Leeds United v Newcastle United: don’t let them Monk us off

Newcastle United’s quest to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking, continues on Sunday at Elland Road.

It couldn’t be a tougher match for the Magpies to get back into the swing of things. Leeds United are sixth in table, winning their last three including an impressive 3 – 2 win at Norwich. The match is promising to be Newcastle’s toughest test since beating Norwich 4 – 3 at St James Park.

Unbeaten at Elland Road since 1999, Newcastle are 20/21 with Sun Bets to win this weekend. It’s hardly surprising as the come into the match on the back of a seven-match winning streak in the Championship, conceding just six goals.

Jonjo Shelvey, pivotal in Newcastle’s surge to the top of the table, is available, having denied the FA’s misconduct charge relating to allegations that he used racially motivated language during the 2 – 0 defeat at home to Wolves in September.

If found guilty, he faces a five-match ban which would cause Rafa Benitez a problem. Consistency has been Shelvey’s problem in the past as he struggled to live up to the media hype after signing for Liverpool aged 18. This season, he has found a groove and believes that if he continues playing this well, he could be in line for an England call-up.

Another who might be looking in that direction is Dwight Gayle. England’s woes in front of goal. He is in his most prolific run of scoring as a professional with 11 goals in 12 Championship games. If he continues to bang in the goals at that rate, it will be a phenomenal season for a striker who is more used to being on the periphery than leading the line.

Both managers have praised the opposition’s supporters and Elland Road is expected to be a cauldron on Sunday. Leeds, inspired and in front of their own fans, are a force to be reckoned with but if Newcastle can keep them at bay for the opening twenty to thirty minutes, the infectious enthusiasm of the faithful will be dampened.

The Toon Army expects Newcastle to win and their support has been pivotal in the XI’s success on the road. Since the wake-up call of losing to Fulham at Craven Cottage on the opening day, the Magpies have won six and drawn one of the seven games. A lesson well-learned judging by the results.

Winning on Sunday is crucial to re-igniting the flame of the promotion charge. The disruption of the international break lost the momentum built; it’s up to the players to get back into their stride quickly.

94 thoughts on “Leeds United v Newcastle United: don’t let them Monk us off

  1. Sharpy from the last thread. You put up Fabian Delph as someone we should get. I am not sure if that was as Anita’s replacement? I don’t see why buying Delph would stop us keeping Anita as they are now playing in different positions. Anita is a right back now and we need cover there and in this market I think we could easily get a few million for him. He was in the last Dutch squad so has been brought back into the fold. No wonder he wasn’t in for most of NUFC because he was being played in midfield where he wasn’t suitable.

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  2. It’s my thread you cheeky mare! 😉

    Shamrock:
    Good thread Jake. Could be a tough game but I’m backing us to sneak the win 2-1.

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  3. Sharpy17
    November 17, 2016 at 17:07
    Groucho:
    Sharpy is right to question whether a player is good enough for the Premier League because that is what we should be planning for. However apart from a few teams at the top most Premiership teams are mainly filled with good squad players who may occasionally be outstanding but not be consistent enough to be called top class.
    Which brings me to England. I will never be fully behind the team until players are selected on merit rather than the team they play for.
    Groucho – but then doesn’t that speak volumes. If the vast majority of teams in the PL are full of ‘good squad players’ – yet none of them came in for Anita – who only had a year left on his contract. He would have been an affordable purchase for a Swansea or Watford or any of the 3 going up, yet nobody (in England or abroad) came in for him.

    I believe Gouffran is another who’s contract is up in the summer as well. He would be the same for me. Don’t dislike the guy & he’s doing a decent job at the moment, but will he do the biz in the PL.

    I’m also SO pleased we didn’t hand Arrons a new lucrative contract as many on here were calling for. I was hounded for my view that the kid had to prove his fitness first. He would have been sat getting 25-30k or more a week if some had their way – waste of money & time to cut him loose now as well IMO.

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  4. Regarding it being quiet on here. That was always going to happen when we dropped down a league, even with the new energy around SJP and the team. One of the main factors is lack of televised games. I think I have been able to see 4 or 5 this season and radio is just not the same. Quite a few on here live away from Newcastle so this was always going to be a problem. Of course the bloody International Breaks interrupting any flow the team gets is a pain. You just get started and then have to put up with that, especially since I think the Euros had killed off any remaining interest for a lot of people.

