My poor hubby and son are exactly the same Prom - they spent tonight hubby biting his nails and son hugging a cushion - both looking grim..... but the Gooners got through   Happy night tonight ....until the next one

*yawns*

Then don't stop. It is a big part of your life and you love it. I am no expert but think how unhappy you would be if you couldn't watch it xxxx

I was watching the Chelsea game but keeping an eye on that one. When I saw it was 1-1 I thought bloody hell a late goal from Braga in the other game and they're out. I'm glad they made it through 

 My goodness so am I - I think a cloud would have descended over our house if they hadn't!

god knows prom.........i started supporting chelsea in 1974.......there's been some grim grim times.......every year though i used to say at the start of each season......'it's gonna be our year'.......and it never was........until recently........but even then there's been gutting times.......the c/l final for one..........i think it just makes it sweeter when you do actually hit the jackpot........makes all the tears and gut wrenching moments worth it...

i went with mr sponge a few years back to watch bournemouth play grimsby.....it was the last home game......if b'mth lost they were out of the league altogether and pretty much would've had it.........they won and it was brilliant.........he cried....i cried.....it was just the elation......

i don't think anyone who isn't a supporter understands it.......the passion you feel for your team

Spongey we definitely haven't had much (if anything) to complain about in recent times but we've been incredibly bad the last six games. In fact it was our performance (or complete lack of it) against Marseille tonight that inspired this thread. Drogba's love-in with the Marseille fans didn't endear me to him much either considering he was so bad for us he had to be taken off 

we've definitely hit a bad patch........dunno if it's coincidence or not that it hit as wilkins was sacked............something very odd there imo........

we've gone from being the team no one wanted to play to the team everyone wants to play next.........i think in hindsight getting shot of ballack,belletti etc wasn't a good move......we've no cover whatsoever........van aanholt,bruma,mceachran etc just aren't the full deal atm.............sturridge isn't too clever and seems too desperate to impress..often resulting in snatching at chances..........the drog,lamps and jt aren't getting any younger......but the players coming through aren't going to be any where near as good as far as i can see........

and 18 million was it on ramires..........he's flop of the season......just awful

didn't see the match......but heard we had two strong penalty claims....one was given then overturned?..........it certainly isn't going to give any confidence for the next few games in the league which are tough..........if it continues i can see ol roman with his axe falling onto carlo's nut

Ballack is industrious but too slow to play a part in midfield when we're on fire. I'm not sure we miss Beletti much either. It just seems the players have lost belief for whatever reason. Primadonnas who aren't used to losing springs to mind.

I agree about Sturridge, snatches at everything and won't pass. Kakuta is the exactly the same. I still don't think it's the general quality of players that's the problem though (we won the double last year) it's just an attitude thing. Maybe Carlo is feeling more undermined than he's letting on from recent events and it's brushing off on the players.

i was thinking of ballack and belletti more in terms of subs than regular starters......with lamps and essien missing we've had ramires whose weaker than a feather and mceachran covering......ballack has the experience.....likewise belletti........we've got van aanholt on the bench atm.........with jt having been out and now we're missing alex for weeks....for me i'd of had belleti at full back and iva in central defence where he's done quite well..

even joe cole who never looked the same player after that injury would've been in given the depletion we've got atm....the 3 of them contributed to the double last season

i think you're right in the fact some of them got to 'big time charlie'....we started off like an express train and i think some may have thought it was all too easy......i think there's definitely some unrest going on.....not that we'll hear of it

Yeah Prom, you think you got probs.................I'm a Newcastle supporter

Blue-tinted glasses if you don't mind me saying so spongey Ballack often went missing in big games and Belletti was a good player to bring on when things were going well but not so much when we were struggling. I think Ramires is struggling because he's playing in a very uninspired Chelsea team and Joe Cole, lol, if he never came anywhere near Chelsea again it would be a million years too soon for me Slow stepovers and losing possession all the time is the kind of thing I want to see him do at Liverpool, not Chelsea. I was kind of upset when he got injured and couldn't play for them 

sprout! xx

and on that note.....i'm off to beddy byes.....nice chatting to you both xx.....

course i don't mind prom!!....its all about opinions!........ballack did go missing.........alot!.....but i'd still rather him be in atm than ramires........

as for joe cole.........a right fancy dan.....but scored the goal at utd that helped get the title last year.....so i can forgive him!

really gtg to bed now!......nice chatting to you xx...and lets keep our fingers crossed for a win at the spuds on sunday!...

Shearer is right. You're about where you should be considering the players you've got and sacking Houghton was madness. And Pardew? What the hell?

