Dokko

They're taking it well: https://www.readytogo.net/smb/threads/simon-grayson-please-go-now-cheers.1393809/

It's almost like the club are playing for another 40% paycut.

Finishing 6th is the new 4th.

Phil Brown.

It's like when you accidentally switch to keeper on Fifa and haven't got a clue what the dive buttton is so you mash all in hope but it's too late. Ah man, what have they become.

Fuck me im dying. Tears streaming down my face and jaw aching from laughter. Fucking he'll man,

:lol: Is it a bird, is it a plane?

They'll be alright, if alright means staying in the division. Absolutely no chance of making the playoffs now, its damage limitation. Sadly though there are 4-5 clubs which are a lot worse and 2-3 of them won't pick up either. I'm going for 19th, unless the administration wildcard is played, then it'll be rock bottom setting records, toys out the park from everyone. It would be glorious.

Freddy first, club second. Some awful decisions made along the way, some for greed and some with the best intentions; it's hard to really place where you'd put him when you look back and especially after Ashley. Thoughts are with his family. Rip.

He's redder than any of their seats, bless him. Probably dead now though, North Sea got him.

Can't see it, not yet, but heard last week that there were rumours coming out of the SoS via staff members that something was happening and it would result in job losses. It will be just that. Bain will be cutting the headcount as corporate bookings have dried up, match day is only seeing 20k or so regardless of the official figures and those who are going just aren't spending money. There's been talk of closing parts of the stadium and moving the away fans, there's also talk that land owned (i think this refers to training and academy) has already been sold and will come out in the next accounts. There's even suggestions the club doesn't even own the stadium anymore. Whatever part of any of that is true, its a total mess, however the 40% cut in wages has saved them. Without that the club would be in Administration right now, but the wages are reportedly under £40m pa, ans while the parachute payments are still coming in there is room to downsize and keep asset stripping, selling players to recover some money back. Until that is no longer the case, or the do the unthinkable and secure a double relegation, then they'll keep doing what they're doing and avoid Admin. Though its just existing to die, there really is no hope for them until this comes to its natural end which is Administration.

A year in the Championship? It'll be fun, they said. We'd win lots of games, they said. We'd not be hanging around the bottom of the league stinking it out with our shitness, they said. http://i64.tinypic.com/1z7wnb.jpg Oops

£350m with debt wiped is a fair price. He'll still make a lot of money and its all his rather than tied up in shares etc...Nice return on a 10 year gamble where he bluffed most of it and could have ended up like Sunderland are now.

:lol:

Fucking hell, am asking if he's injured! Someone said he was struggling for fitness for Brighton at work so I've got in, seen nowt and asked the question here.

Injured?

Stupid scouse mackems doing half a job.

Got 4, 5 & 6 nil on ffs

Hope someone snaps Neymar in half, preferably an Argentinian beastly powerhouse.

It's more than likely still in place, sprinkled with a few older players at the request of the manager for experience & leadership qualities (this is the big change Rafa has requested over anything else). Ashley is always going to hold value for money a key component when dealing in the transfer market. He'll refuse, like many other teams to be taking for a ride, I think its an ego thing more than anything, so we just have to hope when the right player comes along then we're willing to go that extra bit to get him. Spending daft money on average to good players that may not fit, or don't balance the squad properly (looking at Everton) will just see us causing long term issues for ourselves as unlike Everton we couldn't spend our way out of trouble (they'll be active again in the next window) so all moves need to be calculated. I'd have liked Gibbs for example, but giving him £80kpw is ridiculous, even in today's market, and knowing our luck we do it and he'd get a season ending injury in his debut. Not only do we not have that wage budget to spend elsewhere, we'd also be setting the benchmark for all incoming and players already on the books for their wages as well. Of all the players we 'missed out' on (whether we were in for them or not) Sandro at Everton would on the face of it been a great signing for this team. Whether it pans out for him there or whether we could have afforded what Everton are paying him (or even if we were in for him) in the first place along with him and Begovic I think are two players we should have gone that extra mile for, should Rafa had rated them. I think a record breaking signing in the winter window would be a game changer, for us and Rafa's future. It would be great to confirm we can when the deal is right go for such a player, its still not impossible to think that may happen.

Oh please be true.

Think it will be tough this one. Its a game where they need to secure 3pts if they are to survive (newly promoted team at home) and at the same time one we are expected to win or get something out of, like Huddersfield away. Another game with any possible outcome. TBH we've been unlucky drawing both promoted teams away from home this early one, this is where most get their points before tailing off.

TBH i'd like to go over there and have a bit of banter like the mackems we have residing here (those that lasted beyond a few months) as i spend a lot of time just doing that at work and its good fun (both ways) but there its just bitter, vile, nasty and my pet hate, factually false, so much so its cloud cookoo land at times. With this in mind i would just end up falling in to the same traps as other, coming across a wind up and tbh its not what they need. There's a few over there that wouldn't be out of place on here, but im guessing they already are.

Think i'd lose my shit if we won 4 in a row.

Although he made he feelings clear in the summer about being unhappy with the window (as we all were, probably the board included) I still think it would take some offer for him to move. There's a young team he partly assembled with potential to do greater, hanging on his every word. A fan base as big as you'll get outside the real big clubs in love with him with a certain level of adulation he hasn't received since Liverpool. It could possibly take a Klopp sacking for us to lose him. I'm hoping the relationship with the board and Ashley isn't as bad as we fear. Maybe some of it was smoke and mirrors to try and drive down prices. If so it didn't work as teams held out for maximum returns, some are left with players who don't want to be there or had to use last minute loans just to claw a few bob back rather than sell at a reasonable price. Hopefully they are more willing to sell next time round when their squad needs a quick fix and places are full. Since the window has closed I've been really impressed with him and making the most of what he's got. I've felt he needed to that for some time, though would have loved a few key signings to really ignite the squad. One thing is for sure, we keep winning, he doesn't look to leave then we will attract bigger and better players. This team with a Robert/Bellamy type inspiration (both were quite questionable at the time as well) would put us back to where he was hoping. With a few more out the door and a couple more nearer then end of their contracts, we are in a better position as time goes on especially with us remaining in the league. A lot of work to do between now and then but we have an ace up our sleeve (Rafa) compared to most teams fighting for survival and once we establish ourselves in the league their advantage disappears and ours continues to grow. I'm hoping come the end of 2017 we're in a nice mid table position and we take the opportunity to build on it with a key signing. New keeper, number 10, nothing else, all we have on it or them. From thereon-in its key signings fazing out the weaker members of the squad one window at a time. If we do that, he'll be around for a long time as long as something big doesn't come calling, and i don't class West Ham anything other than a side step, which would show none of the above is applicable.