Flip Martian

Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesus.... Benny again

Roll on next season. 4 chances, 4 goals, fecky fecky feck!

Very nice to see the man himself coming out at halftime to take the applause

Not defending the ref by any stretch - that was as poor a ref'ing of a game at OT as I've seen. I just think we should have some dignity - if Masch hadn't been sent off there's every chance we could have got back into it. I thought we were matching them early on, although they were turning the screws a bit before the goal. We could have had at least a point out of that. 1 man down with everything going against us, no chance. The ref wasn't crowded - but he had b een sworn at and gestured at by Masch several times before - carry on like that and there's only ever 1 outcome.

As is that as a considered response. I pointed out you were wrong and Masch was swearing a lot beforehand. The way some on here are blaming everyone except the team for not turning up and performing, I would say is "laughable". Crowding the ref shows passion but it also shows a lack of discipline. Something we used to have in abundance where other teams lacked it. You can have passion without slagging off the ref every time he gives a decision against you. No point moaning about other teams slagging off the ref every 5 minutes and bullying decisions out of him - and then saying we should do it too.

Regardless of the rights and wrongs of what other teams' players get away with or don't - Masch was clearly seen mouthing off and swearing several times at the ref in several incidents AFTER he'd been booked. He wasn't sent off for asking why Torres was booked - it was cumulative and Bennett warned him to leave it twice on the last incident and he didn't - Masch got himself sent off, no point blaming anyone else. Quite frankly the way he behaved was a f***ing disgrace for a player in our kit. If winning the league depends on gobbing off at the ref and bullying him constantly then you can f***ing well keep it. That's not football.

Considering how long Rafa stuck by him and kept him IN the team before he finally scored in his 1st season for us, it seems bizarre he seems to now have gone completely the opposite way and considers him last. What's he ever done apart from score goals and have a famous girlfriend?

Not saying we're blessed with lots of striking talent up front but anyonw who thinks Owen is the answer to our problems is deluded/blinkered. He's done nothing while at Newcastle except be injured and he stopped playing consistently well (ie being "THE Michael Owen") long before he left us... Maybe a very cut price, low budget option for the bench...but nothing more. Even that I can't really see much benefit to us in unless he miraculously stayed fit for a season or two. Glad Newcastle paid over the odds for the pleasure of picking up his medical bills and we didn't.

Big Bamber and Little Bamber was it not? Steve was my favourite player in the early/mid 70s - he always looked so "stiff" and semi embarrassed when he celebrated scoring. Seeing him fly down the wing was something else.

Bladdy spoilsport...

According to Slovakian language rules "krt" is pronounced "krot". So its Skrotal. No, really.

Bear in mind that the vast majority of people don't post on forums. The people that do don't represent any majority, just their own opinions that they feel strong enough about to post... There are more thrills seekers at games these days though - natural outcome of more televised exposure. I'm glad we're not Chelsea or Utd though. Or even Arsenal, come to that. Will we end up that way? Maybe.

Always nice to see the club has done a deal the press knew nowt about...

Tosh - Leeds in 65 was actually our first win... We lost 2-0 to Arsenal in 1950 and 1-0 to Burnley in 1914 (those were our first two FA Cup finals so not a terribly good start!). Actually if Sky had been around in 1971 they may have happily pointed out that Liverpool had now only won 1 of their 4 finals Regarding the state of the players...ESPN showed our game against Stoke in around 75/76 the other week and my other half (rather younger and so from a different era) watched it and couldn't "believe how unfit all the players look". Not so much puffing and panting, just the fact that physically they were far less muscular than they appear to be today. Watching these old games does make you realise how much has changed.

Here was me thinking I wouldn't bother with Setanta - Sky are showing more of our matches on their schedule - and then they announce THIS!!! Oh well, no option then! Not sure what my other half is gonna say...