Howay

Aye, I didn't know it was that bad but I remember when we were a good side they were always a team we seemed to lose too. I normally predict a howking in these type of games mind so now I'm predicting a draw we'll probably get embarrassed. I think you're right though the few wins in recent years have sort of overruled the facts for me and I now see us as some sort of 'bogey' team to them when in reality we probably aren't.

We've done well against the in recent years iirc. I think this is the sort of game the players will turn out for and we'll get a draw.

I watched all of season 1 of Topboy and thought it was class, season 2 has been a considerable drop off in quality.

It can be aye but at times it's down to McClaren setting the team up to defend or trying stupid things like he did vs Everton. We've won 6 games out of 25 and lost 13, he has got a long way to go before he has earned praise. Beating a team so shit they couldn't register a single shot on target against us at home isn't the game to use as evidence of him being a class manager tbh. He has done a shit job this season.

Until we see some form of consistency I won't change my opinion of him, you can't let one narrow win where we created lots of chances at home obscure the fact that Everton and matches like it happen all too regularly.

Aye I'm almost certain they're drunk. Merson has clearly forgotten that incident and probably remembers them all backing him.

Agreed, there's no reason not to just go out and attack from the off. Our defence simply isn't strong enough to try and play a counter game so we have to try to maintain possession and attack, we have had a good record against the 'bigger' sides this season mind and players like Sissoko normally bust a gut in this type of game so we may do well but like you say it all depends on the set up from quiffy.

Aye it's a stupid fucking argument, teams like Swansea City, Birmingham City, Middlesbrough, Sheffield Wednesday, Oxford United, Luton town etc have won the League Cup since we last won something (excluding tripe like Championship and Intertoto) they're all utter wank and have been for fucking yonks. It's just odd, the mackems go mental that the media always talk about us then go on about how they're bigger than us, blokes like Merson in the media never stop talking about us but say we're a nothing club if that's the case why aren't you talking about a club like Stoke? That group of utter alchies on Soccer Saturday are horrific for it ('Champagne' Charlie Nicholas, Paul 'having a kip at the wheel' Merson, Phil Thompson etc), in fact they often talk so much shite I've often thought they must be half cut on the show.

Aye they're poor but we're playing away so there's a good chance we'll play too deep and hand them possession as we always seem to away from home, if we can play anything like what we played against WBA we'll pick up points but how many times have we said that this season before watching a horror show the next game?

So according to his logic Nottingham Forest are bigger than both clubs, he's just a fucking plonkie. The final sentence of his rant sort of messes with the initial argument, the football isn't good so no body bothers going... BUT THEY'RE MASSIVE!! Why bring Newcastle into it? that's what gets me, everytime one of these nobs tries to big up whatever shit club they have ties too it's always us they compare them too, if we're so small and irrelevant then pack in talking about us. I'll happily be 'smaller than Villa' to Merson and he can have the biggest club out of the relegated teams when Villa, Mackems and Norwich go down. It always makes me laugh when they refer to people like Merson as experts, aye the bloke played professional football but he's an utter fucking moron and I'm yet to hear him make a good or insightful point about the game.

http://www.readytogo.net/smb/threads/best-goalkeeper-in-north-east.1196909/ And they have the brass neck to call us deluded? The lad has played in one game, conceded 4 goals and the majority of the replies say Pickford is the best keeper in the NE.

Aye Aarons was decent enough after a shaky start, it was only against that useless bugger Gardner (I think, I'm not all that interested in WBA's horrific players) but he still put in a good shift and even put in a brilliant cross that should have resulted in a goal. Taylor was good which was class to see, his ability to consistently header balls coming at him at knee height, sometimes even while still standing up, is impressive.

It was aye and I agree Tiote is a fair shout. The key thing for me is whenever the ball came back out the box after one of our attacks he was on it like a shot and regularly used his strength to keep off WBA players before moving the ball on to Shelvey/Townsend/Sissoko to start another attack, it really throttled any chance of WBA counter attacks and really helped us keep pressure on.

Answers the question many raise about whether or not there are better defenders in our youth/reserve teams than Dummett and co.

Aye, McClaren lets them play more attacking at home tbh, he tries to keep it tight away from home but our defence is so poor he'd be better off attacking away as well.

Mitrovic had 2 shots today, both on target and 1 goal. Good man, hope he can grow into the role and we can keep creating chances like we did today.

Aye the saving grace was the fact that West Brom are utterly pathetic, I don't think they managed a single shot on target today.

Aye, continually referring to Manchester City as "city" when Leicester are above them and 1-0 up at the half is just the beginning of that long list.

Tiote had a really good game today, did the role he did the season we came 5th. McClaren should keep that pairing going forward.

Doumbia coming on now, surely breaking the record for oldest player to appear in a prem game?

I hate playing Pulis teams, the chances of injury go through the roof. Some of the fucking tackles these WBA players are throwing in are grim.

Aye, it's not like he crosses all that much anyway and him out left allows him to come inside on his stronger foot.

Aye he's really come alive since being switched to the right wing.

Good cross by townsend, Winny with the 50p head missing a free header 4 yards out