BigWalrus

I enjoy the use of evidence to support the outings. It's a far more coherent argument than, "fuck off mag", without anything other than an opposing viewpoint to back up your point.

I wonder how long it is before the old, "they're paid £x per week, they should be fitter" argument comes out. If it's rest that's going to make the difference, West Brom haven't played in 2 weeks.

Yep, it's the constant playing that does it. The game against the mackems was a combination of a few elements: Sissoko / Cabaye / Jonas / Mbiwa / Cisse all having played pretty much every minute of the last few weeks Debuchy, Ben Arfa, Taylor, Tiote all having just returned from injury and lacking in match fitness Whilst the break might help, I'm not sure it's going to make a massive difference. Cabaye has been pulling up with his dodgy groin in pretty much every game (whether he stays on the pitch or not). Having a few days rest isn't going to sort that problem out. We struggled in midfield at the weekend partly because Cabaye was leggy from the first minute. We would have been better off with him not there.

You're right that there are no practical implications. I don't think the auditors would ask a company to be less cautious in their loan treatment, it goes against everything they stand for! Presenting the loan as a current debt with the narrative about supporting the club would be a more prudent treatment that the auditors would surely prefer.

Nice. Has anyone ever been outed and hung around anyway?

The most interesting point, which hasn't been picked up on, is that the loan has been reallocated to be due in greater than one year (it was previously a current liability). Perhaps Ashley now has no immediate desire to sell the club.

Who is Big Chris Holt? The comment about still turning a profit despite paying back £11m on the loan... The loan is entirely balance sheet based. It's a simple case of reducing the loan and reducing the cash balance, with zero impact on profitability. And its completely different to paying out a dividend. This is Ashley taking back a chunk of his own cash, he's not making a return on the investment. Loan goes down, cash goes down. Net debt remains the same. Shepherd and Hall didn't put a penny in, so didn't have the ability to receive loan repayments.

And the club hasn't slapped £25m price tags on everyone. The majority of football content in the papers is completely fabricated to fill pages. If a big offer came in, I'm sure we would consider it, but on an individual basis.

We may have a poor goals against column, but that figure is horribly skewed by conceding 11 in two games with most of our team missing.

For £7m he would represent a good bit of business, as long as he doesn't want us to match the £80k a week he's on now.

Ben Arfa doesn't appear to be able to last any more than 10 minutes. I'd resist starting him, as we're only going to have to take him off again.

New manager syndrome too. Just as it would be wrong to write a manager off after two games, I also think it's too soon to judge him on two performances (I appreciate that you're supposing rather than judging at this stage...)

The 3 or 4 mackems I work with have been spot on. But then again, I'd expect them to be given that I didn't rub their faces in it when we won 5-1.

Absolutely spoilt for choice. Villa = comeuppance for their fans for taking the piss when we went down. Stoke = Michael Owen's second relegation. Wigan = comeuppance for McManamangate Sunderland = genuinely funny. The only way it could be bettered would be by Reading somehow escaping and sending two of the above down. Our game vs QPR could be interesting if a QPR win could push Sunderland over the edge...

As much as I enjoy a derby win, I'd happily see Sunderland drop down 2 or 3 divisions and disappear from view.

Simpson is likely out injured anyway.

Marveaux does have the ability to create chances. But he disappears when he's not on the ball and it piles the pressure on the rest of the team. Tricky player to find a place for to be honest.

Swap deals never happen. If you hear a story about a swap deal, immediately dismiss it as a crock of shit.

Stick Tiote and Coloccini in there and all is right with the world. We desperately miss the spine of our team.

442 equates to being over run in midfield. With Cabaye and Tiote we can manage it, but anyone else and we'll struggle.

They're good, but two silly mistakes have cost us. Unfortunately they happen. All full backs at all levels will drop one of those every now and again. Taylor's handball was unbelievably silly though. What is does mean is that we have no other option than to go for it next week. Second leg potentially could be interesting if nothing else.

Horrible cheating cunt.

Fucking idiots, the pair of them.

If Williamson had done what Mbiwa just got away with...