MikeO

Kissock in the SPL team of the week... Midfield: John Paul Kissock – Gretna Another on-loan player in the side, and another on-loan player who has excelled in the SPL. Kissock, contracted to Everton, may have had to wait his for his chance but he has shown why he is on Davie Moyes books. Playing behind the striker he is difficult to pick up and floats around the pitch causing endless bother to the opposition defenders and Saturday was no different. A constant threat to Jim Jefferies side that never stopped working, he must be one of the few good things to have come out of Gretna’s season in the top flight.

Agree Alex, fine post....we get this about this time every year... ....with just an occasional note of sanity (sorry for the accusation StevO ).. Have faith . I'd rather have our current squad and DM with £20m in his pocket than Kevin Keegan (for example) and £100m!!

Arsenal are not the team they were three years ago and neither are we, teams that day.. Arsenal: Lehmann, Lauren, Campbell, Senderos, Cole, Pires (Fabregas 64), Vieira (Flamini 45), Edu, Reyes, Bergkamp, Van Persie (Henry 45). Everton: Wright, Hibbert, Weir, Yobo, Pistone, Carsley, McFadden, Watson, Arteta (Ferguson 75), Kilbane, Beattie (Bent 45). ....lambs to the slaughter . We'll still in all probability lose but it's not a forgone conclusion imo. Draw's not out of the question.

Bloody ridiculous but what do you expect (as I've said elsewhere) if you sell out to someone who knows nothing about football. Thaksin Shinawatra is seriously deranged, not just as far as football is concerned, was always going to become an embarrassment and it'll only get worse. Who in their right mind would take the job now? Would only be if the money was too much to turn down. Laughing stock.

Another example of big money not being the solution if it comes from the wrong place, just a shame he didn't take over at Liverpool really... Sven-Goran Eriksson has been told he will be sacked as Manchester City manager at the end of the season, BBC Sport understands. City owner Thaksin Shinawatra told Eriksson he was "not the right man for the job" at a meeting on Saturday, a source close to the Swede said. Eriksson informed the players at training on Monday that he would be dismissed, provoking an angry response. Shinawatra has been unhappy with City's results since the turn of the year.

Nice one 250! I've had a couple of good ones....sold Josh's old bed on there when we bought him a new one, went for £30 but the woman pissed me around for a couple of weeks and didn't pick it up so I re-listed and it sold for £78 . And I sold a pair of valve amplifiers for about £750 once, very heavy and fragile and most of the bids were from the far east so I was forever pricing shipping and planning intricate packing to avoid damage. They were won by a last second bid from a bloke in London who drove down that day, met me in MacDonalds car park and paid cash, lovely! And thanks for the tip Jamie, I'm still planning my first move .

Just watched it through again. Another possible penalty turned down but it got lost in the excitement at the end of the game. Carsley's shot just before the first goal clearly hit Petrov's arm, came from a long way (which was the reason given for Chelsea's penalty getting awarded on Saturday) and could easily have been given. It is only one game in the Intertoto, but then we'd have to play a qualifying game for the UEFA before the first round, so it would actually be an extra four games on this season. We should find out pretty soon whether the Fair Play place is available to us, the cut-off point is 30th April but England has dropped behind Norway in the provisional list. We'd then have to wait for the UEFA cup final day when the draw for the other two available places from seven (at present) would be made.

Only saw the highlights but there was no sign of it there, no protest from Villa players or management at the time or after the game and this is the first I've heard of it. Puzzled frankly, not ashamed.

That's three words....and we didn't, we drew . It was the first thing I thought of this morning, so frustrating.....but if we play like that in the last two games we may still be OK. Arsenal are completely out of the championship race whatever happens tonight so you never know and we'll beat Newcastle. If we have to go through the Intertoto it'll be a bit annoying but I'd have settled for sixth at the start of the season, just a pain the way we've hit the rough patch at the end after such a stunning four and a half months....if we'd dropped points regularly over the season rather than predominantly at the start and the finish we'd all be delighted with our current position.

What was it?

Good points, still in our own hands, highest ever points total, need only one more point to guarantee top six. Improved performance compared to recent weeks, but fuck....sooo close .

Heart attack time.

never doubted him!!!

We need the pre-Fiorentina Everton back today, big stuff! Very uptight here. COYB!!!

Mikel Arteta is only fit enough for the bench for today's clash with Aston Villa. Arteta has been struggling with a stomach injury and was receiving treatment in Spain earlier this week. But David Moyes has named an attacking 4-4-2 formation with both Yakubu and Andrew Johnson selected. Leon Osman, Steven Pienaar will feature in an attacking midfield that also includes Manuel Fernandes and Lee Carsley. Joleon Lescott continues at left back, while Phil Neville reverts to right back with Tony Hibbert amongst the substitutes. Phil Jagielka and Joseph Yobo maintain their partnership in the centre of defence. Joining Hibbert and Arteta on the bench are Victor Anichebe, Leighton Baines and keeper Stefan Wessels. Villa's own attacking threat looks likely to come in the form of John Carew, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young who all start.

....and having sat in the Gwladys for the Kharkiv match I don't think he'd want to take it if he got one . Getting subbed 119mins into the Fiorentina game would suggest he's taken his last one, for a while anyway.

If Blackburn take something from Pompey in the early kick-off it'll remove a bit of pressure . I dreamt last night that we lost 1-0....I was driving to the ground, got stuck in traffic and arrived just as everyone was leaving looking totally miserable . Nervy day, wish the kick-off was earlier.

OK, nine points and fifteen goals behind now. If Liverpool lose their last two games by the odd goal then we need to have a plus fourteen over the next three.... I suggest.. 5-0 tomorrow. 4-1 win at the Emirates. 6-0 against the bar codes. Champions League here we come! Could happen .

Nearly missed your birthday....that's what you get for hiding away in the south-east corner of the country . Hope you're having/have had a good one....29 (again?) eh?

Cardiff win the cup they get the place, but not if they're runners up and Pompey finish fifth. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/t...ity/7350681.stm

Already been ruled couple of days ago, someone's posted it somewhere....if Pompey win the cup and finish fifth the UEFA place goes to sixth, not Cardiff. 100% done and dusted.

City losing today ensures that if Pompey win the Cup we're in the Intertoto at worst.

There has to be an exception to prove the rule Mark as any statastician worth his salt will tell you . Quietly confident....what have you tipped in the Anusol? That's the real question. Home win all the way from me.

Relax lads, Lawrensens tipped Villa... Everton v Aston Villa Kick-off 1600 BST Everton seem to have run out of gas and consequently look a little short of ideas. They are not playing particularly badly but they do not look like they are going to create any chances or score goals. In contrast, Villa are in a rich vein of form and have been buoyed by the number of goals they have scored of late - and by their hammering of neighbours Birmingham last week. Verdict: 0-2 .....that's a relief, it's in the bag!

Who was the Silvestre that played the second leg of the quarter final against Roma then (clean sheet) ? Left him in on Wednesday because I already had three players relying on a ManU clean sheet, used three transfers on the night anyway, wanted to keep as many as poss for next week and the final (not to mention the fact that he was on the bench so there was always the possibility of a last minute time-wasting three point appearance ).