midds

No one will ever convince me that OGS wasn't appointed based on anything other than his surname and sentiment from his playing days. His managerial ability and CV are very, very modest and he wouldn't have got so much as a second glance had he not played for Man U. Imo they gave him the job as a short-term plan, he got an (unexpected) reaction from the players and they've just rolled with it. Until now. Now, he's not getting the same performances out of his players and he's got nothing tactically left to give, there's precious little managerial ability there to compensate for his player's mistakes. He's simply not good enough, never was and almost certainly never will be.

Wonder what the chances are of Howe waiting for the Villa job to come up so he has a choice...

Tide must be in, thus shrinking their catchment area. Sunderland strongholds snubbing sewpa Sunlun. Our fans.....

Free fiver on Mac derby tomorrow on PP Ronny 1 sot each half 5/1 PP Ronny 1 sot even Sky.

Livescore does it. Settings, notifications and tick the yellow card

I'd be lying completely if I said Howe was the appointment I was hoping for after the takeover, nothing against him personally but I had set my sights a little higher than him. Maybe that's me getting a little carried away and a bit greedy but I thought we'd be able to attract a manager with a proven track record of trophies and competing regularly in Europe and so on. I'd also be lying if I said I didn't have any reservations about him organising us and tightening things up at the back where we look an utter shambles, when it started to unravel at Bournemouth he appeared to be a bit helpless to correct it and that nags away at me. That said he's been given the job now and I'll be behind him 100%. Pricks like me need to forget who didn't get the job and support the bloke who did get it and I'll be doing exactly that. The next 6 months are monumental for the club and we all need to get behind him and back him and the squad for the next 28 games, we need to get back in touch with the pack asap and that means winning the games we should be winning and grinding the odd point out of games we're expected to lose. Onwards and upwards gentlemen, starting on Saturday night

Hard to argue they've not made a complete horse's arse of this so far, bordering on a public embarrassment. Delays, leaks and questions raised about the vision and direction of the club and the requirements of the main job. At best it shows a huge degree of naivety, at worst it looks completely amateurish. Taking their time to get the right bloke was sensible, to still be looking around a month later and being very publically snubbed by their main targets reflects very poorly on Staveley in particular. We all know Charnley's limitations but I had far higher expectations of her and her advisors. They need to get their shit in a pile asap.

If they're 'trying to convince him to stay' then that implies he's probably already made the decision to leave. Which means they all know the offer is real. Which also means it's just a matter of doing things by the book and actually making it official. Sounds like Staveley may have jumped the gun a little by leaking it yesterday morning but it seems like it's pretty much a done deal tbh.

I think Emery is just being very diplomatic in public. If he comes out and confirms everything then it drops his potential new employers right in the shit for tapping him up so he's played it with a straight bat for now in public. He's denied talks and offers but I think he's done it knowing his current chairman is fully aware of the situation and wants the full compensation from us. It's just the way it has to play out in public so each party gets what they want. He'll be in by Friday morning imo. Fingers crossed.

Should have gone for a promotion specialist. They want him out this week unsurprisingly, how many have they hounded out now?

Don't the Reubens own loads of property/land in that part of town?

All things considered it's one of the best appointments we could have made. I think he'll give the squad a shake up, lift morale instantly and get an extra 20% or of most of them too. They clearly need a fresh voice with new ideas, a new vision and some organisational changes. Feeling very optimistic about the rest of the season now, happy days

Rafa in severe bother here, they look a complete mess

Have these Villa players thrown the towel in on Smith?

Yeah, I know mate and I'd agree, he has slipped a bit and made a few mistakes over the last couple of years. He was particularly good in the market at buying and selling players for good fees. I've no idea what goes on in the inside of Spurs but binning, rather than backing, Poch was a sliding doors moment for them.

I've got no idea who they spoke to, who turned them down and for what reason tbh. I think he's realised within 10 league games that he's appointed the wrong bloke and he's going to act to try and correct it imo. Just because I think he's ruthless and thinking ahead doesn't mean he always gets it right

If Spurs are considering binning NES then you can guarantee that Levy has already started thinking about his replacement. He's leaked this today and he's already on it and if he can get something done this week then he'll bin him, if not he'll do it over the international break. He's a horrible little twat but he's ruthless and organised when it comes to shit like this.

The one at the end where he just smashed the Leeds player was shocking. No intention of paying the ball just wanted to leave one on him, sheer frustration and an automatic yellow.

Still think that Martinez will want another crack at the World Cup in 12 months time. He took Belgium deep last 2 tournaments and should give himself another shot, he'll never manage a team as good again. Hope he does because I'm not particularly keen on him. Obviously he's better than Bruce but that's not the criteria we should be using, the new bloke(s) needs to do a complete root and branch revamp of the entire operation and I simply don't fancy him to be part of that situation. He's not a particularly bad coach or manager I just think there are far far better candidates for the role we need.

It's a kneejerk decision/rule that's been rushed through without proper thought. Having access to the finest legal minds on the planet means it's either unenforceable or there's some loopholes that can and will be exploited. Quite why the likes of Everton, West Ham, Wolves etc voted this through when it cuts off the cash as they themselves are trying to catch the clutch of clubs above them remains a mystery. They'd actually be better off voting for no restrictions at all then at least they could pump in as much as they wanted but nevermind. Pretty sure the richest people on the planet will have/find a solution to this minor issue, they generally do.

Test matches are generally ace, it's a background thing, just put it on, relax and chill out and the game gradually unfolds over a few hours. Commentary normally makes a huge difference too mind, got to be said. Good commentators are like the host of the most chilled bbq you've ever attended.

Just went back to page 320ish and it's about the start of October. Feels like a lifetime ago but the difference is amazing, thoroughly recommend it if you're feeling a bit uncertain about who gets the job

Ten Hag and Overmars would be a hell of a statement to make. To approach and take both of them from Ajax would make a few sit up and take notice that the new owners mean business and if we can take managers then we're coming for your players next, watch the fuck out, we want the best and we'll pay to get them. That said it would be impossible to be disappointed with Fonseca, Favre or Rafa. They all have different strengths and weakness but they're all lightyears ahead of what got sacked last week. Whoever it is needs to organise this rabble until January then inject some quality, I think a lot of people are underestimating the mess the squad is in. It's unfit, unorganised and demotivated, they're clearly not enjoying their football and that's a huge challenge for whoever comes in. They'll be backed to the hilt though, fingers crossed

It's actually fun placing each of them at some point on the Kubler Ross cycle. Most have past the denial stage and are currently stomping between anger and bargaining. Page after page after page, day after day, same old people posting the same old shit purely to try and make each other feel better about the situation. Their own little comfort blanket. Firmly in the 'let them get on with it' camp, the bile and hatred drops from every post.

Aye, they're more illustrated opinion pieces than cartoons now. Still have the odd chuckle now and again but they're nowhere near as funny as they were a few years ago.