    Troy not coming on to do his **** stirring doesn’t help. Whatever anybody thinks of Troy he could cause an argument in an empty room which gets blog traffic. Also, Stuart used to be on a lot more.

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  5. Sharpy I was saying the same about Aaron’s when people were saying he should be our first choice left winger. He is a perennial sick note that can’t be relied in but may end up being a decent squad player. With every new injury he picks up though. That looks less and less likely. Now we are stuck with him on a 5 year deal but I’m confident if he gets fit, somebody will take whatever wages we are paying him in order to get him on loan whilst he builds up fitness and experience.

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  6. thanks Andy, gonna be a tough game I reckon. Leeds are in a bit of form and it’s away and most important of all it’s televised :roll throw in the int break and momentum lost and we could be on to a hiding to nothing.

    Ice- Re the Shelvey thing and that language barrier. It’s entirely possible that team mates told him to call him a freak to wind him up. All the lad had to do was say freak, not hard to remember.

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  7. Kimtoon: I looked up Leeds’s recent results and they are on a very good run of form since Monk took over. He has them up to sixth and on current form they are probably only behind us and Brighton. Will be a tough game, but they had to deal with the International Break as well. I am going for a 1-1. In years past in a fixture like this someone would say they would “snatch your hand off” for a draw. At least in my case I am not thinking about that with this team. We have more quality than Leeds and are top of the league with our own spectacular run of form since that first 2 game blip. I am saying a draw because that’s what I think it will be not because I have accepted it.

    It looks like Leeds will be promotion contenders. Maybe what they needed was a decent manager and for the owner to stop interfering. Mmmm…. Now where have I seen that recently with another team?

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  8. Eric Sykes:
    Sharpy: Aarons did get a new contract, mate.

    Eric – not the size of the one some thought he should have got having only played a handful of games for us.

    As for Anita. If he stays I wouldn’t been too arsed, but equally I wouldn’t be arsed if he left either to be honest. If he is making the Dutch squad it must be one of the worst in their history I reckon.

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  9. Sharpy: I get what you are saying but Delph is not like for like with Anita anymore. I think Anita making the Dutch squad was recognition that he was playing well in his new position. And, yes, the Dutch squad is probably the worst in recent memory although didn’t they beat England in that friendly in the lead up to the Euros?

    I watched the USA get spanked by Costa Rica and Yedlin came on as a late sub and played right wing. Rafa is probably working on the defensive side of his game but it is nice to have a player like Anita available for tough games. Ritchie gets stuck in as well which helps. At SJP playing lesser teams that sit back we can afford Yedlin though. Just saying it is nice to have a choice and depth and as I said previously it makes a change from the stupid “purples” era.

    Remember what that ill-fated “purples” plan was that was named after high value poker chips coz we had a bloody casino manager as MD? It was have a high quality 1st 11-16 and then back them up with kids and journeymen. Of course they forgot that we had the worst injury record in the league for many years so it was doomed to failure for that alone. Add that we have only really produced Dummet from the academy in 9 years of Ashley/Carr/Beardsley. Lastly, a lot of the players acquired weren’t really “purples” anyway.

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  10. Anita seems to be a fine fill-in at RB for me. I like him there as a backup for this season but he probably wants more football. He will be a little light weight if we go back up to the Prem. I think the summer would be a good time to move him on along with a few others like Dummett and Gouffran in the summer in preparation for bringing in better players.

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  11. Said before this is the toughest game yet I will be more than happy with a point

    KIM you could be right mate it’s a easy word to pick up

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  12. G2: Dummett? He has probably been our most consistent player for the past few years, when not injured. I think if you look up stats with him in and out of the team our win % changes. Probably a statistical anomaly but I remember Colback having a couple of ‘mares at leftback and it is questionable whether Haidara could actually defend.

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  13. Eric Sykes:
    Kimtoon: I looked up Leeds’s recent results and they are on a very good run of form since Monk took over. He has them up to sixth and on current form they are probably only behind us and Brighton. Will be a tough game, but they had to deal with the International Break as well. I am going for a 1-1. In years past in a fixture like this someone would say they would “snatch your hand off” for a draw. At least in my case I am not thinking about that with this team. We have more quality than Leeds and are top of the league with our own spectacular run of form since that first 2 game blip. I am saying a draw because that’s what I think it will be not because I have accepted it.

