susie b

Forgot to add that the West Brom''s Rivals board has already had a post on it about Hucks and Bents turning the Hawthorns into Chavscum Central on Saturday!!!  I''ve warned everyone before that some of them are obsessed with hair, and now you''ve got the proof!!!

Jason Lee''s pineapple head has got to be in the top ten, surely!

Say no more, Off the Boil...Zoltan Pepa - whatta man!!!

Thanks for that Peter.  This is good news.  I really want him to go from strength-to-strength for us now as he looks like he has the potential to be a dangerous and skilful player given a run in the team.

I hope everyone will forgive me just this once, but if you''re feeling a bit like the weather today - damp (?) and gloomy - there might be a few words to make you smile (perhaps) in this week''s Bird''s Eye View column.  I wouldn''t normally write anything about it on here but, seeing as we are all in the same boat as regards our team and our hopes for them, a bit of communal tlc might help in the run up to this weekend''s important game.  (Have some tissues ready though, just in case it has the opposite effect on you, or if you feel really sorry for me when I get injured during proceedings!) 

I''ve heard we''re in for a new defender when the January window opens - a certain Lee King.  Apparently he will add nothing to the quality of our current defence but is intended to give the players someone to laugh at during training, to keep morale up, etc.

Whaaaahhheeeyyy!  When do I get to claim my kiss, Generation A47?!!!!! Are there going to be any more competitions like this one?  This is better than winning money!!!!!!

I have re-read all the posts on this thread and in one alone is there mention of the words ''single-handedly'', and only in two others is there the possible implication re: the same idea.  Everyone I know who saw all of last season''s games and who have seen the Prem games thusfar are united in their praise of the guy, whilst acknowledging that he (like most others) has his weaknesses and that it''s important we try to play to his strengths.  As far as last season is concerned I see him as the catalyst for what happened to the team...the spark that lit the flame that went on to ignite the successful campaign.  He would be the first to say that on his own promotion would have been an impossibility, but I believe he was the single most important contributor we had and he helped to raise the belief and playing levels in others too.  Others on here may disagree, but I can see why Worthy has his name on the teamsheet every week even though that may mean sacrificing something (or someone) else to accommodate him.  It would be interesting to see how we fare if he does get injured but I would never wish this to happen just to put all of our thoughts and opinions to the test!

On the subject of money, I heard from a colleague today that a student in his numeracy class was paired up with a Man U fan and they were comparing the value of their respective teams'' squads.  The Man U fan said he thought their squad was worth about 20 million (so obviously inflation or the latest set of accounts, or knowledge of a certain Rooney has not reached the Norfolk-dwelling glory hunters yet, then), and the City fan said something like: "well, we aren''t worth quite that much yet but we are worth over 18 million, so there.  We''ll soon catch you lot up!"  Anyone out there like a game of ''think of a number, double it, add five million, double it again......''?

You are amazing RHS!  Ha! Ha!  Good luck to Zema, though.  He deserves something to go right for him for the first time in a while.

Am I getting the hang of this Anderz?  Black is white, white is black...and, er, ''we are top of the league, say we are top of the league''!!!

My recent crocked knee left me with two fluid sacs, one above and one below my kneecap, resulting in me being totally unable to bend my knee and to walk, let alone run, for several days.  Now I suppose that dear old Calamity will get the best treatment possible whereas I couldn''t even get out of bed let alone get to the doctor''s surgery, so he might be ok for Saturday, and the cause of his problem might be less serious than mine...but I would say that there''s still a good chance that they won''t risk it, even if the fluid has gone down.  Remember that fluid''s there for a reason and it''s to protect something that is damaged underneath, so they may well exercise caution and we could see Greeno on the bench!

Hi Gazza - because of the ''injury'' I have had to be sensible and decide to stay at home and rest.  Head rules heart shocker, and all that!  I hope you enjoy yourself, and don''t forget that in the Morgue Stand you''re in full view of the cameras, as I''ve often found out to my cost -  (see last season''s review if you doubt me!) Morph, you''ve got me breaking out into a cold sweat as I write!  I can sort of imagine how you feel, but will I feel the same on 16th as I struggle to visualise anything but a blur happening out there?!

Not that it matters, Anderz, but I think they''re playing the Czech Republic!  Anyway, it''s on Sky Sports at 7.30 pm, with kick off at 7.45 pm.  (SS1 I think).

Off the boil...you clearly haven''t read the Bird''s Eye View column ''A Festive Poem'' which explains the Huckerby-Megson thing fairly accurately, I believe!  For what it''s worth I think you have a good chance of staying up.  My colleague, who is also a Baggie and a decent chappie, is quite optimistic, although he thinks the pressure is more on yourselves to do so this time around as you''ve had much more in the way of resources than ourselves.  Anyway, here''s to a good game on 16th!

Has anyone else noticed how some of our fellow basement-occupiers are beginning to suffer from injuries or suspensions, or both?  Take Southampton, for instance, they have Beattie out for six weeks and now Crouchy with a crocked knee.  (I can sympathise with him!)  They also cannot recall Ormerod from Leeds until he''s been there a month, which he hasn''t yet.  Then take Fulham - they currently have three of the first team suspended because of red card offences, and Cole''s enforced absence has been increased to six games today by the FA.  This cannot be good for them (states the obvious!) and serves to remind us of the importance placed upon good discipline and upon fitness levels by Worthy and the staff at Colney.  It isn''t uncommon that players in struggling sides tend to ''pick up'' injuries more easily than when playing in sides doing well, if you see what I mean.  It will be interesting, therefore, to see if the positives on both fronts for us continue, or whether a decline will be evident as the heat is turned up a bit.  Does anyone have any thoughts as to how it might pan out?  (Sorry - heat and pan - does that qualify me for the tosserleague?  I hope not!) 

