andy8ball

Merson for me although to be honest I have no idea what his views are as I've yet to see him coherently string a sentence together. Honourable mention goes to Steve Claridge who is the thinking mans Paul Merson.

I never normally watch Soccer whatevertheycallit but was in a hotel this week and making use of their health center (and since when did a gym become a "health center"?). I can confirm the "Merse" factor...made my heart level drop every time he was on screen as his mumbling ill-informed clap-trap meandered on and on and on....

If you are going on the number of titles and cups won then Shanks, Paisley and Mr Ferguson will be in anyone's top 5. If you are factoring in the personality and sportsmanship of the man himself, then Sir Bob will always top the list.

I love them as well but why can't we have the same atmosphere in the ground for the league games? Why is it a cauldron of noise for a CL game and (getting to be) a library for league matches?

I think if he wasn't our manager then our feelings about him would depend on what we see our priority as. If all we want is the league then we would probably look at him and say "5 years and he hasn't cracked it - spent a lot of money and brought in a lot of players and still seems no closer to putting in a challenge to the end of the season" However, if we longed for another European trophy then he'd be the Messiah. Seems to have it absolutely sown up against Euro opposition. As said above, would expect him to do fanstically well at any of the big Spanish or Italian teams.

True, he can't physically put the ball in the net BUT he can choose the team that should be putting it there. I can't remember in the last few months any game where we had untold chances to win. I can remember this series of passes CB to CB, out to LB, back in to CB, to CB, to CM, back to CB, across to LB, to LF, back to LB.......etc Good control of the game but bugger all pressure on the opposition goal.

No, it was over for me a couple of games ago but the game against boro was the final nail. This season has been worse than others in that it promised much even if the performances sucked. Nobody was looking good early in the season (aside from Chelsea away) and we had this knack of coming from behind so many times. Now...we're out of it at the end of Feb and if we don't pick up could find ourselves overtaken by Villa, Arsenal and *gulp* the blueshite. And why? Mixture of injuries (Gerrard, Torres), poor backups (Lucas, N'gog just to name a couple) poor performances all round and really just baffling tactics, substitutions, line-ups by the manager.

Not sure that is right - generally we have not played well all season. We've had our good games and in fits and starts we've played well but overall the standard of football has not be world-beating. That said, last season it seemed to work just fine with Torres and Gerrard playing together and you have to think that maybe a couple of the drawn games this season would have turned into wins (I'm thinking of the Sunderland game where we were fairly poor but a moment of brilliance from Nando won it). Anyway, all this one-man bollocks is exactly that - bollocks. As has been said many times, take out the top two players from each of the top 4/5 sides and they would really suffer in the longer term.

And said - I wager - with no hint of irony or sarcasm.

Done

Never realised this before but Sam Allardyce is actually an anagram of "Stupid fat twat with no talent" Amazing...

ITV1 mate

Apparently Wenger has just been interviewed by a journo who asked him if he saw Scolari's downfall coming. Wenger's answer was "My view was blocked and unfortunately I saw nothing"

All irrelevant as we will be champions and Spurs will have been relegated by then.

Great article and sums up what most fans are thinking.

Nothing wrong with what he said, I just would have preferred him to say it at the end of the season with No.19 in his pocket.

Wasn't a red card and maybe a yellow for studs up. Xabi didn't make a meal as they both collided at speed and Xabi went over. Xabi was not at fault at all, and that's why I don't listen to the crap spouted by most of the Sky team.

That will be me then! Staggered that the linesman saw it and didn't do anything! "Oh, Boswhinger has just kicked Bennynoon...oh hold on, now I see the comedy "KICK ME HERE" sown into the back of Bennynoons shirt...those scousers and their sense of humour...ho ho ho"

Obviously dke we'll just hand over the transfer kitty to you and let you get on with it. With no idea of what the restraints are on Rafa you wheel out his buys and criticise...however his dealings in the market have allowed him to turn around an average team to at least resemble something that might challenge for once. Unless you have a billionaire in situ and can go fantasy football shopping I guess you have to try and do it more patiently and actually selling on players for a profit generates the funds you need to buy higher priced players. I don't think Rafa is an unqualified success in the transfer market but you show me a manager who is. Someone neg him for me, I'm not powerful enough to do it.

It's easy, I don't listen to the build up, the half time nonsense or the after game shite. I watch the game and I make my own mind up. As to the challenge on Alonso I think it was a poor decision and the foul could have gone either way. Forum would have gone into meltdown if Riley had sent Xabi off. Anyway, Lumpard will have his red card taken back and with luck Bosingwa will pass him on the way to the suspension tent.

Tough one this. On the one hand I think about Peter Crouch who came in and took half a season to get his first goal but was supported thoughout it all by the manager, the team and the fans. Fast forward three years and you have another forward brought in who is struggling but here you have a completely different complexion. Rafa hasn't wanted him more or less since the season began. Why he was signed bemused me anyway. Rafa made no secret that he wanted Barry in the Summer and wanted the 18m raised. He was told no and (what felt like) immediately after we were announcing the signing of Keane for 2m more than we had offered for Barry. It's clear that Keane was keen (!) to join and also clear that either the pressure, a dip in form or something has got to him and he is not playing to the standard you would expect of a seasoned premiership striker. I'm not happy or sad to see him go - I feel more or less the same emotion I did when he signed. Slightly bemused and wondering what the hell is going on. My main concern now is how we cover the strikers - Nando is just coming back into form but it concerns me that his backup is Dirky, Babel and N'Gog. Two are off form and the other is untested in a consistent run of games (although the same could be said of Babel). If Nando stays fit and the team clicks and goes on to mount a real challenge then Rafa's gamble pays off. If Torres gets injured then we are fucked. Oh, and I voted no.

Dear Xabi, Please stop goading players in to hacking the fuck out of you as it shows poor sportsmanship and is ruining the game for the neutral fan. If when tackled by a fat carthorse or indeed any other aside from Lumpard then please kindly refrain from * breaking bones * hitting the floor (please stay on both feet at all times) * upsetting whiny so-called commentators who spout as much shit as the sewage works down the road from us. Many thanks

Conspiracy has started boys and girls - they just made my Sky+ box explode and "apparently" can't replace it until Thursday. I expect to start hearing the same thing from all of you over the next 24 hours...

It's the new яussian Steve Geяяaяd

My two-year-old daughter could take a better free-kick than Aurelio...and she wouldn't get injured taking it.