Hi AG, I got your PM and replied to it but unfortunately got a SQL error when I submitted it.
Yes we did meet in Barnett after that game, every time I read one of your posts brings me back to that evening, so I remember it very well (I miss those youth games almost as much as the first team ones, it was so much fun to try to discover the next best thing) even though I can’t remember who initiated that conversation and how we discovered we were both on this forum.
Leaving the UK for good, giving up my Season Ticket and the opportunity to go see the youth games are the only negatives in all the positives of that decision (triggered in no small part by the Brexit vote).
I have now 2 kids who have just recently entered their teens (15 and 14). We are in Vienna, Austria. I’m lucky that my company only works with English as I don’t speak a word of German and, even though I tried, that language stays thoroughly foreign to me.
How about you? Anything new going on with your life?

I think Tomiyasu was given 20 minutes tonight because he was in line to start v Chelsea. I've seen some people write that managers are doing this with the tight schedule as the 20 minutes Tomiyasu plays saves him from a lengthy warm down session and gets him home and in bed quicker! Unfortunately it resulted in an injury this time.

So do we go with Tierney or Zinchenko for Chelsea. Based on match sharpness it has to be Tierney but I think this is a game made for Zinchenko if he was fit.

If Potter is smart he'll play Gallagher and get him to sit on and harass Partey like he did for Palace last year when they beat us 3-0. To an extent if you stop Partey you go a long way to stopping us. Arteta needs to have a plan for this if that is what Chelsea do. Having Zinchenko in the team as an inverted LB means he steps in to do this progression job alongside Partey so we build out easier

The money difference between CL and Europa is huge.
https://twitter.com/SwissRamble/status/ ... mFafghdvcg

HI

There is a long standing bug in the forum software which can sometimes make it throw a lot of writing at the top of the screen (SQL error) but the item is still sent/posted.

Daz, if you're about Gomorrah, what do you think?

Has OMOH been about?

Yes - He last posted a few weeks back.

Saw film which was great but not TV series. Any good?

As good as the film, bit of a ropey ending.

If you like the TV series then please read the book Gomorrah too which is even better. The author roberto saviano really drills home the tragedy of organised crime in it.

The show zero zero zero is amazing too by the same author and director so check that out also

Have done

Fair comment, Daz, about novels by pop artists. Actually, I read an early draft of Robert's novel 12 months ago which was pretty good, but needed reworking (which he's currently doing). I'll let him know about the oboe. Given that Robert is a Queenslander, though, he may well give you the 'annoying #&$^ing Bronze Whaler' treatment, swatting at irritating Poms being a Queensland specialty.

I have just logged in after not doing so for a while to belatedly find the very sad news about Bernard. Shocked. I never met B, though I feel like I did as we had a lot of good-natured jousting on this forum. Cakes, Ipcress File, Maradona, murderers, sex in Bryantwood Road, his overrating of Steve Williams, his sometimes stating the bleeding obvious, all come to mind. And of course, Freddie v Wiltord. As he goes on his journey I'd like to think that B finally saw that Freddie was the better player, but I suspect being a man of firm opinion he would not have changed his mind! RIP B and condolences to family and friends.

Thanks. Eskimo (and her twin brother) was at that game as well I found out later on. I thought I recognized her and she me, but she was too shy at the time to confirm.

I'm glad to hear things are well with you and especially happy to hear you have 2 kids. Nothing especially significant going on or rather nothing that I want to say on here....haha.

The site has me blocked.

All in the eye of the beholder I suppose.

According to this “Vieira impresses”

https://www.skysports.com/share/12737798

I am so willing him to come good, just as I did with Pépé for so long.

I strongly suspect he might agree about the oboe! Given they were the ones who unceremoniously sacked Amanda Brown (rightly in my opinion). Anyway blag a promotional tour and you can bring him round to chew the fat. I’d say over an IPA but seem to remember he has Hep C. Most important is to make him aware that Liberty Belle the best album.

Evening, Hoy. I hope life’s charabanc runs smoothly. I see your team riding high in the Vananarama. My own team - the far more venerable H&R - less so.

Blimey, with all the names surfacing this week we probably only need "Clockend Cowboy"and "Gio from Rio" and it's a full house!

Hmmm I never had a problem with Choc .....or Cannon for that matter . I had that happy knack of being able giving them a gentle kick in the nuts and they never took umbrage .
Cannon's proud photo of a bird house he'd made tickled me ; all out of plumb .
I commented the level and square was included in the No 2 Junior Carpenters Set .

Daz on the other hand ....... Oooh that slippery little SOB who can't reverse a vehicle out of a garage without collecting the downpipe , letterbox, fence , gate
demolishing someone's flower bed ........ you draw your own conclusions .

BMurph , Geoff from Budapest , Manoj , Trish XXX , Shakesperean Pedant , Irish John , Mickey Sloane , Gaz Brentwood

Wouldn’t the fifth person in that list want to be called a Shakespearean Pedant?

