jimmymag

It's good to be positive in this situation but the bit in bold has to be a piss take! Spurs never got out of 2nd gear to make us look like a non league side.

It makes you question Shearer's eye for a player if Guthrie doesn't get a game before Nolan. Keegan would never have made that mistake, and I didn't think Shearer would have either. As I said last week, Guthrie must play in every game until the end of the season, but by missing out today he is that much further from match fitness when we are going to need him playing at 100%. Much as I hate to criticise Shearer, I think he's made a big mistake not playing Guthrie today.

True he's about the only hope I have left though. Nolan and Butt will lose us games. Guthrie should be playing and I just can't understand why he isn't!

The proof of a good manager will be convincing the players that doesn't matter. Going into the last 5 games talking about not having won one for ages is just negative shite that isn't going to help anyone. Depends whether you believe the players thinking it doesn't matter is what has us in this position in the first place. What? I'm saying that 1. Shearer has to convince them that not winning for 4 months has to be forgotten about & we have to go all out for 3 wins and not think about how long it is since we won one. 2. Talking about not having won at home for ages is just being negative, when being negative is the last thing we now need. Unless you've given up? What Shearer thinks and does has fuck all to do with what I believe. I agree that's what he has to do, but he also has to make them fully fucking aware that we can't just rely on rolling these teams over. That's how we've played in all these 'must win' games against shite teams so far, and what has us in 19th position. Next Monday v Portsmouth is our first "must win" game of the season so, in my opinion, you are talking shite!

Hull are dead certs? Hmmm. I reckon they'll only get 2 points max from their remaining fixtures, that puts them in the dead cert category.

And long may it continue! They've got Liverpool, Villa, Bolton, Stoke and the Mancs left. Can't see many points there for them.

