Newcastle v Man United

I'm really looking forward to this one. Welbeck, Rooney and RVP as a forward three should be interesting to see and, although I expect Newcastle to play well and work hard, I think Man United will edge it.

What's the story with John Terry? I thought he was banned for four matches, yet there he was, playing on Saturday... :confused:

Not finished the appeals process yet.

OK but on MOTD last week they said "that suspension will start after this game". I would have thought then that it was a done deal? Should I leave him in my FF team then for now? No more games for two weeks, but surely if there's an appeal it'll last longer than that?

It was a guess on my part :D

No idea.

Suppose I should stop being lazy and go looking for my information instead of expecting others to supply it: from the Daily Express website today:

"Terry has until a week on Friday to formally announce his position, but it is anticipated that he will accept the four-game ban and £220,000 fine.

It means Terry is set to miss the league games against Tottenham, Manchester United and Swansea, and the Capital One Cup tie with United."

So I guess the Spurs match would be next week, first back after the international break?

... And here, yet again, Terry is not only playing but Di Matteo won't say if he's giving him the armband! When is this guy's suspension due to begin? According to last week's report, today. Now he's playing. Will he be playing next week? What the hell are the FA on??

http://thebiglead.fantasysportsven.n...fan-attack.jpg
BBC Sport - Chris Kirkland attacked by Leeds fan at Sheffield Wednesday

I hope this despicable **** is properly dealt with. Ok, so it's not quite as serious an assault as some media outlets are making it out to be (as it's a push or a shove, he hasn't flattened him) but really that doesn't matter. fans shouldn't be on the pitch. It is in some ways forgiveable in exceptional circumstances such as celebrating a title win or avoiding relegation where fans are mainly just wanting to enjoy the day with the club but I'm still not sure it's appropriate. What potentially could have happened in the Leeds Sheff Wed game is more worrying than what actually did happen, because if fans get on the pitch where they dont belong then one day it could be a Monica Seles kind of incident and nobody ever wants to see anything like that.

Apparently Aaron Cawley was already banned from every ground in the country before he attacked Chris Kirkland yet still states that he is not a hooligan but he just wants to see Leeds play. i don't think anyone is buying that.

BBC Sport - Sunderland v Newcastle

Even though we pack around the 40,000 mark into the Stadium of Light on most weeks we hardly ever sell out. The derby sold out before I could get my act together and so don't have a ticket today which makes me sad. I am, however, still pumped and more than a little nervous.

This is bigger than Christmas Day in Tyne & Wear.

HA'WAY THE LADS!

Disgraceful. But if he was banned from every ground in the country, how did he get in? Don't the FA have some sort of "no fly policy" checking at the turnstiles? Or are they just assuming people who are banned will just not turn up? How do they check these things? How do they enforce them?

I mean, if the above is true (and he was banned) what's his punishment to be now, other than a criminal one? And how severe can that be? A fine? Doesn't seem like it would be likely to work, does it?

I don't know how they police stuff like that or even if his ban was still effective but he was apparently banned four years ago. If his ban had a lifespan I would personally hope it was still in effect and if it was then that hasn't been policed well at all. Much like the fact he made it onto the pitch, attacked a goalkeeper, went back into the stands where he was still shown on camera in his seat and then somehow managed to leave the stadium without being arrested. Whats that about?

And I'm getting more excited/nervous now...

http://sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphoto...59072384_n.jpg

Now THAT's what I call a REAL fan! Convincing their girlfriend to have the club badge tattooed on her eye! Hardcore, or what? :rofl:

I'm currently looking for contacts just like that :p:

Saints are eighteenth in the league, after losing 4 - 1 away to fellow newbies West Ham. They've conceded a massive number of goals and more than any other team. I fear they'll bow to pressure from the fans and sack Nigel Adkins in haste, thus creating instability.

Go Toffees! Although we usually do poorly with clubs down on our luck, so QPR may surprise us.

BBC Sport - Sunderland 1-1 Newcastle

A fair result. Newcastle were comfortable after a shameful goal for our defence to concede until Tiote's sending off and even though they did control us well for long periods they didn't put us much pressure at all, or any in the second half, and all the pressure was ours. Newcastle didn't do enough to win it and for all our spells of pressure we didn't really have too many clear chances and our goal was lucky.

I've seen the clip on "The Football League Show" now. How the guy wasn't grabbed and pushed up to the police I don't know. All those idiots who seem to be congratulating him as he makes his way back to his seat are just as responsible really. Hope he gets what's coming to him. People like him give football a bad name. Leeds need to come out more strongly: Warnock said "oh it was just one fan gave us a bad name". No it wasn't: everyone who passively participated in covering up the guy and getting him out of the stadium should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves, and Warnock should have made that point clear.

As Lister once said: "It's worse than playing away at Leeds!"

Well, I see he got jail in the end! Sixteen weeks! He'll be out in ten, and no doubt bragging in there about how he got on telly. Hope there are a few Wednesday fans in there to, uh, explain their position to him...

