54veteran

Lazy is the whole point. Watch us and ManU, and tell me you can't see the difference in work rate and commitment. That's why they win things with mostly average players. When you get a wiggly line under a word it means there's a spelling mistake. Check it out dude. I think I'll pass on you helping me with my homework.

Known for it

Look, mate, I'm not some teenage girl swooning over a boy band. We've been lazy and lacklustre since Liverpool. Get over it

A draw wouldn't be a disaster. We've effectively handed ManU the title, but top 4 should be achievable, plus we get to have a real crack at CL.

Nice to see Man City in total disarray yesterday.

Were you? I wasn't. I'm sure the "Rooney's Back" headlines were already written, and he'd have been well fired up for this one. In our current predicament, the more time we can buy, the better.We're strong finishers, so a fixture build-up later is probably a good trade-off.

Has to be good not having ManU and Arsenal in quick succession. The gods have done us a favour at last.

Ah, and I see Arsenal's off....

But whether anyone, including the Mancs, will be able to get there is another matter. South West London is taking a right hammering at the moment, and it certainly ain't going to thaw any time soon.

15 miles to the south east of the ground. Only half an inch, but it's frozen solid already. Just been chiselling it off the windscreen

Touch and go with the weather by the look of it. If snow is turning to ice at midday, as it is here, and it's going to be colder tomorrow, it doesn't look promising.

I think their campaign was knocked off course last season by Robben's volley in the CL, suggesting that the best organised defence is still vulnerable to something they're not expecting. At the moment we are too predictable, particularly from set pieces and corners. The other key moment for me was ManU's defence backing off Malouda for Joe Cole's goal at Old Trafford, so I reckon we need him running at their defence rather than trying to pass our way through. However, he will need backup. At the moment we're allowing opposing defences too much time on the ball when our attacks break down, in this case time to pick out Rooney. Fortunately for us, Ferdinand can only pass sideways This ManU side is certainly nothing special, but they fight for every ball (usually without conceding free kicks), they retain possession when protecting a lead, and they just don't often make mistakes. If we can improve those aspects of our game we're still more than a match for anyone. It's all about doing the simple things right. Mind you, we've had 25 managers in my time, and I'm still waiting for that work ethic to take root at SB.

If JM does the business at Real Madrid I think we may see the trend going back to the "only one boss" format.

"Best new poster?" I've never been so insulted :-) I don't know how old you are Chippy, but let's just say this team has been blighting my weekends for longer than I care to remember and, in my old age, there's definitely a love hate thing going on. My brain says it's time to quit worrying about a bunch of millionaire playboys, but I can't quite pull it off. As someone said, you might change your wife several times, but never your team. It seems to be hard wired into what's left of my brain.

But the PL is not Europe. It's not conducted in an orderly and civilised manner, rather it is a gladiatorial trial of strength. I have my doubts whether Barcelona would win the PL, or whether they would even have eleven fit players left by the end of the season. To win this league you need one flair player and ten foot soldiers, which is the really the basis of SAF's success. Man for man they're a pretty ordinary lot, but they all do what they're told and, most importantly, he won't bring in a player that isn't prepared to toe the line. Without this final veto, the coach has no authority in any real sense of the word.

He's been round the block enough times, so just toss him the keys and tell him to get on with it. 18 is plenty old enough to drive a Porsche or, in our case, a tractor.

Was it just two words?

And I doubt if Harry takes crap from anyone either. The hierarchical structure is a proven one and I doubt whether ManU or Arsenal will be in a hurry to change it.

I don't remember ManU bleating when Ferdinand and Vidic were out last season. They struggled, but they didn't go into a tail spin like us. CA has said he's only responsible for team selection. If you don't get to choose the players you buy, I'd say your hands are well and truly tied. Rooney and Milner made their debuts at sixteen. Just how long do we need to wait? It's not a huge gamble after all

If it ain't broken, don't fix it, I know. But this is broken. Could this happen to ManU? No, because they have a manager who answers to no one, and we have a team coach whose hands are tied. Alas we're now playing like a team chosen by a committee, and Josh doesn't quite fit the bill.

Time for Michael Emenalo to assert himself on the training field. I hear he once coached a team of 11 year old girls in Arizona, so you can be sure the likes of Drogba and Anelka will give him the respect he deserves. I just hope he isn't head hunted by SAF.

Carlo isn't sure about anything. He ploughs the same groove until the team is playing like they're in a strait jacket, and then he tightens it some more. Josh represents flair, not something Carlo rates very highly it seems.

And with Josh we won't be wondering whether it's his time of the month, or whether the planets are favourably aligned. He looks like a solid, down to earth player with an array of skills to match anything we're likely to buy in.

So, two six pointers coming up, neither of which we can afford to lose. Two draws would be ok, and hopefully there will be another draw at Old Trafford tonight.

And a point was a fair result on refection. Bale and Lennon didn't trouble us, Crouch was innefective, and we played better than the same fixture last season. We're still lacking that killer ball from midfield, which I think Josh could provide if we had the courage to play him. We can't go on with Frank as our only source of inspiration