The race for 3rd / 4th place is going to be highly interesting for the rest of the season!

 

Spurs, Chelsea, Liverpool and Van Persie all fighting it out! :D

Plus Tottenham will still have a game in hand after tomorrow evening's game with Villa.

 

Disappointing result for Carlisle. My uncle supported Sheffield United when he used to live in Sheffield so he was pleased. :(

Spurs have the game against Everton from the beginning of the season aswell. They've looking very strong at the moment. On a brilliant run of form, but so are Arsenal and Liverpool (unbeaten in 9). Chelsea look so vulnerable defensively. The two Manchester sides are well above the other four, but for the other two Champions League places it is going to be so close.

I still think United will get sucked back into the dogfight with Arsenal / Tottenham / Chelsea / Liverpool with City romping away. Chelsea were dreadful in defence today, Luiz should be played in midfield; he is in no way, shape or form a centre half.

Newcastle get a deserved draw against the champions. I have to laugh at all this nonsense about a controversial penalty being given AGAINST Man Utd. How many times has it happened to them at Old Trafford? Bloody hypocrites! Man Utd never got out of 2nd gear, they were poor and extremely lethargic. Newcastle matched them for long periods. Rooney is in absolutely terrible form.

 

Got to wonder who will be first to go between Steve Kean and Steve Bruce? The Venkeys seem to want Blackburn to implode, and Sunderland just don't have any consistency.

 

And Chelsea's crisis is now over considering they won 3-0. At home. To Wolves.

Never got out of second gear? Twenty Nine shots on goal tells a different story...

Never got out of second gear? Twenty Nine shots on goal tells a different story...

 

Only when you had to though really. Man Utd were very lethargic until they scored. Then they stepped it up a gear. I think there's still more to come from Man Utd, but you just look so average as a team. Definitely the worst Man Utd side that's been around for some time. Newcastle defended really well.

Steve Bruce first Premier League manager to be sacked this season, good manager but it's never really gone well for him there. Having a higher win percentage, and by a decent amount, at Wigan is never going to win over anyone. Hughes and O'Neill seem to be initial frontrunners with Benitez just behind.

The top of the Championship is starting to separate out a bit now, six points between 2nd and 3rd. Looks like a straight fight between Southampton and West Ham. Six points to make up over 27 games sounds like nothing but the Hammers (I hope) have the large squad and the away form to stay ahead of the pack and Southampton have St Mary's as a fortress where they've still got a 100% record.

 

At the bottom Coventry and Doncaster are seven points adrift but then you've got four teams all on 20 points and three wins could theoretically take Notts Forest from the relegation zone to the playoffs.

With Leicester now moving into the top 6 I honestly can't see it changing all season, a bit like last really where it stayed the same for months until Reading overtook Leeds near the end when they fell off dramatically. Cardiff are always there or thereabouts and there's nothing to suggest they won't be again. Leeds are stronger than last season too and battered us last night, by far the best team I've seen this season, but then they lost at home to Barnsley at the weekend, maybe Speed had a significant factor, who knows? Either way I still wouldn't be at all shocked if the top 6 now will be the top 6 at the end of the season. West Ham will easily go up, one of the best managers in the league and with a squad who should be comfortably winning the league.

 

You are right about how easy it is to climb, but we won 4 out of 6 and had barely climbed out of it, and two defeats later are back in the bottom 3. It's definitely a relegation battle for us, the only saving grace is there are so many shit teams in the league, Derby, Millwall, Watford, Barnsley, Pompey look like they're going to be f***ed now and Ipswich are underperforming but their squad is too full of has-been journeymen. The next couple of years are extremely bleak for us, McClaren has bought so much shit in on decent wages and long contracts that we aren't going to get rid of, I wouldn't be surprised to see McGugan, Camp and Majewski all sold in January, the sad thing is I wouldn't be disappointed either. Coventry and Donny are utter w***, be shocked if either catch up. Donny are signing a load of foreign mercenaries but it's doing no good so far.

Steve Bruce first Premier League manager to be sacked this season, good manager but it's never really gone well for him there. Having a higher win percentage, and by a decent amount, at Wigan is never going to win over anyone. Hughes and O'Neill seem to be initial frontrunners with Benitez just behind.

 

He was sacked on Sunday. There was a lot of rumours going round that it was the case, but Sunderland didn't want to announce it because of the Gary Speed news. I think in hindisght he made some very poor buys over the summer, and didn't put the money gained from Henderson's sale to good use. You've got the question the Gyan situation aswell.

 

I know he might not be a popular choice, but Rafa Benitez would be the best choice. He's a bloody brilliant manager and he will turn Sunderland in to a team that's pushing for the top 6 within 3-4 years if he's given the right backing with money. I think he'll go there.

He was sacked on Sunday. There was a lot of rumours going round that it was the case, but Sunderland didn't want to announce it because of the Gary Speed news. I think in hindisght he made some very poor buys over the summer, and didn't put the money gained from Henderson's sale to good use. You've got the question the Gyan situation aswell.

 

I know he might not be a popular choice, but Rafa Benitez would be the best choice. He's a bloody brilliant manager and he will turn Sunderland in to a team that's pushing for the top 6 within 3-4 years if he's given the right backing with money. I think he'll go there.

I can't see Benitez going there. He's already said he wants to be at a team challenging for the PL and CL

 

He'd be better off waiting for Villas Boas to be sacked as I think he'd be perfect for the Chelsea job.. and knows how to get the best out of Torres

I can't see Benitez going there. He's already said he wants to be at a team challenging for the PL and CL

 

He'd be better off waiting for Villas Boas to be sacked as I think he'd be perfect for the Chelsea job.. and knows how to get the best out of Torres

 

He wants to stay in England. No Top 6 club (perhaps is Redknapp gets the England job though) will touch him. If Chelsea sack AVB they will go for Hiddink. Sunderland would be a good move for him. The club has ambitions, and funds available. It looks as though Hughes is the favourite. A good manager, but I'd be surprised if he is ever a top one. It's why Bruce failed at Sunderland. Good motivational skills, but lacks the modern tactical knowledge to ever be a top manager and get the best out of your team.

Bruce's sacking should have came sooner. Performances were abysmal and results were not good enough, he'd well and truly lost the fans so it was pointless keeping him here.

 

Not sure what you're on about Roo, we'd never get Benitez? Don't get me wrong I would like Benitez in charge but it won't happen. It was a two-way battle between Hughes and O'Neill but we've already interviewed O'Neill for the job and it now looks very likely he'll be put in charge. Sensible imo.

Lucas out for the season :( Absolutely gutted for him. Up there with the top players of the Premier League.

Martin O'Neill to be confirmed as new Sunderland manager by tomorrow morning according to rumours doing the rounds and some bloke from our local paper.

Cracking appointment. Good to see him back.

He'd certainly lift the place, he was the majority of fans' first choice.

 

He'll probably not get us playing the brilliant, flowing attacking football we crave but at least his style is effective, unlike Bruce's dull 'let's stick 10 men behind the ball and hope for a point' hoofball.

It'll be interesting how the football is for you. At Villa he did generally favour playing counter attacking football using the electric pace of Young and Agbonlahor, not sure he'd be able to do that at Sunderland.

Like I said, after watching our side under Bruce anything that wins games is an improvement.

 

It's true we haven't got much pace in the side though, Richardson's probably our fastest attacking player. Or Elmo. But he's shit.

Edited December 1, 201113 yr by Y!kes