sharkyvilla

He's improved so much since Garde took over. One of the first names on the team sheet now and there's much more to come I'm sure.

I think a problem is that his body broke down so much when he was playing right back for City, which is largely why he wanted to settle as a centre half. No doubt he is much more use to us at right back though. I've said in a couple of match threads that I'd seriously consider him as an emergency striker as well, he's quick, good in the air and can put the ball in the back of the net.

Why does it take so long for humans to reach maturity? I know babies' heads have to be a bit squishy to get through the birth canal, but even so I don't know why evolution has made it so that humans take so long before they can do anything for themselves.

I think Norwich are buggered but Bournemouth and Sunderland have goals in them in Afobe and Defoe, which is why I think we will really struggle to overhaul them. It's a shame Swansea have picked up as they looked catchable for a while. Still, a win against Liverpool and I will start to believe.

Nah he's absolute toilet

I reckon it should be up to the umpire to decide whether the batsman is taking the piss with the backing up and warn him, a bit like a bowler when he's running on the pitch. Then after that the bowler can mankad if he likes. I doubt anyone can say that Zimbabwe batsman was trying to steal a run, his bat was on the line.

I should think he will get paid more for us even if he has to take a cut in the Championship then he would at Lyon. Plus he's been there and done that, I'd be more worried about another club coming in rather than Lyon.

Do we have the pace to make it work? Ok if Gabby is now 'fit' again and got an opportunity, with Ayew coming back in as well, we might be able to play it, but we've not really had the personnel to make it work up til now. I think Remi has by and large picked the best XI available to him each week, certainly since he stumbled on a back 5 that's stopped shifting as many soft goals. He seems a pragmatic manager and will generally go with what suits the players best.

He continues to get as much as possible out of the squad available to him. Very important win today and each one should hopefully bring confidence with it. If Ayew hadn't been a pillock the gap could be even smaller.

Liverpool fans getting what they deserve for walking out but FFS how many points has Defoe won for Sunderland? If only we signed a striker like him

Yes get in. Lescott and Richards are probably our only likely goal scorers. I'd seriously consider Richards up front as an emergency striker.

City have looked like conceding every time Leicester attack. Just tactically outclassed them.

I get the impression that the board and Randy especially have moved the goalposts a few times already and Garde doesn't really trust them that much to stick to any plan. Ultimately his job is to get as many points as possible between now and the end of the season and see where we are.

I really doubt Randy is that hard pushed for money that he needs to sell the ground. It would make the club harder to sell if we didn't own its biggest assets I would have thought.

Are they finally doing scampi flavour Nik Naks again?

Tbh the oppo putting two men on him is a good thing and shows how highly rated he is. It should leave us with an extra man elsewhere, the problem is most of them are shite.

Also announcing Benteke had a release clause in his contract on the eve of the FA Cup final let the cat out the bag. Sherwood will always want to look like the good guy and say how great we all were, it's the leaking behind the scenes that is unpalatable.

The little fold down tables on Southern trains make the most horrific squeak, every time someone puts one down I mentally punch them in the face and wonder why they don't use one of the big tables instead. It's also nice sitting opposite a pretty lady, though it's quite rare.

I do think it's a bit of a cultural thing. I saw Joey Barton being interviewed and he was talking about bollocking Valbuena when he was playing for Marseilles for not tracking back enough, and the manager took him aside and told him never to bollock Valbuena because he is not there to do any defending. He is the creative one, the rest of the team should do that side of the game, all his energy should be focussed on the attacking side. The thing is the team is so poor that Gil has to do a fair amount of the defensive side, especially when he is playing on the wing, which is just not what he's suited to, and in general the British attitude is that everyone should bust their balls to get back. So if someone is seen to not be great at it, they get stick, no matter if they are the most likely to actually create a chance at goal, or score a miraculous goal themselves. As it is, I think Gil is pretty decent at closing down and pressing, he isn't the quickest over long distance but in short bursts he is pretty quick both with and without the ball, so if he was playing centrally he would contribute more to winning the ball back from the central defenders and midfielders. Playing wide he doesn't have the engine to track runs from wingers and full backs, so he gets exposed a lot more.

Got a four day weekend, going out to my favourite restaurant tonight and got given a free carbon monoxide detector thing by the gas man. Life is pretty good at the mo.

Bit late now he's been committed. Seriously though I'd be worried that the day he has to walk in front he will trip over someone's suitcase and end up under a train, then I'd have to hang myself due to the guilt.

I think Arlanda is the main airport and has a quick train to the city. I think all the airports are a fair distance from the city. Just don't get a taxi! They cost a fortune over there.

I hope the fans rally behind him for the rest of the season, so that he is convinced to stay on (I suspect he would do anyway, no matter how disillusioned he feels). The least he deserves is a pay off from Randy and co, or another team to come in for him. Walking away would be disappointing for everyone really.

Like everyone else, my respect for Neville grew when he turned into an excellent pundit, but considering how intelligent he appeared to be when analysing the game, I don't understand how he thought choosing Valencia as his first job was a good idea.

Indeed. I used to work with a Danish girl who looks like she does now and would definitely bang.