SaintBobby

Am not aware of the state helping people clear their debts. If the state does so, it shouldn't. I think we're likely to see some pretty good evidence coming out soon about how Wonga and other pay-day lenders have squeezed out the real, nasty loan sharks in poor areas. The sort of guys who take your kneecaps as collateral. I think someone worked out that a Wonga loan's interest rates are the equivalent of borrowing £20 from a mate and a week later paying him back and buying him a pint of beer as a thank you. I wouldn't ban that sort of activity either.

I'm pretty pro-Wonga. Don't understand the fuss. If some broke bloke in your digs borrowed £300 from them and gambled it on an accumulator he is a total idiot. I don't generally want the law to protect people from their own idiocy. If Wonga's interest rates are exorbitant, why aren't other companies entering the market and offering short-term loans at better rates?

Yep, I am. Or rather my mate is, who occasionally uses this account. Well, not household name, but on TV/radio a lot.

Not so worried about lack of pace in the starting XI. They have done a great job. Am slightly worried we can't inject pace from the bench, basically "playing our joker" - de Ridder, Puncheon, Tandari Lee all gone. I'd have it in the options....

Did anyone else see the Lovren-Fonte reaction to the second goal? I didn't, but apparently they hugged on the halfway line (my Mrs said "it was practically tongues"). Only slightly off topic, but I think the keeper and the 2 centre backs are a great part of the team.

Don't like him one bit. But, hmmm...if I was Sunderland? God knows what they were thinking with di Canio in the first place. They would have stayed up with O'Neil anyway. Nuts.

Another marketing failure by the club tbh. Don't get me wrong, the progress in the important areas has been amazing. The "offer" in the ancillary areas (easily getting tickets, loyalty points for away games, hospitality) is just woeful. Utterly woeful.

He was pretty dreadful overall. I didn't boo him, but had my head in my hands a number of times. I'm grateful for his contribution to date, as I am with others - Hammond, Barnard etc - but he shouldn't be in the first XI or even close to it really. It's a brutal life being a footballer I guess, but theya re well paid for it, even if they can't cut it at the top level.

I'm with Alpine.We should stop signing foreign players and we will get relegated this season.He's not here today. But I thought I'd troll on his behalf if that's okay with folks here?

Last time we got 5 consecutive clean sheets?

How bad are Fulham this season? Serious relegation candidates?

We've become totally hysterical about smoking in Britain. Sure, it's bad for you. But you'd think it's the health equivalent of eating weapons grade plutonium for the paranoia it generates. Smoking an occasional cigarette is no more of a health risk than walking along a busy road and inhaling the fumes. A regular habit isn't smart for an athlete - or anyone else - but if Wilshere smokes, say, 2 or 3 cigarettes a week, it's a matter of total trivia.

Fascinating. I'd spent years wondering why 185 was a bigger number than 209. Thanks for clearing up the mystery.

Surprised Chamberlain hasn't developed as rapidly as I thought. He seemed to burst into the England team before fading away a bit.

The main job of a club is to subsidise its supporters. Free food, free beer, free travel. I just don't get why Cortese doesn't understand this. I imagine he just doesn't appreciate the years of support people have gone through. It must surely entitle them to a slice of cash. They were there in the hard times.

Sigh. All publicity is good publicity, I guess.

We're probably 15-20 points off a top 4 slot over the course of a season, at a wild, early guess. We'd probably need 3 or 4 truly excellent signings (internationals pretty much at their peak) and would need to be in a position where winning against the top six is seen as pretty natural rather than a shock, surprise result. Quite a way off this at the moment. But wouldn't say it's impossible over the next few years. Just unlikely.

Still think we'll be somewhere around 8th to 12th. But it's surprising what a wobbly start some of the big teams have had.

I'm starting to think we might finish top six. Mental.

Another epic fail from the OP

How much does being on Sky reduce attendance? Does two things - means a reschedule (I couldn't make the West Ham game once it switched to Sunday) and means staying at home and watching on the TV is a pretty good substitute. Seems to me we've got the pricing about right for now. At least for the League. The club deserved to only get a truly pathetic 8,500 for the Bristol City game. Mental pricing. Games like that are made to get casual fans in for bargain basement prices.

We should win this with relative ease. As long as we don't let in an early goal as per Sunderland, we will be fine. 2-0 or 3-0.

We are better this year than last year based on the first 5 games. Not by miles. But by more than inches. Should finish somewhere around 8th-12th. IMHO.

Huh? England are pretty poor. Lallana and Lambert would not get into the Spanish or Brazilian or Argentinian team. Is that a reason not to talk about "fringe players"? The idea that Lallana wld need to score "a minimum of 10-12 goals" to get into the team is utterly nuts. Wellback has been a nailed on selection having scored just 1 goal last season as a striker. Half a dozen or so assists from Lallana and maybe 3 or 4 goals should be enough to put him in the frame

Ahhh bless. The biting wit. The incisive pun. The brilliant sarcasm. What a total dribbling moron you truly are. At least you seem to have stopped starting your own threads with almost exactly the same title as those already being discussed. Took some time to beat that out of you, though.