benjii

I agree but don't think that reflects our play today at all. Against Charlton and Brighton I agree, we were one dimensional, but today we used it pretty well.

I think we're all agreed that mid-table is the likely finish.

Anyone who truly thinks we might go down is acting like a complete pussy IMO.

Trotman was good today.

I expect he is. I expect he's also planning to put Murty back in the team when he's fit. HTH.

I've just decided my 8 for Trotman was too high. Should be a 7. Docherty deserved an 8 for them. Too good for League One.

Ok, firstly it's Connolly. Secondly, congrats to both teams on producing an excellent match in awful weather. Some ratings: KD - 5 - Unlucky with the penalty. Didn't really have much to do, despite Norwich's second half possession they hardly managed an effort on goal. Unfortunately he appeared to mess up the one thing he did have to do, but it can't have been easy in that weather. LJ - 5 - Was having a decent game until the stupid challenge for the first goal. Sat too deep when moved to the base of the diamond. Trotman - 8 - Got on the end of everything. Couple of sloppy moments but overall, very good. Jaidi - 7 - Mostly in control. Harding - 6 - Decent but at fault, like many of the team for sitting off his man too much in second half. Antonio - 5 - Couple of decent runs but plenty of sloppiness too. Shouldn't start unless the other team has a pants left back IMO. Hammond - 7 - Provided a lot more bite than last week. Scheiderlin - 7 - Decent game but just needs to get a bit more offensive confidence when playing in a central two. Actually looked good going forwards when moved into the left of the diamond. Lallana - 8 - Quality. Team mates can give him the ball under pressure and know he will use it well. Very well taken goal. Connolly - 9 - MOM. First time he's looked properly match fit IMO and was the best player on the pitch. Dropped off short and always wanted the ball. Made us play better than the one dimensional stuff against Charlton and Brighton. Brilliant goal too. Lambert - 5 - Docherty did well against him. Was unlucky with a couple of touches. We should have wrapped this up in the first half. Unfortunately we didn't and a couple of errors let us down. Don't listen to anyone going over the top about throwing points away blah, blah, blah. Apart from the errors we actually soaked up the pressure pretty comfortably and looked likely to get one on the break. We played well. Norwich played well in the second half. It was a good match.

Lol - whilst I don't doubt FIFA would prefer France, Portugal etc in the finals than Ireland and Bosnia I don't buy this for one moment. If that was the case then why not simply give the penalty when Anelka went down? It was probably a dive but you see them given.

Nothing wrong with that IMO. He's a world class player and deserved to be amongst Aresenal's highest earners. Clearly they were trying to take advantage of him and he could get a better deal elsewhere. Fair play. Also, it's a book. Written and sold for commercial reasons. Some parts of it may be exagerated for effect.

Ahh, I see. The FA Cup. Of course. Was thinking of "les (bien) Bleues".

Why is Ashley Cole so unpopular? I've never understood that. Apart from jealousy, of course.

19C - your fixation with golf is quite funny.

Cheers depot.

I've never really found the Irish to have the chip of jealousy on the shoulder the way the Scots and Welsh do. Apart from that IRA bunch, of course.

Definitely number 1:

Some of that is probably true with reference to the first handball but the second seemed a bit more than "instinct". Anyway, it's still a disgusting goal to concede and pretty surprising that none of the three offences (two handballs and an offside) were given! Got to feel sorry for the Oirish. What was the 03 final?

I have a brilliant image of a sea of grizzled, weather beaten northern faces huddled together under a sea of grizzled, weather beaten northern flat caps, and a solitary shiny trilby emerging, like the first shoots of Spring, spinning gleefully in the air, whirling its own celebratory waltz to the hurrah of Saints latest goal. Great post

3-3 I believe. I was there. Must have been one of my first away games.

Yeah, it seemed like he kept glancing at the big screen. Seemed afraid of what he would see. Maybe he was worried about the goal, maybe he was worried that haircut he had that looked like a lady's clunge fluff was back.

Lol - we have plenty of cheats too you know.

Ladyboys?

I couldn't care less one way or the other. HTH.

Oh yeah! I think that was "honest" though and the replays were hardly conclusive. Different league to this one!

One of them should definitely have been given. He was stood about a foot from the ball as it went past his head and he was trying to get to it. Definite offside.

Correctly. The last world cup was a ****e standard.