Whenever I stumble across the film Groundhog Day on Channel Five of a Sunday afternoon it always gets me to thinking. What would I do if I knew everything was going to carry on being the same, everyday? Would I just grin and bare it, continuing to make the same mistakes, or perhaps try to change something to see if I could move things along a bit and make things better?

Doing an away day with the Whites is very much like this for me. I know exactly what’s gonna happen, how it’s gonna end. I’ll start the day full of optimism, the journey there will have some kind of incident, the tea I drink at half time will be a disappointment, any food consumed will be rank and after the first three of four minutes of the game I’ll realise that it wont be our day. Again.
Over and over again, trip after trip, season after season, it was ever thus.

In what is also becoming somewhat of a tradition for us, Sparky went for a tet a tet with the official come the final whistle as he was, again, unhappy with some of his calls.

“We were hurt last week by decisions and feel exactly the same this week. It’s difficult enough away from home and you just want a level playing field.
“I think we are all aware of the ambiguity of the law and areas that surround it. I just think it gives referees and officials an opportunity to hide behind something with decisions that they get incorrect.”

Perhaps they were offside, perhaps they weren’t. But if that’s his main worry after such an insipid performance by the boys I worry he may have his priorities wrong. We took the lead, got the travelling fans hopes up and then dashed them. Never outside of a computer game or when my 5 a side teams third choice keeper played have I seen the ball cannon in off the back of a keepers head, but I’ll take anything on the road now. Though it did little to please the quite angry and upset Baggies supporters, they were seemingly able to cut through a very fragile looking back line at will enabling them to rescue all three points and continue their good run so far this season and were good value for it. Andrew Johnson taking to the football field for the first time since the ice caps receded was possibly the only positive we were able to bring back down the motorway to SW6.

Thankfully for us our eye-catching new strip took a lot of heat away from the on field action in the press, and a cameraman wearing his vest haphazardly also distracted fans with OCD from the on field horror show. Now I’m no Geoff Banks (I bought the luminous green away shirt a few years back so I can’t sling any mud on this one) but if there’s somebodys opion that really matters to us (or as far as ITV executives would have us believe) Adrian Chiles threw his two pennys worth in:

It’s bloody absurd. It just blends in with the pitch and it is more of a disadvantage to them.’

With Sarah Brookes chipping in with:

‘It is Harrods Green and a celebrates our chairman’s years at Harrods,’ she said. ‘It was chosen before he sold Harrods.

Away from Fulham and up the other end of the table, Javier Hernandez took United fans minds off the Rooney sideshow with a brace at the Britannia. In a game where the Neviller should have walked before the break, Stoke may have thought their first goal against the Reds in 17 years was enough to earn them a point, but the Mexican popped up in the 86th minute to slot home his second.

That result put Man Yoo five points behind that lot from down the road, who beat Wolves despite wasting numerous chances. Luckily for them the toothless Wolves didn’t put up too much of a fight and would probably have been happy with a two nil loss at the Bridge, especially given it is now six months since they last conceded a goal at home.
Arsenal walked away from Eastlands with a three nil victory, after having a penalty saved and seeing Boyata given his march orders early on. While the ref, Clattenberg, was in for a busy afternoon, the win takes the Gooners above City in the table.

Rodallega managed to miss an unmisable chance in the dying moments of Wigan’s game against Bolton. After taking the lead through a potentially offside goal that the manager was unhappy about (where have I heard that before?) they were pegged back through Bolton’s Elmander. Though Rodallega missed that header at the end a draw seemed the fairest result in a match that saw Wigan’s McCarthy taken to hospital for X-Rays on a badly twisted ankle.

Admirably sticking by their attacking philosophy despite leaking 20 goals already this season, Blackpool were put to the sword at Birmingham. Thanks to ‘keeper Gilkes it was only Ridgewell and Zigic to score for the blues and gives them their first home win since August 21st.

Has the corner been turned at Anfield, or is this just setting us all up for more hilarity in the next few weeks? Either way Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher picked up the honour of becoming the second-highest scorer of Premier League own goals after putting into his own net during their victory over Blackburn, just one away from joining Dunne at the top of the list. Regardless of Carra’s ‘help’ Liverpool managed to beat Big Sam’s Blackburn side 2-1 at Anfield. Uncle Roy seems fairly confident he’ll not be going anywhere

“I’m not certain the people here (NESV) have that type of mindset, they are top sportspeople. They took over the Boston Red Sox, who weren’t doing very well, and turned them into a champion team.”

Roy should probably not do too much research on his new boss though, as when Henry took over the Red Sox in January 2002, he went on to sack the club’s general manager the following month and the team manager a week after that.

Van Der Vaart is proving to be a decent little signing for ‘Arry with him rescuing a point for the Spuds in their match at the Lane against Everton, putting them up to third in the table. While ‘Arry ‘King of Tapping Up’ Redknapp has denied reports he tapped up Ashley Young.

“We’ve got Gareth Bale – what would I do with him (Young)?”

“I can’t get Niko Kranjcar on the pitch; he’s a fantastic player.

“What am I going to do with another left winger, give myself another headache

An own goal By Dunne from a cross supplied by former Whites favourite Steeeeeeeeed gave Sunderland the points in a 1-0 win against Villa and keeps him above Carragher in the Own Goals chart.

West Ham sunk to another defeat up at the other St James Park. Carlton Cole returned for the ‘ammers but could do little to stop new flat mates Carrol and Nolan from scoring at the other end. Despite another loss for the east London outfit Grant still reckons he has nothing to fear about losing his job.

‘I am being told that the owners are being patient and understanding. We knew that this season would be tough. We don’t want to be in this situation.’

While shaky defender Upson has no worries about relegation.

“People can get carried away with our performances and our position but before this game we went on a five-match unbeaten run. We weren’t on a drastically bad run. We just need to turn a few draws into wins.”

You’re not the only ones, Matty.