The Round Ball Game - II

[Alison]

So where is Alan Pardew likely to step in this season?

[teamsaint]

Going to SMS on Saturday, Sainty? Fascinating fixture!

Will tell us a lot about both our teams.

Yep. I'll be there Alison. Looking forward to it. Important game for us, need to get some points on the board. Think we will be ok for goals this season, if Ings stays fit, but need to get our best defence out there and solid.

Leicester look set for solid mid table to me, at worst.

[Alison]

Yep. I'll be there Alison. Looking forward to it. Important game for us, need to get some points on the board. Think we will be ok for goals this season, if Ings stays fit, but need to get our best defence out there and solid.

Leicester look set for solid mid table to me, at worst.

Look forward to report from our man on the spot. By the way what happened to that striker you signed in January? Has he scored yet?

[antongould]

Doesn’t sound good AG for The Toon’s season this year?

At least The Seagulls beat Man Utd! I think we did that last season?

I think mid table anonymity is the best we can hope for bbm as there are IMVVHO a lot of poor teams in the division .....

[Lat-Literal]

Arsene Wenger arrives in Liberia to receive special award from president George Weah:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-6088573/Arsene-Wenger-arrives-Liberia-receive-award-George-Weah.html

Sure beats the "Allardyce said this; Pogba said that; Adams said something else" wall to wall, prancing, overpaid, tittle tattle we've all endured for the past week!

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/dec/25/george-weah-arsene-wenger-chelsea-liberia-president

I'm really hoping Arsene becomes manager of their football team and takes them all the way to the next World Cup.

[Lat-Literal]

I've just rung Talksport for the first time.

Didn't want to go on air but I felt their hard bitten journalists should be asking why Bravo is having his injury assessed at Barcelona.

Obviously it needs attention but are Man City being given unfair special privileges by that overseas club?

And can't they afford to assess it thoroughly themselves?

With luck, it could lead to penalty points.

Looking to spread my tacit support more widely than the usual, I have been trying to decide if I have family connections to anywhere outside London other than Newcastle that could be footballised. Until I had my family trees done last year, I would have said no. But I reckon I could tie a few colours to the Ipswich Town mast too. Would this in principle be a good idea? If I do, and I probably will, it strikes me that Mr Robson features heavily. Luckily I always liked him. I wanted him to become Arsenal manager before an unknown Mr Wenger arrived.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLQ5Nii0DEM

"Talk about father figure.....the guy was phenomenal for me"

(Gascoigne)

"He got working class people......those values never left him"

(Ferguson)

[Lat-Literal]

Wolverhampton Wanderers 1
The Manchester City Barcelonic Conglomerate 1

Couldn't be more delighted.

I've captained Salah - and not Aguero, too.

Yippee-do.

Had a strange conversation with an old Arsenal mate about a month ago. All a bit anti Man Utd. He said "but you always liked them - you admired them under Ferguson". I said "did I? - I really don't recall". I think I probably did actually. We did the Mourinho thing. "Yes but under Mourinho, it's different". "Well, oh yes, under Mourinho". But I have to confess that it all left me feeling a trifle uneasy. If I were being honest, and I really didn't like the way he gouged that man's eye, I prefer Mourinho to Guardiola. I don't like Guardiola one jot. I think it is because I sense that behind the Mourinho persona there is 80% a good guy whereas with Guardiola he is universally applauded as "good" but instinctively I feel that he isn't very nice.

Sadly, Man City isn't what it was. When Colin, "an unusual friend for you", was a supporter of both City and while not in Hulme of West Ham, there was plenty of klaxon merriment, a difficult moment when my mother took him in a cup of tea only to find him on naked on the settee, quote, "dripping into it his sweat" and several visits to the East End where on walking down the path to meet "her old Dad" the first offering was a sentence beginning "she was the only woman who was happy for me to...…" But we are way before the threshold. Shame.

I dunno. It was all much more simple then. You would in five seconds be somebody's best mate, whether you liked it or not. You would then be invited to his brother's wedding for no reason only to find yourself answering questions to the employer as to why he had suddenly disappeared into the ether because "being his best friend you of all people should know". I sort of wonder about him sometimes. His surname was "Good". Most thought that ironic. But he did mean well. There were a lot of laughs although it was always very edgy. He was almost certainly on the run. And the woman in question who I never saw although her old Dad was lovely - that old school east ender - is probably to this day increasingly fair of face.

So where is Alan Pardew likely to step in this season?

QPR?

[LMcD]

I see that our local team are now the strongest in the Championship, propping up all the others. (Mind you, League 1 would make a change after so many years, I suppose).

[antongould]

Dag&Red 1 Hangers 2 ....... romping up the league .... must remember to enjoy it while I can ....

Sunderland go from strength to strength .... if Man U don’t beat Spurs could this be the man to replace Grumpy Jose .... ????

[johncorrigan]

[QUOTE=antongould;694567]

Sunderland go from strength to strength .... QUOTE]
At our expense, anton...Jack Ross team coming from behind, scoring late in games was a feature of last season for the Buddies. He really built belief with Saints last season...and that unfortunately seems to have gone when he left, as we were beaten again today, this time by Livvie - 2-0 down by half time and that was how it remained. 10th

Glad to hear about Hartlepool, mind you!

[teamsaint]

Another day, another disappointment at SMS.

Saints were well in control, but it took us an hour to turn some good posession and decent attacks into a goal, thanks mainly to excellent work from the Leicester CBs and keeper.

But it took City about five minutes of pressure to turn the game around, and to cash in on our still all too apparent defensive frailties. Saints shot themselves in the other foot as PEH foolishly dived and got a second yellow when in an excellent position, and the Foxes winner had “ inevitability” written all over it.
City will do well, they are reasonably skillful, have a strong spine, and are streetwise. I like Gray, always gives us problems. Concentrate on the cups is my advice to Puel.

Saints ? My mate is more pessimistic than me. I think the squad is good enough, but throwing away winning positions was last years problem, and it seems we have yet to change that.

[Alison]

Good report Sainty and thanks for your sense of balance. I suppose Sparky has a bit of slack having kept up the Saints but wont last for long if points keep going astray.

[teamsaint]

Good report Sainty and thanks for your sense of balance. I suppose Sparky has a bit of slack having kept up the Saints but wont last for long if points keep going astray.

Pleasure Alison. I think Sparky is still working out his squad, and however badly he does , the board will give him till about March , if last season is anything to go by.

[cloughie]

Owls second win in a week - things could possibly be getting better! Truro City still looking for a win!

[antongould]

Newcastle 1 Chelsea 2
I am a great admirer of Rafa but I was disappointed with his team selection and tactics ...... surely we should have given it more of a go from the start ..... ????