OTF

This was a critical result. In shit form still, but hopefully the win will bring some confidence back.

Nolan you bloody beauty!!!!

Get in Carroll!

And Carroll as well.

Get off Harewood.

Subs needed for sure. Show some balls Hughton.

Kitchen Sink

Looking at the line-up I can safely say that I'm confidently quiet.

Great signing (in that he isn't signing for us). I'd be spewing if there was any interest whatsoever from us. Wildly in love with himself, will think he's too good to be playing at this level and consequently won't give a toss.

There was 20 million worth of sales from outgoing players after the 100 million price was 'announced'. If they was a real drop of 20 million pounds the price would be 60 million and not 80.

Come on.... Go on and win...

Butt off for Gutierrez... Good move IMO. Will give us width.

Local team for me is Sydney FC. They're not exactly a likeable bunch though, but I support them simply because they're my local team. Standard of football is quite frankly pretty shoddy. Probably around League One standard. Don't give two hoots about any of the teams in La Liga - not the biggest fan of the way they play football there (even though it has a leaning towards more emphatic goals) and don't like the whole two horse juggernaut they have going on there. For that reason I could never support Barca or Real (and because most of the people who claim to be fans of those teams have no idea). Also don't really care about Italian football. Of course the foreign team I support is Newcastle United. I'm flat out supporting and watching them, so don't have the time to really care about any other teams....other than my beloved Parramatta Eels (Rugby League).

He really has been an unmitigated disaster for us.

I think we're three or four players away from having a mid-low range premier league quality side, albeit not with much depth. Smith didn't get much of a chance to play torus in the premiership largely owing injury and fitness, for me he's streets ahead of Nicky Butt who in my opinion has run his race and should be put out to pasture. Guthrie is developing into a decent premier league midfielder, bit isn't there yet. Barton has been woeful for us, hopefully that changes but I'm not expecting anything. Harewood, Simpson and Khishi are only on loan with no indication that they will be signed on a permanent basis. Nolan was out of form in the premier league, but a few years back he was performing well for Bolton, so he's certainly capable of contributing at that level. The biggest problem I forsee is that the a players that are doing it easy in the championship won't be dominant against better opponents, and when that happens the confidence will drop. We saw last season that when morale is low everything seems to go against you.

Amazing.. can't remember the last time we've scored three goals in such quick succession.

Nolan you beauty!!!!!! Great goals!!! Turned the defender expertly for the second.. and good near post finish!!!

See, Ranger can shoot!

Agree that they shouldn't have to. But there's plenty wrong with the World. If they weren't getting paid so much then they wouldn't be living such extravagant lives and wouldn't be such a lucrative target for thieves. For the sake of one less Bentley in the garage they could hire security guards or at the very least vastly improve the secuirty of their properties.

Bellamy is in crazy good form at the moment.

I believe we've already played our away game in Wales.

Ultimately lost to a team who were more up for it by the sounds. Sounds like they dominated from the start. Somehow we managed to get ahead, but on the balance they deserved the win. I think it was probably a mistake to put Butt in a starting position given he's just returned from injury and would not be match fit. The temptation was obvious as he plays in the same area as Smith, though Smith has been able to succefully mark opposing players out of games on several occassions. I don't think that is something that Butt is capable of. Difference is that Smith is proactive and Butt is reactive (though Smith is also reative when it comes to making tackles). Thankfully Smith is back for the weekends match, straight back into the side with Butt and Barton dropped and bring Ranger on from the start alongside Carroll. If we play with one striker at home I won't be happy.

Good to hear a first-hand account of the match. Can't tell anything from text updates.

Nicky Butt he missing link to our ability to lose? Seriously he was one of the stalwarts in our side last year, first game bakc this year and we fall over. Obviously it's not all him, but he seems to offer so little.

We've not had possession of the ball according to the BBC text commentary.