Observations

Some observations and statto type stuff. Not that they need highlighting, but in case you've just woken up from a coma, read on. What with the fabled International Break now upon us, many will want to avoid slipping into a coma so best to keep talking about Spurs. No chance of boredom what with all the various arcs and sub-plots doing the rounds over in N17.

Goals Conceded, Goals Scored

Only Chelsea and City have conceded less goals in the league than us. But the former has scored almost double the amount we have. Sort of great, sort of not. Make-shift defence currently getting away with it or doing a sterling job. Depends on how deep you analysis from one game to the next. Down to bare bones, yet we keep plugging away. As for our forwards and lack of goals...

One Goal

Seven Prem games in and the collective force of Defoe, Crouch, dos Santos, Roman and Keane have given us the one, single goal between them. If forwards are not scoring, then you have to look at their all round play to justify their inclusion. JD is injured. So that leaves just Crouch who does assist, at the very least. And he's good with his feet too, apparently. You know, for a tall bloke.

One Point

One point gained against Wigan, WBA and West Ham. And yet we find ourselves in the top 5. Man Utd haven't won away from home yet and are third. Either the league is very average or super competitive. The only thing we should be gutted about is that we are just as slow out of the blocks, stuttering away, much like 99% of the league.

What if...oh what if, we had hit the ground running and changed up a gear earlier in the season? This old season of seven games of age.

At the minute, even Chelsea who have stormed ahead, don't look out of this world amazing. They don't have to be. Man Utd, are looking mid-table. How's that for controversy. Fergie will have to sign 3/4 of our players in Jan to juice up his side again. Batten down the hatches, Daniel.

So, with us and 4th spot, it's going to be about who starts to pull away from their competition, and thus applying the pressure on the chasing pack. The alternative is, this stop-start we've got in the Prem at the moment which everyone seems to be embracing, continues, which will mean this season might well be the most open ever. More so than last season. Can you handle that? I'm still holding out with my prediction that we'll finish about City and we'll finish in the Top 4. Again. There is something eerie about the Prem this season.

England squad

Crouch is joined by Huddlestone and Lennon. May the Gods have mercy on us this time round. We're a big club now, right? Can they not all pull out due to slight knocks?



Observations after Anfield...

Some observations after Anfield and beyond...(reposted, as the original article had comments disabled)

Did we learn anything from the 2-0 loss? We learnt that we always, without fail, choke when expectations are high. In fact we choke even when expectations are not high. Without fail. Ha! All we had to do was show some assertive swagger at Anfield and instead we failed miserably. Between now and April - if we stand any chance, any chance at all of finishing 4th - we have to remain unbeaten. Because April could well be a shower of pain. Take a look at the fixture list, then go sit in the corner of a room and slowly rock your body forwards and backwards until the men in white coats help you up.

Howard Webb is a mong. How many times has he directly influenced a game against our favour now?

Aston Villa 6 Blackburn 4. Did I really miss this game? Nine different goal-scorers? I even removed the recording from Sky+ just after it began because the other half wanted me to record American Idol. Which I happen to watch with her. Well, she doesn't actually watch it. I watch it on my own. With popcorn.

Did Jenas have a good game? Once more he divides opinion. Some people think he's shit others think he's crap. So, what do you think? Did he work hard or was he ineffectual out there? Flattered to deceive or under-rated? Who knows. Fact is he never does anything that can be perceived as completely comprehensive one way or the other.

The men holding the flags and the mong with the whistle are utterly incapable of understanding the offside rule and how it works in a passage of play where the player comes back into an onside position before the ball is played forwards again. Which is what happened with Defoe. I think.

Was I the only person who thought that was Pav on the touchline coming on only to then see Hutton? I think it's safe to say that our 'squad depth' is vastly over-rated.

Arsenal continue to exist within a bubble where the laws of the footballverse are ignored without question. It seems that brutal tackles are acceptable when dished out by one of the untouchables. The irony is invisible as witnessed with the cowardly foul Gallas committed on Mark Davies, with led to a goal for the home side from the resulting break away. Wenger, obviously, didn't see it yet feels it wasn't too bad. Didn't see it, but concludes it wasn't too bad. The logic. It's unparalleled. Dismissive. Anyone care to remember the Eduardo Crusade? There were rocks on the moon that knew about the heinous assault on the player thanks to Wenger's relentless ranting. Davies appears to have got lucky (not quite the right way to describe it). Brilliant stuff at the end of the game with Gallas and his Haiti awareness drive. Faux morality at it's finest.

Also worth mentioning how Wenger doesn't think his team did anything wrong by not kicking the ball into touch with a player down injured. How times have changed since 2006. Someone let BMJ know. WengerVision is in full effect.

Peter Crouch will never be awarded a free-kick in his favour, even if sexually assaulted in the penalty area. It would seem it's fair to hang onto the lank, pulling and tugging his shirt, kissing his neck and doing your utmost to drag him down to the ground so you can have your wicked way with him. Next tall person you see on the street, jump on his back and spank his bottom. No one cares. They're freaks. It's what they're meant for.

Bale. I feel for this lad. He isn't a bad player. In fact, going forward he is more than useful. Doesn't defend as brightly so development wise we need to work out where his future should be. Left back or left wing. Wing-back it is then. Regardless of the position the result is always the same. No win. It's not a monkey on his back. It's his monkey face. Resolution? Plastic surgery. Pin back those ears, shave his head and sort out some re-constructive work on his cheek bones and we're set to go!

When's Azza back? We're a one man team.