Wurzel

Reassuring. That last sentence sounds like she has no intention of leaving us.

This. Redmond's clear chances alone would have been enough for us to have been resting players tonight to keep them fresh for the weekend.

He wasn't , he was wearing his playing boots, including the one he took off whilst on the pitch which would presumably indicate no immediate swelling.

I would think Payet must be useless/past is best/crock-of-****e for even considering, let alone joining, a team below his own in the league after wanting to join a "big club"

Speaking as one who didn't go to Milan and won't be going to Anfield, there's not an infinite amount of funds or time off work available to the average fan. Maybe those 8000 who went to Milan (which, unless they have the gift of hindsight they'd have booked not knowing we'd have a semi later in the season) have already used up their allocation of either or both for this season.

I tried , I really tried. I started at page 103, read 4 pages and didn't have the slightest clue what it's all about. Maybe FF is taking a degree in statistics and has been mentally revising when he should be concentrating on the game I think it's fair to accept that over 20+ games all keepers will have faced their fair share of soft shots, hard shots, deflections, direct shots etc for the results to show an acceptable trend. If you're insisting on so many factors to be taken into account the one I would be interested in is how many of those shots he has faced would be as a result of him not commanding his area well enough to claim crosses/loose balls before they even reached the "shooter".

I get what you're saying but if that many factors need to be taken into account there's no point in even collating the statistics. You may as well say Alan Shearer should be discounted as the Premier League all time top scorer because not every player has had the opportunity to shoot for goal from the same position as him against the same defence/keeper after being provided with a pass from the same team-mates as him the same number of times as him.

Exactly my point. So between all those clubs you can name 6 players that they have managed to sign/retain of the same calibre . (and I wouldn't be putting Morgan and Deeney in the VVD/Pelle class anyway). Yet we have managed to sign around a dozen on our own (and still have 8 of them). And you think I'm the brainwashed one?

Maybe that IS what makes us different. Maybe other clubs (outside top 6) tell a player they want a 3/4/5 year contract and they'll expect them to stick to it and players with ambition respond with a "Sod you then, I'll wait for a better team to make me an offer". Maybe by us making it clear when we bid for them that if they come to us on relatively moderate wages by EPL standards, if they improve enough so that we can make a decent profit on them by selling them on to a top club then they can go with our blessing they are more likely to join us. Can you really see the likes of Mane, Wanyama, VVD, Bertrand, Hoijberg, Forster, Tadic, Cedric, Romeu, Pelle, Lovren, even Redmond joining us if we had the attitude in the first paragraph? Is it any coincidence that we HAVE signed all those players? How many players of that calibre have Everton, WBA, Watford, Sunderland, West Ham, Swansea, Aston Villa, Hull, Bournemouth, Stoke, Burnley, Norwich, Boro, Palace, even Leicester signed in that same time scale? Most have managed the odd one but none have come close to signing the same quality in the sort of numbers we managed to. Maybe evry other club outside the top 6 HAS been blown out of the water by the way we operate. Maybe instead of bemoaning the fact that many of them go on to leave we should be thankful we got to see them play for us in the first place. Yes, it would be great to have had them all stay but then if we were going to insist on that we probably wouldn't have had them here in the first place.

That could be the case now thanks to FFP rules , nothing to do with transfer fees. Fonte is probably one of our biggest earners. It may be under the current rules we need to offload him and his wages before we can pay a similar or bigger amount to an incoming replacement. That may not have applied this time last year when Austin joined.

Depends how you define "better". I've been watching since late 60s. There have always been the odd stand out exceptions but talking in general ....Players are now more technically skillful. Definitely faster. Definitely physically stronger. But because all teams have progressed equally the effects of those improvements cancel each other out. Is the entertainment aspect of the game "better"? The excitement? The unpredictability? Definitely not.

