Lord Duckhunter

I don't know what's more pathetic, the initial complaint or some of our supporters defending it.

If Portsmouth had complained about a ref saying something similar to a skate, we would be all wetting ourselves. The takeover thread would have added another half dozen pages worth of jokes. However decided to take this action is making us a laughing stock.

My opinion will probably not be popular on here. Clattenburg is a crap ref, the Norwich and arsenal peno's were shocking " look how clever I am spotting that" decisions, that are easy to give against a smaller club. Saturday, I could see why he didn't give it. At the ground (admittedly at other end) I didn't think it was , and watching motd thought it 50/50. Certainly the pundits didn't dwell on it and Mondays papers basically said we had a shout. I didn't read any that said we were denied a clear one, and Graham poll comments on contentious decisions in his column and that one wasn't mentioned. It was not a shocker, no matter what saints supporters say. On to the fall out from it. I don't really care what clattenburg said, unless its racist , homophobic or about his family or health, then we should have just stfu and get on with it. Even if clatenburg said "shut up you ****ing knob" we should still take it on the chin. If he only said what was reported it is fuvking embarrassing to complain about that. It makes us look like a right bunch of fannies. If I was old mother Riley , running the refs , I'd say " you can't have it both ways" . Argue and swear at refs, who turn a blind eye, and then go crying to mummy when the ref bites back.

I tend to rate grounds on the basis of ale houses, particularly real ale ones. I'd agree with Reading being bottom. Despite a decent real ale boozer in town, the ridiculous coach journey and bursting for a whizz cancels that right out. Shocking venue. Don't like spurs much either and arsenal's not much better, load of dives near the ground. Norwich is good and Liverpool/Everton . Southampton is pretty ordinary when it comes to boozers, but an out of town ground would be even worse.Instead of worrying about public transport links, boozers are the most important infrastructure. Mrs duck reckons our away days are a pub crawl with a match thrown in and she's spot on. Instead of worrying about transport linked the council should be encouraging more "leisure facilities" for match days.

Not many players go into clubs youth systems or academy as full backs, the ones that make it at full back tend to be converted from other positions. Jamie carraghar made the same point on MNF the other night. I've always felt that there's a lot of English players that had they been converted to centre half at a young age, would have been top top quality. Steve G for one, Bryan Robson another. Our forte seems to be barnstorming centre midfield players, but to compete at world level we need centre halves that can step into midfield and pass the ball. On another thread I suggested chambers could do this. I think that all clubs struggle to bring through centre halves , its really tough to blood players like you can at full back or wide mid. As for keepers, again clubs struggle to get a pathway from youth to first team so we're not alone. My nipper was a decent keeper and was looked at by a few clubs, including the skates. He had loads of potential , but just didn't devolop as expected and now plays on pitch (at a half decent level). Talking to a scout who was monitoring him ,its quite common for youth keepers to just come to a grinding halt and just not push on.

Also add in the world cup factor on top of one last payday. What's more likely to get him on the plane. Playing week in week out getting on the end of downing and jarvis' crosess plus big sams hoofs up to him. Or playing some weeks, dropped to the bench for others and knackering himself out with a high pressing game with the occsional cross to get on the end of. Personally I reckon he'd score a hatful for west hoof, plus make a few for Nolan ECT bombing into the box. Look what fat sam done for KD and SRL is a far superior player.

How many assists has cork in the premiership.

Webb again.Horrendous game in the Chelsea v Liverpool fixture and then again yesterday. Rooney spent the whole game in his face, despite already being on a yellow baldy did nothing. I don't get where this logic that appears to suggest that Webb is our best ref. He ****ed up the world cup final and is making way too many mistakes. Oscar shouldn't have been playing yesterday, had baldy done his job he'd have been suspended. The best in my opinion is dean and dowd. I like dowd's attitude, he looks like he's on the verge of telling players they're twts when they try it on. Dean is efficient and gets more right then wrong.

cork is average at best. He slows our game down too much and he doesn't particularly open sides up or protect our back 4 well. Its no surprise he doesn't feature much unless we have injuries as Morgan and victor are head and shoulders above him and Davis a better player. He'll end up at Norwich or palace , somewhere like that . He's a solid pro who has done well for us the past 2 years, but he's yesterdays man as far as I'm concerned.

