton Cardiff 2-0 Preston Newcastle 0-1 Blackburn (twice) Surprises happen

Holloway has improved a lot on Hasselbaink's schmucks we had our wicked way with in September

QPR have won their last 4 home games. Brighton have won 2 and lost 2 of their past 4 away days.

Man City are buying up clubs across the planet to spread their brand and of course they'll use those as funnels of and incubators for young talent all over the world. So say FIFA crack down on Chelsea owning a billion players and loaning them all out, Man City are already ahead of the game because Venezuela City can sell a player to Beijing City, then they sell him on to to New York City and once the kid has made enough progress Man City buy him for buttons.

Sounds like the lad that bossed the reverse fixture (Hutchinson) will be missing. Also helps that we'll have Shelvey available for this game instead of starting with Colback and Hayden.

Meant that footballers aren't likely to be hanging out in the pubs filled with Tarquins and Ruperts i.e. the White Horse in Parsons Green (Sloany Pony) or the Ship in Wandsworth. They'll be in the kind of bling bars that Alasdair and Tippy wouldn't dare set foot in.

I reckon whoever is reffing us will be nervous as fuck and shy away from any big decisions.

Ah the exuberance of youth. I remember those days.

That would be fucking aces, but no, it'll likely be a close affair.

They're still in 6th, but yeah their form's not great. Fortunately for them Fulham and Leeds are having an identical wobble. All with 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses in their last 6 Shef Wed look like a bit of a flat track bully to be honest, in the last 10 games they've only taken points from teams in the bottom half and only 14pts from the 30 available. (Except of course everybody's free hit against Norwich). Wins coming against Blackburn, Nottingham Forest, Norwich and Rotherham. Draws with Barnsley and Burton. Shef Wed have 4 wins, 2 draws and 6 losses vs teams in the top 3rd (Only Preston have performed worse against that group). And two of those counted as "Top 3rd" are Villa and Norwich. Fwiw; They've kept 14 clean sheets this season and have only failed to score on 7 occasions 60% of their games have ended with under 2.5 goals

1-1 I reckon

Booooooooooooo You were angered that Benitez didn't field players that were injured. You think we play too negatively despite the fact we've more wins and more goals than anyone else in the league. Who's befuddled now Noelie? Have a beer and it'll all become clear.

Yeah I'm sure footballers spend a lot of time in the Sloany Pony and the Ship...

Delac Hector Christensen Kalas Rahman Cuadrado Pasalic van Ginkel baker B.Traore Remy Where would that side finish? Could there be some kind of punishment for teams that buy young players and then farm them out? Maybe you're not allowed to loan out a player within a year of signing him? That might deter some young stars from joining Chelsea or City, can they afford to stall their career for a year? It's still fine for 16yr olds, but the 20yr olds breaking into Middlesbrough's first team might think twice?

fwiw I think it would benefit the Premier League if they relegate 6 or 7 teams this season.