actually you don't, you give one fact repeated ad nauseam - the rest is your opinion tarted up as fact through the smoke and mirror act of condescension between yourself & JJ7 there were facts and opinions, i'll enlighten you: FS was a big part [fnar] of the European qualifications (facts) but he also ran out of ideas (strong conjecture/opinion) and the club was nearly bankrupt/in a dire financial situation (fact) what's so hard about it for you? you quote the Euro qualifications and JJ7 says: "Yep, then he lost the plot, made too many mistakes and nearly bankrupted the club" he's not contradicting you, you can surely understand that? he's referring to 2 different points in time man then you reply and tell him to repost his rubbish in 5 years!!! you remind me of billy pilgrim dude, totally shot to f*** through all the time travelling you've done so you can't work out simple linear facts and events anymore Good points. Im not biting here, honestly as its just a general point, but there are very few people in business or politics or whatever who are always good. Most people usually start to fail and make mistakes in the end. Look at Hitler who performed miricles at the start, Thatcher, Brooks Mileson, Peter Ridsdale, Doug Ellis etc..... Even if Freddy had won us the league for three seasons between 1997 and 2000, you can't just stick with them when they continue to make mistake after mistake. absolutely agree, and it's a balance thing we'd tipped the scales under FS, and as a PLC in my opinion, but we got very unlucky with who bought us out - as has been said countless times the ashley period being an abject failure to date does not validate the later years of FS & the PLC at the end of the day, it depends how you look at it. Football is a risky business. A lot of people say - and not just on here - that if you aren't in europe, you are s***. Construed : what they mean is they have known nothing less than regularly playing in europe, so don't listen to people like me who try to tell them that such things aren't automatic and only the good clubs with good boards qualify regularly for europe. You hit the nail slightly on the head when you say we were "unlucky with who bought us out"........having seen the club when we were REALLY s**** [far more than the supposed "s****" of the recent past, until now since Ashley came in] I see it differently, I see the vast majority of the clubs in the top 2 leagues as being s****, and I say we "got lucky" when we had good directors. It might be quite a while until we "get lucky" again ....... and a lot of people will be sitting around in 10 years time and looking back at the Halls and Shepherd and realise it, but I obviously hope not bearing in mind my age. This is all I've said from day 1 by the way. At least some people - since ashley - have begun to understand. wrongish, it also depends on why you look at it in a certain way. for example why are you determined,against all reason, to try and make out that we weren't in the s*** at the end of fred's reign despite all the evidence saying we were ? why are you and others like you, against all reason, determined to try and make out that the Halls and Shepherd weren't the best owners we have had at the club for 50 years and it will very difficult to replace them with better ? And - accept that Mike ashley is taking the club downwards, among the also rans, like the vast majority of other football club owners instead of trying to get among the other top clubs which is where we should be and where we spent our time under the Halls and Shepherd. People do accept that Mike Ashley is taking the club downwards. However, why do you not accept that when the Halls and Shepherd sold the club to Ashley we were already started on the journey downwards. We may have had years and years competing with the top clubs but the bubble had already burst when Ashley bought us, and this was after others had looked at the books and walked away laughing at the financial mess we were in. because they ticked the 2 biggest boxes. They had the ambition to succeed, and they backed their appointed managers That is how we qualfied for europe more than any club bar 4 during their time running the club. I hope you enjoyed it, because we might have s*** directors for years, or decades, before we get good ones again. Same old hyperbole. So you must have missed the grumblings of fans who were not satisfied at the s*** that we were turning out week in week out. Were you at the Sheffield United game for instance? Of course I enjoyed the european games, that goes without saying. But that does not excuse Hall and Shepherd from starting us down the road that we are now on. Things had already turned sour before Mike Ashley came along. He has failed to turn that around and that should not be forgotten either, but you cannot say that Hall and Shepherd are blameless in this. football, like life, is all ups and downs. Fortunately, we had a board who delivered more ups than most clubs will ever see. Because they ticked the most important boxes, unlike 80-90% of clubs and their own predecessors and their first successor too, it will be very difficult to find better. Could take decades in fact. Shame they were so s*** it takes so long to find someone better isn't it ? Of course football is about ups and downs, but no decent chairman should let the downs lead a club towards nearly being bankrupt. Leeds had massive ups under Ridsdale, but look at them now because of what happened back then. Theres ambition, then theres stupidity. I agree that Shepherds ambition was great when we were qualifying for the Champions League under Robson. But Shepherd was stupid in the timing of his sacking of Robson, then his next 2 appointments. A chairmans main job is to pick a manager, and he failed not once, but TWICE in a row. Throwing money at a s**** manager, who is unlikely to get you a return on your investment (i.e. by qualifying for the Champions League) is pure stupidity. NE5, you look at things too simplistically and ignore what others are saying. You're either on the wind up, or you just love an arguement and don't actually believe what you're saying. It was pretty clear Shepherd wanted to cut down on the borrowing by the appointment of Allardyce, and this bankruptcy talk is all speculation - it didnt happen so how can you presume it was going to happen. Shepherd could clearly hold back on spending and be prudent ie: summer of Bowyer and Woodgate sale, yet the ironic thing is we didn't spend in that summer and Shepherd got criticized beyond belief for lack of ambition. When really he was being cautious as we weren't guaranteed Champions League football that year. Yet now in hindsight have forum members saying 'spent too much!', 'out of control!', 'ridsdale!'. It's all a bit ridiculous. I was more convinced that we were going down under Allardyce last season than I am that we are going down under Shearer this season, and if we had been relegated last season with Allardyce as manager and Shepherd as chairman there's no doubt in my mind that we would have gone into administration. This has been born out by the state of the club's finances which Ashley inherited and are now in the public domain. Bearing in mind what is now in the public domain, there must have been a time last season when Shepherd was crapping himself at the prospect I have outlined above. I bet he couldn't believe his luck when he snagged a mug like Ashley to pull him out of the mire and hand him a massive profit to boot.