First half was pretty even after an early pounding. Chambers outstanding first half, tired second, but he's getting better and better. On 5 live Monday night club some body said forget clyne for world cup what about chambers. I thought at the time "****ing idiot" but now im not so sure. He certainly doesn't deserve to be dropped. Good player. Kelvin good and steady, seems better than last year. Maybe he put himself under too much presure as number one. Now he knows he's number 2 and is relaxed and confident about it. Seems so much calmer . Don't get the cork love in from some posters, I think he's poor and slows are passing game up too much. At the end of the day, we were pretty competitive until the first goal. Lots of players running on empty and the belief just drained from us. They're a good side, that played well second half . Forget about last year Jose has tightened up the back 4 and they defended well today. I thought the number of supporters that left when the third goal went in was ****ing embarrassing. FFS it makes us look a right noddy club.

Modern sports science means that clubs become fully aware of when players are reaching the "red" zone and are in danger of injury through overplaying. Even without the data it would have been obvious to most people that some of our players are running on empty. They need a rest, and Saturday is an opportunity to give them a break. Im sure if MP had rested Adam, Lovren or JRod yesterday, so they would be fresh for Burnley people would have been moaning. At the end of the day, like it or not, Premier league finish is the be all and end all of the modern game. I doubt Burnley will play a full strength team, as they need to concentrate on the league as well.

Just because ****ing John salt says on the BBC that flights from Bulgaria and Romania are down on last year doesn't mean a ****ing thing. Its the 1st of Jan FFS, the doors don't shut tomorrow. Let's get old salty balls back in 2 years time with an update.

Are you only allowed one legend in each era. Scholes and giggs are both man u legends, Rickie and Adam are both saints legends.

Is it not a fact that every immigrant who gets a job in the UK, means that job is unavailable to a UK citizen. There if 50k come, then that's 50k more Brits unemployed. "They may not want those minimum wage jobs" I hear you cry. Well that's 50k Brits that should have their benefits cut, but are able to use hard working migrants to hide their laziness behind. Migrants also keep wages down. Mr dominio pizzas was on TV last month, bemoaning that he had thousands of jobs he couldn't fill. A UK minister told him to increase his wages . Why does he need to do that? He can fill those jobs with hardworking, well educated, dedicated eastern Europeans.

Personally I don't see why the UK couldn't sort its own arrangements with the Spanish, German, Dutch ect governments to allow free movement of people to those countries and visa versa. But I do accept that in the lead up to any EU referendum this issue can be used as a stick to beat the people advocating withdrawal. Yes, the could bar people working and living abroad , but in reality I'm sure something can be sorted. I was served in prezzo last week by a Russian chick, I didn't get into her immigration status, but last time I looked Russia wasn't an EU member. The free movement of people actually hinders the EU from bringing Turkey into the fold, which would really benefit the single market. The main issue that the establishment in this country won't acknowledge is that the EU is on the road to ever closer union. It was in the treaty of Rome, it is accepted by all other members, it is a fact of EU life. The British establishment are still trying to con the people that its a economic community. It is not, they know it, but instead of persuading the people that its right, that its a good thing, lie and con us. They should have the strength of their beliefs, but they don't, and Tories like Dave and Gideon are following in the footsteps of grocer heath and clowns like ken Clarke and hestletine. They need to man up and present the pro arguments like some on here have. They are committed Europeans trying to pretend they're not. Shameful.

