Shearergol

Not 100% sure you should take the thread down that route.

I'd rather start with 10 men than see Butt ever play for us again.

Did that actually ever happen??

Damned if they do....

Smith's a top top lad, but a poor poor player.

so why are they defending and backing Ashley ? Don't say they aren't, because they are. Thing is Dave, the point I made a few years ago on numerous occasions "replacing the current directors with someone of similar calibre will be more difficult than people think" still stands, but they still defend Ashley. They should realise now that their unhappiness with the last regime was badly misplaced. I find it particularly sad that people are scorning the approach which gave them all those european qualifications, champions league run, stadium expansion, and the top quality footballers we signed that got us there in the first place, in favour of financial prudency when the same situation applied when Bobby Robson was manager and they were happy enough with what followed later through backing him. the key word here is approach. the approach was of spend now worry later, which has gotten us into a mess. so given that the finances are in such a mess, thanks to the old board, why is it surprising that people are scorning it? its completely deserving of scorn. you scorned the champions league qualifications ? Spending big is the only way to get there. So do you think Shepherd was leading us back there, with his big spending? you won't get there without it. Do you think Ashley will ever match the Halls and shepherd ? I agree, you won't get there without it. No, Ashley will never match them. However, Shepherd was never going to match that period again either. So do you think we were going to get there with it? When we finished 25 points short of qualifying, before Ashley was even mentioned, did you sit there looking forward to the next year when you thought we'd be in the top 4? Honest question.... I've answered this. I think Allardyce was an attempt to re-structure the club with a manager who had proved he could put together a decent team without needing big money until they could challenge again. The crowds would continue to be big because whatever you say or think of the old regime the public knew they had ambition. The opposite is true of Ashley, the public now know he doesn't, so when crowds dive, and we have another relegation fight or worse, then the point about choosing to show ambition or not, which has been pointed out in the past, will become clearer still as it still obviously isn't clear enough after the events of the last 18 months. Woah woah woah, you're claiming Shepherd had changed his approach of spending big to get us back there, the very approach you want Ashley to go down? So really, you think Ashley is doing the right thing by putting together a decent team without needing big money until we could challenge again, it's really just the choice of manager which is the problem? Yeah, I'd agree with that. Allardyce wasn't the right man either though, neither was Keegan with that approach.

so why are they defending and backing Ashley ? Don't say they aren't, because they are. Thing is Dave, the point I made a few years ago on numerous occasions "replacing the current directors with someone of similar calibre will be more difficult than people think" still stands, but they still defend Ashley. They should realise now that their unhappiness with the last regime was badly misplaced. I find it particularly sad that people are scorning the approach which gave them all those european qualifications, champions league run, stadium expansion, and the top quality footballers we signed that got us there in the first place, in favour of financial prudency when the same situation applied when Bobby Robson was manager and they were happy enough with what followed later through backing him. the key word here is approach. the approach was of spend now worry later, which has gotten us into a mess. so given that the finances are in such a mess, thanks to the old board, why is it surprising that people are scorning it? its completely deserving of scorn. you scorned the champions league qualifications ? Spending big is the only way to get there. So do you think Shepherd was leading us back there, with his big spending? you won't get there without it. Do you think Ashley will ever match the Halls and shepherd ? I agree, you won't get there without it. No, Ashley will never match them. However, Shepherd was never going to match that period again either. So do you think we were going to get there with it? When we finished 25 points short of qualifying, before Ashley was even mentioned, did you sit there looking forward to the next year when you thought we'd be in the top 4? Honest question....

so why are they defending and backing Ashley ? Don't say they aren't, because they are. Thing is Dave, the point I made a few years ago on numerous occasions "replacing the current directors with someone of similar calibre will be more difficult than people think" still stands, but they still defend Ashley. They should realise now that their unhappiness with the last regime was badly misplaced. I find it particularly sad that people are scorning the approach which gave them all those european qualifications, champions league run, stadium expansion, and the top quality footballers we signed that got us there in the first place, in favour of financial prudency when the same situation applied when Bobby Robson was manager and they were happy enough with what followed later through backing him. the key word here is approach. the approach was of spend now worry later, which has gotten us into a mess. so given that the finances are in such a mess, thanks to the old board, why is it surprising that people are scorning it? its completely deserving of scorn. you scorned the champions league qualifications ? Spending big is the only way to get there. So do you think Shepherd was leading us back there, with his big spending?

Grant had a better team because Man City signed Robinho? Come again?