    It looks like Leeds will be promotion contenders. Maybe what they needed was a decent manager and for the owner to stop interfering. Mmmm…. Now where have I seen that recently with another team?

    Indeed mate, and I agree a point would be fine.

    Ice, I reckon that’s what happened mate, he got told to wind up Shelvey by just saying freak to him, oldest trick in the book .

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  14. Man, another game that I’ll wish I could watch but will have to settle for tweets and highlights after.

    I tried using a link here a few weeks ago, but got his with some ridiculous buyware stuff that drove me nuts. So, no more links for me.

    Very excited to be done with the International break though, not only because I am a US fan and they played dreadfully, but man did I miss me some NUFC…

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  15. Norcal: you should be able to get it via a good link as Sky are showing the game. It is being shown on BEin sports in the States on a 2 hour delay. You should look into getting this service as they show tons of other games – La Liga, including all Real and Barca, a lot of Italian and French as well. Plus they show a couple of Championship games a week and the South American WC qualifiers.

    I get it as a sports package for about 6-7 bucks a week extra. You should look into it because there are some great games and you will be able to catch 4 or 5 NUFC games at least on there. They also have some discussion panel and round up shows that are worth a watch.

    Being able to watch Messi and Ronaldo with your kids every week will be worth it alone. And it wont even **** off your wife as everything is over by about 1 or 2 pm on the weekend so there is plenty of time to do other things. And, of course. you can record it if you want an alternative to **** reality shows. I am sure you have more than 1 TV.

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  16. I put Aguero as my treble captain tomorrow so he bloody well score a hatrick at least. Pardew will tell them to park the bus and have no plan B when the goals start flowing in.

    I wouldn’t underestimate Leed’s tomorrow. Think it will be a difficult game.

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  17. I’ve worried about a few teams we’ve played this season and Leeds is no different. All of those games turned out at nothing to be worried about and we won quite easily. 1-3 on Sunday!

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  18. looks like Rafa is going to bring players in Jan but no hint who,got to be cover for Shelvey imo could even get Judge in on a free.

    dont want to be doom and gloom but i think we will get beat on Sunday,i hope not its just a feeling,the refs in this lge are 3rd raters anything can happen surely the FA can see how very poor they are something needs to be done to improve the standard quickly

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  19. How does this man still have a job? In the calendar year 2016 Palace have the WORST points per game of 0.73 in all 4 English Leagues. Yes, they have the worst record of any team in the Football League and the year is nearly over. Big game against Citeh.

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  20. does anyone know if Leeds had any players away in the break???or have they had two weeks to work with their full team

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  21. Eric Sykes:
    How does this man still have a job? In the calendar year 2016 Palace have the WORST points per game of 0.73 in all 4 English Leagues. Yes, they have the worst record of any team in the Football League and the year is nearly over. Big game against Citeh.

    they will get done good and proper even though they will park the bus and hope for a break away with the pace of Townsend and Zaha

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  22. Eric Sykes:
    Norcal: you should be able to get it via a good link as Sky are showing the game. It is being shown on BEin sports in the States on a 2 hour delay. You should look into getting this service as they show tons of other games – La Liga, including all Real and Barca, a lot of Italian and French as well. Plus they show a couple of Championship games a week and the South American WC qualifiers.

    I get it as a sports package for about 6-7 bucks a week extra. You should look into it because there are some great games and you will be able to catch 4 or 5 NUFC games at least on there. They also have some discussion panel and round up shows that are worth a watch.

    Being able to watch Messi and Ronaldo with your kids every week will be worth it alone. And it wont even **** off your wife as everything is over by about 1 or 2 pm on the weekend so there is plenty of time to do other things. And, of course. you can record it if you want an alternative to **** reality shows. I am sure you have more than 1 TV.

    Eric,
    I have BEiN Sports on my Comcast network. However, do I have to go through OnDemand or something? I rarely see a NUFC game on the schedule. Then occasionally I will have a recorded game show up but it’s from a week or so earlier.

    Also, I am contemplating the whole superstition that since I’ve stopped trying to watch the games, they’ve done really well. So maybe it’s better that I don’t watch…why ruin a good run?

    Thanks for the info though.