The free movement of people is a fundamental component of the single market. It has been from day one and will be as long as we remain in the EU. No British politician has the balls to say so or to stick up for this basic EU right. They try to skirt round the issue and set up the straw benefits man to knock down. Basically , starting with Thatcher, UK governments have pressed for expansion of the EU as a counter weight against German & French influence, they also believed that the free eastern block countries would have a more Anglo Saxon approach to economics and the EU. They reasoned that more countries would mean more of a trading bloc than a "federal" EU. Nobody seemed to realise that more countries would equal more immigration or if they did, they hoped the British people wouldn't notice or wouldn't connect it to the EU. What Nigel Farage has done is change the terms of the debate from the micro EU debate of bill cash and others which was around "chapter x, sub section y" of such and such a treaty, to the macro " Bulgarian and Romania immigrants are allowed to come because we're in the EU". Of course Nigel is right, there are no restrictions because were in the eu, but none of the established parties want to acknowledge that and then defend it even though they know full well its non negotiable as a member. My view is that it is for the British people via parliament to decide our immigration policy and that is one reason I think we should leave the EU. The depressing thing is the other side of the argument muddy the waters, they bang on about the benefits of immigration, they try to smear the people worried about it, they will not stand up and tell this basic truth, that if we want to remain in the EU, any Bulgarian, Romanian, Greek,Italian, Belgium, or other EU citizen can live and work in the UK and there is nothing the British government can do about it

George Cole Chuck Berry Clint Eastwood John Cleese Tony Benn

The most important thing in my eyes is keeping hold of Nicola. Nobody really knows the trusts intentions or motivations, and this is the only cloud on what has been a pretty clear horizon. My wish for the new year is that Nicola is given a stake in the club as an owner rather than employee of the trust. I've always hoped he'd get a consortium together and be in charge as long as Lowe was.

Mike Dean is fast becoming the best ref around, that's how bad they've got. Baldy Webb was a bloody disgrace on Sunday and poll has suggested that he's trying to avoid controversial incidents to cement his world cup place. He's yet to issue a red card or give a peno this season. Its claimed that he's worked out that you get more stick for missing an incident ,than for giving a wrong decision. Therefore , he's wilfully blind to some incidents. Sunday there were 2 horrendous Chelsea tackles and a blatant peno, had he reduced Chelsea to 9 and given it, the shiete would have hit the fan. Its easy to send two stoke players off, but they're all blinded by big players and clubs. Rooney should have gone at Hull, poor tackle on Huddleston was a yellow, and then booked for arguing. Same at Cardiff, wild kick out, but he stayed on. Bottlers the lot of them.

Nonsense. Who would he have offended if he celebrated with a MC windmill, or an Alan Shearer , or indeed celebrated as he had done for the other 5 English clubs he played for? It was an anti Semitic gesture, but he lacks the balls to come out and say so and hides behind weasel words and explanations. On a wider point , I've always found this holocaust denial law in some European countries complete nonsense. Why not allow people to deny it ever happened? 99% of the public would think you're a complete and utter idiot if you did. Open up the deniers claims to scrutiny and they'll end up losing all credibility with normal people.

I thought it was one of those that you're ****ed off if they're given against you but are convinced its a stonewall for you. MOTD didn't dwell on it, so maybe neutrals would be 50/50. Interesting piece from Poll in the Mail online today. He claims refs have realised they get more stick for giving something that's wrong, than they do if they miss something, however obvious. He thinks they maybe turning a blind eye as a result. Evidently Baldy Webb has yet to give a peno or red card all season.

Just back, one of my fav away days. Proper football club and nice old fashioned ground. Game could have gone either way, but we didn't quite do enough to deserve it. Spoke to a few of them on way back to car and they were very compliamentry. JWP poor today and Rickie got no change from Skate. Good to have kelvin back.

We've done it the past 4 years and would never go back to cooking at home. Mrs Duck is a good cook, but its so much better for her now. From about Aug onwards if we have a decent pub meal, we ask them about Xmas. Avoid chains and hotels, or managed pubs as by and large they tend to be ping and ding. I always insist on a pub where you can stand at bar before and after and one that has one sitting only. You'll pay around twice normal rate for 3 course meal, but its worth it for a lovely Xmas day for my Mrs. Need to book early as you can.

Larry David, Peter Kay, Harry Hill. Brand is a fat, white, female Lenny Henry. Unfunny to start with but then having the unbelievable talent to become even less funny. One trick pony beloved of TV because she's fat, ugly and bashes men.