Badger

Cabellero starting doesn't worry me, but would prefer FF on the bench rather than Lewis. Djennepo or Samllbone staring are my main concerns. Would like the strongest team, with Romeu starting if only to frighten Grealish, but just has to be careful he doesn't sneeze on him or MFD will see it as red card offence.

Will be ridiculous after his showing the other week.

Unless becomes known as the manager who lost 9-0 ( three times)* *or thrice if you prefer

For at least 90 minutes on Sunday I suspect Putin will be the second most hated man in the world on my list. When did we last win a match with MFD as ref ?

As contemptible as their owners ( and others, think Glazers, Dildo Brothers, spurs, etc) may be it’s not quite in the same league as having close ties/relationships with murderous regimes though.

I recall the home game against them where the fans were banned, mid 80's. The tickets that would have gone to Chelsea were given free to local schools. Made for a strange atmosphere in that whenever the ball went towards the Archers Road End where they were situated there was a wailing of high pitched voices rather like watching the England Schooboys international on World of Sport. The banning though was probably the result of the incidents you and Kraken describe the season before. I don't recall them coming down for the match they were banned. Certainly a lot of trouble against Chelsea in 1983 I think (after they were first promoted) and in the Cup 1981.

Yes, tried a few times on the OS and it just took me to the page with details for the ticket sales. Found the email received from the club yesterday advising of the sales today and that had a "buy tickets" link which took me straight in to buy them.

Doesn't Chris Wood have an unfortunate knack of scoring against us despite seeming to be crap the rest of the time ? And Shelvey as well for that matter.

Good of the club to allow a two hour slot for members to buy before DT holders get second dibs !!!!

Going back, Chivers - Frank Saul.

But Everton are a big club so that won’t cause any fear. We know they’re a big club because their fans were on here in 2016 telling us.

Often it is but much depends on how the transfer is conducted and whether the player-club-fan relationship is soured. I don’t think many people begrudged Channon going to City and the chance to play in the First Division man years ago. More recently Wayne Bridge seemed to leave on good terms. Some other transfers have been handled in a dignified way by both departing player and new club, Walcott and Oxlade-C to Arsenal, Shaw/Morgan to Utd even. None of those moves left me feeling bitter towards their new clubs. you mention Derby - can’t say the signing of Shilton & Wright influenced my feeling towards them as a club. Didn’t like them before so no change there. Blackburn - the overriding feeling was envy of having a Jack Walker to fund them. Others of course are more acrimonious and it really lights the touch paper as regards the new club. Everton and Koeman, one example. Liverpool - Brendan 2014, Nivea, VVD Spurs are in a category of their own though and just about every deal seems tacky in some way : Ruddock,Hoddle, Dean Richards, Poch,Hojbjerg … Impossible not to have a hatred of spurs really..

Don’t see Burnley putting the points together. Shame as otherwise the Championship clubs would be preparing for a visit to the home of where dugouts started

This could cause a few ripples in the transfer market this summer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60652298 although it assumes players will be allowed out of Russia in the first place

Never particularly keen on Everton but the signing of John Bailey was a bit of a tipping point in my book.1984 sealed it for all time. Strangely no lingering dislike of Blackburn though ! (Although not too keen on them in the Dalglish years, not because of Bailey, or constantly signing our players, but because he was such a sour faced knob). If you’re going outside the EPL then I’ll raise you Derby County and Forest. Derby were one of the teams to dislike when I started following (late 60’s/early 70’s). Both with gobby fans with dreadful nasally East Midlands accents that get on my tits. (Leicester borderline, and can’t stand Vardy but still not enough to rival spurs/Everton).

Yes, reminds me of the old nursery rhyme: When they are good, They are very, very good, But when they are bad, they are absolute shite... Okay so the last bit may have been edited.

The only thing I've read is that he is against what he considers a corrupt government, no mention of EU, Russia or anything else. Too little detail to form an opinion on his views on other matters I'd have thought.

Spurs and Everton. Man Utd and Liverpool challenge from time to time. but otherwise difficult to come close to the other two. I've always had a soft spot for Newcastle, but a few months of Stavely, the Arab owners, and Eddie getting smugger by the day, and that is likely to change.

Yes we did for a while, Rod Wallace was the other winger, with Shearer and Rideout in the centre. Very effective with MLT and RW swapping sides.

Apart from Dale Vince and Forst Green Rovers of course...

Bloke next to me was having a fit that it would have the opposite affect and enable West Ham to regroup, and we'd lose our momentum. My main concern with it was the likely added time as we know how Saints in the past have folded in injury time, and coming on top of the injury to a couple of players I could see 10 minutes being added. For entirely selfish reasons I wasn't keen on ET and penalties with a two hour drive home as well.

I also thought of that match on reading hackedoff's post. One of them was quite well upholstered as I recall ! Being of a certain generation though you can't read about female streakers without the name Erica Roe coming to mind. Had to Google her to make sure that I'd remembered it correctly and found this on Wikipedia: She worked at that time in a bookstore in Petersfield, Hampshire, ....... Now was there more than one bookshop in Petersfield in 1982 ? Can't imagine the 'posh-totty' Twickenham types consorting with TCWAB.

Initial thought was "bollocks, not the draw wanted..." but have come round to it. City have a vast array of talent, and no immediate flaws, but they can be inconsistent, and we have had the measure of them this season so far. Think it's winnable with our best team playing, so not the game for rotation. This should be our priority fixture now.

Think City have a squad big enough to cope. Just hope Pep doesn't resort to grizzling to the FA that it isn't fair we have an extra day's preparation and ours gets moved or something daft. Wigan beat Man City as a League 1 side a few years ago, and we played them next round (think it was Mark Hughes first game in charge).

Saving them for the semi-final. It's written in the stars.