Wes Tender

Would there? The refereee and linesmen have to make instananeous decisions on the spur of the moment, so just because some ex-footballer pundits in a studio don't have the mental capacity to make quick decisions, you don't think that 4th official referees would have the ability to call it on a quick glance?

The mention of financial problems is just a clever ruse to have the idiot journos believing that we will have to sell all our best players. It is gaining us massive media exposure, raising our profile in leaps and bounds. As it appears now, we have several players coveted by the top glory clubs and because of the simple laws of supply and demand, their value has rocketed. Clubs like the once glorious Manchester United wanting half our team reflects very well on us as it is implicit that half our team is better than theirs, and when we turn around and tell them that we don't need their money, we raise our profile still further. It is a brilliant strategy and credit to the new board for coming up with it.

This weekend there was the fiasco of the incompetance of the linesman in our match and another couple of dubious decisions in the Liverpool/West Ham match. As both matches comprised teams chasing the Premiership title, it really has become too important to leave decisions like those to the referees when there is the technology available to ensure that the team that won the match did so fairly, and not because the officials cocked it up.

It was a game that we could have at least have gained a draw from, if not won under different circumstances. Fonte was ridiculous flicking up his leg like that to give away the penalty and had he not done so, it was not a given that they would have scored otherwise. Then had the linesman been as competent as one is entitled to expect at the top level and ruled their second goal offside, then it could have been 1-0 to us at half time, as we probably also would not have conceded that third goal from the kick-off. For us to have got anything from the game, it also would have required Rodriguez to have stayed on fit and for Boruc to have played, as Rodriguez is key to the high pressing game and Boruc would probably have saved at least one of their goals. So overall there is some comfort that could be taken from the game, that we dominated possession in the first half and some of their goals were down to poor refereeing or poor mistakes from our defence. Unfortunately although Boruc will hopefully be back for the next games, Rodriguez will be a big miss if he is out for the rest if the season. But it might be a blessing in disguise from the perspective that there is little to play for in the table and it might be the ideal opportunity to give Sam Gallagher a run out as his direct replacement. As for City, it is a disgrace that they have players that cost so much because of their supposed quality, but who are prepared to cheat by throwing themselves to the ground theatrically in order to gain penalties. They deserve the utmost derision and the football authorities should do something a bit more aggressive to stamp it out before it becomes even more widespread. It is something that can easily be analysed post match to check it in detail, but then perhaps a three match ban would do the trick. Patently it is obvious that when a penalty can be gained by conning the referee, whereas only a yellow card will be given if the cheating fails to impress, then it is worthwhile players attempting it.

If the football authorites are not willing to introduce video technology to help adjudicate on offside decisions as blatant as that, then they must punish the incompetance of the linesman that fails to see it. It wasn't marginal, it was obvious. Decisions like that one can and do change games.

Exactly my feelings. Context, balance and perspective.

I do consider what I am saying before I post, naturally. It's my opinion. If you don't like it, then tough. I thought it was fair comment, you obviously didn't. I'm not about to lose any sleep on it.

Trolling is taking a sentence out of context and twisting it to make a point. Just as you have done.

The boy Clegg's leaflet and his utterences in the debate debacle:- Why do we need to be in Europe to be able to do that? What is Interpol for then? That's been about for decades before even the Common Market. And surely the freedom of movement across national borders makes it far more difficult to track terrorists or criminals. Dear Saintandy, ever ready to overlook the shortcomings of his hero Cleggy and to deny the damage that he has done his beloved party by his stupidity in going head to head with Farage. And what is this abolition of education as we know it that he insists is proposed by Farage? Cleggy chided Farage for wishing to turn the clocks back. Has Farage proposed a return to the three R's and less easily achievable exam passes? I also agree with Derry, that it is a distinct possibility that there could well be some horse trading between the Conservatives and UKIP that candidates won't stand in certain seats in return for a pledge to support a tough line on European membership.

Naive to make comparisons between the situation 5 years ago and now. The circumstances are completely different. Since then, there has subsequently been a General Election where once again the electorate had been promised a referendum and again that promise has been broken. Then there is the additional factor of Romanians and Bulgarians having the unfettered right to come here, plus the collapse of the Greek economy with Italy's and Spain's not far behind. Additionally, we have had a further 5 years of recession with the attendant pressures on employment and the growing resentment when jobs are taken by immigrants from the old Eastern Block states. But if you believe that despite all of those changed factors since the last time around that everything will be the same, I think you you will be proved wrong. After a strong UKIP victory in the European Elections, there will be a lot of tactical voting in the more marginal seats. Yes, it might affect the Tory vote, but since the By-election in Eastleigh and the TV debate, the Lib Dems might find themselves replaced as the protest vote, where tactical voting swings to UKIP to get rid of an MP from a party those voters despise. Take Eastleigh as an example. As a Tory, I can't stand the Lib Dems, but have the opportunity of switching my vote behind UKIP to unseat them if I wish. Ditto the Labour vote might realise that they have no chance of getting their candidate elected and do likewise to punish the Lib Dems for their alliance with the Conservatives. In some seats where the Conservatives don't poll well traditionally, they might not put forward a candidate, allowing a populist UKIP candidate a clear run at Labour or the Lib Dems. It will be very difficult to predict how things might turn out in a General Election if the UKIP bandwagon achieves spectacular success in the Elections next month. That is why if they had any sense, the main parties would call a referendum before the General Election, pulling the rug from under UKIP's feet.

