donaldstott

baffling. QPR captain Shaun Derry criticises FA over appeal QPR's Shaun Derry has described the Football Association's decision to uphold his red card against Manchester United at Old Trafford as "ridiculous". Derry was sent off for a foul on Ashley Young during Sunday's 2-0 defeat. Replays showed minimal contact with Young, who was in an offside position when the ball was played. "There was no explanation as to why it was not overturned, or any indication of why I got sent off. The whole scenario is quite bizarre," he said. "I don't know what they do at the FA, but it's not working." The 34-year-old captain served a one-match ban which ruled him out of QPR's 3-0 victory over Swansea on Wednesday. Rangers boss Mark Hughes said his side were "losing faith in referees" following the dismissal of Derry by referee Lee Mason. Derry, who joined QPR from Crystal Palace in 2010, added: "I thought it was a foregone conclusion that it would be overturned and I would be available for Swansea. Everyone thought the FA would put it to bed that way. "To miss out on the next game is ridiculous really. "The e-mail we got back from the FA was one line telling me my appeal had not been successful. That's as far as it went. "It was the single highlight of my career to lead a Premier League side out at Old Trafford, so I was bitterly disappointed to say the least. It is a tough pill to swallow." http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17663750

Is the right answer... I thought it was dreadful. Did I fail to see the irony in him sitting on the bowl of custard?

Interestingly Gary Neville had Simpson in his top three right backs in the league alongside Kyle Walker and Ivanovic. I think he's had a very good season. There has been very little coming down the right, I don't recall too many games that he's been put under too much pressure. He is poor offensively, but I'm not sure how much that matters when Ben Arfa is in front of you. The grass isn't always greener. For me he's more solid than Santon and having Santon and Ben Arfa on the right (as has been mooted) would be phenomenal going forward, but a potential liability going backwards...

Salesforce, Twitter, Newsnow (NUFC) and here. And can we have a few NSFWs please!!!!

But that front three didn't cost as much as Owen, viduka and martins so they can't be as good. We're going backwards chum!

I ref 5 a-side and Sunday league. The Saturday leagues in and around London don't have linesmen, which means every decision is on the ref. I've not done it myself but that would be impossible to get consistently right. The more you do, the more you see and the more you know how to handle situations. I haven't booked anyone in the last three games I've reffed and have probably only dished out 12 cards all season.

Just looking at the games he's managed in the past, and he's never dropped from the high thirties and fourties. Faster pace in this league, but i don't think he's tired. Just think it's as Jonny said. Difficult to shine when the ball is 20 foot over your head most of the game. Tiote sits deep and does plenty of snapping at heels so he can shine in a game like last night. Cabaye is supposed to be our playmaker, but he can only do that when he receives the ball at his feet in the opposition half. Very rare last night. I find it a bit frustrating that he doesn't put himself in that position. Tiote actually plays in advance of him alot of the time. On the fatigue thing, I'd be interested to see if there has been a drop in his distance covered over the course of the season.

I think he just looks tired. Which is understandable given that he came from the walking football league...

For me: Cabaye looks tired - It would be interesting to compare Cabaye's opta stats for this game and the game on the first day of the season. Williamson looks totally out of confidence *Whispers it quietly* Santon looks positionally unaware For the winner, Simpson seems to be getting the majority of the stick but there is still an opportunity to stop the goal if its defended properly. Danny Guthrie stops running when he gets in to the box. He must know that Simpson and Ben Arfa have gone walkabout and must see that there are two men over at the back post. It's criminal that he hasn't gone to close them down.

if he's giving you his smartcard, chances are he'll be more bothered about getting that back off you!

This sounds very close to you suggesting bankruptcy is an acceptable part of football?

