Agree that Sheffield United have exceeded all expectations this year, been great to see.

Never mind the Championship, League 1 is pretty mental as well. Especially if you’re a tractor boy!

Loving the championship. 13 points separate top to halfway in 12th! With 16 to play. Leeds lose at home to relegation threatened Wigan to let Fulham within 3 points of 2nd. And the Baggies win to go top again. It’s all mad. 😀

And yes, fair play to Sheffield Utd – they’ve been quality this season. Wolves probably disappointed with an away draw to a dreary mid-table side.

6 points separate 5th to 14th, still all to play for in that mid table tussle, could go from a European position to looking over your shoulder at the relegation battle very quickly and vice versa.

I said when Leeds were god knows how many points clear how wonderful it would be if they let it slip again. It’s on 😂

🙄 Could do MSP, nothing guaranteed yet, we all know that. Highest points total needed for many years has been 42 and it’s usually mid 30’s. It’s a strange old season though, but I’m quietly confident that there are three worse teams than us. Survival was this season’s objective

Yep, looks like Leeds are up for bottling it again!

Hope Leicester clinch a Champions League spot – Vardy’s back now so they should kick on again. Should have beaten Chelsea yesterday, who I hope get caught for fourth by one of Sheff Utd or Wolves.

Definite bravo to Sheffield Utd plus Watford & Southampton!

West Ham look in a bit of bother, especially with their run of fixtures coming up. Good job they’ve got a specialist in winning in charge 😂

Well that was all a bit bonkers! That was some finish from the new kid!

That 4th place spot is going to get interesting. The Spurs v Chelski March in a couple of weeks should be a bit tasty

Who’s hoping Southampton win their fa cup replay ? 😉

It’s done, isn’t it – after that loss? (well, it was done before really)

City have 13 games left, if they go perfect from here they can get to 90 points.

Liverpool are on 73, also 13 to play, but 6 wins out of 13 gets them to 91.

I’m more concerned now that 106 is in danger…. Liverpool could get 112

(and we played 46 games…..)

I reckon City’s priorities now are Champions League (no chance with their defence) and ensuring Liverpool don’t go unbeaten. For what it’s worth I don’t think they’ll go unbeaten – Klopp will give Virgil and some of the front three a rest if they progress on the Champions League. Lovren screamer of an own goal to end the run?!

The goals have really dried up for Sterling – he was scoring for fun a few months ago.

The goals have really dried up for Sterling – he was scoring for fun a few months ago.

And like the rest of the City squad, he has become very spikey hasn’t he? Lucky to stay on the pitch today. I hope referees start giving other players the protection from City tactical fouling that Pep has always demanded for his. 😀 Some proper comedy moments in that game today.

Missed the highlights on MOTD2 as was caught out by the earlier than usual start tonight. Had 5live on earlier and Robbie Savage was going on about them needing to renew the team, 5 or so new players needed. Thought that was ridiculous but he’s maybe not far off – D Silva’s off, Sane too apparently, and the full backs aren’t as good as Liverpool’s. Fernandinho’s winding down and Rodri doesn’t look to me a replacement for him. Poor Pep!

Poor Pep!

IT’s times like this you find out the real grit of the managers, not when it’s going well. Barca he inherited the best squad the world has seen arguably…. Bayern again he got a wonderful team when he went there… City, they were pretty decent and he had a massive budget… This year though it’s all gone a bit wrong, so will be interesting to see how he/they recover and what they can do to fix the issues over summer etc.

Poor Pep! Doubt he’ll hang around if City fail to overturn the ban.

The keep Ole at United scheme is working brilliantly isn’t it? Let them scrape 5th and Ole gets the glory of qualifying for the Champions League and keeps his job!

I wonder if this is the reason there wasn’t much spending in the window from anyone? They knew this may be coming.

Might explain Pep’s mood recently too. Although being so far off the pace is more likely.

Haven’t worked it out, and just picked it from twitter, but if City’s ban stands, Liverpool have qualified for the champions league. In February. Although, from what I can see, the most Sheffield can achieve is 75 – 39 with 12 to play. Liverpool already have 76. So I’m not sure it matters whether City are in or out? Anyway, it’s nice to have top four secured. 😀

City’s appeal will take two years , cost lots of money , someone in Fifa will get a new holiday home and all will be well when the court of arbitration for sport(sic)rules in favour of manC.

Oh you cynic, you! Spot on though.