Yep...Too many years have gone by since I firsted posted here...lot of good and infuriating memories! But some things never change...Like not being able to watch us play without having that feeling of impending doom in the back of your mind!...Appreciate the Daz/Topgun recommendatios re: "Zero Zero Zero" and Gomorrah...nice little "binge watch" fest starting tonight...on a similar note, I was in a mexican beach town last week in a rather good restaurant, and was told later by a friend that somebody had been executed in the same restaurant (by the cartel) earlier in the year!

[Tweet][/Tweet]
Ralph half a crown clock end was a stalwart

Interesting to see that when Tierney's shirt was ripped off him he wasn't wearing a footie man-bra! Hi-tech they may be, but they just look weird!
Jocks in kilts though is defo OK.

Anybody up for a half-time "Raise a glass for Bernard" on Sunday?

Yes, that is a great idea. I will toast Bernard on Sunday. I would like to think others will also pay tribute in their own way on Sunday. But a good red would be the way Bernard may want it so I will try and honour him that way. RIP Bernard.

In a just world, the early season picks for manager of the year up to this point in my humble opinion should be:

1. Arteta
2. Marco Silva
3. Eddie Howe

While everyone's getting all gooey about bygone forum times ; I'd venture this claggy old Stan Smith impersonator is still a pain in the arse .

Henry's answer surprised me. I've heard Micah Richards was a Vieira fan growing up. Jamie's answer should be Everton but he went another route.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/n_XRvpyqZAc

I know where you are coming from Roastbeef ; Hard not to feel that ; We pass back to the goalkeeper far too often .

Perched on a computer chair at 3.30 am watching us v Southampton I swore to Mrs Kiwi
...... "never again am I going to get up and watch this shower of sheight ".

1 -1 and Arsenal are ponsing around like they are 8-0 up .

Rum at 1 am Monday morning might be a bit of a stretch , but a wine for sure .

On the subject of wine ... old bloke next to my son has been transferred to a care home dementia / Alzheimers , his relatives cleaning his house offered my son his wine collection ; twenty five bottles of various breeds some as ancient as 1967 .

Tried to get the cork out of one ........ Mama Mia that is tight .... hold on a second

.... moseyed out to the shed ; put a 10 mm bit in the 18 volt De Walt battery drill ...KAPOW ......bored a hole straight down thru the cork .... decanted it thru the wife's tea strainer .

Take that you obstinate little &^^%%%# .

Worse case scenario we may not be league leaders after the weekend. If it happens it won't be the end of the world, but to some it will feel like it. It's along arduous season. We never expected to be where we are right now. Let's enjoy it and take things game by game.

I think we should re-adjust our pre-season goal upwards from top 4 to top 2. In any event, it would be a disaster if we don't at least get top 4 by seasons end.

Ragav, Spencer, Phil the gooner, Bisto, US Martin ...

Looking at the football schedule we could/should play our two postponed prem games in the midweeks of the Europa league play off games (the ones Man U have to play in) which would possibly leave us with this fixture list

Feb 4 Everton (a)
Feb 11 Brentford (h)
Feb 14 Everton (h)
Feb 18 Villa (a)
Feb 21 Man City (h)
Feb 25 Leicester (a)
City away and Everton home could be the other way round

If we do well in Europa and even just get through the first few rounds of domestic cups we’re playing 3 games a week for the rest of the season

This is why Man U are screwed, they have to play Europa on those midweeks and need to rely on themselves and their prem opponents getting knocked out early of both domestic cups

I think it way too early and depends too much on what other teams do, to take a position on where we will finish.

It essential to take it one week at time (not one game at a time because we certainly have to think about rotation). A cliché, but completely true.

If we have a bad game or bad run, the press will be on our backs. It is essential that the fans are not. It is a young team and has proved itself to be resilient to setbacks before.

Arteta has managed the squad very well. Our first team players are mostly in good shape and the marginal players have had good minutes. We can have a full swing at Chelsea, and whatever happens, still hopefully have enough in the tank for our final two games before the break.

The big worry is our over-reliance on Jesus and Saka. We do need reinforcement but the likelihood of getting prem ready players at anything near that level is low.

Jocks in kilt running about a football field, or in general? I can envisage some issues if the former--Especially, as Tierney showed, Scotsmen are notorious for shunning not just bras but other forms of underwear. Football is supposed not to be X-rated!

As for toasting Bernard, that is an excellent idea. Count me in?

Sure am. It’s my life’s work.

I agree. The 'playing it out from the back' can be carried a bit far, especially the passes across the face of goal. Sometimes the calculation of risk seems a bit off. I also noted that Gabriel did a couple of old-fashion clearances while under no pressure on Thursday. We also don't seem to mind conceding corners at all.

This is a separate point from the balance between playing long balls and playing out from the back. I think we have that about right.

Would hate it if Aubameyang scores against us. Absolutely dislike this guy now.

Not a nice thought!