pingwing

Oh yeah I remember the other thing from the game I thought was odd. Arsenal's away fans have some cheek coming and singing about being quiet and not singing when at the Emerates there was nothing for 90 mins! Felt that was just embarrassing from them that they could manage exactly two songs at home and hardly made a noise when they were smashing them past us and away as soon as it started to go wrong (aka they didn't look comfortable to win) they shut up again.

Play like we have done for the last 3 and we should bang two or three past them. Trousers with the right starting line up provided fitness isn't a problem, other wise the Arsenal line up will be fine. Would like to see Steven Davis nock a few past one of his old clubs but right now not the most important consideration. Don't think much of Villa, just need to remember to keep Heskey no.2 and Wiemann out the game and they will fold like a deck of cards. (also this is way more exciting than the FA cup this year)

Been to all 3 of his league appearances, today was his first good 90 mins. West Ham he was great for the first 45 and then got bored. Spurs bored for 45 then seemed to pull his finger out a bit. Today he was what we needed overall. Couple of handling errors in the first few mins that the rest of the defence picked him up from without making a big deal about it. After that he was fine. Amazed us with some brilliant distribution from his throws and had a similar ability to Gazza to command the tempo of the game from goalie actions. Shame we cant tape Davis with his reactions to Gazza with his kicking/patience to Boruc and his throwing/jumping properly for everything. Would have one decent keeper... Boruc for now has to have a few games unless we get someone else in to be no.1

Home just now to see it on motd again. Positives completely out played them, Yoshida, Fonte and Schniderlin were utter class. Steven Davis got Morg's normal role today and played that much better than Corks (which morg did right). Corck at rb was a very sensible choice too. I felt so sorry for Guly on the og as he had to touch it, shame it wasn't enough (otherwise it was just rubbish defending from him). He was also good apart from being tired. Punch also looked tired but played well and Gaston was much better after not featuring against Stoke. Lambert was slipping and trying which was ok, just need to think of a better game plan when he is off, Rodriguez can't do that as well... Shaw was too good and now Wenger will be creaming all over for him Boruc has to be in goal unless we buy a new no.1, give him more game time and he should just do enough to keep us up. Can't put Gazza or Davis back in now. Negatives, Gaston's second goal was ruled out for literally nothing (from motd). The touch has no bearing on the direction of travel of the cb and I now feel robbed. Also Steve De Ridder was just the white Ghervinio. Utterly useless after that single run. All in all we have the right number of points from the last 4 games, but in overall the better way. 3 competitive near wins (that are draws) show the team are a lot better than 17th, which is really nice, just a shame we ruined it against Sunderland. Really didn't think much of Arsenal after that, they just seemed tired and confused. Recent score lines have flattered them a lot. Also Wilshire needs to learn how to play standing up, comes across as such a nasty little player rolling about like he's been shot anytime we went near him. Don't like seeing players injured at all, but god he deserved another one. Really a pathetic little midfielder, why he is ahead of Cork in the England set up is well and truly beyond me.

Both milked it to be honest. Theo was nice to give a clap, didn't need to loiter about the pitch for 10 mins, been years since he's been here... AOC nice of him to walk up and say hi to everyone, thought that was nice as half the squad played with him in l1 or were in the youth team with him. Didn't need to tour all the stands, had his applause and that's enough.

Had another great game today, really knew what to do against their "MASSIVE THROUGH BALL FOR EVERYTHING" tactic (hoof on the floor). He's improved a lot and really gotten into the CB role (not so convinced as a lb or rb where he has been played for the first few games and struggled)

Well Reading have bought someone.... Shame he sounds rubbish.

From what I can see it is only that release clause on FM, nothing legit has been mentioned by anyone anywhere.

Put football manager down and accept this years wonderkid buy at the start of the game isn't someone every prem team is going to be hammering after because he's good on football manager.

The BBC and their anti-saints bias....

I am sure the chairman would love to have a credit note with some porn barons and keep them up instead of us. Completely makes sense....

Would be wrist slitting material! Was thinking about their formation, they seemed to be championing 4 cb's, 2 in the middle, 2 up front then 2 completely out the game on the wings being ignored. When Kightly came off and N'Zonzie decided he really was too wound up about Cork being better than him they seemed to abandon a bad formation and take up 5 cb's and 4 forwards with even less width. Just seemed unable to deal with the ball being within a yard of the sides of the pitch and on the floor...

