g3.7

at least it's not seven points. we're in the most dofficult period of jose's management so far, however I do think there has to be some sort of backlash. I'm convinced there will be. it should have been today, but it wasn't. 6 points is still nothing.

that's ballack's fault. sh*t. that's a big opportunity missed.

and now drogba. good play by mikel?

lamps should have scored just now. apparently.

still haven't seen that one but have heard it is a stunner... looking forward to seeing blood diamond and babel (career bests from di caprio, pitt and blanchett apparently)... saw stranger than fiction today. I thought it was interesting, worth a view maybe and certainly better than typical romcom crap, but also critically overrated.

6 points... It can go quicker than you think- just remember how title races used to be before we raised the bar. united have a decent squad, but stretch it and see what happens. I feel positive.

I think I'd agree with chippy- it probably has to be one from essien or drogba, both have had great seasons so far... very hard to pick... arguably they've been the two best players in the league... oh, and IMO lampard has played a vitally important part with involvement with many, many... many goals... and his passing has returned in the last couple of months...

maka joined, and was initially at near his best, then his form dipped later on a bit, but consistently, thoughout the season he was worth his place to anyone who understood how he is meant to play. of course, when scott parker arrived everyone wanted him in the side, and would stubbornly protest for him. every single minute error was discussed and scotty would have done it better. not only was he young and english, but crucially he had a nickname ending with the letter "y". makelele was also too old, and a mercenary.

I reckon ballack will be at his peak for the length of his contract- or most of it. I am convinced he is a player with plenty left. so, last season essien arrived- played a few great games and then his form dropped and he never totally recovered and there were some poor games. I think his season, overall, was average, but had shown enough for all to see he would be a great long term player. the concern was, and still is, that in a 433 essien and makelele would be far too defensive a system as far as our attacking was concerned- next to them is lampard, not riquelme. this season ballack has made a solid start and has contributed to some of our goals. essien has been, alongside drogba probably our best player. I think that he hasn't been quite as consistent as most people are making out, but is playing very well. he is more important than ballack currently as he is the player in form... but I feel ballack, once fully in sync with the side will give the added clever passing that I think this side lacks.

okay, I've decided to definately get the wii next month- it being cheap is probably the main reason, but I don't want to sit for hours playing final fantasy (never liked it)... I have... sort of had enough of console games... inthe last 2 years if it wasn't pro evo or resident evil 4 I didn't play it, and I'd prefer something I can play for 20 minutes a go. plus it sounds like being a real laugh in multi player.

[condescend] the key point is to let your team gel. nevermind, maybe next time.[/condescend]

And Gullit4 hello, read my posts, goodbye.

fantastic shout, probably/ possibly my favourite game ever. I still love zelda- a link to the past on the super nintendo and super mario world though.

yep, bayern for me also. tik a boo indeed.

bah. top for one week.

I wouldn't read into that too much, all of the cult stuff seems to be taken from a mix of the type of programmes on late night discovery channel and so on... quite cliched. but, in some ways better for it. I love leon's wooden (intentional or not) one liners for example. for me, nintendo is good because of the price and that they are quite simple- PS3 could be great, but I heard the console will be around ?400 and you need a hard disk, some kind of liscense, multi tap, hd tv? etc etc etc....

resident evil 4 was brilliant, the last console game I have played outside of pro evo 5. I'm not really big on games at the moment, but I am considering getting a bit more involved in it- that new nintendo console coming out seems relatively cheap and quite interesting (motion sensors etc)...

that pleases me.

if you write: " 8)" it appears as a smiley. unless you click on "disable smilies in this post" underneath the part where you write your post. (as I have to demonstrate)

I want in!- that would be an avatar to wear with pride! Drums: Dave Grohl Bass: Chris Wolstenholme Dual Guitar: Jim Hendrix and Matt Bellamy Vocals: Waters and Gilmour (opposing sides of the stage, with a screen between them) Conductor (oh yes): Glenn Miller

off the top of my head... -no away fans -no rivalry -games to become 90% for tourists, like an attraction you go to when you're abroad -consistent support to die out leading to games where no one cares who wins -all supporters to be totally priced out -season tickets only available in the form of boxes/corporate hospitality -national leagues across europe to lose all credibility -international football to be killed off as a result of an increasingly diminished pool of players to select -plenty of clubs will fold

a million times NO to a european superleague. it would kill off a lot of good things.

the important thing is to beat loz.

how do we know joey can take them at all? from his last 4 pens, he's missed 3- but before that I can remember only the west ham- carling cup one for england and for us. taking penalties is also a recognition of status and I think lampard deserves to continue taking them if he so chooses- in the long run insisting that someone else takes them could well be counterproductive... do we want to give a vote of no confidence to a player so integral to our game? p.s. IMO it's a little sad that the focus on lamps is still mainly negative after the charlton game, where he was excellent- his passing and selection was better than it has been for possibly a year.

to add to that, I'd agree with MP, direct free kicks should be shared around a little more.