Dirty Lyle

I believe there is no need for the current posts/threads speculating on the summer signs - yet. Most on this board have been yellow and green long enough to know that footballing success comes around rarely for us. My point is appreciate and enjoy the good times now while we are top of the league, having a laugh etc etc and let next season look after itself - open season starting on May 10!

Im making a 6 hour 350 mile round trip after work tomorrow to get to Carrarud for kickoff. Hopefully the Macks won''t let me down. If not theres always Saturday. If all goes to plan my fellow posters will be able to recognise on Wednesday night because I''ll be the one in yellow and green with a bloody great smile on my face!!!!!!!!!! SO SO PROUD

Highly deserved indeed. A little surprised Holty made it in after some of his comments but Scotland are in need of a quality midfielder. They might even win a few games now. When is the match and is it on Sky?

Best not to dignify the Ceefax letter with a response. He/she obviously believes one of the "big" teams should be going back automatically. Im convinced some of the media (especially Sky Sports) are expecting NW and Delia to hold a press conference to concede our automatic promotion spot to the Ammers or Blades just because they deserve to be in the Premiership. NW always says to concentrate on us alone. Don''t be concerned about some bloke 500 odd miles who has caught us on Sky once or twice this season. He''s probably Brazil''s brother-in-law anyway...

The never-say-die optimism of some never fails to amaze me. I know it wasn''t looking rosy at the start of the season - not many would have predicted we would be where we are now - but at the start of every season the true fan has a duty, while acknowledging any negative aspect of the team, to accentuate the positive with all their heart. If you cannot be optimistic at the start of a season when anything is possible then I don''t believe you are 100% behind the team. Blind faith that everything will be OK in the end is what has driven us on through the bad times. Come Wednesday or Saturday everything will be OK again and the awful times of the last nine years will be at an end. If you knew we would reach this day again then I reckon you are also predicting that we stay up next year. I feel like I have come out of a dark place and am now blinking in the sunlight that is the Premiership. It feels great. Here endeth the sermon. OTBC

Fair enough, Mr R, if I misheard but it sounded like they were trying to bait us. Have to say they were a good humoured bunch of fans taking into account their predicament. I DO APOLOGISE TO ANY WALSALL FANS IF I MISHEARD THEIR CHANTING - that wasn''t too difficult. Your turn now, Toffees... Fat Chance.

Also Roberto Carlos has made no secret of the fact he wants to play in England. He is on his way out at the Bernabeu and has signed a pre contract at another club - we haven''t been told where, yet. Given the fact that he obviously feels comfortable wearing yellow I think its time for NW to put us out of our misery and admit to securing RC''s signature for next year.

I bet the Walsall fans were bemused by it all, DD. They were trying to get at us by chanting "Sunderland" but we largely ignored them and got on with having a good natured crack at each other - great stuff! Really proud to be amongst the South stand boys (and girls) when the Barclay started "sing up the South Stand" and the South Stand came back with OTBC which sounded great under the new roof- awesome atmosphere Don''t know about that large Jarrold''s flag though. Hope it doesn''t catch on. Super moment was the score annoucer having to stop mid-flow after the 5th went in when it looked like Hucks might make it 6. You know you''ve had a good day when the announcer hasn''t got time to read out the scorers! Heres hoping for a dog of a hangover on Thursday morning

Not living in the Anglia broadcast region any more I took the rare opportunity to view the extensive coverage from the Soccer Sunday team before I was able to gasp in wonder at the excitement provided by the bo(r)ing bo(r)ing baggies baggies. I found Alan Brazil''s incisive analysis of the boys'' performance on Saturday enhanced my enjoyment of the weekend... My highlight had to be when the great man rolled his eyes when the Norwich coverage began. We all know he is going to be biased, the fun is finding out to what degree. He was the sixth reason to catch yesterday''s show. He is sheer pantomine (the back end of the pony), we will miss him next season. ps: Bit disappointed by the result on Saturday. Only 5? One of these days we are really going to put somebody to the sword!

Even if he is in France at the moment he will expect Premiership wages if he is playing over here. I dont think he will appeal to NW as he could be tempremental and go against the team ethic NW has built up.

Makes no difference to us. As Nige keeps saying its our performance that counts. They still have the same group of players they had this morning. Lee or Merson, we are top of the league the opposition is irrelevant.

Despite impending relegation, Leicester are still in Europe... Thanks to their efforts at La Manga Adams has an upcoming fixture in Spain which they will probably lose as well!

Being only a little bored in my employment I decided to do some statto research into Premiership away ticket prices this afternoon. Source: footballgroundguide.co.uk based on this year''s prices in the designated away areas Arsenal £31 Villa £22 Brum £30-38 Blackburn £28 Bolton £27-31 Charlton £20-35 Chelsea £31-49 Everton £24-26 Fulham £28-30 Leeds £22-29 Leicester £22-32 Liverpool £26-29 Man C £20-27 Man U £25-29 Boro £20 Newcastle £27 Pompey £29 Soton £24-28 Spurs £25-40 Wolves £29 WBA £20 Mackems £24 In all to have visited these grounds this season would have cost between £550 - £600 depending on where you sat. My away season ticket is being arranged so to pay for it I would like to offer my Grandmother for sale to the highest bidder or indeed an organ - first come first served.

