El Rojo

Each to their own, but I don't think this holds a candle to last night's game in terms of entertainment.

Probably not. At least we didn't waste the £75m though.

I'm not sure Rodgers or any other manager would have said anything different, regardless of what he might have feared. In fairness to him, he handled Suarez brilliantly the summer before and it was pretty clear he was on his way out last summer no matter what happened. Still, he would have been good value at £300,000 per week.

As a depressing aside, Gerrard was 24 and Alonso was 23 in Istanbul. Vast empires were built on an awful lot less. (I fully appreciate that Traore and Riise were also in the side that night).

Was just thinking that it reeks of controller-grabbed-from-younger-sibling type japery. Tears and tantrums guaranteed.

Okay, some of this is faint praise, but he's a better option than Johnson at right back, a better option than the Henderson of the last few months and probably better than Allen too. Himself and either of Kovacic or Pjanic would be a great improvement on where we are in midfield both defensively and offensively. Also, we don't have enough players who look like Jim Carrey. All this is fanciful nonsense anyway, given that we're probably more likely to limit our transfer activity to Newcastle this summer in the same way as we did Southampton last year.

Milner would be an upgrade on quite a few of our first XI. I still doubt we'll get him. If there were any takers for Lovren, I'd get rid and bring in Shawcross. There, I said it.

Criminal that they allowed Jim Watt rant his usual string of cliches over the audio feed from the corners between rounds, the one time we might have actually heard something informative.

AND IT'S LIVE

If we're still deluding ourselves (and in fairness, we're pretty good at it) Chelsea sealing the title today would be a good result for us ahead of playing them next week.

If most of our players hadn't discarded their spines and balls about four weeks ago I'd almost agree with you.

John Carver has accused Mike Williamson of getting sent off intentionally in Newcastle's defeat to Leicester. Yesterday he invited two fans into his office to discuss his tactical approach after they verbally abused him last week. One of them tweeted last night that Carver said that he'd told Williamson to stop playing long balls but that he kept doing it regardless. How do some of these guys get to manage football teams? It's like watching a chimp trying to perform open heart surgery.

Clint Hill looks like a guy who won a competition to play in a Premiership game by sending in four Twix wrappers and completing a tie-breaker.

Haha! Makes Froch look an even bigger weapon. A less self-aware David Brent with a few fighting skills.

My johnson would be more useful out there. He gets stuck in and knows how to rise to a challenge.

Shame Balotelli isn't on to take a free kick in a dangerous position.

Fair enough point.

Yep. I bet Mayweather doesn't even know who he is.

BBC reporting that it's flown over the ground already. You're right, it's an increasingly shitty sport and it's regrettable that cretins like that are among our number.

Come on Redmen! Let's do this!

Froch is absolutely shameless. That exchange with Mayweather was just excruciating.

Most footballers and and managers rent a yacht off Ibiza during the summer. Nigel Pearson rambles through rural Romania fighting wild animals.

'Are you an ostrich?' 'Are you flexible enough to bury your head in the sand? My suspicion would be no.' The guy is brilliant, I don't care what anybody says. That wild dogs story should surprise nobody.

Requires more surgery and will be out for another six months. He's had a horrible time of it.

I must say I find Pearson grimly entertaining.