I only saw the last couple of minutes 'cause I'd been asleep, but when they went through the second half highlights they were going on saying that the penalty given to Gamba Osaka shouldn't have been given.

Neville's arms went up, the ball hit his arm, stopping the cross from going in, I'm sure if it had been another club (In particular if it was against Man Utd), then they'd be going on saying it was a clear penalty...

Wooo going down to Blackburn next month for the Newcastle game... Last away game I went to was Blackburn last season when Fat Sam was our manager, and my next one is Blackburn when Fat Sam is their manager!

Very interesting CL ties

Real V Liverpool
Utd V Inter
Arsenal V Roma (easy)
Chelsea V Juve

cmon redmen!!

I think from them ties utd liverpool will go through got a funny feeling about roma and juve are a good team but chelsea at home will be intresting

Not a bad result having been 1-0 down, a point gained rather than 2 lost.

However, when Arsenal went down to 10 men (Andy Grey was very predictably against the red cards, Jamie Redknapp was very predictably for it, the cruncher for me that Glenn Hoddle thought it was a red) but we created very little.

Never heard so much noise at the emirates before, shame they were all boing, yet again.... Zzzzzz. Maybe they should try and support their own team? Crazy thought.

Wooo so glad united are WORLD CHAMPION'S... all credit due they played well and their keeper was on form

LOL that tournament is a Joke, I don't think for one minute Utd care about it, they would rather have lost and had Vidic not sent off than what happened, he misses Inter now in a competition that matters.

I beg to differ on that one, why do you think they put their full strength team out in the first place..

They treated the comp as the best in the world, fully deserving their victory - but yes it's come as a cost with the Vidic suspension.

Well they would prefer to win it than not, and they put the full team out as they are obliged to, I remember when liverpool was in it and we lost in the final, gerrard said in his autobiography that it meant nothing to him, the other teams treat it as their most important trophy, whereas the europeans take it as a but of a sight seeing tour.

What a result for Newcastle! Was resigned to a draw and then suddenly Viduka came up with that little bit of magic! Top stuff. Dissapointing thing is that Duff celebrated with the fans right where I used to sit

But yeah, upto 12th and actually playing alright! Let's hope we can keep this up!

Still top

Thankyou everton, could have won though Think Terry can have no complaints personally.

The NUSC (Newcastle United Supporters Club) are trying to make the game on sunday (Newcastle v Liverpool) a 'Sir Bobby Robson Day'. It's a great idea for one of the few people deserving of the term 'legend', hope it all goes to plan and if it does, it will make for a top day! No matter of what the result will be!

Well... The referee cost us today. Wigan's first goal, there was just about no contact and Zaki went flying, they scored the free kick.

But their second was worse. Emile Heskey has the ball around 15 yards outside the box and there's a bit of tugging from Bassong, Heskey stays up and is allowed to play on despite the linesman flagging. He then runs into the penalty area and with no further contact decides to go to the floor, with the referee giving a penalty and red card

I turned it off after that, but apparently there was one up the other end at 2-1 with more in it and our player got a yellow card for it.

To top it off, Enrique got injured before the match, Beye got stretchered off with oxygen after a horrible tackle going over the top from Catermole, only a yellow card given.

And Bassong red carded- That's three of our starting four back line probably our for the Liverpool game.

Nice

Not like Liverpool will need injuries to our players mind! But that just makes it even worse.

Looked really bad for Beye mind, oxygen being given on the pitch and everything. Catermole's the same dirty player that went over the top on Barton when we played them 6 weeks ago- he's still out injured, and now he's done that to Beye. Nasty piece of work by the looks of things.

But that referee really did cost us today. All this talk of respect for referees, well they should do their job correctly to get this respect instead of the inconsistent, lacking common sesnse performances a lot of them have been putting in.

Edited at 22:14 Fri 26/12/08 (GMT)

What can I say about stoke vs man utd

We were the better team and we had some great chances but when wilkinson got sent off I new it would be difficult to hang on for the draw, the thing about man utd when they get the ball you never no what they can do you always expect them to do something amazing and when we went down to 10 men they did just that and got the crucial goal

But well played stoke you did us all proud!

(Also if you watch the highlights on MOTD Rooney tried to elbow faye and ronaldo tried to kick wilkinson so they did get lucky that the ref did not notice)

The ref will have noticed, but that's the thing about them these days like I said before, completely inconsistent. I can guarantee you that if a Stoke player had gone to elbow Ronaldo, Rooney or any Man Utd player the linesman would have flagged and he would have gone, the same with if a Stoke player kicked out at a Man Utd player the ref would have suddenly noticed that as well.

Some players are just immune to punishment from most officials and even after video footage the FA still do nothing about it, goes beyond a joke sometimes.

Man utd 1-0 Stoke City

Ok i am a man utd supporter but stocke desrved the win, as simon said they had a lot of chances but they did not take them

And man utd with the ball they will probaly do something amazing

But stoke should of won or at LEAST got the draw

You are so right, and that brings me back to something i saw the other week chelsea were playing but I can not remember who they were playing on skysports1 and i think it was essien and cole, cole ran out of the wall early he got a yellow next time essien ran out of the wall early got a yellow thrid time cole ran out of the wall early again but the ref said play on this time becuase he would of had to send him off and he new he would get away with it, even the commentators were going mad saying 'be consistant referee'

But to add to it, give the referee the same situation with a team not considered as part of the 'big 4' and he probably would do what he's supposed to.

The thing I don't get is that the referees considered to be the best by the FA, the ones that get the big games, are normally the worst ones. Mike Riley, Steve Bennett, Rob Styles, Graham Poll (When he was one) etc. None of them can be relied upon to give a good, fair, consistent refereeing performance, yet they get given the bigger games, I really don't get it.