Laivasse

I feel dirty for having read it, too. Off to blowtorch the eyes out of my head

For all Arsenal's possession, Wigan had the better chances and even missed scoring from better opportunities than Arsenal had. Their composure at the back showed up Arsenal's own defending for the joke it was. In such a situation I think it was perfectly fair to ask whether they'd been beaten by the better team on the day (which is also what the commentators, and Neville and his organ grinder agreed upon). Wenger dealt with that question okay - 'I fink you are bit 'arsh on uzz....' - but laughing to himself when asked about Wigan's tactics just rubbed me up completely the wrong way.

Wenger is a classless word removed. When interviewed after the game and asked if Wigan's 3-4-3 had anything to do with how difficult Arsenal found it, he chuckled to himself and poo-pooed the idea, almost as if he'd been asked something idiotic like 'Did you lose the match due to Martinez' lucky rabbit's foot or a pact he made with a witch?' Wake up, you just got out-attacked and out-defended at home. If you can't give credit to the tactics of your opposition - especially much weaker opposition - in that situation, then you should just piss off and shut your mouth rather than chuckling away like we're all in on a joke together.

Oh yes he is The evidence of the whole season and our current form says he isn't The evidence of last season, from the same point onwards when SHA actually had more points than us, says he is.

Don't worry, the chances of McLeish winning any more games aren't too hot. That's who you meant, right?

We've only kept 3 clean sheets since Boxing Day, inclusive. So I doubt we can keep another 3 over the next month. There's no way we can afford not to go all out to score in every game. Three 1-1s then. We have drawn 2 of our last 3 games 1-1 after all. :winkold: I know and agree a few more points should see us OK, but my point was we have to keep scoring, which is worrying with Bent out and Gabby disinterested. Hoping for 0-0s would suggest we have some hope of keeping things tight at the back, which we don't seem to. McLeish has certainly disproved the idea that he is a defensive manager.

We've only kept 3 clean sheets since Boxing Day, inclusive. So I doubt we can keep another 3 over the next month. There's no way we can afford not to go all out to score in every game.

We'd help our cause by actually playing good against them. Only performance we've put in that was comparable to Wigan tonight was the win over Chelsea, yet Wigan have played like that a few times.

His passing is mostly okay, mostly because it's timid and cautious, but his crossing really is awful. Doesn't require anything to be fabricated, Hutton stinks in most aspects of his game.

Why do the nasty FA men force us to play elite clubs like this? It's ridiculous to expect a club like ours to compete. Has any football team ever even beaten United?? I doubt it. Refuse to vote for MotM. We were like those faceless jobbing wrestlers they used to get in every week on the WWF. Always destined to lose, mediocre in every way. Ironically, 0-4 probably qualifies as 'keeping the score down' for a manager as bad as MCLeish. While I don't often blame the officials for changing a game - and I'm sure we would have lost anyway - special mention should be made of Mark Halsey. He is MotM for being such an obnoxious kunt of a terrible ref that it almost became funny. Even if he had had the best, most impartial and observant game ever - which is exactly what he did not have - then that decision to let Utd play on and attack after Clark's head collision would still have reeked of incompetence, bias and corruption. So you suddenly decide that an injury is too severe to allow play to continue, ONLY after Utd give the ball away on the counter? Absolutely **** sickening. He should never ref a prem game again.

N'Zogbia finally on to partner Irela- oh, wait. **** off, McLeish

Good man Savage, even if he is a bell-end. That really was a dumbfounding bit of refereeing. It's one thing to get a call wrong, that's just a matter of judgement. It's a completely different matter to do something that makes no sense at all, to create an advantage for one team at the disregard of a player's health. Really the worst bit of refereeing I've seen in years.

Shush you, I think United are in the middle of an attack. How dare you suggest anything else is more important. At least wait until afterwards to bring it up.

Holy shit I don't believe my eyes. Did Halsey just play advantage on a HEAD INJURY? Advantage???? Played during a play-stopping health concern???? Unfuckingbelievable. You either stop the play because a Villa player is hurt or you don't. You DON'T allow United to have a go at attacking and then decide a player has a serious injury only after Ujnited screw up their chance. UNFUCKINGBELIEVABLE. What a corrupt **** word removed.

So poor. So predictable. So McLeish. Let's get a few bob together and make a billboard with that on.

That was a great run from Gabby, there was just no clear pass on. Playing it back was sensible. Not every single forward movement can be a laser cutting their defence in half.

Amazing save Given.

Disgraceful that the ref didn't at least give Scholes a couple of quick kisses on his buttocks when he was down. What is this league coming to when a Utd player can't get some mouth-to-arse service from the ref.

Shit, great work by Weimann to keep his play clean and prevent the ref from blowing, like he was probably desperate to. Ireland good idea, just not quite there.

Collins defending his balls off, nearly literally.

Normally I am rightly disgusted by calls to see players injured, but you've gone through bad taste and out the other side into good comedy. Good stuff.

Outrageous that Gabby isn't scoring more with the incredible service he's getting. Sell up immediately.

Oh well, as long as he doesn't get booed and we show we appreciate his good service. My arse. Always been a massive word removed and was a petulant waste of space under Houllier.

Interesting stuff, but everybody knows that Downing is having a shambolic season and almost any attacking midfielder in the prem would compare favourably with him atm. I remember someone here posted the chalkboard analysis of Downing's passing one time and rather than crossing it looks like he passes backwards almost every time he gets in an advanced position. So either his confidence is shot or he's being poorly instructed, or both. Last season he was immense for us, putting a lot more effort in than Ash did for most of it. As for N'Zog, I've seen enough glimpses of quality this season to be confident that he will eventually come good. I think he's already been better for us, in a bad team, than Downing was when he was first playing under MON, and he'll only improve as long as McLeish doesn't ruin him by freezing him out.

IMO at the beginning of this season he played well on the left because he bought into some of the bull that McLeish would open a new chapter in Gabby's career. Simply put, he was motivated... psychology is a huge part of football and it has to be about much more than sticking obscene amounts of money in a player's pocket and saying 'off you go, son'. Being paid £50k/week as a footballer in the prem doesn't make you massively different from many other prem footballers, so it won't be the one inspiring factor in making a player play better than the rest. As for his lapse to shitness, sticking him out wide is all or nothing. He either defies whole defences and delivers goals on a plate with his weaker foot or he does nothing, so 9/10 performances don't simply turn into 6/10's, they're abysmal instead. He's not intelligent enough to be dragged deeper into buildup play over a long span of games (same is true of Bent tbh).