Game Against The Scouse

[The Axman]

hahahahahahahah!!!! Coyle just can't help himself can he!!!

Bolton manager Owen Coyle is convinced it is only a matter of time before Andy Carroll finds the sort of form that made him such a huge favourite at Newcastle.

Carroll has struggled to live up to his £35million price tag - which makes him the most expensive British footballer in history - in the 12 months since he left Tyneside to join Liverpool.

Far from leading the line, the 23-year-old could not even make the Reds' starting line-up for last weekend's draw at Stoke, even though Luis Suarez is in the middle of an eight-match suspension.

Carroll is hoping to be recalled for Saturday's trip to Bolton but Coyle, for one, would not welcome that news as he believes the big number nine is a class act.

"I don't think there is any doubt he will reproduce that form," said Coyle.

"He is an outstanding young player.

"The thing is, when you get that kind of criticism you have to come through it with a smile on your face.

"It will serve him well. His quality is unquestioned. We have to make sure he doesn't show it against us."

He's a master quotician.

[Bruce Rioja]

FFS. Has anyone a roll of gaffer tape and a spare sock?

[Little Green Man]

I don't think Fergie himself can touch Coyle when it comes to pre-match mind games. I'd be a gibbering wreck if he'd called me terrific or quollitay 48 hours before kick-off.

[Jokers in White]

This game is set up perfectly for Andy Carroll now, he will get no sympathy of me Owen!

[thebish]

and there's more...

"Globally, Liverpool are an elite club," Coyle told reporters.

"[Not winning the Premier League] doesn't affect their status, just as it never affected Manchester United's status when they hadn't won the championship for 26 years until Sir Alex Ferguson sorted it out.

"Kenny Dalglish is used to winning trophies and football can change from one year to another.

"Liverpool will deem it as a long time since their last championship but in that period, they have still won trophies, including the Champions League.

"Now they are on the verge of reaching the Carling Cup final, when they would be big favourites given a team from the Championship will be the opposition.

"There is no doubt Liverpool will always be amongst the honours."

[Tals-biggest-fan]

FFS Owen, Don't go talkin postive about your opponents out of form player days before you play him!!

[P.O.S.]

Feel a bit sick after reading those quotes, give your head a wobble Owen!

Absolutely determined to not make a single enemy in football, show some respect to opposition yeah, but we should be circling the wagons (ahem) and adopting a siege mentality seen as we're absolutely knee deep in a relegation dogfight - not handing out free incentives for teams and players to come and batter us!

Say what you see Coyle... Andy Carroll is tosh and Liverpool are horrible and we hate them and their whining, cheating players - we want to give them an almighty battle on Saturday like we used to and give our fans some hope of survival, not just roll over and die yet again in the Barclays Premier League.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

we should be circling the wagons (ahem) and adopting a siege mentality seen as we're absolutely knee deep in a relegation dogfight

Wow, that's an impressive string of mixed metaphors...

[P.O.S.]

we should be circling the wagons (ahem) and adopting a siege mentality seen as we're absolutely knee deep in a relegation dogfight

Wow, that's an impressive string of mixed metaphors...

Fear for your job matey!

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

we should be circling the wagons (ahem) and adopting a siege mentality seen as we're absolutely knee deep in a relegation dogfight

Wow, that's an impressive string of mixed metaphors...

Fear for your job matey!

I get some proper crackers sent in to me. 'Meteoric rise' is always a pleasure, but last month I got someone saying 'gradual meteoric rise'. That doesn't make sense on any level, even wrong ones...

[thebish]

we should be circling the wagons (ahem) and adopting a siege mentality seen as we're absolutely knee deep in a relegation dogfight

Wow, that's an impressive string of mixed metaphors...

Fear for your job matey!

I think we're up to our elbows in a relegation cat-scrap.

[Prufrock]

Velute-ing of our best players isn't going to help.

[truewhite15]

Well, the BBC reckon we're screwed for this match, and dead and buried for the season. Or rather, Johnathan Pearce does.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/16559548.stm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I think we should make this our theme for the rest of the season.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbsuAbTTsV8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[CrazyHorse]

Lawro has it as 2-0 to them. While his sidekick, Iranian "comedian" Omid Djalili says 3-0 to them.

Can't argue with that.

[bobo the clown]

Lawro has it as 2-0 to them. While his sidekick, Iranian "comedian" Omid Djalili says 3-0 to them.

Can't argue with that.

... except the bit in speech marks !!

[P.O.S.]

Only 800 tickets left for this, so says the official website

[bobo the clown]

Only 800 tickets left for this, so says the official website

The scallies will have been buying them all over the Bolton seating areas & then feel aggrieved when people get pissy with them.

Add to that the fact that ... despite all the history and all their whinging about Hillsborough, their fans at the South end will stand, throughout.

[Annoyed Grunt]

Only 800 tickets left for this, so says the official website

The scallies will have been buying them all over the Bolton seating areas & then feel aggrieved when people get pissy with them.

Add to that the fact that ... despite all the history and all their whinging about Hillsborough, their fans at the South end will stand, throughout.[/quote]

The two aren't linked though.

[bobo the clown]

Only 800 tickets left for this, so says the official website

The scallies will have been buying them all over the Bolton seating areas & then feel aggrieved when people get pissy with them.

Add to that the fact that ... despite all the history and all their whinging about Hillsborough, their fans at the South end will stand, throughout.

The two aren't linked though.

I may disagree, in the greater scheme of things, but overall hardly worth starting the discussion all over again.

If anyone mentions thinking of bringing in safe-standing they go off like a bottle of pop .... but 3,000 of them will use unilateral, illegal unsafe standing tomorrow and see it as their right.

[ratbert]

Still not to late for a match report for this one. Who's up for scribing?