actually you don't, you give one fact repeated ad nauseam - the rest is your opinion tarted up as fact through the smoke and mirror act of condescension between yourself & JJ7 there were facts and opinions, i'll enlighten you: FS was a big part [fnar] of the European qualifications (facts) but he also ran out of ideas (strong conjecture/opinion) and the club was nearly bankrupt/in a dire financial situation (fact) what's so hard about it for you? you quote the Euro qualifications and JJ7 says: "Yep, then he lost the plot, made too many mistakes and nearly bankrupted the club" he's not contradicting you, you can surely understand that? he's referring to 2 different points in time man then you reply and tell him to repost his rubbish in 5 years!!! you remind me of billy pilgrim dude, totally shot to f*** through all the time travelling you've done so you can't work out simple linear facts and events anymore Good points. Im not biting here, honestly as its just a general point, but there are very few people in business or politics or whatever who are always good. Most people usually start to fail and make mistakes in the end. Look at Hitler who performed miricles at the start, Thatcher, Brooks Mileson, Peter Ridsdale, Doug Ellis etc..... Even if Freddy had won us the league for three seasons between 1997 and 2000, you can't just stick with them when they continue to make mistake after mistake. absolutely agree, and it's a balance thing we'd tipped the scales under FS, and as a PLC in my opinion, but we got very unlucky with who bought us out - as has been said countless times the ashley period being an abject failure to date does not validate the later years of FS & the PLC at the end of the day, it depends how you look at it. Football is a risky business. A lot of people say - and not just on here - that if you aren't in europe, you are s***. Construed : what they mean is they have known nothing less than regularly playing in europe, so don't listen to people like me who try to tell them that such things aren't automatic and only the good clubs with good boards qualify regularly for europe. You hit the nail slightly on the head when you say we were "unlucky with who bought us out"........having seen the club when we were REALLY s**** [far more than the supposed "s****" of the recent past, until now since Ashley came in] I see it differently, I see the vast majority of the clubs in the top 2 leagues as being s****, and I say we "got lucky" when we had good directors. It might be quite a while until we "get lucky" again ....... and a lot of people will be sitting around in 10 years time and looking back at the Halls and Shepherd and realise it, but I obviously hope not bearing in mind my age. This is all I've said from day 1 by the way. At least some people - since ashley - have begun to understand. wrongish, it also depends on why you look at it in a certain way. for example why are you determined,against all reason, to try and make out that we weren't in the s*** at the end of fred's reign despite all the evidence saying we were ? why are you and others like you, against all reason, determined to try and make out that the Halls and Shepherd weren't the best owners we have had at the club for 50 years and it will very difficult to replace them with better ? And - accept that Mike ashley is taking the club downwards, among the also rans, like the vast majority of other football club owners instead of trying to get among the other top clubs which is where we should be and where we spent our time under the Halls and Shepherd. People do accept that Mike Ashley is taking the club downwards. However, why do you not accept that when the Halls and Shepherd sold the club to Ashley we were already started on the journey downwards. We may have had years and years competing with the top clubs but the bubble had already burst when Ashley bought us, and this was after others had looked at the books and walked away laughing at the financial mess we were in. because they ticked the 2 biggest boxes. They had the ambition to succeed, and they backed their appointed managers That is how we qualfied for europe more than any club bar 4 during their time running the club. I hope you enjoyed it, because we might have s*** directors for years, or decades, before we get good ones again. Same old hyperbole. So you must have missed the grumblings of fans who were not satisfied at the s*** that we were turning out week in week out. Were you at the Sheffield United game for instance? Of course I enjoyed the european games, that goes without saying. But that does not excuse Hall and Shepherd from starting us down the road that we are now on. Things had already turned sour before Mike Ashley came along. He has failed to turn that around and that should not be forgotten either, but you cannot say that Hall and Shepherd are blameless in this. football, like life, is all ups and downs. Fortunately, we had a board who delivered more ups than most clubs will ever see. Because they ticked the most important boxes, unlike 80-90% of clubs and their own predecessors and their first successor too, it will be very difficult to find better. Could take decades in fact. Shame they were so s*** it takes so long to find someone better isn't it ? Of course football is about ups and downs, but no decent chairman should let the downs lead a club towards nearly being bankrupt. Leeds had massive ups under Ridsdale, but look at them now because of what happened back then. Theres ambition, then theres stupidity. I agree that Shepherds ambition was great when we were qualifying for the Champions League under Robson. But Shepherd was stupid in the timing of his sacking of Robson, then his next 2 appointments. A chairmans main job is to pick a manager, and he failed not once, but TWICE in a row. Throwing money at a shite manager, who is unlikely to get you a return on your investment (i.e. by qualifying for the Champions League) is pure stupidity. NE5, you look at things too simplistically and ignore what others are saying. You're either on the wind up, or you just love an arguement and don't actually believe what you're saying. I believe what I'm saying alright. I always have, and whats more, all the things I have said in the past which I got flak for, are all vindicated because they turned out to be right. If I could be arsed I'm sure I could find numerous examples of this being another example of NE5's bullshit.

