Football Focus

[SimonM]

>>I'll take MU in the next round after we've beaten you lot at the Lane! <<

In the happy event of a home draw againts Leeds in the next round I'd expect a 1-0 win for us - Kilgallon heading in from a corner :)):)):))

[Annasfield]

Arsenal 1 - 1 Newcastle

Bolton 2 - 0 West Brom

Everton 0 - 0 Pompey

Hull 2 - 2 Wigan

Boro 2 - 1 Stoke

West Ham 1 - 0 Blackburn

Villa * - * Pool

Chelsea 2 - 0 Spurs

Sunderland 1 - 0 City

What happened to United earlier? ::o

[Annasfield]

Full draw for Carling Cup 3rd round:

Arsenal v Sheff Utd

Brighton or Man City v Derby

Burnley v Fulham

Portsmouth v Chelsea

Blackburn v Everton

Rotherham v Southampton

Swansea v Cardiff

Ipswich v Wigan

Stoke v Reading

Leeds v Hartlepool

Watford v West Ham

Man Utd v Middlesbrough

Liverpool v Crewe

Aston Villa v QPR

Sunderland v Northampton

Newcastle v Tottenham

Nice selection Thommo. Hopefully Rafa will give the kids run out.

[SimonM]

Bloody Hell!!!!

[Annasfield]

Bothered by Hartlepool?

[david_carnell]

Hehehe...I should be annoyed by two dropped points at home but instead the thought of the Blades being shat on from a great height by the Aresenal reserves keeps making me feel better.

And Hartlepool at home keeps the mood good. Could have been a lot worse. See above for example.

[SimonM]

Well we're on a hiding to nothing....we got turfed out by Arsenal's "kids" in the 4th round at Bramall Lane last season - Eduardo in full pomp and looking real class (I hope his recovery is coming on well!)....and no doubt again we too will field a weakened team. I'd have preferred a minnow from 1 of the lower divisions at this stage though....Hartlepool would have been nice...or Crewe...or Leeds....:))

And Leeds did not drop 2 points at home today...they salvaged one by all accountsB)

[citizenED]

Way to go Ladygooner, Arsenal 3 - 0 Newcastle. Spot on.

(we'll gloss over your other predictions on account of the fact that they were such a crazyheaded set of results!)

[Ladygooner]

Wish I had put money on it! Here's a thought - is the UK taxpayer sponsoring the Newcastle team now? Or maybe Northern Rock paid up in advance when they were independent?

[Annasfield]

Nice one Spurs. (tu)

[david_carnell]

SimonM Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> And Leeds did not drop 2 points at home

> today...they salvaged one by all accountsB)

Don't know what "accounts" you're reading sunshine - but the ones I read said it's a mystery how we didn't win. Dominated from start to finish. Bristol have two chances and score twice whereas we do everything but. I like to think of Leeds as the Arsenal of League One! All skills and subtle chances but lacking the killer instinct. Maybe you can let me know when they come to the Lane...

[SimonM]

>>Don't know what "accounts" you're reading sunshine - but the ones I read said it's a mystery how we didn't win.<<

Ahem...from Saturday's online Yorkshire Post:-

"LEEDS UNITED are still searching for their first home league win of the season after needing a Jermaine Beckford goal to salvage a point."

:))

[Keef]

Could City be the next Chelsea if this dealall goes through??? There is even rumour that they have entered the race for Berbatov. I'd be p!ssed off if I supported spurs, and he'd rather play for City! United *spits* you can kind of understand (if you accept that these are the days of the mercenary player), but City?!?!? Spurs should be up there fighting City for players, not letting their star man go that way!

Mat just be a load of rubbish though.

[Keef]

We need to find our form. Perhaps in the absence of Gerrard, the Keane and Torres partnership will blossom. We shall see. In theory we should take the 3 points, but something tells me that we'll be lucky to get one.

To be honest, I was pleased we got the bloody point.

More importantly, is there any news on Torres???

Agreed totally with Lee Dixon on MOTD2, why pay ?20m for a striker who plays "in the hole", then put him on the left wing?!?!?!?

[Annasfield]

Having a scan today Keef. Reckon Rafa is being coy so he misses the internationals.

You sure I can't tempt you with a Kop ticket for Man Utd? (Managed to get two last week. ;-))

[Keef]

Hope it's not serious, hate to say it, but without Gerrard and Torres, we really don't look like anything particularly special (solid and hard to beat, but not threatening).

As for the ticket, you are a tease young lady! I would bloody love to join you, but I shall be getting in a van and going up somewhere around Norwich at about 9am, playing a wedding, and probably getting home about 4am!!! Not looking forward to it, and would much rather be getting drunk on a train to the pool!!!

On the bright side, I get paid :)-D

[Annasfield]

Where are you playing in Norwich? I used to work up there.

I'm reasonably confident that G&T will both be fine for United, hence Rafa's timing with Gerrard's injury. Torres has had hamstring problems before - do you remember when he was injured last season? To be honest (in my non medical opinion) he didn't look too bad on Sunday and may have just been taken off as a precaution.

[Keef]

Fingers crossed.

It's actually further than Norwich I think. Somewhere beginning with a T???

[Annasfield]

Hmm - that said, Spanish papers are reporting 3 weeks... :-S

[Ladygooner]

Berbatov to go to Manchester City? Did he get his Cities and Uniteds mixed up?!

[Annasfield]

Cannot believe that Man City pipped Chelsea to the post for Robinho! It's now a case of who has the biggest cheque book.

Am also slightly miffed that Spurs have agreed to drop their complaint about Fergie as they're ?30m better off, yet we end up paying ?2m to a charity. No doubt I'll start another pointless argument, but I couldn't give a monkeys. Such a hypocrite!!

[Keef]

City won't do too much this season, but Liverpool and Arsenal best watch out next year cos at the moment we can't compete with the cash! Hope those American tossers sell the pool to some rich people!

[Rhinestone Cowboy]

Hearing Kevin Keegan has been shown the door.. wonder who will take over now

[Jah Lush]

You've got to laugh when Juande Ramos says he's going to teach Spurs' new signing Roman Pavlyuchenko how to speak English when Ramos hasn't even mastered the language himself yet, still letting Gus Poyet do all the post match interviews.

I think Pavlyuchenko could be a very good signing for us but I still think we're short of strikers up front despite getting Fraiser-Campbell in on loan for a year as part of the Berbatov deal with Man Utd.

We'll have to spend big again in the January sales as Darren Bent has been a waste of money and Ramos obviously doesn't rate him and now that Pavlyuchenko has arrived he'll find his appearances limited.

Also, Giovanni Dos Santos, although not really and out and out striker and still only 19, looks particularly lightweight so we'll struggle to score goals this year without Berbatov, Keane and Defoe who scored more than 60 goals between them last season.

[Jah Lush]

This just in from the BBC website. Wouldn't surprise me if he walks the plank again.

Keegan Future Hangs In The Balance