This is exactly my question to NE5, and he will not answer it except to say Ashley is a clueless knobjockey etcetera etcetera Looks like you're right. Oh well. He won't answer because he can't answer it. Just keep on harping back to the 70's and 80's and the glory champions league nights which none of us have the slightest clue about. eeerrr.....exactly. Now, toonlass. I know I said this yesterday, but rather than get accused by somebody of "derailing the thread" when I didn't, I'll at least try to make it debateable now that its gone in this direction. Genuine question. You have yourself, Colos short and curlies [sorry if thats not quite right mate I still think of you as Scott parkers 60's haircut], madras, whatthefunk, a few others, taking the side of outright prudency in one corner. In the other, you have me, UV, Spence [maybe], johnnypd, and one or two others, and Dave sort of in the middle but wavering over to "our" side because he's very bothered by the current position and other things. We were all very pleased when Keegan walked through the door, weren't we ? [apart from one or two like ozzie and Baggio who have expressed their opinions of him ie quitter and all of that bollocks, IMO]. Why were you pleased. Was it because you envisaged the club spending some money to back him and getting back into europe and better ? If that were still the case, what would you now be saying ? Also - if Ashley had kept Given, and spent say 20m quid not just to get away from the foot of the table, but with a concrete desire to improve the fortunes of the club, which also improve the financial position if these new players are successful [which is the key]. What would you be saying ? Would you be pleased, or would you be saying that we shouldn't be doing this because of the debts ? I'm going out now, I don't give a toss about the snow. I don't want to derail, but hopefully there will be some good honest replies. well, this is now 4 days later, and it would appear nobody ie those who continue to say that I'm wrong and they are right, has replied to what was a genuine question. Even you know why nobody answers you, right? As I've said before (and you've said you don't care), you'd get a lot more respect if you took time to answer questions rather than being the smug, intolerant, self righteous old man you've become.

Yet Scolari (world cup winner) struggled. Different time. i believe grants chelsea side were better than scolaris! Same players though, yeah, so maybe down to the manager?

Leeds ticket prices are ludicrous. Must be a Cat A game v Scunny though at that price. 4th v 7th. Massive tbh

A ticket for Leeds v Scunthorpe at the end of the month is £26. And you think Premiership games are expensive! £26 to watch league 1?

It's not a boycott. It's a rally. A rally for what ? NUSC So if there are people there chanting for Ashley to leave they are not there for NUSC is that what your saying ? Serious question. I'm not saying anything like that. Many people want Ashley to go and many don't. Many are NUSC members and many aren't. The two things aren't mutually exclusive, so I'm sure you will get some of those chants. But then you get those chants away from NUSC organised rallys too. I've chanted it myself in the stadium without a committee telling me it was ok. But in an organised rally stuff surely has to be organised therefore the leaflets should be all join NUSC, banners saying the same and people in charge of what happens. Thats the whole point of an organised committee and an organised rally. What I predict will happen is you will have an overruling over people chanting for Ashley to go and for cockneys this and that and that is my whole problem with the current set up of NUSC. It appears from the outside to be a solely anti Ashley protest group. I'm sorry but that is how it looks and how it sounds from their meetings. The NUSC can't prohibit members of the public from voicing their own opinions in a public place though. They've taken the precaution of organising their rally away from the stadium so in the event that it does turn into an anti-Ashley gathering it doesn't affect those who disagree, or the players on the pitch. I think 90% of fans are anti-ashley, so on the whole I'd think the NUSC are. But i think they are (for the most part) taking level headed action that doesn't have a negative impact on the team. Even though I do think a couple of their statements have been heavy handed. Poll on this forum shows only 20 percent think the NUSC represent their views. Do you reckon 70 percent of people on here are even more "anti-Ashley" than they are? This forum is VERY pro-Ashley. Or at least too forgiving (in my opinion) of his string of mistakes. I think it stems from previously being the most voiciferously anti-Shepherd forum and lots of posters still clinging onto the hope that the "anyone but Shepherd" view will be proved right...or at least not wanting to admit to NE5 he might have been on to something. But then, as I've said, Pro-NUSC <> Anti-Ashley. So that poll is unrelated to my estimate. Irrespective of people agreeing with the actions, aims or motives of the NUSC, I think at least 90% of fans would say they aren't happy with the direction of the club in the last 2 years. Happy Face, I've always thought of you as one of the better posters on here, but that line is just looking for bites; you know full well that's not true.

1 of whom wasn't their appointment. 1 of whom has unfortunate health problems. The old board never made snap decisions about managers, and always sacked them at the right time

Please tell me UV didn't just have a go at a "jobs for the boys" approach, whilst at the same time sticking up the old board?

nowt wrong with that imo. the expression is used sometimes in live commentary Not in this country it isn't.

... and Ginola. mackems.gif Give over man mackems.gif

Hang on, you're trying to claim that Man United don't buy expensive players? You spent £75m 18 months ago!!

I still think Paul Ince will make a good manager, once he goes back down the leagues.

Speaking of Luque... http://en-gb.facebook.com/pages/Albert-Luque/16109972595

Always does, he generally plays better when we're winning but as soon as he required to put a shift in and help the team out he turns to shite. Still more use than N'Zogbia was. Meh.

I actually thought Duff looked ok until they scored their second. He gave up at that point.

I have about 310 real friends on Facebook, I feel I can have 20 models, 17 footballers and some random quasi-celebrites on my Facebook as well thank you very much. As if you even know 310 real people

I was about to start one for the Portsmouth Game. Too early maybe?