actually you don't, you give one fact repeated ad nauseam - the rest is your opinion tarted up as fact through the smoke and mirror act of condescension between yourself & JJ7 there were facts and opinions, i'll enlighten you: FS was a big part [fnar] of the European qualifications (facts) but he also ran out of ideas (strong conjecture/opinion) and the club was nearly bankrupt/in a dire financial situation (fact) what's so hard about it for you? you quote the Euro qualifications and JJ7 says: "Yep, then he lost the plot, made too many mistakes and nearly bankrupted the club" he's not contradicting you, you can surely understand that? he's referring to 2 different points in time man then you reply and tell him to repost his rubbish in 5 years!!! you remind me of billy pilgrim dude, totally shot to f*** through all the time travelling you've done so you can't work out simple linear facts and events anymore Good points. Im not biting here, honestly as its just a general point, but there are very few people in business or politics or whatever who are always good. Most people usually start to fail and make mistakes in the end. Look at Hitler who performed miricles at the start, Thatcher, Brooks Mileson, Peter Ridsdale, Doug Ellis etc..... Even if Freddy had won us the league for three seasons between 1997 and 2000, you can't just stick with them when they continue to make mistake after mistake. absolutely agree, and it's a balance thing we'd tipped the scales under FS, and as a PLC in my opinion, but we got very unlucky with who bought us out - as has been said countless times the ashley period being an abject failure to date does not validate the later years of FS & the PLC at the end of the day, it depends how you look at it. Football is a risky business. A lot of people say - and not just on here - that if you aren't in europe, you are s***. Construed : what they mean is they have known nothing less than regularly playing in europe, so don't listen to people like me who try to tell them that such things aren't automatic and only the good clubs with good boards qualify regularly for europe. You hit the nail slightly on the head when you say we were "unlucky with who bought us out"........having seen the club when we were REALLY s**** [far more than the supposed "s****" of the recent past, until now since Ashley came in] I see it differently, I see the vast majority of the clubs in the top 2 leagues as being s****, and I say we "got lucky" when we had good directors. It might be quite a while until we "get lucky" again ....... and a lot of people will be sitting around in 10 years time and looking back at the Halls and Shepherd and realise it, but I obviously hope not bearing in mind my age. This is all I've said from day 1 by the way. At least some people - since ashley - have begun to understand. wrongish, it also depends on why you look at it in a certain way. for example why are you determined,against all reason, to try and make out that we weren't in the shit at the end of fred's reign despite all the evidence saying we were ? why are you and others like you, against all reason, determined to try and make out that the Halls and Shepherd weren't the best owners we have had at the club for 50 years and it will very difficult to replace them with better ? And - accept that Mike ashley is taking the club downwards, among the also rans, like the vast majority of other football club owners instead of trying to get among the other top clubs which is where we should be and where we spent our time under the Halls and Shepherd. People do accept that Mike Ashley is taking the club downwards. However, why do you not accept that when the Halls and Shepherd sold the club to Ashley we were already started on the journey downwards. We may have had years and years competing with the top clubs but the bubble had already burst when Ashley bought us, and this was after others had looked at the books and walked away laughing at the financial mess we were in. because they ticked the 2 biggest boxes. They had the ambition to succeed, and they backed their appointed managers That is how we qualfied for europe more than any club bar 4 during their time running the club. I hope you enjoyed it, because we might have shit directors for years, or decades, before we get good ones again. Same old hyperbole. So you must have missed the grumblings of fans who were not satisfied at the shit that we were turning out week in week out. Were you at the Sheffield United game for instance? Of course I enjoyed the european games, that goes without saying. But that does not excuse Hall and Shepherd from starting us down the road that we are now on. Things had already turned sour before Mike Ashley came along. He has failed to turn that around and that should not be forgotten either, but you cannot say that Hall and Shepherd are blameless in this. But he will! Luckily he's in a minority of two who believe that Shepherd was the greatest chairman we've ever had and did nothing but good for the club. You, nor I, nor anyone will ever convince him that that isn't true. I'm happy to leave the poor delusional fool to wallow in his own tiny world and won't get sucked into future arguments with him regarding this matter.

Well Leazes I'm old enough to remember when "we were REALLY shite", before the Halls, Keegan and your own beloved Freddie Shepherd and I say you are still talking shite! Can't you understand that Shepherd was punting the future of the club. and if Ashley hadn't bought us when he did there's every chance we would have went down last season and probably went into administration. And by the way, I see you haven't got a quote from me in your pathetic signature. Perhaps you do secretly agree with me.

It was his poor defending that allowed Geovanni a free header in the Hull game recently, so lets not cream our pants that he is perfect eh? Very good prospect, but not perfect. And Vidic messed up and let Torres score, did you expect Bassong to be perfect? I think I answered that in my original post.

Tell us something we don't know Shay!

It was his poor defending that allowed Geovanni a free header in the Hull game recently, so lets not cream our pants that he is perfect eh? Very good prospect, but not perfect.

Both were abysmal against Stoke so it's difficult to pin much hope on either really. To be fair to Guthrie he was coming back from injury and was the only midfielder to try to put his foot on the ball. And even if he wanted to play football it's very difficult when Butt and Nolan don't want to show for the ball. I've still got faith in Guthrie, he hasn't done a lot wrong in what must be proving a very difficult season for him considering his lack of experience.