Yep we sure need it. Night spongey 

*yawns louder*

Prom,.................two words....................Mike Ashley


He knows not what he do   I reckon he's condemmed us to relegation again  and it's all because Pardew is friends with Lambias

OY Ferny! this is serious business ere  I need to rant............let out my feelings

That explains a lot. Utter madness. I've never seen a manager shafted so badly. Ashley deserves Grant imo. A trip back down to the Championship having sacked someone who brought them up might be a wake up call for him.

And that's what he'll get..........Cause in no way in Pardew any stronger than Hughton

Actually I'd like to see Glen Hoddle get a go, but it will never happen

Maybe he doesn't care anymore. He's been trying to sell the club for yonks now, a very unpopular owner with the fans. He just wants out.

*sniggers* 

Shurrup!

Ref Prom.

Ashley just wants out


...........whatever gives you that impression?

Nope! make me! ye who can't quote!!! 

If the toon go doon I will show my bottom in Fenwicks window. (even if MA deserves it) meanwhile even though I have zero tolerance for Chelsea, I do hope that they join the other two clubs from that London and Manchester united in the last four. As I said before, and I'll say it again because I liked it the first time, Blatter and Platini don't like it up 'em.

I don't think there is any club doing particularly well at the moment... so I wouldnt worry too much. United are carrying a large debt, have a dodgy owner and problems with Rooney questioning their ambition when they seem to win trophies on an annual basis. They have trouble up front by the looks of it, looking to Berbatov to provide the goods? Not sure how long that will last. We have ours aswell, can't seem to win without Tevez at the moment... one man team. Liverpool... well, no comment. Villa & Everton, both seem to be battling to avoid relegation. Tottenham, bit up and down for them really... looks like they may lose their champions league spot. The only team that seems to look half decent at the moment is Arsenal, they got problems with this Fabregas to Barce but seem to be hanging on in there. Also, I don't think I have ever seen... I say "mid table/lower league" teams with respect like Bolton, Blackpool, WBA, Sunderland and Stoke have a right do at the big clubs like this before. The big clubs seem to certainly struggle to walk over them these days. WBA, Blackpool and Newcastle came back up. All three seem to be knocking around mid table when usually they go straight back down again. Il be glad to see West Ham and Wigan relegated, both clubs lack any ambition. Even Bolton seem to be challenging for the top four at the moment

So either English Football has gone downhill... or just the smaller clubs seem to have upped their game, Bolton seem to have said "right, we want to be up there aswell" and then sacked Megson and now are now no push over. Its certainly not Uniteds/Chelseas title this year... I would say there is four or five teams certainly capable of winning the league. God help the big clubs (especially us) when these financial fair play rules kick in. We won't be allowed to take part in the Champions League and I don't think we will be able to bend the rules on this one.

Why would that be Joe? Just curious 

Joe, I'm under no illusions........I'm not one of them that thinks the Toon is too big to go down  It could well happen again.  


Ferny...I can quote.....I just can't be arsed to use two browsers at the moment

Bugger!

Really good post but I picked this point out particularly. You're right, but we (Chelsea) have really lost our way. I thought we won the league last year because the 'big four' were particularly weak last season. No way will we pull the same stunt twice.

I agree a lot of what are considered lesser clubs are punching way above their weight too. To be honest I'm really glad to see it. I'd hate to see the PL turn into the SPL where the same two clubs take turns winning the league every f*cking year.

It's not about how big you are it's about the quality of players in the team and having a manager that gets the best out of them. Houghton did an amazing job and it's a disgrace he got sacked. Ashley is quickly turning into one of the biggest c****s in football.

Van Persie has pretty much just said after getting through to the knockout stages "Bring On Barcelona"

Their gonna face either

Bayern München
Real Madrid
Schalke 04 or
Barcelona

We will soon see if the premier leagues in form side is any good, if they play Barcelona I expect they will get hammered... probably the same with Madrid. Just listening to some Arsenal fans earlier, they said they really don't want to face either Madrid or Barce. Says it all about the quality of football over here really, the best side at the moment is bricking it... and I would be the same if it was City.

Exactly Prom! It might not have happened quick enough, but it was coming with Houghton.   He appeared to have brought some stability to the club. I hope he goes on to much bigger and better things TBH

Ok peeps, I'm off.....Night

Why do I dislike Chelsea? Where do I start? Daftness at the start! I think it days back  to when they beat Leeds in the FA Cup. Me and me dad lost a bet, we'd backed 'em all the way through. Though TBF we won a packet with the same method when the mackems won. For my younger readers I can reveal that the FA Cup was once a huge affair. Later on we played Chelsea in the final of one of those silly early SKY competitions and their fans did attack women and children. Plus a coupla trips to Wemberley when my son and I were subject to further attacks by arrogant twats, if I may say so. It's one of those things. I daresay that some of our so called fans were equally as violent, but do have some sort of code. One becomes bigoted. Chelsea take their place in my own irrational dislike along with Ronaldo and the cheating Bavarians.

Damn that predictive text! But I hope you got the drift!