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  23. Norcal: NUFC haven’t been televised that much which is partly why BEin haven’t shown them. They have the Friday game and usually an early game on the weekend. You will probably have to set your DVR. I think we will be on more from now on as we are getting on British TV more in the next few months. That seems to dictate whether they show it here.

    They are showing a replay of Leeds/NUFC at 12 o clock central time on Sunday.

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  24. Eric Sykes:
    Norcal: NUFC haven’t been televised that much which is partly why BEin haven’t shown them. They have the Friday game and usually an early game on the weekend. You will probably have to set your DVR. I think we will be on more from now on as we are getting on British TV more in the next few months. That seems to dictate whether they show it here.

    They are showing a replay of Leeds/NUFC at 12 o clock central time on Sunday.

    Thank you.

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  25. Well I have had prep work on 3 more crowns today, that’s the misery out the way now for the joy.
    A win on sunday pleased lads 🙂

    In reality i’ll be happy with a point away

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  26. kimtoon:
    Well I have had prep work on 3 more crowns today, that’s the misery out the way now for the joy.
    A win on sunday pleased lads

    In reality i’ll be happy with a point away

    a point would please me also,now keep away from raw meat for a while 😆 😆

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  27. Just read on Uncle Ed’s website that the official club website will be free. Don’t know when it will start, but he has a link to a beta. Used to be subscription and had exclusive interviews, a link to Radio Newcastle for overseas fans and match highlights.

    Will be useful for those of us trying to follow games abroad as sometimes audio or youtube is blocked.

    I guess they couldn’t have had too many subscribers as there is so much free content out there nowadays. Anyway, good move from the club and not having to fart around looking for highlight or a radio stream whilst we are in the Championship will be good.

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  28. icedog: a point would please me also,now keep away from raw meat for a while

    God Ice, don’t even mention meat, just had 2 boiled eggs as stomach thinks my throat been cut 😆

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  29. Shamrock:
    Perez wins goal of the month. Rafa pretty much dismisses the idea of signing Gerrard.

    Shame would like to of seen Stevie G in a toon top. Well done to Perez

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  30. Kimtoon: it would be a circus if Gerrard was at NUFC. He was pretty **** in LA and blamed it on the travel. Even the biggest teams here have to fly commercial and Business Class isn’t really that much of an upgrade on Economy. I am not saying Stevie would complain about sitting with us plebs but it is usually still cramped and the meals, if any, are basic.

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  31. Actually, even though I am not buying it as an excuse, I can see Stevie G’s point about the travel. The airport hubs like Miami, Chicago, LA, Atlanta and Dallas are a nightmare almost comparable to Heathrow. Imagine having to deal with Heathrow and the traffic once or twice a week. You would be in a fckin bad mood everytime you got off the plane.

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  32. Kim it’s Lazaar. Would not miss him, as seen nothing of him. I read somewhere we are looking at the Leeds left back Charlie Taylor, so could be some substance in it.

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  33. It’s testament to Dummett though that Lazaar has not got a sniff. I quite like our Welsh Geordie and hope he stays. He’s steady enough, has the club at heart and counts towards home grown quota if and when Rafa gets us back into Europe.

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  34. Great to see Clarky saving Killy last season from relegation and now he has them 6th in the SPL.
    Some buffoons dismissed him as useless quoting his record at Blackpool and Birmingham as proof yet they didn’t bother to research the horrific restrictions he was under at those clubs.
    YKWYA.
    You Know Who You Are 😯

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  35. Crowing about midtable SPL. YCMIU. Good luck to Clarky though, I never had anything against him, I was just pointing out he was not qualified to be NUFC manager.

    Pards has 0.73 per game in 2016. Worst of all football league teams with only 6 weeks to go for this “average PL manager”. YCMIU

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  36. Actually, Kilmarnock have played 13 and have 14 points which means they are 7th in a 12 team league. Rafa better be watching his back as Clarky will be after his job.

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  37. Shamrock:
    Kim it’s Lazaar. Would not miss him, as seen nothing of him. I read somewhere we are looking at the Leeds left back Charlie Taylor, so could be some substance in it.

    cheers Sham.

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  38. Troysta: Clarky now 14 points from 14 games. I hope you are not a betting man as you are 100% on picking the wrong horses when you also include Ugly John.

    It took you 8 games to decide on Schteve so we might give you an each way place for that one, but you did pick mid-race.

    I wonder if Pards is frontrunner for next to be sacked?