I think it's important that he got something and was made an example of. I think sixteen weeks is a decent shout as long as he is banned (or...continues to be banned anyway :/) from every ground in the country as well.

Best Arsenal performance of the season, but I'll admit Adebayor being sent off helped us immensely and changed the flow of the match.

Yeah, I bet you Arsenal fans were just crying your eyes out about that! :) Remember when he scored against yaz and ran all the way down the touchline to gloat in front of your fans? Karma has a way of sorting itself out, no?

But yes, great performance, even notwithstanding Adebayor's dismissal. Good goal by Bale, but Tottenham never looked like capitalising on their lead.

Saints are second from bottom of the league again. They are caght between the devil and the deep blue sea; sack Adkins and they stand a chance of improving their terrible goal difference, but they could also disrupt their stability.

Fantastic performance/result for Arsenal, Giroud seems to be finding his feet now as well.

Meanwhile, we've been shocking all season so I don't think I'll be on this thread anytime soon till I have something to gloat about...

We (Arsenal) were awesome yesterday. Fully deserved the win and would have done so regardless of the sending off.

Annoyed we are persisting with Podolski on the left when Cazorla would be amazing out there. Wilshere not right to partner Arteta either.

But they won well yesterday!!! What's the problem?

But aren't you a Swansea supporter?

Hah no I support Newcastle, I suppose I should have just lived up to the stereotype and said "Pardew/Cockney Mafia oot!"

:laughing:

Mojopinuk, just want to send my congratulations on a fine win for Sunderland over Fulham! Fully deserved, great goals, excellent performance.

And you'll surely be glad to see that Newcastle lost into the bargain! ;)

Sunderland were shocking against Fulham. O'Neil is a terrible manager.

What are you talking about? They beat them 3-1! How can that be shocking??

Clearly a fluke...

Didn't see the match, but how much of a fluke was 3-1 away from home against Fulham who clearly have a better squad?

Nothing, IF it lasts. Otherwise, beating QPR and sending them back to the bottom will be a hollow victory (bearing in mind our MASSIVE goal difference).

Clearly you don't know the mind of a disgruntled mag, Sunderland "fluking" results while we lose is all I have to fall back on....:(

They did deserve the win to be fair, the Hangeland sending off clearly helped them though and I'm not really a fan of the card frenzy around the game these days, but rules are rules.

I think to say we were shocking is ridiculous, but there were still plenty of negatives. I think the red card was harsh, I thought we were awful in the first half and I think we were quite fortunate in many ways. However, the main thing I have wanted to see all season is more positivity going forward as we simply havent been a threat. I thought our second half performance was good, we got three goals, Sessegnon looked more positive while still being far from the player he was last season, and we carried a threat. Had Fletcher held his run a little better we would have got a fourth.

I'm relieved to have our first three points, I'm encouraged by our second half performance, an away win (our first since February), a couple of different goalscorers (rather than just Fletcher) and the fact we looked more of a threat infront of goal than we have at any point this season. There are still plenty of problems though.

So are they going down or staying up?;)

We'll stay up, but we can't afford to assume that at all at this stage. Currently we are in real threat of slipping into the bottom three and I'd rather see that light a fire under them than ignore it and assume we will be safe.

Another three points from QPR would make me feel much better but we'll see what happens.

Yeah well at least you're not in the relegation slots now, unlike us. We've been slowly slipping down all season really; can't go much further. If something doesn't happen soon I'm going to have to watch our matches on "The Football League Show", and listen to Claridge or Rossiner talk about how "this is why they couldn't stay in the Premiership". God help us.
:(

Who do you support Trollheart, Villa?

I would offer you condolences on maybe having to listen to Steve Claridge for a year or more, but with my own side doing so badly pity is hard to come by and I'd rather not tempt fate....

Yeah, Villa, wouldn't you know? I don't mind Claridge really; he makes sense most of the time. Unfortunately I almost always fall asleep during FLS, I really don't know why: I typically wake to see the league tables or hear Manish say "we're on the red button all week"... :rolleyes:

I actually believe that we deserve to go down; we've been pretty abysmal this season, and with the exception of Benteke have shown very little promise. Bent being out/not selected has not helped our cause, but as usual with Villa we continue to be the architects of our own downfall. Maybe a season or two in the lower leagues will teach us that your place in the Premiership isn't guaranteed, and it has to be earned, then hung on to.

But probably not.

Well, I'd be lying if I didn't think some of your fans deserved a lesson in humility after their antics after we got relegated at your place, but i'm sure you weren't one of them :laughing:

I have a bit of a soft spot for Villa though, I have family in Brum and my grandad played for them, although only really at youth level...so the 6-0 win was karma enough for me!

In all honesty I think you'll be alright though. There is real quality in the side-Bent, Insomnia, Ireland, Agbonlahor and Benteke, if you can get them all fit and firing you'll have a great options up front and subs that could change a game, which is more than we have at the moment! Plus a youth system that always seems to produce good players. I rate Lambert as a manager as well, for me he was the only one that ran Pardew close last year (not that it seems to be doing either of them good this year...:laughing:)