Football

Without wanting to sound like a Whining Kopite or a Cliveo Conspiracy Theorist, we got unlucky with a bad run of injuries at the wrong time. That coupled with McClaren reportedly already on his way to Newcastle in the summer has destroyed our hopes of automatic promotion.

We looked comfortable in January. Getting the results we needed, but the fixture list this season meant March was always going to be the key month with all the teams at the top playing each other in key matches. Losing Thorne for 90% of the season (he's come back from injury twice and gone straight back to the treatment table each time) was a blow, but then losing two players who cover his position which was vital to our tactic was catastrophic. Then losing Martin (our lynchpin) followed by Bent a couple of weeks later meant that we were completely toothless in attack and no one feared us. The pressure on the whole team has told and now we are picking up any scraps we can to keep in the play off picture.

We sneaked a draw at home to Brentford. It was horrible to watch, but we got the result we needed. It doesn't matter though, we've thrown away points against Birmingham, Brighton and 10 man Watford.

Fortunately, if we can keep it together and not have to rush back key players, I still feel we can at least put up a fight against any team in the playoffs.

My straws are being well and truly clutched.

Why on earth is McClaren interested in the Newcastle job?

💰💰💰

In all honesty, after the results lately, I'm not sure I'd be completely upset if he did take the toon job. He has taken our squad and had got us playing well consistently, but he seems to be letting the pressure get to him at the moment.

There's also the rumour of our CEO Sam Rush going to Chelsea. This would be a bigger blow for us, as he's really turned our club around from a financial and commercial perspective and is well liked for what he's done by the fans and everyone at the club. If we have any ambition we need to keep him at the club.

I want Boro to go up automatically

I love you too.

That's a weight off my mind

Money, family home in the area (?), the vague hope he can turn it all around and get a club 50K at each home game going forward.

I was under the impression that Pardew was on pretty crap money @ Newcastle? Really really low basic, and everything else was performance based (lol).

Newcastle is a pretty grim mix of: impatient fans, indifferent owner, lack of squad investment and an ongoing commitment to selling their best players without replacing like for like. Only the Sunderland job is a less appealing prospect.

Also Geordie Shore. And other Geordies too.

The Sunderland job is the chance to manage in one of the most exciting second tier leagues in the world, and to try and better a promotion precedent set by Roy Keane. Sounds mint.

Bradford fire an insurance job?

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/apr/15/bradford-fire-stafford-heginbotham-martin-fletcher

Just spotted in KL... Lolgasm... #nextseason

resulting in payouts of around £27m in today’s terms

Why do it during a game though?

A fire in a deserted stadium would be more suspicious?

On a lighter note, the torygraph send someone who can't understand German to cover a press conference conducted in German:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/11537367/Jurgen-Klopp-quits-Borussia-Dortmund-live.html

Looooool. That is quality.

Vote for Mario!!! #trollfest #opentoall

Done!

Are you sure you're not a closet koppite whopper? You're as bad as Pisti was for browsing LFC websites...

Philippe Coutinho voted for PFA player of the year?!

Dafuq bro. He's scored 4 goals with 4 assists.

Cazorla, Fabregas, Rooney, Ozil, Di Maria, Henderson, Silva, Aguero, Mane, Tadic, Berahino, Austin, Giroud, Sigurdsson all have had better seasons.

Daryl Murphy has scored 24 league goals

Chris Martin has had 20 odd, been dumped by Gwyneth Paltrow and still held the band together.

it's not all about goals and assists you know

although it was last season, there was little doubt about who was the best in the league

Is the omission of Sanchez and Hazard an oversight?

the only reason i can see hazard not winning it, is that UEFA conspiracy theory thing going round