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  39. Villa probably should have won that game and are only 4 points off 6th. I wouldn’t write them off with only a 3rd of the season gone and money to spend in January.

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  40. Troy Stavers:
    So good to see villa struggling after the send off they gave us in 2009.

    I agree. I do like our blog Villa fan, but I don’t forget easily and seeing them stay in the Championship would be sweet justice.

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  41. A last word on Southgate. He will get the job, but why is he even being considered? He should have been the caretaker for the 4 games that he was in charge, it should never have been an audition. England will qualify easily for the World Cup but it is very likely to be a repeat of the past 20 years.

    Southgate is not singularly unqualified for the job because that is a tie with Steve McClaren. And how did that go? They have Boro in common, but at least McClaren didn’t get them relegated. We can add the England U21s to Gareth’s CV and guess what, he finished bottom of his group at the 2015 Euros with a very talented set of players including John Stones and Harry Kane.

    Who are these clowns at the FA who are picking an Englishman seemingly for the sake of picking an Englishman?

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  42. Actually, that wasn’t the last word. These FA idiots have until next March before the next game which is a friendly. Why are they rushing headlong into another rash decision? They did it with Mr. Roy twice – when they first appointed him and then kept him on after that joke of a World Cup in Brazil. They are going for the trifecta of appointing mediocre English coaches. None of these men have even come close to winning a major honour. They have all been sacked by clubs where they were in over their heads like Mr. Roy at Liverpool and Gareth at Boro, or for boring football with a perceived inability to push on like Fat Sam at NUFC and West Ham.

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  43. Eric have you ever though that they may be giving Southgate the chance to develop, and see what happens ? Albeit on a decidedly more comfortable budget I reckon. Why not at the end of the day, England have hoyed millions at high profile foreigners who got them nowhere !…. the national team are light years behind the likes of Germany, Spain, Italy etc, why bother at the end of thd day.
    You spent your formative years snogging damsels on the Isar, you can adopt Germany as your national team if you hate England so much, it’s a lot more fun !

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  44. Ice reading between the lines I’d say Gayle got gobby and started something the other guy finished, bearing in mind the police are taking no action. I’m thinking self defense.

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  45. Shamrock:
    Ice reading between the lines I’d say Gayle got gobby and started something the other guy finished, bearing in mind the police are taking no action. I’m thinking self defense.

    thats the way i read it mate,bragging about your wages very child like,but why were they all at L/pool at 4am when they have training on Monday??sure Rafa will have something to say

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  46. brilliant, turning up for work on the Monday morning with no teeth. Alf Garnett-like ?

    Strange how no-one seems to have any sympathy for the players cos we assume he’s deserved it. ??. Reminds me of the good old days on a friday night in the Bigg Market…keep your head down and say nowt ? you know Ice…

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  47. MM: I don’t hate England, I just think the FA are making stupid and rushed decisions. Why don’t they sound out someone like Mancini or that German guy at Leipzig that we talked about. The next game isn’t until March FFS.

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  48. I mean, this is the 3rd time in a row they have paid lip service to doing a job search for the England Manager. They basically make up their mind, interview one man, and give him the job unless he makes a complete ****-up of it. Their process of arriving at their chosen saviour is extremely dubious if it ends up with Mr. Roy, Fat Sam and Southgate. Their problem is doing **** at tournaments and they have evidence that the man they are set to appoint has just done **** at a very recent Tournament with a lot of the players he is expected to pick from for the senior team.

    That’s enough England, at least until they confirm the appointment 🙂

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  49. Munich Mag:
    brilliant, turning up for work on the Monday morning with no teeth. Alf Garnett-like

    Strange how no-one seems to have any sympathy for the players cos we assume he’s deserved it. . Reminds me of the good old days on a friday night in the Bigg Market…keep your head down and say nowt you know Ice…

    the bloody three monkeys was guide when doon there mate 😉

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  50. Ah well, mackems were always going to get a couple of results sometime. Hull at home is probably the easiest PL game of this season. Normal service next week at An field. At least they will come out from hiding under the bed now. 😆

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  51. DJG:
    Ah well, mackems were always going to get a couple of results sometime. Hull at home is probably the easiest PL game of this season. Normal service next week at An field. At least they will come out from hiding under the bed now.

    Apparently Scum keeper made 4 fab saves and kept them in it.

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