Latics_Al

Wrong.

Kieran Lee looked good in his cameo. We created plenty of chances in the second half that Hughes, Byfield or (dare I say it) Davies would have put away. Maher continues to impress. And, er, it wasn't quite as cold as I was expecting.

Started to slowly make my way out of the Lookers Paddock at 7 - 0, when we pulled one back (Balmer?). I shrugged, sighed, and plonked myself down on a seat close to exit for the painful remainder of the game. At the final whistle I remained seated, unable to grasp what had just occured, when an old guy placed a comforting hand on my shoulder and offered "There's always next week lad". I think we drew at Reading.

Well, that was a pretty decent debut show. I get the feeling that Affliction could become the main challenger to UFC, and competition is only a good thing, for fans and fighters alike. It's great seeing an US group using a ring instead of a cage, and as a way of differing yourself from the competition it was certainly a lot better than the YAMMA "frying pan" thingymebob. Good wins for Josh Barnett and Andre Arlovski (who was nearly back to his old self) means they have two credible opponents for Fedor while they attempt to work things out to put on the Fedor vs Couture fight. That is if Randy still wants it after watching this! Right then, still got UFN 14 and Dream 5 to work through, great weekend for MMA.

Fedor humbles Timmy!

It's a 7:30 KO.

Just called into the club shop, it looks like there will no longer be a coach as "too many people have pulled out".

Managed to get the day off, so will be heading down on the coach.

Just got back now, and there have been three things going around my head on the way back after todays match. 1. There are no excuses for not filling the subs bench. OK, there are probably timing issues with registering players for the first team, but our injury list has been growing and growing in recent weeks, so why not make sure some of the reserves / youth are eligible if required. 2. The loan system can be great, and we could all list a fair few players who have done the business for us over the years. However, the players brought in need to be hungry, desperate and eager to impress - wether it is their parent club in the hope af a recall and first team action, or their "new" club in the hope of securing a permanent deal at the end of the loan period. Today it was apparent that Jarrett and Constantine are here to go through the motions and get "match fit" - I know Jarrett has been out injured, but seriously, he has not been fit since arriving, and a decent game on his debut is not good enough. Constantine, well, this is not the same player that has caused us many a problem in recent years. 3. If we are put in a position where we need to play kids, make sure they're OUR young 'uns, not some bugger elses. I really felt sorry for O'Donnell today, but not as mush as I did for Josh Bell. Good enough to be on the bench for a good part of the year, but when the emergency that he is there for arises, Shez brings in a 19yr with no first team experience to start ahead of him. There is no doubt that that O'Donnell will learn plenty from todays game, and maybe more to come, and he will take that back to Sheffield Wednesday with him. That experience could, and should, have gone to Josh. KTF

I live accross the road from BP, and can confirm THE SUN IS OUT! (It was persisting down 5 mins ago though, and there are still ominous black clouds a plenty) I haven't dried our properly from Sat yet - when can I swap my NSM lower ST for one in the RRE?

I've always hated Stoke.

Great deal for all involved, a rarity in the game these days. Good luck Neal!

I am a local resident (Kenwood Road) as well as a Latics ST holder, and am desperate for planning permission to be granted. I had one of these leaflets pushed through my door last night. There are two main reasons given for the non-attendance tonight, the first being safety fears, as noted above, the second being the fact they believe it is pointless to attend as the decision to pass the application has already been made. Also, the “Chanting supporters on the march did nothing to allay our fears" part actually reads "Chanting yobs...". Fingers crossed for a peaceful, successful meeting tonight.

Hi everyone... >Name? Al Roberts >Location? Middleton >How Long Supporting the Tics? This is my 21st Season. >Best away match you've been to? A couple spring to mind straight away. Wigan on a Friday night, (Dux last minute header!), and Swindon from a couple of years ago (fantastic atmosphere, great result). >All Time Greatest Player? Ritchie? Eyres? Nah, 'tis Craig Fleming! >Biggest Rivals (in your eyes)? Man Yoo / Citeh seem so far away from us it's hard to see them as "rivals" anymore. At the moment I'd narrow it down to Tranmere and Huddersfield (plus I've always hated Stoke after getting scalding hot Tea thrown at me at my first ever away match)