😬

Will Liverpool cantering to the Premiership, all the fun is watching the Championship this year – more twists and turns than a twisty turny thing on a Waltzer. At Christmas you would have put lots of money on West Brom and Leeds being promoted (well, perhaps not Leeds given what happened last season). Then suddenly Forest, Fulham and Brentford came strong, now everyone is dropping silly points (and often at the death). Fulham being beaten 0-3 to the bottom club, Leeds giving a three goal lead away and drawing 3-3 recently. Bonkers.

all the fun is

Liverpool cantering to the Premiership

VAR Playing a blinder tonight🙄

VAR is consistently inconsistent- the one thing it was meant to rule out. Get rid. It’s not worked!

It’s still got a subjective element in the guy in the bunker at Stockley Park. Ref should have more say if he’s alerted to possible doubts.

Well Ole’s 2 new signings looked good last night. Bruno Fernandes and Anthony Taylor. 😀

When slabhead hoofed Batshuayi in the slats and it went to VAR, I thought he was off for sure.

It’s looking like another repeat of last season, where that 4th (or now 5th) Champions League spot is going to go to the team that is slightly less rubbish than those around them.

I did enjoy the United away fans latest slightly modified version of their well known City chant

This is how it feels to be City,
This is how it feels to be small,
This is how it feels when your passport’s back in the drawer

VAR is amazing…just a shame no-one thought they might need to review the rules or how those rules are implemented by the poor sods in the middle of the green bit before getting all tech-jiggy. That’s progress for you I suppose.

OGS – classic Fergie-channelling – it was never a foul…hahahaha – retrospective action possible for Maguire given that VAR said no red card and ref gave nothing???

Bloody VAR shambolic shambles. Premier league refereeing really couldn’t be any worse.

Premier league refereeing really couldn’t be any worse.

It has been. Frequently.

I’m of the opinion that VAR is not the issue, it’s a valid tool that is being used in a poor fashion.

I’m of the opinion that VAR is not the issue, it’s a valid tool that is being used in a poor fashion.

I want to give it the benefit of the doubt but sadly it seems to be doing it’s best to be awful..

“It” isn’t doing “its” best or worst to be anything.

As ever, it’s the human element that’s lacking.

This is how it feels to be City,
This is how it feels to be small,
This is how it feels when your passport’s back in the drawer

Is this the same City who are playing at the Bernabéu next week? 🙂

Would be amusing if Utd got fifth and missed out because the punishment is suspended while the appeal to the CAS is ongoing!

It’s the lack of consistency thats the issue. So in that respect its exactly the same problem as pre-VAR. The fact that everyone is sat around waiting for a decision, which could still be just as wrong as the original (like last night), just amplifies it

So Maguire got away with no sanction last night, yet Son was shown a straight red for an identical foul a few weeks ago. I thought it was a straight red before the VAR replays (there may well have been some swearyness about the daft **** getting himself sent off for something so stupid), more so afterwards, yet the decision to not even give a yellow stood.

Would be amusing if Utd got fifth and missed out because the punishment is suspended while the appeal to the CAS is ongoing!

There’s that, but the way its looking at the moment, with everyone looking so inconsistent and fifth place now being in play, I’m more intrigued to see if Sheffield United end up in the Champions League next season.

It’s the lack of consistency thats the issue. So in that respect its exactly the same problem as pre-VAR. The fact that everyone is sat around waiting for a decision, which could still be just as wrong as the original (like last night), just amplifies it

So Maguire got away with no sanction last night, yet Son was shown a straight red for an identical foul a few weeks ago. I thought it was a straight red before the VAR replays (there may well have been some swearyness about the daft **** getting himself sent off for something so stupid), more so afterwards, yet the decision to not even give a yellow stood.

So – long story short…..it’s made things worse…..& VAR was supposed to make things better.

The implementation of it has failed. It really should be withdrawn & rethought.

The implementation of it has failed.

What are your criteria for “has failed” compared to previous seasons where it hasn’t been used? E.g. are you happy for goals where there is offside in the scoring or build-up to stand?

“Long story short” might allow you to simplify a complicated issue, but are you really happy to dump video assistance which has helped loads of other sports enormously? What happens when* it’s re-implemented after your arbitrary period of withdrawal and investigation. Is it to be re-withdrawn as soon as Chris Sutton starts whinging about it again on 606?

*I say “when” because I’m convinced it’s not going away. It might even lead to some rule changes on offsides, handball etc. But hey, HOORAY! rules can be changed. It’s happened in other sports post video introduction. Although, I must say, I miss my team being able to waste time by passing back to the keeper for the last twenty minutes of a game.

Besides all the inconsistency in the Premier league VAR’s use in the FA Cup is a joke. If you’re playing at a Premier league stadium then it’s used, if you’re not it isn’t.

That’s a competition that now has 2 sets of rules. Ridiculous.