Sheaf Saint

Utter b*stards. Silva was clearly offside.

Does anyone know why we aren't playing in red?

Awesome stuff. Back on terms and playing better than them overall. Can't really grumble.

Definite penalty that one. No arguments.

You could see the anguish on his face as soon as he went down. He knew it was a bad one.

You make a fair point. But when a player deliberately sticks his leg up ay waist height to try and impede the attacking player, as Jose did in this case, the ref doesn't really have much of a choice. It was the intent, not the seriousness of the foul, that forced the ref's hand.

Oh no. This doesn't look good for J-Rod.

Well we've undoubtedly been the better team since conceding that early goal. If only Fonte hadn't had such a brain fart we might not have such an uphill task against us.

I think 'crap' is a bit harsh. He's not as good as Boruc, clearly, but he's a damn sight better than Gazzaniga is at this stage of their respective careers, and probably about as good as a mid-table PL club can expect to have as a no2 keeper.

We do. We have Kelvin Davis. He's currently injured.

This is the crux of it for me. If Sunderland were safe in midtable they probably would give them the deduction. But if that deduction is the difference between them staying up or being relegated then you can guarantee Sunderland would launch some sort of legal appeal, which the FA just don't have the backbone to deal with. Quite. The article doesn't specify the amount of the fine, but you can bet it will be an absolute pittance in comparison to the financial rewards due to Sunderland if they stay up. Where is the incentive to play by the rules? The FA in this country are just a pathetic joke.

http://rt.com/usa/epoch-bison-yellowstone-volcano-909/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=j_csBXWlUA4

So somebody comes out and says something so fundamentally simple but the whole western world seems to have forgotten - that eating stuff produced in a factory rather than stuff that grows on trees might have an adverse affect on your health - is considered a 'scare story' is it?

OK I know it's a little premature because we still have 6 games to go, but I thought it was worthy of discussion. If we were debating this at the end of November then it would be a lot harder, as newcomers such as Wanyama and Lovren would have been serious contenders at that stage. Unfortunately Wanyama hasn't played a full 90 minutes since December, and Lovren has had a couple of injuries and has not been the same immense presence at the back that he was earlier in the season. Never would have imagined finding myself saying this at the beginning of the season but Steven Davis is a serious contender for me. Always puts in an excellent shift and is crucial to our system. Will never be the most skillful player but always puts in maximum effort for the team and has never let us down. Rodriguez has had an excellent season overall, and would be a serious contender if had shown a little more consistency and some better finishing, although he would almost certainly win the award for most improved player. Although he would face stiff competition from Callum Chambers. Luke Shaw has gone on to prove what we already knew - that he is probably the next Gareth Bale. When he is hot he is unplayable, and the defensive aspect of his game has improved massively this year. Very serious contender. But I think we all know who is going to win it don't we? Can only be the guy who plays on the left or the right and makes Messi look sh*te. He has done this season exactly what he needed to do - toughened up a bit, found an extra yard of pace, and cut out the needless diving from his game. He has really grown into the captain's role and is fully deserving of the international recognition he has received. He must start in the WC for me. If he doesn't then Roy Hodgson is simply an idiot. Take a bow Adam Lallana.

From the Mirror report of yesterday's game... So no, I am not just accepting he will leave in the summer. There is a possibility he will have his head turned by a massive offer from Chelsea, and if there is a bidding war which results in us receiving an offer of £30m plus then there is a chance the club will decide it is too good to turn down. But it is by no means the absolute certainty that many on this thread claim it is.

Would love to see the Newcastle equivalent of this site today. Their defending was just comical. And it wasn't just a case of bad individual errors, the entire defensive unit was just very badly organised and left us gaps to exploit left, right and centre (literally:)) After today's performance I would be very upset if we didn't now finish above them. MOTM - tough one to call, but I have to give it to J-Rod for his two goals and his persistent running. Newcastle just couldn't handle him.

Easy easy easy

Hmmmm...

Oooooh. How did it stay out then!?

If it was, then it is poetic justice for Cisse not getting a card earlier.

I was just thinking the other day how we never seem to score long-range goals these days. Then Adam Lallana goes and does that. He's off to Brazil He's off to Braziiiiiil Adam Lallana He's off to Brazil

Another awful tackle goes unpunished. Mariner clearly should not have been given a PL game this week.

Painfully obvious that after last week's debacle Mariner is going to be very reluctant to show anybody a red card today.

Can't believe Cisse has got away with that. Shocking.

That should be a card for Cisse. But it's mariner so he'll probably send off Cork instead. Awful tackle. Red card any day.