Dr Gloom

That was mint obviously but I think the fact we knew we had a good team and expectations were raised changed it a bit. Watching the results come in every week when you're not expecting it is something special.

...01/02. You know, the year SBR got us going after a few seasons of mediocrity, signed Robert and Bellamy and we finished 4th. There's a lot of parallels. I think the main one is that no one saw it coming. I honestly thought we'd struggle this season. The likes of Sky, Stan Collymore and Mark Bastard Lawrenson have been talking in hope as well as expectation about us falling off the pace and the usual clubs finishing in the top 6. Most of us still expect them to be right but I'm loving that we keep putting their noses out of joint. The weeks are rolling by and we're still hanging around like a bad smell, putting in performances, picking up results and fucking off the hacks who want to see the same clubs up there every season. Long may it continue!

Not with you there. Ben arfa is clearly the more talented player but his recent outings have been poor. Obertan has responded to being dropped with a goal scoring cameo off the bench and a much improved 90 mins today.

tbf, his last two games have been better than ben arfa's last two.

Has nothing to do with us, it's the same every Sunday. i'm sure there's usually something on the first game - some brief analysis at least - before they cut to the build up for next one isn't there???

one point off 4th and still no bastard interviews or analysis on sky, the absolute turd burglars.

Watch the replay to be undumbfounded. He went for the volley and it came off the outside of his boot and was rising at a rate of knots I have never seen a ball fly straight and true at that speed when coming off the outside of a boot. It didnt deviate from its path one inch, so thats why i questioned it. Saw the replays obviously, so will have to look at it again as i doubt you'd say that without reason. It would be spinning and curving if he sliced it surely? The fact that it was rising and going at speed suggests he hit it sweetly, no? looked as clean and true a strike as you'll see to me. he knew it was going in well before it beat the keeper - you can see him already wheeling away to celebrate before it hits the net. great strike.

nah, obertan put in a good shift today. he did well.

where's the reaction and analysis? fuck all in the way of post match interviews - straight to the fucking "united"/chelsea game ffs.

why not? makes perfect sense. fresh legs to hold it up and run down the clock. Fresh legs and Ame-casual-obi? Anyway, great result. Three points, two Demba's on the score sheet. Can't really have asked for much more. he helped run down the clockm shielding the ball in the corner. did what was asked of him in two minute camero. job done. three points in the bag.

definitely. him and guthrie have been top notch replacements for the first choice in centre mid. one of our strongest areas of the pitch today, centre mid and probably the reason we edged the result.

good game. great result. tough game but we just about edged it. absolutely brilliant stuff for cisse to bag one on his debut. that'll give him a massive boost. quality finish too. demba ba back in the groove too. happy days! my ratings; krul - 8 simpson - 6 williamson - 6 colo - 7 santon - 6 jonas - 7 perch - 8 guthrie - 8 obertan - 7 ba - 8 cisse - 8

why not? makes perfect sense. fresh legs to hold it up and run down the clock.

krul-zilla you legend

he's been solid and unspectacular. done a job david batty would be proud of tbf

ooooh. the perch-inator

i take it all back. what a finish!

there's always a lot of pressure on a player when they make a big monry move - particularly on strikers to score a goal. i remember how chris sutton's debut at chelsea set the tone for his career there. more recently, there's been a similar stories with torres and carroll. cisse's had one of those debuts for me. good movement and sharpness but looks a bit nervous. that header was a massive chance take that pressure off in his first game

villa looking to hang on to a point here like. they haven't done much this half

ahhh, cise. that was your chance

well in jonas. good play that

good tracking back there from the baldy dick

good to see obertan at least running at his man and trying to get a ball in instead of turning back and passing inside all the time.

villa probably deserve to be level - they've created some good chances. krul top class again. our defence is still a bit high for me. bent has got in behind wiliamson a few times and he's always going to do him for pace. we need to be careful after what happened at fulham.

good that we're reverting to 4-4-2. shame ben arfa is the one to miss out - starting perch at home is a bit negative - but he can't have too many complaints - he's been pretty poor lately.