James

Due to the timing, I dont think I'm going to get used to it until the season starts. Our first fixture will be surreal, Sam Allardyce sat next to Shepherd with the microphone, and a few new faces we never eventhought of out on the pitch.

Fact is Alan_Shearer that there are numerous better players available. De Zeeuw may be free, but we still have to play wages. We'd have to make a longer term investment sooner or later, it may as well be now.

Anyone finding it hard to adjust to the fact that Allardyce is our manager? I've just called him Big Sam for the first time, while writing "Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce" just feels ethereal.

Once exams are over (6 june) I'll start up the reserves section. Are these your last ever university exams, as there is little point in starting a section up in the summer when there are no matches if you are going to be even more bogged down the following year.What we need for next season are people who are going to have the free time to write throughout the season. Reliability is the key in my opinion.

On the basis of what people are suggesting, it would make sense not to sign anyone until the existing players have been given a decent run out under Allardyce to see if he can make them any good. Fact is that to improve our team, Allardyce is going to have to make his own assessment of the existing squad, and as he hasn't had the chance to work with our current squad, he will make decisions that with hindsight will be wrong. He will sign players in the wrong positions, he will fail to sign players in needy positions. He will sign players that can't adapt with the existing personnel. Future transfer windows will be much better than this one. Rafa Benitez sufferred the same problem when he took charge at Liverpool. At least Allardyce has some advantage in that he can identify the players that can or can't play in the Premiership. I'm prepared to accept that this summer's transfer window will not be the definitive fix for all our woes.

Looking for the dodgiest pictures of him too. They dont like him, and will use every excuse to get at him, without even giving him a chance.

There are better Bosmans this summer than there ever have been. I hope we capitalise.

I'm unsure about this moderation thing. Am I meant to be deleting mong posts? Or am I supposed to move this thread into General Chat?

You do get the impression though that managers that were trying to closen themselves to us are now trying to distance themselves from Manchester City.

I wonder who the two clubs Koeman spoke to were.

Not another fucking assistant Stuart McCall as well, there are now two new managers from that appalling Bradford team that got relegated a few years ago. I think British football management standards are worse than they've ever been - we've got very lucky this time around.

Would be awesome to go and see Exeter and Southampton at Wembley, but with exams looming, i may as well just settle with Exeter.

Its 105 minutes into the game, penalties look inevitable.

It was like this for the Oxford vs Exeter game, some people actually went home thinking that Exeter had won on away goals, only it actually went to penalties.

This man has dictated the direction of his whole management career. Never has he lost control of things. You cant say this for too many managers, Ferguson and Wenger being the obvious exceptions.

Said where? On several articles on .cock

Summary of what he's said so far: He wants Owen to stay, and will be talking to him in private shortly. He doesn't want good players, he wants players with the right mentality. Gary Speed is his best ever signing. Shepherd persuaded him to come here. Long ball comments are a myth. He doesn't want the England job.

Bowyer and Shola IIRC. Checked .com, he has one FA Cup goal for us.

I believe Babayaro scored for us against Yeading in the FA Cup.

Eidur Gudjohnsen Tal Ben Haim Sylvain Distin Mark Viduka Salgado Geremi Nicholas Anelka Leighton Baines Giles Barnes Roberto Carlos Sol Campbell Gary Speed Joey Barton Luke Young Appiah

Wouldn't be suprised if we got Gudjohnsen to be honest.

He never scored for us, don't remember him scoring against us either though.

ah, didn't see that part.

? He scored against us for Fulham