BottledDog

Bollocks. Find me these accounts of him wanting to go to Newcastle. As soon as a premier league club came in we didn't stand a chance, just as we didn't stand a chance with Ben Afra if some club came in who were better than us, or a club like Bremen who have money to bun after likely selling an even better player.

Pretty sure he's pretty tired of repeating it tbh. Nevertheless if he does remain confident, what else is he supposed to say?

I genuinely believe you're a loon. 5-1.

Aye cos if nobody else is up for him now, they'll all be piling in if he can't hack it in the Prem.

Good post. I think his formation selection in the first 4 weeks will say a lot about how he's planning on setting about keeping us up. Yes, although one thing I've been pretty impressed with by Hughton is that underneath what has appeared to be a pretty static front, he's shown he does think about revisions and is prepared to go with them as and when circumstances allow. For example making us more attacking at probably the right time, and moving Guthrie inside to his best position once he no longer served the overall club best on our extremely weak right flank following Routledge's arrival etc. Basically what I'm trying to say is if I see something weak in the way we're going about things in the early season, I'd give credit to the idea that he sees it too but has valid reasons for not having resolved the issue as yet. See I'd say the opposite in that it took him until well after Christmas to realise how much better we were than all of the sides we were facing and go out and just try and beat them. Unfair imo. Bar the occassional poxy away game (Leicester comes to mind); i don't think he's ever had anything other than a 'go out and beat em' philosophy. That's just typically cynical really, but somewhat predictable given the fact he was a defender... also taking into account our recent track record of old-fashioned managers. The problem in the early months was simply the lack of balance; but shoehorning Guthrie in was hardly Hughton's major plan. It was simply down to the fact we didn't replace Duff, and only had one winger in the squad come September. Hughton signed a right-winger even before the iffy Christmas period, so it wasn't as if he didn't recognise the side's major flaw. The fact he then signed Routledge after Pancrate only proves that he was desperate to get the balance and philsophy to the side absolutely right. (Pancrate having proved he was gash). I can't say i'm convinced by the 'narrow the pitch' idea, but i think it's a bit cheap and easy to label him as cautious/defensive. We still won 16 matches before the turn of the year in our so called 'cautious' spell (you didn't coin it as such but i'll dub it so). Hughton has denied this iirc.

hes making ashley and llambias look competent which is as damning a criticism as i can think of Completely agree. You have to fell a little sorry for the Marsaille supporters. tells player he can leave on loan if certain conditions are met..situations change, player cant leave, player gets a strop on and tries to force move whilst still being under contract. the only thing the marseilles boss has done wrong is not handed him over to us gratis it seems. So you believed Ferdinand was in the wrong and should have accepted the change of situation and not gone to Tottenham? Give over.

Yup. The specials are a bit silly but I like it for the the odd interview, the commentaries when on the move, and the reserve games etc.

Always nice to see a player choose to help his hometown club. /my uncle taught him how to play football. Did a good job.

Just means he's got over his huff and has returned to to Maarseille fold.

I'll tel you what they're not. They're not Hatem Ben Afra.

Bollocks. Do you support Shay or Newcastle? You cite that he gave good service and I agree, cracking player, but we all helped pay his wages in return for that service. As has been already stated, anyone who chooses to bail at the worst possible time and damages the club can go jump quite frankly.

...Oh, and he travels with 2 goons and a jovial agent.

Gone back to France. Likely will stay with Marseille.

Bwaaahahaha, Bablefish says - "And then it there with the city, one of most sinister of this England of North. Without a mental armoured tank, difficult of (on) living in this oceanic black hole." Blimey. Sinister or not, I want a mental armoured tank.

Well it is difficult to live in a black hole ocean.

Buy him some time? From who, the supporters? From what, the inevitable failure? /bit fkn harsh.

I take it you dont remember the way he went about leaving? i do and i couldnt blame him, with jfk and all the other mess that was going on at the time he finally had enough, he gave us 10 years of superb service and imo that outweighs anything else he did He was a top player for us but he saw fit to choose a path that damaged the club when we were right on the brink. Anyone who does that, absolutely anyone, can fuck right off.

Stttttttthhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.... (Givens fkn builders intake of air) Time to move on Shay.

I feel less confident now oddly. Think he'll get over his huff quicker that OM get off their high horse.

Seriously what's your beef? He is clearly an important character in the dresssing room, a senior player providing a stable link between the management and the players, passionate about the club, and a decent bloke to boot. It's a figurehead role, Chris is not obliged to play him every game; but at the moment, until we can afford to find someone better, and whether you like it or not, he is also going to play an important role on the pitch for us this season too. He's fat. Ah, fair enough then.

Seriously what's your beef? He is clearly an important character in the dresssing room, a senior player providing a stable link between the management and the players, passionate about the club, and a decent bloke to boot. It's a figurehead role, Chris is not obliged to play him every game; but at the moment, until we can afford to find someone better, and whether you like it or not, he is also going to play an important role on the pitch for us this season too.

Seriously what's your beef? He is clearly an important character in the dresssing room, a senior player providing a stable link between the management and the players, passionate about the club, and a decent bloke to boot. It's a figurehead role, Chris is not obliged to play him every game; but at the moment, until we can afford to find someone better, and whether you like it or not, he is also going to play an important role on the pitch for us this season too.

True. God no. /Well done Nolan, do us proud.

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