You, Sir, have a way with words. Couldn't have but it better myself. 100% in agreement (except for the fantasy football bit, that's the only thing tat makes MotD bearable nowadays)

Didn't he get rid of Jimmy Case on his first day in charge? A sort of pre-emptive strike from which he (Branfoot) never recovered

I'm 9 years younger than you, it wasn't till 73/74 season that I was "trusted" to go to games without my Dad. Aftermatch ritual was to hang around the Milton Rd/Hill Lane crossroads to get a glimpse of and "excitement" going on, but still young enough at 11/12 years old to justify running like buggary if anything kicked off Like mrhafaji's Dad, I knew "Dougal was our leader" without having the foggiest who he - or any of the other recognisable names above - actually was (or even really existed such was his fabled reputation) I don't recall the white builders helmet but there was always a guy in the middle of the Milton, longish straight hair in a white warehousemans/ice cream mans coat. Was that him? Also remember - probably a few years later - a huge guy curly hair and facial birthmark(?), often wearing just dungarees, hanging around outside away fans exit in Archers Rd after games always seemingly on his own. Again no idea who we was but didn't look like the sort to be messed with.

You are linking to and quoting from a league table from 2 years ago not last year. Try this one for last year http://www.worldfootball.net/schedule/eng-premier-league-2015-2016-spieltag/16/ Same as this year, 5-6-5 , admittedly with more goals scored (and conceded) but were lying in 12th place

Easy solution - let them sit where they like but ban their team from scoring.

That wasn't cringeworthy. Round the wrist was the way to go.(also made swinging it around in the air to Que Sera easier) Cringeworthy was the "tucked into waistband at hip so scarf hangs vertically down side of leg" look.

I'm not one for singling out players normally but that BIB sums up last night's performance perfectly. He seems to have the technical ability, but generally. and particularly last, doesn't seem to have the mental ability needed to be a good team player. Last night he slowed it down when a quick pass was needed, went on runs when a short pass was required, tried to shoot when others were better positioned and fails to spot the obvious attacking pass until at least2 or 3 seconds after the opposition defenders have not only spotted it but run into positions to prevent it. Time for an early Xmas break for him I think.

Could never happen today. After 53 minutes nowadays Liverpool would be trying to sign him.

I've never bought a football shirt I don't like. Last one I bought was the sash, think the one before that was the blue flame ZDS final one. I'd put in my paid order right now if this was available next season

Think much of that hesitancy came from not knowing where Martina was going to be, sometimes he'd overlap him, sometimes he'd was nowhere to be seen. Would be great to see him forming a great understanding with a RB, those that can remember the Bridge/Marsden "combo" will remember their was never any hesitancy there, they both instinctively knew where the other would be at any given moment. As for the joke lino, he set out his stall early in first half when McQueen took a throw in. Lino (correctly) held his ground at the spot the throw was to be taken from then simply watched as SMcQ edged further and further along the touchline (probably not believing his luck that he was not called back) till he was a good 15 yards or more up the pitch when he took it. Lino actually shrugged his shoulders to himself as he took the throw in before trotting along the touchline as play continued. After that he never signaled for anything, even fouls right in front of him, and at least twice I saw him wait for ref to give a throw in before he raised his flag. Seemed out of his depth at that level of the game (as did the ref to be fair)

Defining moment for me was JWP's yellow card for what was effectively 3 rugby tackles to ensure they didn't get a break going in the 90th minute. We've been accused of being soft/gentle/naive in the past against some of the more "experienced" teams. That one incident said to me that we have finally learned to play it "their" way, win at any cost. Great night, great atmosphere, we are really starting to look like we belong in such elite company

Time and time again we see posts claiming that football is not like any other business as we, the fans, are part of the club. As such we should be doing our best to influence results whether that be through encouragement of the team, influencing the referee or scaring the **** out of the opposition (preferably all 3). "Atmosphere" doesn't have to be by way of a song, several thousand people getting off their arses and roaring encouragement or derision in unison can be just as effective. Your post above demotes the fans to the role of paying customers who will (might) react when given something to react to. Customers or part of the club?. Can't have it both ways.

Maybe they should try breathalysers at the turnstiles. Anyone passing should be sent back down the pub and not come back till they fail.

They're signing Jake-The-Peg? No Graham Rix / Rolf Harris jokes, keep it classy