Weekend Preview

"Leeds United will go top of the Premiership when they win on Saturday. This may only last until Sunday when two of their major title challengers meet at Anfield. With either Liverpool or Arsenal certain to drop points at the weekend it is a great opportunity for the other main contenders, Manchester United and Chelsea, to make up ground.

The superb football on offer from Tottenham has everyone's pulse racing and it can only be a matter of weeks before they climb into their rightful Champions League position. It is a shame that there are only 4 Champions League places to share between these six teams as they are all worthy candidates wo belong amongst Europe's elite."

-- Anonymous, December 20, 2001

Answers

we like it like that though don't we?

-- Anonymous, December 20, 2001

Chelsea? Would this be the same Chelsea that got beaten by Hapless Teflon or whatever they were called?

-- Anonymous, December 20, 2001

Hope Bobby tapes that up in the dressing room.

-- Anonymous, December 20, 2001

Henry Winter makes up for yesterday by praising us today, saying that we are a neat and nimble outfit with some searing pace, experience in Speed and Shearer, an international class goalie and a manager who is respected by his dressing room.

-- Anonymous, December 20, 2001

"...but one that hasn't got a hope in hell of actually winning owt: a quaint, well-supported curiousity" - presumably? Tosser!

-- Anonymous, December 20, 2001

Au contraire, Clarky, I think he actually said that we presented a bit of a complication in the title race.

-- Anonymous, December 20, 2001

Normally this would really bug me but after Tuesday I DON'T CARE!! We won in London and are top of the league and no t*$$er journo can take that away!

-- Anonymous, December 20, 2001

Howay lads'n'lasses... it was moi who penned that ;-)

... and the reaction is exactly as I expected.... sorry ....

-- Anonymous, December 20, 2001

FROM BBC ONLINE Today

BBC Sport's John Motson believes this year's title race will go right to the wire. No-one could have even dreamed of a more exciting race to the Premiership title this season. Many people believed the sale of Jaap Stam may have an affect on Manchester United's title hopes. But few could contemplate the Old Trafford club being part of a eight- way tussle for the title. Any team out of Arsenal, Leeds, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Newcastle, Chelsea, Spurs and Man United could be lifting the trophy come May. What I do think it shows is that this will be the season when someone else other than Sir Alex Ferguson's side can win the Barclaycard Premiership. United, who have been champions seven years in the last nine seasons, at last seem vulnerable. They have been conceding goals by the bucket load, the team has been unsettled and the manager has been saying some very unusual things for him about a lack of motivation. In essence, they have laid the championship race open for another club to win it. Now, from the position they held going into the Christmas programme, Liverpool are my favourites to win it. Apart from the occasional slip-up, they have games in hand, they are playing well and they are winning matches, despite the absence of Gerard Houllier. With Phil Thompson at the helm, Liverpool have put a really impressive run together, and at this stage of the season, you'd have to say they were favourites. The main threat will come from Arsenal. I think the way they came back from two goals down against Aston Villa at Highbury to win 3-2 said everything about the spirit in their team. In Thierry Henry, they have got the best striker in the country on current form - over 20 goals by the start of December - and of course they have also got players to come back. If you also bear in mind that Arsenal have been playing without David Seaman, Tony Adams and Lee Dixon - three very experienced defenders, you suddenly realise they can only get better. But the people's champions would have to be Newcastle United. Last season they really struggled to find any sort of form but Bobby Robson has transformed a middle of the road team into genuine title contenders.

-- Anonymous, December 20, 2001

And there's me thinking Motty was a prize c**t...gawd bless 'im

-- Anonymous, December 20, 2001

Peoples champions? what utter fucking tosh.....we're like Millwall these days...no-one likes us and we don't care....

-- Anonymous, December 20, 2001

maybe not a c*nt but a bit deluded if he reckons we are in with a shout!

-- Anonymous, December 20, 2001

Andy Gray was saying the other day that he thought Spurs, Villa and Newcastle could all do it and the big tragedy was that the managers and players were all betraying their fans by denying it and showing a tragic lack of ambition..

-- Anonymous, December 20, 2001

Showing a large dose of common sense more like. Perhaps the pundits are just getting annoyed we're not giving them the rope to hang us with should we fail to win the title. ;-)

-- Anonymous, December 20, 2001

Nowt wrong with our ambition.... we WANT to win it... but we are also realistic. We CAN win it but this season it is going to take other clubs to screw up as well as a brilliant spell by us. Next season....

-- Anonymous, December 20, 2001

Geordie, spot on: anything CAN happen. Look at how well Chievo are doing and, closer to home, Ipswich coming 5th last season. I think the less anti-Toon journalists are thinking that it would be romantic beyond even the romance of the Keegan years for YBR to win the PL for us but the reality is, a European spot would be a good season's work with a solid base for challemging soon.

-- Anonymous, December 20, 2001

We won't win it, but I would like to think we'll finish above Tottenham. They aren't even that high in the league to deserve all the praise. One defeat and they could be mid table again.

-- Anonymous, December 20, 2001

Oh, to keep our unbeaten in London run going when we go to Sh*te Hart Lane...

-- Anonymous, December 20, 2001

You don't like Tottenham do you Paul? ;-))

-- Anonymous, December 20, 2001

Our London record this term has been fan-bloody-tastic.

Last season we won none (of course) and drew none of our capital games. This season it's been capital gains, as we have picked up 5 points from 5 games already - a great improvement.

I still look back and think that the Intertoto is responsible for our success so far this season. It gave our relatively new team time to gel a bit and by the time Chelsea came we were fit and ready while they were lethargic and tired - we could so easily have beaten Chelsea on that opening day.

Our confidence and team spirit has ballooned from there. Games like the 4-4 Troyes game probably helped the spirit (maybe apart from the Barton booing incident) to no end.

Sunderland made a huge mistake by not taking the Intertoto place. They have applied for it this season but it seems unlikely they will get anywhere near the position needed to make it.

-- Anonymous, December 20, 2001

...and that would be really sad, don't you think?

-- Anonymous, December 20, 2001

It would indeed be really sad.

As a football fan from the North-East I like to see all of the local clubs doing well and it really gives me great pain to see the Mackems languishing in 13th place.

It is also sad that my Mackem neighbour has avoided me like the plague since we beat Arsenal :)

-- Anonymous, December 20, 2001

Any signs that we're hedging our bets by giving the I'toto another chance ? :-))

-- Anonymous, December 20, 2001

I think we should play in the InterToto even if we don't have to. That was the best fun we've had in years.

-- Anonymous, December 21, 2001

I see monkey man down the road has said he'll accept a place in it this year.....

-- Anonymous, December 21, 2001

Funny how they can suddenly see the advantages, isn't it?

-- Anonymous, December 21, 2001

What's the chance of them going over on the banana boat?

-- Anonymous, December 21, 2001

Zero...the contents would be emptied before it left port

-- Anonymous, December 21, 2001

A banana boat is surely too expensive for SAFC?

-- Anonymous, December 21, 2001

Beraing in mind that they only pay peanuts.

-- Anonymous, December 21, 2001