Should have supported Shaw more for their first yes, which he did for the rest of the game, sadly leaving Jos mostly alone on Jones. Got the balance mostly right after the first few mins, shame it needed a goal to work it out. Jump with Crouch though, mad stigma he is stuck with. The Pomp goal he was never going to get to even if he had jumped, it was going in unless we had a keeper behind it. Guly still on the motm list just for really playing outstandingly well in a position he hardly ever ends up in. Put in a good shift out there against West Ham too and is back up for Lallana out there. Today he really made a difference as it got Lambert in the middle a lot more to play off Rodriguez (and the other way round). Without that we would have been stuck like boxing day with lopsided attacks and predictable passing.

Since Fulham home?

Train back from Stoke was fun, few happy enough saints fans (didn't get chatting to the London saints group again sadly) but it was nice to come away from another away knowing if we put our minds to it we are easily good enough for the prem now. Oh and if we had a player like Huth we would have a terrible disciplinary record and the ultimate boo-boy. Dreadful player today, no idea why he would be better than any of our 3 cb;s. Yep, 100% spot on. Very few players in the world could smash a spinning, half volly with their weaker foot into the net, off balance against the spin of the ball. Everything was against Guly to put that away and he was only a couple of yards out. Was a good effort from him (and his best game of this season, though the previous 2 have had even better games from him). Rodriguez should have really buried it but its one of those he's young and learning moments, shame its a bit premier league moment. He will learn and learn quickly to keep his place.

Not sure why, Huth was terrible today, Keon summed it up with the "looked like he had been in a car crash" quote, describing Lamberts performance against him. Oh and Yohshida is quickly developing into a very intelligent CB, Jos is good at the basic things, just not when it is against width more than anything else. The combination of Fonte and Yoshida is now working very well which is the important bit.

I believe it was a loan against future earnings (tv money for next year equivalent to the parachute payments) because in the UK that works as tax avoidance (which isn't illegal and saves us millions of quid). Borrow money against future earning to operate at a level of debt is (strangely) good business practice as it avoids the 35% corporation tax on profit. Oldest trick in the book and something we should not wet our selves over (only when it is against several years worth of tv money/season ticket sales is it bed wetting time). Either way financially we currently are well within budget/means with little impetus to sell (like the dark days) to balance the books.

Poll needed! And no I don't think he will, it'll all be down to first team places and expectations. Leaving for Arsenal (as mentioned in the "press") would basically mean he becomes their first choice lb and will probably destroy his career very quickly. I would guess he stays because he has the same basic opportunity here but with less pressure to succeed in his place (we chuck Fox back in or someone else and he can progress properly). He will be able to make mistakes with us without ruining his career before he can drink to get over it.

Yep Kelvin is prime to let in another 6 against Arsenal...

Haha! makes today all the better Nicest people in Stoke, the woman who worked in McDonnalds (she was over 18, I hope/pray) and the bouncers out side of a pub who got us to a quiet one that didn't care about away fans (and had a nice bouncer in there who was polite and friendly)

He's a classless idiot. Cannot stand a manager who wears a tracksuit for the game (and that cap) then changes into a suit for the interviews. Then gives a stupid interview all about how the ref should have given them more...

BWAHAHAHAHA! "Huth looked like he had been in a car accident, such as how good Lambert was" one of the best things on motd for AGES!

Kelvin had 2 jobs today, make easy saves and control the tempo through his distribution. He did neither. Even Gazza could sodding well take his time properly over a kick and put it to the right player (bar that Swansea moment). Our weakest player today was Kelvin because does not do what any good keeper has to do and command the team around him. Thankfully that is the last game out the way before we can get someone new in (if we are not going to wack Boruc or Gazza back in) as this is the one area we can't seem to train anyone out of the problem.

My real problem is we all can see he's not premier league yet isn't given the same level of rubbish as gazza (who I still feel is the best of the three options). I fully expect before the arsenal game we announce a new keeper and start them then or In the fa cup as it is terrifying to keep persisting with what we have. Still think some players could get away with rape and be hated less than others too. Eitherway bbc lied to me and stoke are just a well drilled champ team playing gash football not the surprise of the season at all.

Right train back from stoke now and some time to take it in. On the one hand 2 points dropped in the short term, long term one point wouldn't have other wise seen us get. Guly, other than the defensive laps for their first, man of the match! The had no answer and drugged with him out wide. We were excellent first half, doing what we do as ell as any team in the league, pressing them in their half. After their 2nd we stopped and tried to hold out for 3-2, which has and never will work. Shame but Adkins has to learn from that now! They were a lot better after the sending off and playing 5-0-4, mostly because we let them and assumed the still didn know about punch. Adkins should have known to keep the ball from them an pressure for a 4th. Still a point is a point. Again stars of today, Guly, cork, morg, fonte and yoshida. All really good hard fought games. Stand out problem kelvin! No command of the area came for everything regardless Of how stupid it was and generally showed why we needed a prem keeper today badly.