The9

Unfortunately not. 4 separate matches. He retired this season aged EIGHTY-F'CKING FOUR, and I can assure you he lost the plot in the last Millennium: http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/12979136.Newport_referee__84__blows_whistle_on_career_after_nearly_40_years/?ref=mr&lp=15 Also once sent a team-mate of mine off, having first booked him for taking a free-kick too quickly.

Absolute lunatic. Let's hope you stick to "nothing more to discuss".

I just Googled "football project" and got 99,500 results. Without the quotes it's a hundred and ninety three million results.

Especially if they're hanging around on the halfway line watching when they're meant to be defending. His lack of application is a big part of the problem at the moment.

I can't see any reason they'd get praise for getting out of L2 in 3 years, it's exactly how long I predicted when they got relegated in there in the first place (despite dodging an effective points deduction) and even now they're making quite the pig's ear out of what should be straightforward.

Looking at the attendance figures for L1 and L2 (go back a page or two) they'll be the second biggest club in L1 if they ever get up there, and somewhere between 6th and 22nd in the Championship if they got there (depending on results). The only thing that puts them in a worse position than other clubs is the likelihood that Fratton is a decrepit hole with higher upkeep costs - and now they seem to have stumped up for the most recent embarrassments (tv gantry and flooding being the obvious ones) that's unlikely to be a significant factor until they're filling the place and the wear and tear increases again. They should be able to get themselves back into the Championship without over-extending themselves - whether they can resist the temptation to overspend when promotion is just within grasp is the key question... and it'll need a level of self-control they've not previously shown their fanbase has. However, they COULD do.

Jesus, that video is 8 minutes long and I was bored after about a minute.

Yep, just like only injuries to any one of Alderweireld, Schneiderlin, Forster, Wanyama or Fonte would have set us back last season. And did, in the case of all but Fonte. And they have even less depth than that.

You said they "looked at the ground and hid".

If you're a f'cking idiot, yes. On an unrelated note, 5 of my 6 cards in my playing "career" were for dissent (although 4 of them were from the same ref).

Hm, dissent and kicking the ball away get you yellows too you know.

I agree with Payet when he was fit, but his long term injury reduces his impact a lot. Haven't seen much from Cabaye that would make me think he was in the same class - but then I wouldn't be saying that about Schneiderlin if I didn't know to watch for the correlation between his appearances and Man U clean sheets, so maybe I just need to watch more Palace (which I also won't be doing this weekend).

That's pretty much what I decided after watching Liverpool, interested to know how Romeu did in the middle without him (irrespective of him scoring, which is likely to be a fairly insignificant part of his role in the team).

No idea what formation Saints played on Saturday, I was watching Barnet lose to Newport County in the 2nd Round of the FA Cup with our 2 STs in my pocket because no-one wanted them.

That was indeed my point.

Definitely watching a different game if you didn't see Mane and Davis busting a gut against Liverpool all game long.

Top three signings this summer: Schneiderlin, Alderweireld and Van Dijk.

Shaqiri is also about 5ft 7 wide though and built like a brick sharthouse. Players like Joe Allen, Leon Britton, David Silva, Nathan Dyer and Juan Mata are generally doing ok for themselves without being anything like as big.

Yet apparently despite this, there are probably more diminutive midfielders around than there have been for years. Blame Barcelona...

We shall see. I don't think there's much difference in their ability and as well as Stekelenburg not having done anything to get dropped, we won't want to risk Forster when we don't have to. Also, Stekelenburg is dutch...

Speaking of managerial payoffs, the Newport County Fans Trust have been very transparent about sacking Terry Butcher - whatever happened to the PST doing the same with their finances?

Why would that be? Also, consider in your example everyone around you is only earning 25p and spending about that as well. Only one of the families in the slightly nicer area are getting more than a quid, and even half the rich kids in the much better area, which you lived in for ages in the 90s but only briefly visited a few years back, are only earning about £1.50, with the rest of them getting £1 as well. It's not until you get to the Premier houses that you definitely can't afford to live with them.

I doubt he'll play unless Stekelenburg drops a huge clanger, why risk him until we have to? He could start in the FA Cup I suppose.

He was playing at pretty much the same level as he did for the first 6 months with us, to be honest. Not at his peak but like Lallana at Liverpool last season, he was playing in a system that didn't suit him as well as the one he was in under Pochettino.

Reed is not in the same universe as Romeu in terms of influence on a match (though this might change with game time we can't afford to give him). Stephens hasn't shown capability at this level at any point, Martina has at least had a couple of "looks ok" appearances.