shurlock

At least the diagonal ball attempted to exploit a height mismatch with the fullback. Today's balls were much flatter and were gobbled up by the two CBs.

For all the hyperbole and propaganda about the southampton way, the direct ball to RL is pretty core to the way we play -first under Pards and then carried on by NA. That said, better delivery might have made a difference - and nobody was really gambling on the 50/50s or getting close enough to Lambert in the box. Guly's shot at the end -which came off bits and pieces- was an exception. Ramirez has to be much more decisive and aggressive when playing off Lambert's knock downs. He seems to hover in positions in and around the box.

There was plenty of effort today -its just the long ball to RL didn't work; they doubled up well on Clyne and Punch, an important outlet in recent games; Ramirez kept drifting inside first half, making us very narrow and SDR is SDR; and our brief flirtation with pace and movement stopped when Mayuka went off

Effort was there but alas not the quality. The formation was confusing - was it really 4-4-2 or was it our usual set-up but with Lambert playing in the hole, assuming Ramirez's role? Ramirez showed poor discipline first half and kept creeping into central positions which made us very narrow -at least until De Ridder came on and Ramirez played off Lambert (where he could be more involved). The Ramirez experiment arguably failed, so it will interesting to see who starts on the left on Boxing Day. Mayuka's touch was OK at first and was involved in some nice, one touch interchanges with Lambert and Ramirez but then it went to pot. Still his pace and ability to beat the offside trap gave us something very different -and arguably O'Shea and Cuellar had more trouble with the ball behind than the long-ball to RL. The skiddy surface also favoured a pacier option -why IMO SDR came on instead of Jrod. Didnt think Ounch had a bad game by any stretch, though Rose provided a very stiff test. Defence looked steadier, though we had problems with players dropping between the lines. Morgan was poor, though Cork wasn't much better. It wouldn't be surprising if Davis starts against his former club. Guly looked strong when he came on, showing a physicality and presence that others, including Lambert lacked. Might be an option for the siege that awaits us at Stoke.

Was excellent today - just very strong on the ball and is very mature in his reading of the game. Think there's much more to come attacking wise - perhaps he's been playing the percentages so far. There was one moment deep into the second half where he powered from our half into their final third which was very Balesque.

And you're one of the least funny posters on here (feeling charitable this time of year)

It's arshavin - yet to be formally announced.

No that was Luke Chambers.

Boruc looks like he's been off the pies and shed a few pounds. Very noticeable.

Putting on a shirt is slightly different. It actually does wind people up - don't you remember Burnley (h) and the day we were relegated -what was a run-of-the-mill pitch invasion had a definite edge because of that fan in a skate shirt or Tranmere (a) and the knob with the two daughters -I've never seen our end empty so quickly before final whistle (and I've been at SMS) as some of our fans wanted to 'wait' for him and have a proverbial 'chat'. Its not big or clever but it does get to people in a way that singing other teams songs can't and never will.

German football has more in common with EPL than say Spanish football. Was up in Manchester when Borussia Dortmund played City and they really made them look like mugs. The standard of German football is hugely impressive.

Rooney and Kagawa started up at Everton and then Kagawa and RVP started against Fulham with Rooney dropping to the bench. Then Rooney got injured.

Kagawa's been injured - thought he started well for United- was keeping Rooney out.

The flat track bully argument is b******* - chicken and egg and all that. What I will say is that Punch is frustratingly inconsistent and is a streaky player. On the other hand, he usually rises to the occasion against the big teams.

You mentioned it -go on, big man, put your money where your mouth is

Can you dance gangnam style OK in it? No cramping of movement?

Nah, not that I know of - there's no reason to think that it wouldn't work here (e.g. the talent pool isn't deep enough etc). There are head-to-heads but that's in the cup competition which is a footnote to the main league.

Yep my espn league uses the same scoring system though, IMO, points per reception leagues are slightly fairer -would certainly reflect the contribution of someone like Megatron who's rarely paid dirt but makes play after play. Points-per-yards leagues on everything seem bizarre, though I intend to get me some Randall Cobb/Percy Harvin/Darren Sproles next season simply because of their versatility and the odd punt return that will go for a TD. Yep, disappointing result - having Knowshon Moreno in my fantasy team as a flex option was scant consolation. The pick made a difference, though the stream of three-and-outs in the first half meant that it was only time before Denver capitalised, exposing the Ravens for what they are: a banged up and very ordinary 9-5 side. Though I guess Charlie Batch already showed that a few weeks before FFS. Still Giants up next - the very definition of a stoppable force meeting a movable object. The Browns are looking better and better and won't be whipping boys next season. Guess there are question marks over Weeden who seems to be a bit immobile and predictable - can coaching make a difference at his age. Got to admit Richardson hasn't totally impressed me - seems to be a bit of an up-the-middle bruiser, though I guess the playcalling, blocking and guards haven't helped. Quite like Broncos and 49ers going into the playoffs - Seattle could also be a dark horse.

when they're not at the curryhouse

When in doubt, I follow the lead of the mods of the :spaz:board. Mixed messages? (look at its goggly eyes and the snot running down its face- i cant help staring at it)

Alternatives for ****board?

Im playing it for the first time but had a poor draft and have been struck by repeated injuries: Hakeem Nicks, Matt Forte, DeMarco Murray, Cedric Benson have been injured or gone on IR -and Philip Rivers might as well be injured. Am working my way up the consolation bracket. I won my game yesterday though only just. Left James Jones, Dennis Pitta and Colin Kaepernick on the bench - all of whom had career days! Thought I would give a start to Josh Gordon vs. Redskins but he didnt return the love (still he's probably a good shout for late-round pick-up next season). For now its still too early to trust the ****** Browns. Would be up for Saintsweb fantasy league - play the ESPN one non-PPR, no IDPs and 6 points for TDs (which results in some very volatile games). The draft and trading are the best parts and make fantasy NFL much more interesting than fantasy soccerball over here where many teams look alike. Alas in the real world, injuries and age are catching up with the Ravens.

Like father, like son. When are you unleashing him on here?

A pretty damning assessment of 4-4-2 as well. Cortese's a tactical whiz.

Just never let him live it down if he loses it