+1

There have been three distinct phases for me.. Scoreboard Before the redevelopment (when I was about 15) I used try to sit on the concrete pillars in the scoreboard. Match day was as much about what happened in the stand as on the pitch. Spillages and banter between the scoreboard and the corner made up for what was invariably awful football. I used to love getting a bovril and some fish and chip crisps, I always tried to avoid using the bogs which were absolutely horrific. The atmosphere it generated was as much about keeping warm as anything else. I may have made this up, but was there a derby match in the middle of winter when the heavens opened, seem to recall it was a draw and Mark McGee scored for us? Keegan Stevie mentioned it on the first page but the keegan years were just something else. The hairs used to stand up on your neck as the players emerged and local hero went up. The crowd was still the same as had stood and generated a great atmosphere without a roof. Most of us were just glad to have a season ticket and I know I felt proud of the new stadium. It might not be the same for everyone, but i started out in the Leazes end with the same mates as i'd stood with in the scoreboard. Inevitably the numbers started to dwindle as we went to university etc. Eventually from six people i knew we ended up with me and my mate's dad sitting three seats apart. Part of the matchday experience was going with mates and because of the clamour for season tickets you just couldn't get them together. That spoiled things a bit at home, but away days made up for it. Exile I've been down south for six years now and every time I get up home I'll go to the game. I now leave the pub a lot later than i did because the atmosphere is invariably a shadow of what it was. New fans, the main fan base getting old and respectable, young-uns who know no different, have all contributed to it. Again, away days still make up for it though. Off to Wolves next week, which has a danger of being a "turn up and expect three points" fixture. I hope i'm wrong.

Sounds very plausible. As a top player why take the risk when City are willing to give you 200k a week for warming the bench.

They have historically had a fairly strict wage policy. I wonder if that is stopping them picking up the world class players they need?

After 10 years I now know why Ibrahimovic keeps being signed by all the big sides. Outstanding performance.

I watched that game and I disagree. What he does is break the game up with fouls or dives defensively and offensively he only plays the safe ball backwards or sideways. What makes players like Cabaye so great is their ability to play a killer pass to advance possession 30-40 yards. Parker never even attempts that. But to break up the game is his job though. Like Tiote that sometimes means using fouls. You can't compare Cabaye to Parker. Try comparing Parker to Tiote and Cabaye to Modric.

I have to say that I've been impressed with Parker when I've seen him play for Spurs. I think the difference is that he's now surrounded by much better players than he was at the toon, so he's not being asked to contribute going forward at Spurs. It's simple break up play and give it to Modric, Bale or Lennon all of whom are capable of very quickly advancing the play. His reading of the game seems to have improved as well. He was excellent at Anfield on Monday night.

It was the autobiography that you'd expect any smoggy to write. Full of bravado, cock-sureness without a hint of irony.

I am reading back to back autobiographies of two men equally deluded of their own self importance, popularity and talent. Who's the b*stard in the black - Jeff Winter I, Pardridge - Alan Partridge I'm sure you've seen it before, but let me remind you of this little Winter nugget on his last visit to Anfield: "In the end I played a little bit extra, waiting until play was at the Kop end, before sounding the final shrill blast - a bit like the Last Post. The fans behind the goal burst into spontaneous applause. It was longer and louder than normal, even for a big home win. Did they know it was my final visit? Was the applause for me? They are such knowledgeable football people, that it would not surprise me.” Knob.

Ok but why buy second rate at over market prices just for the sake of it. Is he good enough to take us to the next level? No. Would it help us in the long term? No. Might we be stuck with a squad player who we can't shift cos he never plays? Yes. Its a gamble, but a calculated gamble.

indeed. So why were we interested in this player ? Because we a dangerously light on defenders and he was seen as a stopgap until the summer when we have a sniff of getting the player we actually want, who presumably will be a first choice centre half. The problem occurred because Watford's valuation of the stop gap was too high. If the budget is £8m for defensive cover then paying £3m is not leaving a lot for a first choice defender is it? Filling the squad with unsellable, ordinary players is not going to do anyone any good.

It's a gamble, but probably a gamble worth taking. I'd far rather we got a first choice transfer target for £8m, rather than £5m and a stop gap, who there is no guarantee of selling. We should be buying first team players and promising youngsters, not journeymen.

The wife watches it, feel largely the same as Gloom. He is an undoubted bellend but Gary has got shagging down to an art form. Two nights in to the new series two lasses 'banged'. He's prolific like.