UKIP exists as a party for one reason alone, to get us out of Europe. Some have asked what their policies are on other subjects like education, health, taxation, defence, housing, etc, but they don't need to make firm policy commitments on anything except Europe and how it affects those other areas. The forthcoming European elections are their main focus and I expect them to gain a massive increase in their vote, which will worry the hell out of the established parties who will be nervous about whether their support will translate into votes during a General Election. If they wished to lance the boil that is the European question, the solution is in their hands; hold a referendum before the General Election, using the dissident vote in the European Elections as the excuse to justify it. Clegg's assertion that one cannot be held whilst the economic recovery is still fragile holds no water. The Conservatives promise a referendum in 2017, but can only fulfil that promise if they are elected with a clear majority. Why do we have to wait that long? If we have a hung Parliament, which is fairly likely, then there might be scope for putting it off yet again. The British public are thoroughly fed up with the constant procrastination over the past several years and are in a mood to give the main parties a good kicking over it. A strong showing by UKIP next month will have the other parties falling over each other to put clear water between themselves on the issue. It could even turn out that Farage is the king maker after the election. Once the European question is settled to UKIP's satisfaction, then they will have no real raison d'etre for their existence. Clegg's poor judgement in calling for this televised debate has given the UKIP bandwagon a hefty push and damaged Clegg and his party's chances in both the European and General Elections. Cameron has sought to label UKIP's stance as negative, as did the boy Clegg, but I suspect that the majority of the voting public see many more negatives in our membership than would be produced by our leaving.

The boy Clegg showed that intellectually he is a pygmy. The rhetoric he used to try and discredit Farage was often infantile. One can see why he is the leader of the junior political party, which is the only level that he could aspire to. He habitually tried to twist things that Farage said in a vain attempt to show him in a poor light, but anybody who was not partisan to either side would have seen through his shallow subterfuge. Clegg was occasionally caught off balance and became shrill, whereas Farage to his credit remained relatively calm throughout. I think that the crucial point was reached when Clegg claimed that the Lib Dems supported having a referendum whenever there were substantial changes brought about by a European Treaty, but that they wouldn't support holding one now, because of the current fragile state of the economy. Weasel words in reality, as presumably the next time there is a treaty, a referendum could be delayed by the same argument, that the economy was in a fragile state at that time. Perhaps treaties should only be held when our economy is strong, so that we can have our referendum. It has been 40 years since the last one and there have been several treaties since, with no opportunity for the British public to have their say on them, so quite understandable that they have become disillusioned with the political class and their promises which they have consistently broken. Again, I come to the conclusion that Clegg made a big mistake in challenging Farage on this issue and he will pay for his poor judgement next month in the European elections.

They truly would struggle to get an IQ into double figures even if they added their individual IQs together collectively. Stu is wasting his time trying to reason with them, as there are none so deaf as those who will not hear. The best position to adopt regarding their rat-infested little club and their simpleton fans is one of pity.

And as the BBC prepare to air the second part of the debate between Cleggy and Farage, local representatives of the Lib Dems and UKIP hold their own grass roots debate on Europe.

Here is his more well thought out, less offensive, village idiot style stock reply:-

Seemed OK to me. Both players went for a 50/50 ball is how I saw it and the boy Rooney made a meal of his dive to con the ref. I agree with your sentiments about the commentary though. Whenever Man Utd play in Europe, I support the other team more often than not and I suspect that I'm not very different from many who hate the club with the highest proportion of plastic fans in the World. On the rare ocasions when United play the Skates, I'm really torn as to which team I wish to succeed, but that's pretty well the only time when I have doubts and that isn't likely to happen again in many a year to come now.

I was only quoting you, as I know that whenever you say anything negative about Cortese, you like to balance it with some praise. But I agree in principle that our badge does look more professional in monochrome and personally I think that the sash shirt was the best we ever had. Although I'm not keen on the current red shirt, I've mellowed towards the red pinstripe, which begins to look quite classy in retrospect.

But one has to admire him for getting us to the prem (a great achievement that should be applauded and which made a huge difference financially)

Wonderful dive by Rooney to get Schweinsteiger sent off. 5.9 scores right across the board for style and technical ability. I'm hopeful that BM will stuff them at home.

The perspective referred to his achievement in gaining us promotion from the third division, but then you never were good at comprehension.

Yes it would be if it was part of a rather more balanced assessment, but as Hypo has constantly also voiced his desire to see Cortese gone and then his pleasure when it happened, (even on this thread) then it is reasonable to call his grudging approval of some of the things Cortese did well as faint praise.

Why bother with Chimps when the Bonobo is closely related and sexually promiscuous already?

The bit that came after it. I'll just remind you, shall I?

Here is the root of the problem, where intelligent people like the Bear can't tell what is fruit and what is vegetable.

Your previous posts on this thread can be summed up in four words:- Damned with faint praise. I know you won't like it, but there appears to be a bit more support for saint86's post than any of yours on this thread