VillaChris

Isn't it still Spurs finishing just top 6 twice in the last twenty years? We've finished top 6 loads more times in that era. We've won two league cups aswell and lost a final to Manure so equal on that.

I would imagine Stoke will line up: Sorensen Wilko Huth Faye Higgy/Collins Lawrence Whitehead Delap Pugh Sidibe Fuller Subs: Begovic, Kitson, Tuncay, Etherington Am Faye, Collins, Davies. Playing Burnley away so might lose a few more to injury.

Few injuries for Stoke, Diao and Whelan will both be injured for this one so they're a bit light in central midfield.

We will concede one goal from those throw ins.

Carew has to start. I think that will be the only change as MON will play Collins, Dunney and Carlos to combat their high balls. Really need a win in this but think 1-1.

Depends how well you know Stoke! Basically if you're coming off the M6 at whatever junction Stoke is, go on the A500 and get off at the Hanford Interchange (one before the Britannia) going towards Newcastle-under-Lyme. Then turn right at the first traffic junction into London Road. After half a mile, turn left into one of the side roads and you can park there for freeeeeeee!

7-2 with Totesport. Think you'll get past Fulham comfortably and then Pompey. Don't think we'll knock out Chelsea and you've shown fairly recently you can beat them in a one off cup final.

They're going to win the FA cup imo. Anyone got the best odds for this regrettable event?

Haha I live here and the answer is.......just about. I have knowledge of where you can park free and withing 15 mins walking distance of the Brit if anyone's driving up.

Maybe as he was playing next to Davies...

There's a good thread on Red Cafe when Glaston's arguments get ripped to shreds, I think over Manure allegedly tapping up Berbatov. There's also a thread on a Spurs youth cup game against Arsenal when he starts the thread when Spurs go 1 up and he just dosen't post again when Arsenal change it to 3-1. They love him on there as much as we do on here!

I still think we lack quality at times in central midfield, maybe more so with the way we play rather than the personnel in there. No good having a top striker if the quality of balls isn't good enough as the second half showed yesterday.

He does make some good points from time-to-time but I dunno I just find him too one-eyed when it comes to Spurs. Almost anyone they sign is going to be brilliant (Dos Santos, Hutton, Naughton etc.) and when I question him on Spurs struggling to win away from home, he pulls out some stats that they're unbeaten in their last 6 away games (even though they've drawn 5 of them). And of course them only finishing in the top 6 twice in the past twenty years is always down to managerial instability (blame the board then!) Just would like to see some balance in his posts, feck me there's as many faults in the Spurs side as there are in ours but you wouldn't guess from his posts.

Sunderland go down, get Bent simple. Gabby's shown this season he can play the targetman role really well and still chip in with I think 15 goals so far. Get Bent as the clincial striker.

Clinical goalscorer and another good central midfielder comfortable with the ball as Petrov is 31 in the summer and unless we play a midfield three next season, I can see him struggling in a two if he's a regular. Get those two in and we'll be as strong if not stronger next season unless the defence just collapses.

It is a disgrace what Poll is saying imo, Gabby could very easily have just tapped the ball to the right and he'd had been back towards the centre of the goal but he lost control as the serbian cnut had fouled him AND was tugging at his shirt which should've been a yellow all on it's own anyway. Look at what Belleti got sent off at the weekend, he barely touched Barry and yet it wasn't a cup final early on so no problem sending him off because of the "occasion." I'm don't normally too fussed about ref decisions but this was such an obvious one to get wrong, I'm still fuming about it.

Just because it was a red doesnt mean we were robbed. We wouldn't necessarily have gone on to win and its often more difficult to play again 10 men, as we found out as gainst them at Villa Park in the league a few weeks back. It was too easy for United, we very rarely looked threatening. Yes but it was a central defender. We saw Blackburn collapse at VP when Samba was sent off and Manure would've had to take a midfielder off to bring on another defender so they'd have lost the midfield dominance. And they'd have needed to score with 10 men so played right into our hands. I don't think United would collapse like that, especially with Rooney on the field aswell, they'd still have been a massive threat, and it's often harder playing against a team that has just had a player sent off. Vidic should have gone, fair enough, but I think it's being used as a bit of an excuse and almost as if had Dowd shown him the red, we'd have gone on to win! We could have played for another 90 minutes yesterday and we probably still wouldnt have scored against them with 11. We made it easy for them, evening during spells during the first and second periods where we had a lot of the ball, we didn't look threatening. Well Rooney wasn't on the field at that point! I just see it logically as Manure would've needed to score with 1 less player (and for all their domination at VP, they didn't actually score with 10 men). Obviously with it still being 11 v 11 Manure proved they were the better side but it shouldn't have been that.

WTF Vidic is on about he? He was between Gabby and the goal? Gabby was getting past him before he fouled and tugged him down.

Just because it was a red doesnt mean we were robbed. We wouldn't necessarily have gone on to win and its often more difficult to play again 10 men, as we found out as gainst them at Villa Park in the league a few weeks back. It was too easy for United, we very rarely looked threatening. Yes but it was a central defender. We saw Blackburn collapse at VP when Samba was sent off and Manure would've had to take a midfielder off to bring on another defender so they'd have lost the midfield dominance. And they'd have needed to score with 10 men so played right into our hands.

Way I see it is central midfield was where United won the game. Vidic sent off and Manure to get Brown/Neville on would've had to sacrifice one of those central midfielders so their domination wouldn't have happened. I know you can say Manure played very well at VP with 10 men but they lost a wide player not a central defender so a bit of a difference. And it was 1-1 at that stage whereas us 1-0 up and them down to 10 men as it should've been so they would be chasing a goal and leaving gaps at the back for us to exploit. I would've settled for that.

Today showed more than ever we need a clinical striker and a very good central midfielder to be a trophy winning and top 4 team. I have faith MON will find them in the summer, it may be misguided but we'll see.

Eh, we can't beat them when they're down to 10 men anyways, moot point. I would say a central defender rather than an enigmatic winger is a worse player to lose for a red card as Manure would've had to take off a midfielder to bring on Neville or Brown. Manure deserved to win 11 v 11 but Dowd bottled that, simple as due to it being so early in the game.

There's a harvester by the ground but that tends to be home fans dominated, same for Hanley really (the actual City centre) and Stoke which is close to the train station. If you're coming up by car I'd say a better bet would be to stop off in Stone or Newcastle Under Lyme as some decent boozers and you're a bit further out.

I think Delph will prove to be an upgrade on NRC who wasn't actually a defensive midfielder when we signed him.

Delph, Milner and Petrov in a midfield trio would work well I think, we saw it for a bit against Manure.