Hammo

I know we are safe, but even so I'm very much looking forward to the post from the clever clogs on here who calculates that, given all the remaining fixtures, with teams in the bottom half playing each other etc, we cannot mathematically be caught by three teams. And, as my old maths teacher always said, you must show your working...

Shinji divides opinions - basically because he is a footballer of limited technical ability who doesn't score very often but who unselfishly runs his butt off for the team in just about every game. I actually think he has had a decent season - more good games than bad (albeit with some stinkers like today thrown in) - but if we had more technique and creativity in that 'second striker' role, we would be a much more dangerous team.

Kasper's error effectively knocked us out of the FA Cup but he's bounced back brilliantly. Two clean sheets for Denmark and then another today with a match-turning penalty save thrown in. He isn't the perfect goalkeeper but he's got great heart, drive and commitment. He's bright as a button too. And he helped us win the Premier League. We are lucky to have him.

Easter Eggs all round, folks!!

For all his gutsy endeavour, no way is Marc "one decent cross in ten" Albrighton international class. But then again neither are most of the players Southgate picks. So in that respect he can probably count himself unlucky not to have been at least called up and given a chance to show what he can do at that level.

I have realised the error of my TV football-watching ways and decided to live my life pundit-free. I turn the game on at kick off, watch the first half, make a cup of tea and turn the sound off for 15 minutes, then watch the second half and when the final whistle goes I switch off. I see what I see and form my own opinions from that. I don't need some overpaid, biased, illiterate, cliche-loving never-has-been ex pro to tell me what's what. Try it. Your life will be enhanced.

What this also means is that if Arsenal reach the Europa League semis (they face CSKA Moscow next month in the quarter finals) then we will definitely play them at home in the final week of the season (i.e. Tue 8, Wed 9 or Thu 10 May. If they go out, that would free up the previous two midweeks.

The opportunity was there. We didn't take it. Wretchedly disappointing.

He is one odd human being. Loves to dish out vicious insults to others (e.g Conte, Wenger, various refs) but goes on a ridiculously long self-serving egotistical rant when the slightest criticism gets hurled in his direction. What a tosser.

Qualifying phase doesn't count.

For Sky to publicly state that Carragher needs to get 'help' simply adds to the humiliation, I'd have thought.

Can I just add this: Who were the last English club to win the home leg of a Champions League knockout tie? Yes. that's right. 'Little' Leicester City. Five Prem clubs in this round of 16. No home wins (D2 L3). Not the league it's cracked up to be.

A result that merely adds to the stature of our win v Sevilla last season. Brilliant stuff.

Funnily enough, we actually hit the 40 point mark with a win at West Brom last season as well. But there were only four games after that and we ended up with 44. We have eight games left now and should get to at least 50, which would be a more than acceptable return given where we were when Puel took over.

We all remember when Carragher risibly said our players should "hang their heads in shame" after we beat his beloved Liverpool in Shakey's first game. I actually think he's a decent pundit but he was a complete tw@ for saying that. So satisfying then that those words have now come back to haunt him...

40 points in the bag. This is The One

Free Sausage rolls with Red Leicester for everyone next Sunday then!

Loving the nice round numbers in the table. 30 games, 10 wins, 10 draws, 10 defeats... and, most importantly, the magical 40 points. Time to relax and finish the season in style... starting next week v Chelsea. Bring it on!

The chopping and changing of James, Iborra and Silva just shows that Puel hasn't been impressed with any of them. ...and I'd agree with him. if Iborra plays well today, and we win, he will presumably stay in the team. If not, the musical chairs will continue.

How about we 'do a Juventus' in the last game of the season and knock Spurs out of NEXT SEASON'S Champions League! ?

I don't believe for a moment that anyone 'loves to hate' Puel. It's all about results. Beat the Baggies and Chelsea and he'll be the bee's knees again - as he was after that run of four wins in Nov/Dec. If we lose both games with more of this dull, ineffective low-tempo buildup play, however, then of course the pressure on him will intensify. Which is fair enough. Winning football games is what he gets paid for. Proper judgment on him should come at the end of the season. I wish him well.

The way Puel has got us playing does not work against massed, well organised defences. Knocking the ball patiently from side to side is only productive if it opens up gaps but James and Ndidi can't or won't make penetrative passes forward presumably because they don't trust their ability to do so. And yesterday, although Mahrez and Silva tried to make things happen, their passing was woeful and invariably ended up turning the ball over to Bournemouth. We need to make defences work by turning them and running at them. The other problem is that when we actually do this and earn corners (and Fuchs long throws) off the back of it, these are poorly delivered and produce next to nothing. When did we last score from one?? In each of the last two games we have gone hung-ho in the final minutes and had defences rattled. Why don't we try that tactic earlier instead of all this slow, ponderous stuff that is easy to defend and turns the stadium into a library? The players have to perform. So does the manager. Otherwise, alas, this team is going nowhere fast.

James will never be good enough for the Premier League. Adrien Silva should be, but apart from his little cameo as a sub on his debut he has been poor. Today I was willing him to succeed but truth is he was our worst player and deserved to get taken off.

Had Mahrez not conjured up that moment of magic at the end, this would have been a complete and utter shambles. Like Swansea and Stoke before them, Bournemouth are a bang average team that are well organised defensively but not much else. Had even half of our players performed as they can, we would have won this, but only Maguire had a decent game. Our passing was atrocious, with Silva the worst culprit. And only Diabate - after his belated introduction - showed any real urgency and quality in attack... until that late face-saver. Let's hope that equaliser proves to be a turning point because at the moment we are in relegation form and horrible to watch.

My wife set off from Putney (SW London) at 5.30 this morning and got to near Ashby at 8 using the M1 and tributary roads. Where there's a will...