The Fish

Apparently the 2nd one was a treat. https://twitter.com/Extra10Football/status/830445786479677444

I think Yedlin, Clark, Mbemba and maybe Clark and LAscelles would be enough for safety. Rafa built a side to win the championship, I reckon he'll build a side that can get us safe next year, then build on that over the next few years.

Never quite understood how 50 Shades of Grey is Twilight fan fiction? There's no vampires in 5sog is there? Mind, saying that, there's no fucking vampires in Twilight either. I can barely put up with people trying to re-write classic myths "Oooh, these vampires are actually infected with some kind of pathogen", but making them sparkly and vegetarian is just bullshit. Apparently Universal have the rights for the classic monsters and are re-booting them the first being The Mummy.

T' YARKSHUH

Absolutely need to improve our defending in the top flight, but at this level, we're grand. Only Derby have conceded fewer goals than we have and while much of that will be because we're comfortably one of the best teams in the division, I do think that the system Benitez employs is pragmatic before anything else. Hopefully we'll improve the standard of defenders for the Premier League, as the thought of Sanchez or Aguero running at Hanley and Dummett fills me with dread Also, if we improve across the squad, we could hold the ball better and thus invite less pressure on our defensive players.

They'll take a lot of confidence from it, no doubt, and to be honest, I'm not as confident they'll go down as I was earlier in the season. Not because they're any good, but simply because they're not as adrift as they should be given their performances. The rest of the bottom aren't taking their opportunities to break away from the bottom side. There are 3 relegation spots to avoid, where often there's a side adrift in 20th. They're still shite and still hugely reliant on one player maintaining fitness and form. Moyes will make them a better outfit, and if the other teams continue to stumble and fumble their lines they may well get to their winnable games at the end of April/beginning of May in touching distance of safety. However, Defoe has been involved in at least 66% of their goals (16/24) and should he miss 2-3 weeks through injury they're fucked. They host an out of form Southampton who have lost 3 on the bounce, fail to beat them and I reckon the mackems will lurch from bold confidence to the same crippling self doubt that had them calling for Moyes' head. They had 10 League games without a win at the start of the season and while their form is improving, they've still only amassed 5 league wins all season, none against top half sides. After Southampton, they've 3 difficult games, fail to win today and those 3 games look much harder.

Oxford's three came in the cup against our 3rd string. Curtis Good was playing ffs, and any goal conceded while Sels is in between the sticks is not relevant. Like I say though, when the rest of our defending is decent in this league, Set Pieces will always be the oppositions best chance of scoring against us. I wouldn't worry about it too much mate.

Cheers, I have high hopes for that lad. Hope he doesn't stay in Scottish football too long. Get himself some experience, do well, then move back to the Championship and build a team for the Premier League

How's Cathro doing at Hearts these days?

I'm not sure it is, we're decent at defending on the whole and certainly not what I'd consider weak at defending set pieces. I think the problem is that we don't concede many goals, so every goal conceded is scrutinised. I'd also say that set-pieces are the great leveller, Man City and Arsenal can come unstuck because West Brom have fielded 6 centre backs who can all bully the elfin midfielders of those title chasing teams. I can't find stats on it, but I don't think we've conceded a large number of set-piece goals.

That win was, by all accounts very flattering to Sunderland. Mate was at the game and said, while Palace were shite, Sunderland seemed to score with every 2nd shot, while Palace's shots were meek or wayward. It wasn't that Sunderland dominated the game or that they played particularly well, they just took the few chances they had. That's certainly backed up by the stats. He's not a Palace fan, so he had no dog in that fight.

/nerd

I suppose it's got a craft ale shop/bar in here, but it's not a proper pub-sized pub.

Well, we're not playing well, we're not getting results and the others are catching up. Even though we're the division's top goal scorers, with the most wins, we're the form side and the chasing pack are 6pts and a shit ton of goal difference behind us.

We make do.

It is, and it is, but there isn't a craft ale pub in Altrincham yet, so CAMRA will do.

Holmfirth is catching our eye, if they don't have one, I'll set one up.

Definitely, but make it soon, apparently we might be on the move again within a year or so.

Yeah, Altrincham now. It's right nice, they've got all the things a growing pretentious arsehole could need; a foodie market, a proper CAMRA pub, independent coffeeshops, delis, bakeries and whatnot. But it also has a Greggs and a Wetherspoons

I miss that job. Decent money, piece of piss, good lads... only downsides were having a fucked up body clock, having to work weekends and having a shit boss. But then most people have a shit boss and if you don't, you're the shit boss.

Congrats I've also got a new job (shocker, I know) but this time I have an office, so I'll be able to spend more time dicking around on here

Aye everyone knows the best rocks to use are Hawaiian rocks.

They do, but surely they's run out of miracles?