I had the same thought, Gorleston Jim.  We must all be on our guard.  Anyway, just thought you would like to know that my neighbour, who''s a (nice) Binner, says that he will only begin to gauge how their season is going when they''ve played the rest of the current top ten sides and when at least half the season is complete.  What a sensible man he is - Joe Royle take note.  He also says that we have nothing to be gloomy about yet as he thinks we have done well faced with the hardest start in the Prem, especially being newly-promoted.  Only if we get cut adrift and half the season is gone should we begin to worry a bit, he thinks.  If only every Binner was as open and honest...and sane!!!  Does anyone else know another one like this anywhere?

As I''m unable to go to the West Brom game on 16th and shall be stuck here listening to it, can anyone reassure me that I won''t reach 5pm with all my hair turned grey (or fallen out) and my nails all bitten to bloody stumps because of Uncle Neil and Grandad Roy?  Are there any alternatives to my sad demise?  (Is the game to be shown on any Scandanavian channel, for example?)  I know I''m clutching at straws here, but it''s the first game I''ve not seen since the 3-5 thriller at Burnley.  When went 1-0 down I put my gardening clobber on.  1-1, I came back in.  2-1, back out again to pummel some weeds.  2-2, back in for a drink.  3-2, god the weeds really took a hammering.  3-3, back in for another drink (and a run around the house screaming!)  Stayed in from that point on as the rest is history...but you see what I mean.  Not seeing the action turns me into a nervous wreck.  Can anyone help me?  The N&N A&E depattment could do without seeing me that day, I think!!!

I would imagine that, although priority one is to keep us in the Prem if at all possible, Worthy will also have his pragmatist''s hat on when deciding what to do with any available funds in January.  He will already be thinking in terms of who will possibly go and who will stay if the worst case scenario happens.  Bearing this in mind I would have to go with Dean Ashton on this one as he is much more likely to stay and help us get straight back up should that become our task for next season, which I still remain optimistic that it won''t in any case.

Perhaps BISQUIT is an ancient term for a bag containing three points, in which case I hope that we manage to run off with it in its entirety.  It won''t be easy, we know, but if we play like we did on Saturday there''s more than a chance of leaving behind a plateful of ''throstle flambe''!

An interesting read but they clearly haven''t seen a real sack of potatoes hit the ground! How anyone could fail to see Matty Taylor bundle Darren to the ground is beyond belief.  The fact that I haven''t heard a single pundit say anything other than it was a penalty kind of backs that up I think, especially when they seem to go against us most of the time. Yes, they were passionate, but I wonder to what degree they would be without that incessant bell and those bonging drums.  (I''m not sure my head has recovered fully yet!)

Worthy has said many times that Darren does what Darren does best, and that is often the unexpected, and that can also often be the spark that makes something out of nothing and scares defenders witless.  If it was a straight choice between having that ''unknown'' element within the team or not I know what I would choose every time, and, despite the areas of his game (which we all know too well) that are not his strengths, I for one see no reason to question his commitment based upon the performances I''ve seen from him in our beloved shirt.  I''m not saying that no one has the right to criticise him if they feel it''s justified, nor that there aren''t areas of his game that he could improve upon, just that I''ve consistently seen a player out there who really seems to care about his own performances and those of the team.  I''m willing to listen, however, if others feel differently!

I want to put a positive (some might say foolish) slant on us being bottom at the moment.  We are equal on points with Palace and Southampton - yes - but we have lost three (we all know who to) and have drawn five, whereas Palace and the Saints have lost five and not all five were to teams that are most likely going to end up in the top six or so.  Ok, I might be clutching at straws and, yes, I would be among those of you saying that wins against Palace, Portsmouth and maybe even Villa could and should have been executed, but it would be far worse, I believe, if we had been beaten in those and other games (e.g. Spurs and Newcastle) and cut adrift already with our confidence in tatters.  Once that first win is achieved we will have a springboard into these vital October/November fixtures, so the sooner the better...it goes without saying.  (Another positive from yesterday''s result was the form, or lack of, of Fulham.  They seem to be pushing the self-destruct button, which again could be good news for us). 

Presumably you mean the compression pants that, rumour has it, the clubshop will be selling from anytime now!!! I hope some West Brom and Crystal Palace fans continue to believe that ''one win doth a season make'' as that could be to our advantage ultimately; however, I think that most of them will be realists, like ourselves, and will only believe that ''it ain''t over till it''s over''.  Certainly, Iain Dowie and Gary Megson are not stupid enough to let their players believe they''re home and dry from now on.  Looking at the table right now it appears to be any three from about nine...but that could change as two or three will push up into the middle leaving the rest to scrap.  If nothing else it will be very interesting. 

Thanks Gorleston Jim.  I shall try and be a bit more attentive.  The cat may not like it though as she will have to get fewer cuddles to compensate!