shurlock

Was on my HCDAJFU list before we supposedly made a bid but I rate Fontaine - and thought he did a good job snuffing Lambert out. St ledger isn't getting a sniff at Leicester atm and Alex Pearce has had a very good this season. Also like Gardner at Palace, Robinson at Millwall and Gerrard at Cardiff (less realistic I guess).

Interesting. Only thing I would say is that the 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 were freak seasons - teams getting relegated with over 50 points etc. Also wonder why you drew a line at 2006/07 and left off Reading's exploits for instance? FWIW, reckon this year's winner will finish on 92-95 points.

Are we stockpiling left-sided players for the apocalypse or something?

What does that mean in English?

FFS you drone on. Its not about having back-up for our best players which, I agree, is an oxymoron; rather its about having back-up for a particular set-up or style of play. Lambert is one of our best players but also happens to be a decent target man. Unless you haven't noticed, we go quite direct at times and get joy from deep crosses, diagonal balls etc. It therefore makes sense to have someone who is good in the air and can hold up the ball. Its not about having world beaters, just ensuring we play our own game regardless of injuries, suspensions etc.

Would say you'd have to be at the game to back up your point about the 'vitriol' and 'unbridled hatred'. Didn't feel that way from where I was.

Sunday's result was OK from the perspective of recent away results/performances but irrelevant in terms of retribution. We still owe them massively. Found it odd that they focused on the 4-1 at our place - given the circumstances, it hardly registers compared to the 2005 result, Harry's subsequent antics and the way they've repeatedly escaped accountability. Whats for sure is that April's fixture could be sweet on so many fronts.

Is that the same guly who cleared one off the line at donny and coventry (amongst others). You should get out and watch us a bit more. Maybe your posts wouldn't be so full of sh*t that way.

This sums it up perfectly. And you're right: Guly has cleared a number off the line - the most recent being at Donny. Almost seems as if we're playing zonal rather than man-to-man defence - and they exploited it.

Curtis Davies is overrated IMO - was very poor for Leicester when he went on loan and has been OK for brum but not spectacular. Hasn't realised his potential.

Fair enough - no question of not being there and watching it on TV. I would have done exactly the same. Purgatory enough having to clap a skate goal.

Why was the OP in the home end? If he tried and couldn't get a ticket, fair enough and I can understand. If he didn't try but rather couldn't be &rsed with all the restrictions and wanted to stick two fingers up and be the big man, then he's a tw*t pure and simple. I've found myself in home ends before out of necessity and you need to be very careful which games you do it at and where in the ground you sit. My question is what did the OP do when the skates equalised? In some places, staying quiet is not an option; indeed anything less than going mental will get you rumbled.

Maybe yes. Hard to tell - looked a bit uneven to be totally deliberate. Dont know what it was like on the left side.

Quite a few empty seats on the right,

The right side was very good - some right weirdos in the north stand e.g. the one with the pink rucksack Deadwood in the middle stopped things spreading across the whole stand. Doesn't help that the OWTS is one of the only songs that lasts more than a few bars and gives others time to join in.

Exactly and a bit of pace/power on the right would be the missing piece.

Arguably, Lallana has missed playing with DC more than anyone.

Pretty dire game - thought the wind was an important factor and we took better advantage of it in the 2nd half. Yet again, we produced f**k all down the left. And in the first half, could not count more than a few balls that were played to Guly or Lambert's feet - no wonder Guly struggles. Jos and Cork were my MOTMs. Deano and Frazer also deserve honorable mentions. Adam looked good with the ball at his feet but his decision-making was poor IMO (should have played Guly in earlier at the end). With Frazer our only real wide player, we're reliant on interplay in and around the box - and without the incisiveness and composure of Connolly or the runs from deep from Chaplow, we looked hurried and predictable.

Thought some of his passing first half was woeful - too many casual balls into the centre of midfield. But his set pieces were the only threat we had for long periods. Surprised by his sub. If Harding was going to come on, thought Guly would make way and Lallana play up top with Lambert and Fox and Harding doubling down the left. Not that it would be like-for-like.

Got there in the end, thanks. Had to pay a few quid to get a taxi Basingstoke but it could have been worse. Hats off to the ticket office on this one - they communicated our whereabouts to the driver and the OB who showed a bit of commonsense and gave us an extra 10 - 15 mins. In the end, we didn't need all of it.

The skates were spot on about the lallana chant and the boyband arm-waving though. Utterly cringeworthy. Bit uneasy about it for a while. They rightly murdered us for it.

Fatality outside Waterloo has thrown the trains into chaos. Delayed our train to Winchester. We've have made alternative arrangements and should be there by 10.55. We are meant to be bus on 1 - two passengers under the name of schneider. Wonder if anyone departing from Winchester can relay this info to the authorities. We are on our way. Absolutely gutted if we miss this. Much appreciated if anyone can help.

Agree - people got it wrong on here. Its not just clever politics - NA telling the congregation what it wants to hear. Yes its only another 3 points and no doubt that will be stressed after the game; but to put in a performance and get the 3 points will require a different approach and mindset i.e. dealing with the atmosphere etc. In addition, winning a derby does bring benefits -no doubt, it boosts team confidence, a similar effect to a good cup run and it probably affects subconsciously the degree to which fans get on players back when things aren't going so well. So yes derbies are different and it makes sense to prepare for them differently (within limits).

The alan knight testimonial was my coming of age.

Not much worse than the bland indie tastes of most football fans...