Croydon Royal - Most encouraging for me is the new signings - last time in the Premiership we struggled on this front, either taking gambles on players without experience in the English leagues who didn't adapt or signing players who would disrupt the squad and the style of play. Doesn't seem the case at all this summer. MacLeary and Pogrebnyak were both excellent last night (for Pav's style of play, I don't think Stoke was the game to judge him on) and although Gunter looks nervous he still looks good on the ball and he will settle into his defensive duties over time. A special mention to Guthrie - when he signed I thought Newcastle fans were being patronising when saying how good a player we'd got (you can be patronising when you have Cabeye and Tiote in your midfield!) but he has been excellent so far, always wanting the ball and looking for a positive pass, without shirking on his defensive duties.
Very good point. The additions this time around look to have improved the team as well as the squad. That didn't really happen when we went up last time when I don't think a new signing won a place in the team for 18 months.
Croydon Royal - I thought Lee Mason was very good. Terry should have been booked, but we all know John Terry gets special protection, especially at Stamford Bridge. The Linesman, however, was awful. A very, very basic mistake.
Didn't Karacan get away with another one before he was booked that probably should've seen a yellow? I don't think it's special protection as such, just their/Terry's lucky breaks get highlighted a lot more. The offside was a bread and butter decision for the lino and one that, unlike many they have to make, is pretty easy to get right because you can see the whole of the play in front of you (much easier than judging a cleverly timed run or an offside from a ball from deep when you've got to be looking at two parts of the pitch).
maybe they don't have toilets in the Chairman's lounge or whatever
Big Foot. What were the songs?