fightoffyour

One was rained off a couple of years ago.

And wasn't Sunderland's rained off this season?

Plus England's in a brand new stadium a couple of months ago.

Could happen. But we have one of the best pitches in the league so I'd be surprised.

I know, Sunderland's was rained off at the start of the season, that was the joke I was eluding to. It's just pretty difficult to convey sarcasm on here, I'll try harder next time.

C'mon, a Premier League game would never be rained off in this day and age!

Benteke spent the 90 minutes equally between being a carthorse and a World beater, it seems any given ball up to him can be gathered in or bounce off him, regardless of difficulty. He is equally likely to chest it down, flick it over a defender and back heel it into midfield as he is to stand there and awkwardly allow the ball to skew off his knee to a defender. He was definitely better in the second half when Gabby and Weimann were getting closer to him though in fairness.

Have to say that I don't recall seeing a single ball fired within a 10 metre radius of Tekkers that didn't stick to him. This guy is pure class and only going to get better.

Vlaar is nowhere near as good as some people on here think he is. A fit Dunne is better than Vlaar, Vlaar is no improvement on Collins or Dunne and Vlaar has been just as bad as Clark at times this season but because his nickname is "concrete Ron" people seem to think he is in the Laursen mould but he isnt. There is a reason he was only £3.5m and nobody else was looking at him. He is a very average centre half

Laursen was only £3m.

Need I say more?

I dreamt the other night that Laursen came back and scored a bullet header direct from a corner, deep into injury time, to make it 3-2 Villa.

So that's what I reckon will happen.

We're not signing a left back, let it go people.

Am I right in thinking that Frimpong would be off the cards now then, as he played 2 games for Arsenal this season (not sure if these were in the league, or if that matters) and will play for Charlton, and one can't play for more than 2 clubs in a season?

No chance, we'll get nowt out of this game, a training match for Manure.

Every chance, we'll get something out of this game, a tough match for Man U.

Evans is a doubt, and if can't play then Smalling will, just after coming back from injury. Else Evans will play but won't be 100%.

Not often you'll get to face a Man U defence that this shaky. Can see Benteke causing some damage.

No way we are buying a new LB when we have Bennett, Stevens and Lichaj who can play there. Baker (and probably Clark) have played there in the past too.

Bennett has been brought in to be 1st choice LB just like Lowton has at RB. He'll come good soon.

As for Lichaj, he's looked a bit suspect this season when coming on as a sub, but I've been a fan of his before and think he's good cover.

Surely N'Zog could do a job playing in the same formation instead of Wiemann? Maybe I'm still just clutching at straws that that £10m + wages wasn't a complete waste of money. I like Wiemann but that's clearly not his best position and he really should have scored after that lovely move. Going 2-0 up might have prevented me from almost having a heart attack in the last 10 minutes again.

Don't think either Bent or Lichaj were injured.

Downing crossing for a goal kick. No thanks.

Hopefully Herd will be back and can play DM, with Clark also back in. Otherwise I think we'll be too lightweight. Hopeful that we can get a win though, could go either way.

[c] we don't have Thomas Müller

each?

We've been holding our academy graduates back for a long time recently, maybe because they're not good enough. Like Gary Gardner not really coming into the team until, what 19? OK so he had his injury setbacks before his current one, but you do have to wonder if blooding them earlier would help? Look at Raheem Sterling. You can only step up to PL quality by being given a chance at that level.

I for one would like to see players like Carruthers and Graham being given some chances from the bench at least this season.

There was a foreign channel showing Norwich yesterday though, so there's a chance of watching this as we would presumably be 1 of 2 games on Tuesday 11th Dec or the 1 game on Wed 12th Dec.

Sky must only be licensed for 2 games per round, as the live games have been announced as Chelsea and Arsenal : League Cup website

Chelsea game is a week later due to world club final

OK thanks, hadn't seen the dates announced. Then yes if they're showing 2 games we'll probably get picked ahead of Swansea vs Boro but who knows.

Not likely. TV almost certainly to go with Leeds vs Chelsea and Bradford vs Arsenal.

A win is a win and it may have been against lower league opposition, but in the other 3 games last night that featured a Premier League team vs. lower league, all the PL teams went out.

Worrying that we let another lead slip, a 2 goal lead this time, but they should learn from that about seeing a game off. Also worth bearing in mind that we started with what I would consider 5th choice CB Herd (after Vlaar, Clark, Dunne, Baker in whichever order), who then had to replaced by 6th choice Lowton, meaning that we had to revert to a 3rd choice LB Stevens (after Bennett and Lichaj). Any team is going to have problems with these injuries and with changes being made mid game.

Great that we bounced back and won the game before ET though. You might have expected us to just drop off at that point.

I could see us getting about £12m for him. Hopefully we won't have ending up paying the full £24m (presumably) based on goals/appearances and it was more like £20m.

He was definitely worth £8m to us that first half season, but is too ineffective in this current squad without the sort of service he needs. I'd like to think we could get 2 very decent players in for what we would sell him for. Or Sturridge, if Chelsea sign Falcao.

trouble is that 9 games in translates as more than a quarter of the season

I stopped reading after that.