Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers and Newcastle manager Alan Pardew have come in for stick from supporters of late but they still have their backers...

Tom in Sheffield: I don't understand why Pardew is getting so much stick, he got them to fifth in the league a couple of seasons ago and then 10th last season, are you expecting me to believe that he's lost the ability to bring back that success? It's not all down to the manger, the moral of the players and the fans themselves play a massive part.

H in Kent: People blaming Rodgers need a reality check. Sturridge, Allen, Suso, Johnson, Can are injured, so it leaves an out of form Balotelli, Lambert and Borini to play up top. Markovic, Sterling and Coutinho are the options behind. Lallana, Gerrard, Henderson and Lucas are the options in the middle. Hardly the biggest pool to choose from! I would like to know who they would pick differently.

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How many boardroom big cheeses warrant a selfie?

Elton John when he was the head honcho at Watford? Roman Abramovich, if you can get past the bodyguards?

Several Swansea fans have decided that Mike Ashley belongs in that class, striding up to snap themselves next to the sportswear supremo.

Image source, @ronaldkoeman

Southampton manager Ronald Koeman on Twitter:, external "Waiting for the train! To London!"

Saints take on Tottenham at White Hart Lane on Sunday. And a good thing too, because otherwise they really would be cutting it fine. It's a 14:05 BST kick-off that one.

The Liberty Stadium surface has gone beyond greasy to downright sloshy.

The Swansea groundsman has got the sprinklers on full blast with kick-off less than 10 minutes away.

Residents of south Wales, you know who to blame when the hosepipe ban kicks in.

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown
Final Score

"Any player that is left out of the starting line-up is hurt. I am a bit surprised that Mario Balotelli's been dropped. His performances haven't been great but in terms of building the relationship with the manager, today against West Brom is a game that Liverpool should win and there would be opportunity for that. He hasn't scored the goals you are looking for, but it is a collective problem. By dropping him today, it suggests that he is the problem."

You can't say we don't bring coverage to all levels of the game. Here's a taster from BBC Cumbria Sport of the scene at Ossett Town, who are preparing to take on Kendal Town in Evo-Stik Division One.

There are three games in the Scottish Premiership today, with Dundee hosting Aberdeen, Motherwell visiting Partick Thistle and St Johnstone taking on St Mirren.

You can follow all the action on our Scottish live text online now with Keir Murray.

The pressure remains on Newcastle boss Alan Pardew, who remains a target for Toon fans as his side prepare to take on Swansea...

Craig in Saudi: As a NUFC die hard I will be hoping for a loss today, and every game until Ashley's puppet manager is removed from our once great club. After that I am hoping we get relegated so that we cease to be a free advertising billboard on cash cow. I support NUFC not the premier league. Lets go down and see ourselves rid of Cashley and co forever.

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Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool, Everton, Newcastle, West Ham - just four of the sides that are beneath Crystal Palace in the table.

Manchester United and Tottenham are only above the soaring Eagles on goal difference.

After the predictions of doom and gloom that accompanied Tony Pulis's departure, is Neil Warnock actually an upgrade?

Just putting it out there...

Former Republic of Ireland international Kevin Kilbane
Final Score

"Mario Balotelli is a character who will want to play games. His record at Milan was good and he has come in to score goals, but on what we have seen so far, he will be disappointed. His hold-up play has been good but his chance conversion has been letting him down. He doesn't seem to be running to create opportunities for himself. In the European Championships two years ago he was unstoppable. That is what the real Balotelli is all about."

Liverpool's brief is simple: clean sheet and three points. But that could be easier said than done against West Brom.

Down in the bottom tier, there are a couple of potentially cracking matches at either end of the table.

At the top, second-placed Wycombe are aiming to avoid only their second league defeat of the season against fifth-placed Northampton. And rock-bottom Carlisle have the chance to leapfrog third-bottom Hartlepool with an away win at Victoria Park.