When he does get back it'll take him two or three games to get match fit and find his form, it could all be too late by then. Could make a good impact sub though.

They have one of the best home records in the league. I couldn't give two f***s, football isn't played on paper and their players are, by and large, a tatty collection of mackem rejects. We've got one of the worst home records too so I assume we're just to write off Pompey, Boro and Fulham as well? Surely your arguement only works if I said they had better players on paper? Its a difficult place to go and play, they gear the play to suit themselves, get physical. You can write off what you want it seems a fair few of this forum already have. Fulham have a shocking away record having scored 6 of their 9 goals in 2 games. You have to look at each game and be relative. Alot of games away from home teams will try and pass Stokes tactics are very unique in the sense that they are the only team that really just attempts to bully teams. I think its sensible to say it would be a tight game. Plus do you not go into home games with assumed confidence ignoring form? Fulham have won, what, two of their last three or four away from home? Given our home form, that looks as unlikely a victory as Stoke was. Another one to chalk onto the "doesn't matter, if you really expected to get anything here and you're whinging that we haven't, God, how stupid" pile, like nearly every other game we've played. Now you're getting silly like. At this stage it looks like Fulham is a must win game, but it might prove not to be because all we've got to do is end the season above 3 other clubs and I think we can still do that. Cheer yourself up and look at the upcoming fixtures of the other clubs around us. We can still do it man!

You what? The reason it worked so well last season was because we had pace up there too. Biggest reason it worked last season was just Owen being able to find space. He saved us with his movement not martins with his pace most of the time. If Martins is out injured, im saying it wouldnt be that bad. Carroll will be useful, Shola will be pulling a defender away & owen will get space. why dont you just shove your cock up his arse when he's not looking? Owen has 1 goal in his last 13 now yet you still talk about him as if he's the man to save us, absolutely pathetic A pathetic comment to be honest. If we had any creativity in midfield that could supply chances for Owen I'm confident he would score the goals we need. The crux of the problem is our midfield is shite, not Owen! What's the point in playing him if he needs a supply line we can't provide? I consider Guthrie as central to our survival because he is the only central midfielder we have who can provide a telling pass, and I still believe that we can play our way out of the shite we are in. What are your alternatives?

How can you look at a game against a team who have only lost 3 times all season as a must win? Like I said if you keep being so unrealistic you're going to keep being disappointed. Considering we've won six games all year then yes, I guess expecting a win against the team in 13th was unrealistic. Then again you're expecting us to win 50% more games this season, so is it just me being unrealistic? The thread title is about taking some positives from yesterday, and the biggest positive is that we are 1 point closer to the Mackems and Hull. Yesterday could also be the catalyst we need to turn our season around in the same way the Birmingham game was last season. I'm more confident of survival now than I was before the Stoke game to be honest.

You what? The reason it worked so well last season was because we had pace up there too. Biggest reason it worked last season was just Owen being able to find space. He saved us with his movement not martins with his pace most of the time. If Martins is out injured, im saying it wouldnt be that bad. Carroll will be useful, Shola will be pulling a defender away & owen will get space. why dont you just shove your cock up his arse when he's not looking? Owen has 1 goal in his last 13 now yet you still talk about him as if he's the man to save us, absolutely pathetic A pathetic comment to be honest. If we had any creativity in midfield that could supply chances for Owen I'm confident he would score the goals we need. The crux of the problem is our midfield is shite, not Owen!

Why does Taylor stop the ball with his studs and then push it forward in the same movement almost every time he receives it? Half the time he loses control and the other half the opposition player anticipates it and closes him down quickly.

He just leaves the hot behind on match days.

I think it's ridiculous that you can give up on one of our best players. I was worried about how Oba would react when all Shearer's attention seemed to be on what Michael Owen could do for us when he took over, and Oba didn't get a mention. I still think Shearer can manage Oba effectively and get him firing for us this season. I still think we are going to need him.

I know it may be controversial, but I was very impressed with Stoke who showed what can be done with a squad of totally committed ordinary footballers, and fantastic backing from a crowd who really support their team. It's no wonder their home record is so good, and I was delighted with the point we won today.

Hopefully he will never be allowed to wear the black and white shirt ever again.

Very worrying if he's spat his dummy out again! Hopefully Shearer will manage the situation in house and gets Martins back on the pitch for us because we are going to need him.