privateer

A little obsessed with punches being thrown. A definite fisted fetish, I'll bet there's a clapping sound when he walks.

I don't think it's a co-incidence that his entire head is shaped and angled to make it appear he is wearing a Spartan helmet.

Shitemaggots. Had to cheat to score, cheat to get us down to 10 men and then still couldn't score again against an injured goalie. They've got nothing for us to worry about. They aren't going up because we are going to beat them whenever/if ever we meet them in the playoff. After today Smith won't need a team talk, just point at the club name and raise his eyebrows.

This northern monkey commentator is getting right on my tits, I'm going to have to watch it on silent.

That commentator is a retard at the best of times but, "He's not down on the turf getting treatment for the benefit of his health..." is just beyond mong

Still three into one but Derby have done themselves a power of good today and are in pole position. If they go to Swansea and beat a team that now has nothing to play for then they're joining us by locking 'Boro and Bristol out. And it's hard to see Bristol getting close now anyway.

It's more than a forlorn hope. Ipswich were utter cack before they got relegated and actually had something to play for and maybe some level of morale. Now...

Damn. I'm glad our ticket is booked and paid for already and we're not involved in that nerve-shredding scenario.

Yep, the proverbial 6 pointer and a very big game for Bristol also. As things stand, failure to beat Millwall on Tue will see them done for this season.

I wondered why you'd mentioned Swansea until I looked at the table and realised they could still sneak in to the playoffs if a few results go their way and they do Derby themselves next week.

Giving Jack the armband was something of a political appointment, if you like. Totally genius move. Signing up Tyrone was the signing of a real captain and leader and another totally genius move. And, as we have seen, Smith has moved the team, the club and our whole season on that fulcrum and lever. We are not merely a two-man team, of course, but having a balrog at the back and Jack playing with his tail up has helped everything gel in the other areas and motivate the other players and fans.

TBH, I think it's all over bar the shouting for Leeds, they are condemned to the playoff lottery. Sheffield are 3 points clear with an 11 goal difference advantage with Ipswich, who have been lamentable all season before they were officially relegated, at home next. I'd put that as a home win banker. They've got Stoke last game but I think that will be an irrelevance by then, they'll already be up by dint of comfortable turning over Ipswich. Leeds might win their last two -they've got a trip to those points-donors, Ipswich, on the last day themselves, but I think it will still see them suffer the agony of shitting out on goal difference.

Sweet stuff, half the job completed now. Worst we can do is sixth and that would take us to lose both our remaining two, Bristol and Derby to win all their remaining that they can and in the one where they can't then Derby have to go to their playoff rival at Bristol and beat them. Of the three permutations of the Bristol-Derby game, two out of three leave us in fifth. If we grab any points off Leeds or Norwich then fifth is likely again.

My concern is fractured/broken collarbone. Dislocation without complications isn't something I'd expect to trouble him too long.

Dude, that may be a super worst case scenario but this is the extra super worst case scenario. Granted, it is dependent upon us going on a losing streak that is the reverse of our winning streak and I've picked the worst results I could conceive out of all the other matches to get this. As you say, applied reality suggests this is not possible but mathematically and theoretically it is.

Absolutely. It's ridiculous how people would even have him back at all. Actually wanting him back is actually pathetic. It's like a needy ex pining after someone who only ever saw them as a short-term shag before they moved on to someone fitter and prettier. An ex who was a bit of a catch in their youthful pomp but is now paunchy, balding and impotent. Why the hell would we want someone like that here? Look at the way the current TEAM play for each other, the coaching team, the club and the fans. Christian Benteke has only ever played for Christian Benteke. He has no place here and, frankly, I couldn't give a damn if his career ended today. I could have cared less if it had ended the day he left Villa as I have even less affection and bond with him as he didn't have for and with AVFC.

He gave me the best laugh today and I'd like to see a gif of it. Towards the end when he was taking a corner, waited for another of their guys to come running over to cover the short pass and mugged him off as he ghosted straight past him.

Without meaning to take the piss, one the best balls he played today and best defensive moves he made at the same time was the ball he didn't touch. He sold a dummy that allowed the ball to run down the line as he drew two of their players on infield, allowing El Ghazi to run on to it and run it to the corner. Smart play, well executed and ran some time down by enabling safe defending in the optimum part of the pitch - by the corner flag in their half.

He was very good today. If he plays like that consistently he'll be hard to drop for anyone. If he sorts out the one thing I have seen from him repeatedly and have frequently got irked by, being too timid in the tackle for a big bloke, he'll play every game he's fit.

Overall we very much deserved that, we had much more than they did but we had to dig deep at the end. You could see how many of our players went straight to ground on the whistle which gives you an idea of how much they had to expend to protect that lead. However, we shouldn't have let them back in. They got that cross in they scored from because of some pissing about in the wrong part of the pitch - Taylor and El Ghazi, I think, - when what and all was needed was a foot through it.

If we end up not winning this it'll be because we toss it away with bad decision making and dicking around, as with their goal.

Sloppy, brought that one on ourselves

He was wincing for the last few minutes of the Rotherham game, it looked like he was having problems with lower back/side. But with all the concern over the loss of him, Jack and Tyrone the real big news has gone under the radar. Huttinho Returns.