OldhamSheridan

I don't know, it's hard thinking.

We should have stuck the kids out against Accrington and taken the fine. It's probably less than we would lose if we got a home draw at any point in the competition anyway.

I'm presuming you (along with the rest of the World) went to bed at that point then. It did look as though Boston could swipe them around at will, and Beckett looked pretty untouchable (which he's been most postseason). However, the blowout isn't too bad. It is against Boston's best pitcher and it's always a struggle to take that first game at the others stadium. The main problems for me were the complete capitulation of the bullpen and the fact that virtually every Sox player got a hit (and probably a double at that). That bullpen has to see the Rockies through and this has to have blown away nearly all their confidence, whereas nearly every hitter for the Red Sox is going to be on their uppers. It doesn't really matter though, because Tony La Russa signed a new contract.

Up n Under. I wonder what appeals about that film.

Can I just add. I am absolutely ruined. Goodnight...

I'm willing to bet you will be despairing then. Other than Taylor it is hard to point at individual players yesterday. It just seemed a poor game plan rather than poor execution. Personally I'd have Lid's out and (at the moment) Smalley in, too. I just think Lid's stagnates the play, perfectly summed up yesterday by receiving the ball in acres of space and not having the legs to run up the pitch (then turning and putting the ball out of play). This means that our only avenues are through the centre (something which Arsenal struggle to do) or on the left with a player bang out of form playing on his wrong foot. NB. I'm one who thinks shifting Taylor over to the right would do him the world of good. In my view he is doing so badly because he is played on the left. To not even give him a go on the right is down right stupid.

..and being honest I don't give a toss about any of this so long as Tony LaRussa signs a new contract. (but Boston is still the ground I'd most like to go to).

Bugger 4-1.

[Not to pick up on too much as it is mainly right, but your rating of Eardley is so wrong it's just... wrong. His best game all season by a mile and easily my man of the match (for us) - which granted ain't saying much. Lesson of the day: This just goes to show how important Ricketts is to us.

Bases loaded. JD Drew up. Grand Slam. Looks like game seven boys and girls. Come on Boston.

Hows about Germany 5-1? But you wanted backs against the wall performances, when the chips are down. He's there. In those games we lost, he's the one who has almost pulled us out. I fail to see this even as an issue. There isn't a player I would say is more in the side than him. I'm afraid there ain't a great deal of games against good opposition where England walk off winners anymore. When we don't it is rarely down to Owen.

Or alternatively put. Since we budgeted for only requiring two keepers it is unlikely that we have much left over for a third. It is a short term loan, and uses him in the FA Cup. This rules out virtually every keeper so the list would be very short, with the two options being very experienced or very inexperienced. I know which I'd prefer.

Hmmm, well not to think too hard, but... Romania, 2-1 defeat, Owen pulls us out of the pap, before Phil Neville throws us back in. Argentina, that goal. Romania, 3-2 defeat, before Phil Neville throws us back in. Brazil, 1-2. Owen goal. Slovakia, awful performance, two Owen goals = 2-1 win Portugal in 2-2 draw, Owen opens the scoring Last night, won the header that scored the goal. I'm afraid if you want people to blame it ain't him.

I have no idea where I will be sitting as he has only secured them by text at the moment (so I'll be holding my breath until something more secure comes through, but he's generally okay that way), but I'll be wanting the Giants to win. Never really liked Miami as whilst at school people would go on holiday to America and come back a lifelong Miami fans knowing all their players back to front like Dan Marino and errr, Don Schula... Whilst I'd be there having been following the Cardinals since well into St Louis days and they'd be harping on about how much they know and blah, blah, blah. So, no, it's the Giants for me (although I don't especially like Eli for his :Censored:ish behaviour during the draft).

Yee-haw. My brother seems to think he has managed to secure us tickets. Any chance we can move the Orient game forward a week?

Shouldn't be too hard to fit Lampard in. Just put him as the forward midfielder and drop the shower of :censored:* show pony that is Steven Gerrard, who deserves to be dropped for last nights performance alone - never mind every other England game he hasn't shown up to*. *Except against the butchers, bakers and candlestick makers that are Andorra where he was dead good.

Wales - Hope they lose every game except against teams I really don't like. Scotland - Hope they lose every game against anyone. N Ireland - Quite like in a very patronising manner. Republic - Hope they lose every game except against Scotland.

Could have gone better in Cardinal land. Warner out with torn ligaments in his elbow (non-throwing), joins Leinart on the sideline. Third quarterback is obviously gash. Looks like another losing season. NB. Still top at the moment though!!!

Games are weekend of the 10th/11th November. I think the last qualifying round is the end of this montha nd the draw is after that weekend (27th/28th October).

The Patriots will win. They'll know all your defensive signals (and therefore plays). Biggest bunch of cheats going. Anything they have ever won under Belichick was won by cheating. Everything. 's

Stunned and amazed. Well not really. You get some in most places. My brother kept on getting narked at St Louis, when some young ladies directly behind him were having a conversation in "Oh my god, Really! No way" mode. For about two hours. The one I found a bit odd was San Diego, where they seemed a bit slow on the uptake. Must be something to do with being an expansion team (God knows what they'd be like in Arizona and Tampa if that's the case). Plus St Louis got pasted, I had sun burn on one side of my legs from walking to the stadium, and it was daytime and I wasn't drunk yet. Chicago, if you were getting annoyed you could move to one of the other 35,000 free seats.

Don't worry about it. We're one of few teams that will have enough fans in an away stadium to be a nuisance (plus being the most knowledgeable fans must wind people up). I can understand the lad finding it boring going to watch the White Sox, you get more atmosphere in your front room. If ever a team represented Wigan, nice stadium - no fans, they are it. Again I'll say it, if you watch baseball live you can get utterly battered without leaving your seat. How that can not be good I do not know*. *Well, except the bit where you get lost walking back from Anaheim in the middle of the night and 'amble' onto a Mexican estate.

I'm afraid that is when the Saturday night/Sunday morning drinking finally caught up with me so I was dead to the world for that game. It definately looks like a return of the Cardiac Card's for me. Five games played all decided by a touchdown or less. The first three with practically the last play of the game, the other two resolved with under a minute remaining. A winning season would be nice for us.

Sorry, I meant anyone decent. The Jets are poor, having only beaten, err, Miami, and the Eagles only win coming in that strange game against Detroit (who are looking a strange team all round) who I can presume were just dazzled by Philly's daft uniform that day.. The Giants are going to comfortably see off the Dolphins though.

Couldn't get tickets either. Signed up on the NFLUK site pretty early too (some daft time on Saturday morning). Even got an email saying 'you have "won" the opportunity to buy tickets at 10 am on blah, blah, blah'. Come 10am of that day (on the dot), that allocation was sold out. It was always going to be hard to run, and I guess a free for all was as fair as you could get. Hopefully we will get some form of European team in the future, split between here and Germany, which will enable season tickets and get rid of the one-timers. But that could be a long way off. As for the game, it could've turned out a bit better. It's starting to look like two pretty poor sides, well one dreadful side and one pretty average side. Other than Washington the Giants haven't beaten anyone, but they've put up points quite well, and there's no shame in losing to Dallas or Green Bay. Would think the Giants by about 10-14, but it's a little way off I suppose.