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BR.
Great for the neutral - but you can see why both sides will be battling for top 4 rather than being any higher.
chokosc
Eric Portapotty
terriersmad
Disgraceful. That's not a ban. That's a fucking prison sentence.
Eric Portapotty
Have to say that football's in a bubble when it comes to violence, but I doubt anyone's going to step in to ensure justice is served beyond the rules of the games given the amount of money that's on the line.
Fucking weird though how things have come to this - elbows, kicks, eye gouges are all fair game if it's on the pitch.
Number 1
King Luis
Shola
It's a Christmas Miracle. No Shelvey and Hayden, and Newcastle look a team transformed. (Also more solid without Lejeune)
Rafa will be fuming thought - with Elliott saving a penalty. - and I wonder how injured Mitrovic, Lejeune, Merino and Hayden actually are?
Number 1
Dunno if it'll lead to a pick up, mind, given that Manchester City is the next game. Still, there's always hope that we'll succeed where everyone has failed... well that or just pure delusion.
Is it karma that Austin duly got a hamstring injury and seems to be out for longer than a ban would've been for, or is it still the case he still should've gone? He was lucky not to go for that incident.
Shola
And yeah I'm a bit skeptical about the injuries - looked to me that Benitez is stunting to try and 'prove a point'
terriersmad
terriersmad
Hey ho. On we go.
BR.
King Luis
chokosc
Number 1
I thought he'd already been put in the reserves before Benitez rocked up, then wanted to go back to France after the demotion as Thauvin and Cabella did, but only came back last summer because nobody wanted him. Its still a pleasing way to find the option is there. Whether or not he'll still be about when Hayden, Merino and Shelvey return... who knows.
I'm willing to guess some are exaggerated a bit, but not all. Some may be for fitness - there's a stupid quantity of games in December '17, for one - but I'd guess, for instance, you've got the isolated case of Mitrovic for something's being potentially exaggerated, given his red card run rate means he's not being trusted. But then I doubt in the long run it really achieves much - we don't really have a great squad anyway, so starving it further seems counterproductive.
The incident with Simon Francis getting a yellow for kicking Kouyate in the face during the Bournemouth-West Ham game certainly looks like another to the group of these incidents in recent weeks. That looked a red (Kilbane's verdict of just a yellow.... no) but it seems absurd to just charge in like that given the risk associated it with it. Josh King reacting to a misplaced pass by raising an arm and accidentally punching Obiang in the face was almost comic, but I guess a different ref could be inclined to produce that card.
That game as a whole looked demented, mind. Not to mention coming with farcical refereeing... how the fuck that late Wilson goal stood is mystifying given he was offside and it went in off his arm.
terriersmad
I genuinely think the standard of refereeing is lower than it's ever been. I can count on one hand the number of times I've felt the officials haven't influenced the outcome of a match this season. Mr Atwell, for all his detractors, has been the best I've seen this season, v Southampton and v Brighton - very good both times. Can't really complain too much at the chap we had v Manchester United either, who got all the big calls right. Other than that, though, they've been woeful. I know I'm a broken record when it comes to officiating, but it's got so much worse the higher we've gone. Last season was largely dreadful and this year is topping it. It doesn't help that top clubs seem to operate by a different rule book to everyone else. Alli gets away with murder every other week. Niasse finds himself banned for diving, yet Alli survives to play another day. Tarkowski is banned for a petulant elbow, yet Lukaku is allowed to carry on despite kicking an opponent in the testicles. It's a completely different standard that's applied by referees and officials.
Agreed on all counts for the Bournemouth game. They seem to get quite a few dodgy decisions in their favour - two goals against us, blatant penalty not given v Stoke, yesterday's farcical decisions in their favour. I've never been someone who says they'll even out (never seen evidence of it) but if it's true they're in for a nightmarish second half of the campaign - they're probably plus about 6 points from officials, take those away and they're in serious bother. Wilson's interview also annoyed me - just own up and say you got lucky.
Not sure how Mr Taylor made a mess of yesterday yet. Allen's challenge on Mooy is a blatant penalty, no matter what rubbish Danny Murphy comes out with (couldn't believe what I was hearing on Match of the Day - they're making it up as they go along. He said Alli's dive at Burnley was a penalty the other day when it absolutely wasn't). Schindler's challenge on Diouf is also a penalty if we're being honest. Diouf was booked for having a ball cleared straight at his outstretched hand from about a yard away. Zanka was booked for an inch-perfect challenge. Zouma was booked for slipping, and then Smith had to go off in the same incident after receiving treatment because Taylor forgot the rules. He was hopeless, and had there been any malice in the game he'd have lost control. As it was both sides played in a good spirit and how 6 bookings came out of it I really haven't a clue.
Shola
Saivet was apparently sent straight to the reserves - as was Doumbia.
Ah Thauvin. - Benitez sold a guy who's probably worth £50m for less than he bought Matt Ritchie or Jacob Murphy.
Number 1
Wonder if anyone might actually have a go at City from the off in an upcoming game.
Tbf it looks that like the case with Payet and West Ham, Thauvin didn't want to leave Marseille in the first place and McClaren had already removed him once. Even if it wasn't all done before his re-loaning/permanent sale. Typical he's then turned into an elite level player... the 21st Century Jon Dahl Tomasson syndrome. Meh.
Did Doumbia do anything for us? Quite something that for the key game against Bournemouth that ended the McClaren era, Riviere got the nod instead.
Carroll.
Also serves Schmeichel right that they ran out of time to try equalise. Cunt was time wasting all game, amazing how the ref did not book him
BR.
Utd 0-0 Southampton FT. Chelsea 2nd now.
King Luis
Cant wait for Mourinho's excuses
Based Jorge
King Luis
Not even making it to his 3rd season at this rate.
The best thing about the Yoshida handball is, it actually helps Lingard if he'd have carried on playing he'd have had a shot at goal because the touch brings it down
Shola
Yeah - genuinely amazed Benitez got stick for midweek - for almost scraping a point against Man City - but never gets criticised for complete non-performances like today. I think Darlow, Dummett, Lascelles, Joselu and Hayden are the only ones who put in acceptable performances. Yedlin has also regressed to one of the worst full backs in the league.
Good to see Knockeart is still shit though.
terriersmad
Number 1
The only real plus from yesterday was that it wasn't another defeat, and even that feels like its not enough given the late winners for Swansea and Bournemouth.
BR.
King Luis
VP.
If he's not signing for us then the sooner he goes the better really.
Another great performance by Mike Dean today, how that prick continues to ref at any level is beyond me.