The Fish

As did many others http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2015/aug/05/premier-league-2015-16-season-predictions (I particularly liked this "Surprise of the season: The Premier League doesn’t do surprises. Stoke – now even more Barcelona than Barcelona- may be this season’s Southampton. Failing that, a happy Newcastle.") http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/11777974/Premier-League-201516-Alan-Smiths-predictions.html?frame=3393181 http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/33751507 http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/robbie-savage-predicts-premier-league-6213328

Mad that Flores is in trouble. I know they've spent a bit, but they've comfortably survived and they're only 6pts off top half.

Combination of panic and Benitez's availability, nowt to do with a change in tactic or willingness to spend. There is just no fucking way we'd have appointed Benitez at the end of the season if McClaren had stumbled to safety. Even we'd fired McClaren for only getting us 17th, we'd have replaced him with some other fucking chancer.

Even if we accept the highly unlikely scenario that Thumbhead is suddenly competent, what standard of manager will we be looking at? Nobody in Rafa's league, and that's for damned sure. It would be McClaren-like appointments. Rafa is the best thing about the club at the minute, by a fucking mile. Except maybe Mad Mitro...

Surviving could vindicate Charnley's stewardship. Can't understand why anyone would pick perpetuating the bullshit, instead of relegation with Rafa & the change that having a man of actual competence in a position of power would bring.

When asked the question "How far away are we from a decent team" Dizzy Keelman think

Biggest concern is that Allardyce seems to be turning their losses into draws.

It's no coincidence that I announce I'm moving to the North West and all the girls over there start making sure they're good and single, mind.

Shit news mate. Keep your chin up. Personally, I'd stay single for a bit. Get used to that first, before adding another complication. Ground yourself in whatever's permanent. Don't be in a rush to get back into dating. Oh and stick your dinagling into anywhere a pretty lass lets you.

Yeah I can see them getting 2 wins at least, which means we'd need 3 to stand a chance Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I wouldn't change the starting line-ups to be honest. Cisse scored from a header let's not forget

Not had much to sing about. Look at the clubs that are perma-shit, always the same fucking soccer-am track list. Get some exciting players and ambition on the pitch, suddenly we've songs about squad players and what not.

Hate hearing other fans singing a bastardised version of the Blaydon Races. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

2pts dropped for them, or 1pt gained? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Suarez has scored as many goals this week as Aston Villa have in 2016. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Yup. Staying up without Rafa will only postpone the inevitable. Ashley et al are unlikely to ever make a managerial appointment this good again. So when we go down again we'll facing a very bleak season. Going down with him means when we return we'll be in a good position to build for the a future. The extra money won't protect us from Charnley's in competence, Benitez will.

Wow, really?

You bellend, you've just reminded me of the Fulham game in 04.

I remember we were playing someone shit in the 99/00 season and the entire crowd* sang "toon toon, black and white army" for a solid 10 minutes. These days a chant barely gets started before it's over. *It felt/sounded like that anyway.

We were so close https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jeg-5zD7Eao Why's the youtube clip not embedding properly?

What was the goal that you celebrated most/meant the most to you? Didn't really get what was happening in 91/92, so Walsh's OG isn't there for me. Torn between Shearer's in the 5-0 against Man Utd in 96, Shearer's 3rd v Leicester 1997, Tiote's in the 4-4 vs Arsenal 2011 or Bellamy's winner against Feyenoord in 2002. There've been plenty more important goals and plenty of better goals, but on a personal level those three stand out. Shearer's was when I knew we'd win that game. I thought it would be a paradigm shift and we'd become what Man Utd were at the time. Shearer's 3rd vs Leicester was just an unbelievable turn around in a match it looked like we'd find no way past a poor side and if we hadn't won, our tilt at the title was over. Tiote's was another incredible turn around, but this time against a much superior opponent. It wasn't quality winning out, it was just desire. Amazing stuff. Bellamy's is obvious I suppose but I loved that goal.

Talk of quite a few changes to the line up. Could work either way for us. Fringe players trying fucking hard to impress, or players knowing the season's pretty much over for them.

The high that Leicester fans are enjoying now, the joy that Wigan fans experienced in 2013 can only have been made higher and sweeter by the years of misery that preceded it.

6Music was saying there was a spell when he was releasing a couple of albums a year, just a prolific creator. Apparently there wasn't much of a quality filter on display but, as you say, there were some great tunes in amongst the average. I've no doubt there'll be unreleased albums for years to come and given his greatest hits, that's no bad thing.

Couldn't have just left it there, could you? Didn't see that, I think Arsenal (and Man Utd/City & Chelsea) have more customers than the rest of us do. People who're into football because they can vicariously be successful through their side, not because of any genuine affection for, or connection with the club/area/city.