Rolta

There's a huge gap between the Premier League and the Championship. We started this season with the bare bones of an incredibly average Championship side. After promotion you have to stay up, consolidate and give yourself a chance to grow. We were adrift and overall, all things considered, pulled off a massive achievement. It's all relative. What an important achievement at that. There's so much to be happy about. It's not like teams get promoted and go on to challenge at the top of the league. What the actual ****. Seriously!

Top speed and acceleration are different things. I'm stunned that he might have reached the fourth fastest speed in the league. I don't believe it, but if it's true, he still has no acceleration and he can't get past a man to save his life. He scored some important goals, and I am grateful, and I think he's become a bit of a legend in his own way, which I like. But if we had players better than Trezeguet in his position we wouldn't have been battling relegation in the first place. I like his work rate, but on the ball he isn't good enough. Respect for the goals though.

In the full version of the quote Roy Keane goes on to say that we had a massive turnover of players and that he can understand it.

Did you look at the last four years though when it was enough?

Do you really stand by this thinking? If the other teams above the relegation fodder are stronger then the points will be more spread out. We're in an era where Sheffield United have a £22 million point midfielder. Everton spend £50million. Palace spend £27million. Also, do you only frame things in the negative all the time?

Yeah I mean I agree. Of course we wouldn't have. We'd have taken 'whatever points are required to not be relegated'. My friend was saying the same thing about the 35 points and I had literally just then looked it up when I saw you mention it. The year we went down Newcastle went down with 37. The year before Hull went down with 35. But in the last four years 35 points has been enough. It's not that I have you down as a glass-entirely-empty person, but I don't agree that's a reflection that the league is getting weaker at all. I wonder whether the new TV money in the league has made a lot of the middle-table teams a lot stronger, so the points needed to avoid relegation might be a little lower now as fewer points will end up with the bottom teams.

In the last 4 seasons it would have been enough. That's no comment on the imaginary scenario you're spending time asserting.

Is this one of those posts where you just quoted something from some guy on twitter who is also doing the same thing? Like modern Chinese whispers. Or do you actually know something? I mean if I knew something I'd probably give a bit more context than this, so I'm going to guess it's based on not a lot.

The Express doesn't do news. It just chats shit. It always has done and always will.

I have to disagree. Context is everything. Chelsea getting in the Champions League is not what we just went through this year (and for the last five years) by a long shot. How dour do you have to be to begrudge celebrating that. I think people can go too far with this macho posturing. The other option is to enjoy something positive. One step at a time and all that. If we're ever going to get where you want us to be, today was a massive step.

It's all relative though isn't it. Celebrating staying up now doesn't mean we can't aim higher next season. Simple rule in business, sport, life.

Come on Arsenal. Come on Everton. Come on Villa.

Ahhh I did not enjoy this post until I read your edit.

**** this thread for today! Hopefully we can all move on tomorrow.

Saved us from administration, invested hundreds of millions, plan to invest more. There's just no point.

Relentlessly negative. All the time. The way you repeat the same moan over and over again, every day, every week, every three posts on every thread really neuters any point you actually might have. Yes nobody wants us to buy below-par players.

Having him back has been really important. We missed him. His work rate, his bum shield special move, his quality. It would be so good to see him get a goal on Sunday (goes without saying perhaps).

Can anyone do a quick summary of what Allback did? I was thinking about that relegation fight the other day, but my memories are vague as I was in Australia. I remember him getting a few goals though. EDIT: I just had a look at the season's wikipedia. I remember now.

Yeah, my Arsenal friend told me that first bit. It's difficult to tell what Arteta will do—you'd think they'd want a positive result to prepare for the final, and players will want to play for their places. You wouldn't want to go into the final having lost to two of the teams fighting relegation, especially since their previous two results were so positive.

They beat the two best teams in the country in their previous two games. It can't have been easy 30% possession against City three days earlier. I think we were helped by the fixture congestion a bit.

How could he say anything other than he did? The relegation fight isn't over yet. I'm open minded about him furthering his career but I don't think that reaction was quite as conclusive as people are saying. We do need to fight to stay in the Prem still. If he ever was to stay he'd clearly need us to be a decent prem team, and he'd want guarantees of significant signings. That kind of conversation isn't going to happen now. Anyway, we need to finish the first job on Sunday and that is all that matters right now.

Is he a striker?

Reading this I genuinely don't think you understand how back 4s stay compact. It happened both sides—you obviously try to stop the crosses, but good players get crosses in—but you can't leave massive gaps between the back 4, so they go side to side as a unit. When they switch to the other side, it's inevitable there's a gap.

Played really well. He's a good player.

Great finish. Fair play. He worked so hard.