Ive just read the recent posts on this thread and I want to hold my hands up - we wont need a sugar daddy to survive. There is a lot of sense written here and most of it is right. 1. Micky Adams is clearly disgruntled and doesn''t have knnowledge of the work ethic at Colney. 2. The squad needs to be bigger but we dont need to sign any Finidis to do it. 3. The current squad, with one or two execptions deserve the chance to prove themselves in the Premiership and will give 100% there as now. 4. The board have put together a solid infrastructure at the club capable of sustaining top level football and not done badly so far. 5. In Nige we trust. Adams does NOT have a valid point. With both careful additions to and fostering of what we have we can develop into a Charlton, not a Leicester

Its a good thing. Will Merson be getting any extra stick for taking a swipe at Greeno when he got his call up. Hope so.

While the Micky Adams story is a tad gloomy, he does make a valid point that established Premiership sides will always have an advantage over the promoted teams because of their sound financial base from the year on year Sky slush fund. He is saying that unless you have Roman Abramovich or Jack Walker (Bernard Matthews?!)behind your club a promoted club will struggle to compete to get the best players. Witness various posters comments on Andy Reid. He would be a great signing for next year but if we could not offer him the level of wages that even Fulham, Charlton, Southampton etc could if they came sniffing. Unless he actually wants to be here like Hucks then he is an unrealistic buy. What we do have is spirit and whilst that isn''t going to be enough to stay up on its own its a start. Micky Adams theory is accurate but City''s attitude will see them right.

Aside from the odd Five Live commentary, does BH still have a football day job?

Im trying my best but haven''t scored 25,000 yet to see the league - are we still in danger? We only have until 8 tonight

Approaching Southampton with a view to taking Kents on a season loan would be something worth exploring its a better idea than Martin Keown for gods sake

Met Iwan a couple of times while out of an evening when I still lived in the Fine City Last time was in Norwegian Blue on Riverside when he spared a couple of minutes (even though he was out with friends) to chat about the club and football. The bloke is a gent and I respect him massively for giving up just a short period of his free time to speak to someone he didn''t know in depth about his livelihood in good humour, it says a lot about his character and meant a lot to me. It would be a huge loss to club and the area if he was allowed to leave at the end of the season.

Perhaps Dirtywater (no relation, I''m sure) was sitting near me. I didn''t think the singing reached the usual high standards of the away support until the goal went in. Having said that we took the points which was what counted. It reminded me of the Millennium Stadium when we scored. I think the fans at the northern away matches tend to produce more noise perhaps because there are fewer kids in the crowd. Before any of you start, I appreciate that we need kids coming to the games to ensure we have a future etc etc and therefore have answered ny own point. On a different less controversial note, did anybody listen to the BBC Radio Berkshire phone-in after the game? We try to listen to the home phone-ins (similar to Neil Adams version) on the way back from the away games to get an impression of what they thought of us, both fans and team (BBC radio normally advertise their local frequency on a hoarding in the ground). As you might imagine the Reading fans were a little peeved with the result but some of what they said went too far. One text message to the studio said that the writer would look forward with glee to us being thrashed every game next season while another stated that we were a terrible side and Delia''s cooking was awful. Then again, I don''t recall any of her recipes requiring sour grapes. This was the same phone-in when we beat them 2-0 last season where callers were calling for Pardew''s head five games into the season after getting them promotion from div 2. They came across as a bunch of bad losers and just a little sad. If the positions had been reversed I hope we might have had more dignity in defeat. GREAT FINISH MULLERS!!!

Can''t argue with all that has been said already except to add my agree with the point that Sinclair and probably Briggs should be retained. Out of anyone currently playing in the First Division, who do you think has the attitude/ability to make the step up with us next season and make an impact? Robbie Blake or Andy Reid perhaps?

Couldn''t believe Ball''s article in the EDP. I''m sure we all believe we are close but to write an article as if we already are is tempting fate especially after "Fortress Carrow Road" and "Best Defence in the League" Still great goals today. Pleased my old ma no end.

Steve, Briggs was pretty solid, he scored the first with his head which, I believe was his first this season. Didn''t have much to do defensively so was playing a long way forward which distorted our shape a little. Not bad but Edders won''t be having sleepless nights. As for Clint''s hair I think he maybe attention seeking - not in Mr Huckerby''s league

Finding myself in the area I decided to to go to Aldershot to watch the reserves take on their Aldershot counterparts. Some things became apparent on the night 1. Clint is growing his hair 2. We need a new reserve goalkeeper - nothing personal but very worrying if we need to rely on Crichton in the next 7 games or in the future 3. Rivers looked fit but not very interested in the game. However, his contribution to our third goal was good. 4. Some of our players made me feel very old indeed 5. If promotion/championship is secured before Crewe, Dean Sinclair should be given a game at Gresty Road. He looks like a real prospect but may be short of chances in the Prem.