With leaders Burton losing against Cambridge last night, any of Wycombe, Bury and Southend could take advantage and move above them. Bury host fifth-bottom Tranmere at Gigg Lane, with fourth-placed Southend hosting a Morecambe side who are two spots below them.

Image source, Getty Images

Gus Poyet believes the best transfer decision he has made during his time at Sunderland was not to sell Lee Cattermole to Stoke.

The 26-year-old midfield enforcer looked to be on his way out of the Stadium of Light in January when, with Liam Bridcutt arriving from Poyet's former club Brighton, the Potters made a move for him - only for the player to stay in the north east.

"In transfer windows, it's the best decision I have made, I've got no doubt about that," Poyet told the Sunderland Echo. "I'm sure, with all respect to Stoke and to Catts, he's happier here."

BBC Radio 5 live

Former Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba has been speaking on the Danny Baker Show about the campaigning he has been doing, advising young footballers of the potential pitfalls of the modern game.

Image source, Getty Images

"It's about opening their eyes," he says.

"I just reiterate that you are not guaranteed to make it as a footballer. That maybe you are playing at 17 but when you are 21 you might not be picked any more. Some boys want to listen, some others feel they have already made it at a big club, with a big academy.

"You can only advise them, the rest is down to them. You have to guide them the best way that you can really."

RG: Balotelli is more trouble than he is worth, I am a City supporter and was convinced he would cost us the title and Mancini his job! He didn't cost the title but not sure of the second. Good riddance.

Mo, Manchester: From 7th to champions league, from Suarez and Sturridge to Lambert. How the logic arrives I'm not sure. Rodgers has done it all wrong....once again!

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Hatem Ben Arfa is still awaiting his first Hull start since his summer move from Newcastle. Hull fans young and old would surely rather see him in the first XI rather than signing autographs.

Still, it must be a nice rest for the modern football to scribble their name rather than having to gurn for selfies.

Image source, PA

Burnley haven't scored since the opening weekend of the season, but manager Sean Dyche is not too concerned - he's confident the stats show his side are doing well on their return to the Premier League.

"We look at games in many different ways, objectively with the sound down so there is no emotion to it," said Dyche. "Six games into last season, we had 80 efforts at goal and 40 on target.

"This season after six games in the Premier League we've had 72 efforts at goal and 37 on target which is a statistically higher amount.

"We're not a zealot to stats but, as I say, we use them to guide us and if those stats weren't as strong as what they are then we'd start questioning ourselves."

Simon Ferocious:, external Esteban Cambiasso a big loss for the Foxes today. He's been superb so far.

Rezaa Sait:, external Why are Liverpool fans moaning about Rickie Lambert starting? Mario Balotelli had countless games to perform. He hasn't done that now has he?

Tsuelong:, external If Mario can't handle being dropped when not scoring for matches like this, better to know now. Predict a brace for Rickie.

Former Wales international John Hartson
Football Focus

"Brendan Rodgers has a good point about Daniel Sturridge. Liverpool pay his wages, they invest in him, he works with their physios and if he has missed games and then picks up an injury with England, he misses more games for Liverpool.

"In this case, I think Roy Hodgson is doing the right thing by not including him in the England squad."

With Luis Suarez still suspended, Daniel Sturridge still injured and Mario Balotelli benched, it is a quiet weekend for big-name Liverpool strikers old and new.

Image source, Reuters

Suresh Liverpool fan: I think it's a good move dropping Mario from the starting XI . He hasn't given us the intensity up front and we have terribly missed Sturridge, not to mention Suarez. But our biggest problem is our midfield isn't firing as much as they did last season. We need to keep the tempo up and have the belief in going forward. We are nowhere near the finished article. Keep the faith... YNWA.

Matt, Wirral: I think it was the right decision to drop Mario. Square peg in a round hole. He holds up Liverpool's transitional play. Calculated gamble by Brendan that is unlikely to pay off anytime soon.

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