The Fish

Villa are on an unbelievable run of form, but it's a run of form. Watkins is over-performing given the chances that fall to him and their defence is benefiting from profligacy of the opponent. They were 100% the better side against us, but like I said in the match thread, this was as much to do with us being utterly garbage, as it was to do with them being good. They'll have a game where Watkins' finishing doesn't cut the muster and a game where the opponent is more clinical. If a team can sit deep against them Watkins won't have half as many chances, and Konsa and Mings are not fast. Villa may come unstuck against Wolves and Fulham. Never mind Man Utd, Brighton, and Liverpool.

And keep your integrity? I don't think so, bucko.

Not one of you cunts can dig me out for my jokes ever again..

Brighton are definitely more of a threat to us than Spurs are. Spurs are passive, disjointed and they don't look fit, however they do have some exceptional players who can dig them out of trouble from a femto-chance. Brighton, by contrast, are hard-pressing, cohesive and fit as they come. They also have some exceptional players, Mitoma chief amongst them. Trippier would have to be on his game to pocket the lad. I think we've a comparatively easy run in, and this Villa result came at the right time, imo. Should give the boys a rocket up their collective nipsy.

Both. Our poor performances would have been irrelevant if Villa weren't on it, and if we were on it, their performance wouldn't have been as impactful. e.g. Bruno and the Joes in the middle were passive, disjointed, wasteful and unimaginative. Had they been anything like their usual levels than Buendia Ramsey and McGinn would not have had the time and space to cause our back line so many problems. If our back line didn't look knackered Watkins' movement wouldn't have been so damaging etc.

That photo is crying out for some Stokoeshop

Can you save it to a public repository?

Well, I guess Mum's won't be going to Iceland anymore.

Shame they're not back in League One as it'd be hilarious if our new U21 squad peppered with actual potential stars put their first team to the FUCKING SWORD.

I'm confused, can't you do both? Buy first team players to replace Ritchie and that lot, who are also upgrades on Longstaff and the others?

I like this way mucho. Thing is, we're very good at pressing high up the pitch, AND we're good at handling more direct balls. Dan Burn has the height advantage on literally every wide sided player so any high ball in that direction will be meat and drink for him. If they try and dick about at the back we'll nobble 'em, as we recently did to great effect against West Ham, Brentford and Man Utd.

Ahhh, but now any derby win won't count as a real derby because of our owners. Just like no Manchester derby counted after 2008. Of course, if they were to win in our next meeting it'd be 7inarur, but that's neither here nor there.

They only have to look at one from their own crop of players to see that potential doesn't always equal product. Patrick Roberts was the next big thing and his performances for Fulham persuaded Man City to lump £12m on the gamble he'd come good. He was sharp moved onto Celtic, then Girona, then Norwich, Middlesbrough, Derby, Troyes made 1 (one) appearance and then joined League 1 Sunderland.

What're you going to do about it? Set a dragon on me? Throw some Leeks at me? Rock up with 20 of your coal miner mates and sing beautifully at me?

Is it? I guess I just imagine Welsh cities to be underfunded and shit.

Yeah but Cardiff tho.

Honestly, the only thing the Stadium of Light has going for it is it's size. There are 14 bigger stadiums and most of them are in much, much nicer cities.

We're doing it again lads. We're all saying "nah he'll never sign, but..." and with each post we're getting closer and closer to thinking he might. He's not signing for us. but if he did...

Sure Sunderland shares the same infrastructure, in the same way as Covent Garden and Heathrow do. And why, in the world, would you arrive, stay and socialise in a nice city with a larger stadium, then get on a shitty train/Metro 30 minutes to a smaller, litter-filled stadium located in a shit hole?

Rice is only 24, so he's still fairly young. We could field him for 4 years and still sell him for a tidy sum. I'd love him, and I think we could get him, if nobody else at the big boy table was after him. But imo he's tailor made for Pep's Man City side, and he'd improve every central midfield of the 'big clubs'.

Sometimes, it comes and goes.

Half tanked, with a shower room and an office down there and everything. Office has phone line, muliple outlets, bespoke shelving and all that good shit. But it's been out of commission since we moved in because the Mrs inherited a coffee table made from massive fuck off reclaimed railway sleepers and a massive fuck off pane of glass. It doesn't fit comfortably in any of our rooms. It needs a team of 4 big boys (who probably know about blobbing and have calluses) to get it out of there. So, we can never use it in this house, and we couldn't sell it online without a team of sherpas to shift it, but can I take it apart with a handsaw and hammer? NoOOOOOooOOoOOoooo wimmin, amirite?