BigWalrus

Villa going down would be hilarious. However, they have to play Spurs before the season is up, and I'm sure as hell not supporting Spurs in that one.

Parker didn't settle here because his wife refused to move up here. Plain and simple. He spent his entire NUFC career living in the Malmaison on the Quayside - hardly a sign of someone who wanted to stick around. If NUFC was by the Thames rather than the Tyne, he would probably still be here now.

Kyle Walker and Benoit Assou-Ekotto are both cracking full backs. Santon may turn into something better, but right now, I'd happily swap them for our two. Walker in particular is brilliant.

What an odd thing to say.

In many ways, Ashley is what we have needed for years. He's made some horrendous mistakes along the way, but he has some huge advantages. The main advantage of Ashley is that he's not emotionally attached the the club. He's not going to be swayed by thoughts of Tiote being mint and needing to be kept at all costs. He knows that any player is replaceable, and promoting a culture that any one player is somehow vital to the team is bad for team morale. Arsene Wenger has said something similar in the past. He hates to sign players who are massive stars, as he likes to maintain harmony in the squad. Introducing a huge ego who thinks he's better than everyone else is the last thing he'd do. It's probably why Van Persie will be sold on this summer without much in the way of objection from Wenger. We've had our share too - and they've all gone. Nolan, Barton, Enrique and Carroll all wanted more money to sign a new contract. They thought they were somehow more deserving of a bigger salary than their team mates. Ashley and Llambias disagreed, so they have gone, and the team morale has been maintained. We appear to be building a team of players who are decent people. When Cisse's second on Saturday was incorrectly ruled offside, he smiled at the linesman and took it well. I much prefer that mentality to the chasing the linesman down, screaming at him or sarcastically clapping him. If Cisse somehow turns into a massive arsehole and starts pissing his team mates off with his ego, I have no doubts that he'll be out too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FWsc6SerI8&feature=youtu.be

I've saluted every magpie I've seen since I went out on a bike ride the day before the Liverpool match. Can't stop now, we're on a roll.

Haha, love it

2013 Champions League final is at Wembley. Does anyone know the best place to park near there?

You can end up with a bit of luck sometimes. The fixture list can end up kind, playing teams when they're out of form etc. However, we are so far ahead of the chasing pack that it simply can't be fluke. We well and truly deserve our league position.

I think we will finish 6th. That some will be disappointed with that says everything about how bloody brilliant this season has been. I'll be over the moon to be wrong though. 4th would be unbelievable.

Doesn't help that he's a horrible individual in real life too...

Done.

One thing I will say is that he gets no abuse from me at the match. There's no place for that.

He's also a footballer! It's not just about playing a narrow role.

Lots of people saying Krul is definitely out.

Man Utd at home?

I haven't got time to go through every single one, but highlights include the shocker at Anfield, playing Fulham onside for 3 of their five goals at Craven Cottage, a masterclass in how not to play centre back at Carrow Road... The biggest problem I have with him is he breaks up our own attacks. If he's not good enough to create a chance in the final third, then give it to someone who is. Admittedly, he's looked a bit more comfortable with Ben Arfa in front of him, as the opposition is so petrified of HBA than he has nowt to do. As for Santon, you're confusing me with a Santon apologist. I like Santon, but he's nowhere near the finished article and has a lot to work on defensively. But there is definitely a footballer in there with a good touch and a bit of intelligence, which is something I don't see in Simpson.

He hasn't got the basics right though. The basics being closing your winger down and cutting out crosses. The basics being marking the man rather than scurrying back onto the line hoping for another spectacular goal-line clearance. He's had some atrocious games this season. Really, really awful games.

The only way we would finish 6th and avoid Europe would be if Everton overtook both us and Chelsea, with Chelsea in 7th (And winning the Champions League). It's so improbable it's not even worth considering. A win today for us makes it impossible.

Tiote's a Christian, isn't he?

I can't believe we'd drop Demba Ba. Especially considering he scored a hat trick against them earlier in the season. Fully expect an unchanged line up, maybe with a change in goal if Krul isn't fit.

Guthrie will never hold down a starting position in any team, as he is injured for half of every season. 3 or 4 games on the bounce...groin pull. Another 3 or 4 games, pulled hamstring. You can't build a midfield around a player who is always injured.

What Williamson has is height and power in the air. He'll give anyone a battle in the air, and as long as we have Coloccini sweeping up behind, he's an adequate back up. Simpson on the other hand, is nowhere near good enough. He rarely cuts any crosses out, he rarely marks his man (instead preferring to man-mark the goal line, on the off chance that he manages to clear from the line). Add to that, he offers literally nothing going forward (often making a negative contribution as he ends a swift passing move by lobbing a cross straight at the keeper, or kicking it into touch). He could do a job for a team in the bottom 5 or 6, but if we aspire to stay in the lofty heights of the top 6, we need to find someone better. With Ben Arfa on right midfield, a good right back who can cause problems going forward would have a whale of time overlapping.

Meh. Delighted for Blackburn, who don't deserve to be in the league.