Montey

Isn't that the exact same line of thought when Sam and Souness joined us? Look at what they did with that small club, imagine what they could do at our club with a bigger budget. So, how'd that work out for you then? Any reason it won't be the same again this time? What Souness, Roeder and Allardyce have proven to me is that there are 3 tiers of managers in the EPL. Those who manage clubs that move between the Championship and the EPL and specialize in getting teams promoted but can't go on with it, those that ensure their clubs stay in the EPL and will play whatever style of football that takes (long-ball, hyper-defensive, conservative, boring), and those that ensure their clubs stay in Europe (attract the super talented players, can spot talent no one else can, maintain an excellent scouting infrastructure, etc...). None of the managers we have had since SBR have been the type to keep us in Europe, but neither is Redknapp or Hughes.

I know this sounds like a wind up question, but it is genuine.... why? Given its fairly obvious that Redknapp would also be sacked inside of 18 months, since its unlikely he's going to do any better, why not boo him and let the owner know that he's fecked up and has to do better than that? Getting behind him and backing the appointment will only give Ashley and Mort the delusion they have done the right thing (either in sacking Sam or in appointing Redknapp). Erm... In spite of the dislike, maybe we wouldn't look like a total and utter embarrassment, and maybe the team and the club would have better fortunes on the whole if we were to cheer them to the heavens every single match? Obviously, that's hypothetical and wouldn't happen, but booing would achieve the sum total of f*** all positive - getting behind the side might. But every new manager since SBR has been loudly cheered and supported upon appointment. Souness was cheered because he was going to sort out the egos and get some discipline back in to the side, Roeder was cheered because he wasn't Souness who has having a nightmare, Sam was cheered because he was a dramatic improvement over Roeder. All of them received good support when they joined, all failed. Given a good number (including me) obviously feel Redknapp is not better than Sam, why not forget the illusions and just get across the message straight away. Lets not look at Redknapp standing there, and start cheering him whilst secretly praying to god that a miracle might happen, knowing that's what it will take, and then being here again 6-18 months from now as we discuss the next manager to be joining us..

I know this sounds like a wind up question, but it is genuine.... why? Given its fairly obvious that Redknapp would also be sacked inside of 18 months, since its unlikely he's going to do any better, why not boo him and let the owner know that he's fecked up and has to do better than that? Getting behind him and backing the appointment will only give Ashley and Mort the delusion they have done the right thing (either in sacking Sam or in appointing Redknapp). why is it fairly obvious ? Comparison of relative records. I think its fair to say that Redknapp's record is not better than Sam's, at best it might be classed as equivalent. Redknapp brings no unique skill sets that are better than Sam's, he has no additional capabilities beyond those of Sam's. So given his record isn't better, his skill set isn't better and his experience isn't better, why would anyone think he's going to be better than Sam?

I know this sounds like a wind up question, but it is genuine.... why? Given its fairly obvious that Redknapp would also be sacked inside of 18 months, since its unlikely he's going to do any better, why not boo him and let the owner know that he's fecked up and has to do better than that? Getting behind him and backing the appointment will only give Ashley and Mort the delusion they have done the right thing (either in sacking Sam or in appointing Redknapp).

An old saying a former boss of mine used to quote me.... "One will rise to ones level of expectation." What he meant by that was if you aim for mediocrity then don't be surprised when mediocrity is what you achieve. I will not settle for Hughes or Redknapp, I expect that the "fans" would not either. We are supposed to have some ambition, so lets not settle for someone who has no ability to back up that ambition.

It would certainly be a shock to Ashley if his new managerial signing was booed by the fans at the first game he managed.

El Tel

I don't think our next 'permanent' manager has been born yet. Anyone who's good enough to stick around long enough to be considered permanent isn't dumb enough to want to join us.

Fecking Hell!!! We are the god-damned laughing stock of the whole football world right now! Whomever is stupid enough to take the role will have a huge golden handshake exit clause in their contract, given they may only get 8-9 months before being shown the exit. The only redeeming thing in my mind is that being a business man, more than a rabid fan, it is unlikely that Ashley nor Mort would want to sack him unless they had someone better (better in the sense of being more qualified and more experienced than Sam) lined up. In business you never sack a senior manager without knowing who is going to step in to the role and knowing they will do a better job. If it turns out this is not the case it will show Ashley and Mort up to be another pair of morons running the club and we're in for another 10 years of Shepherd like ownership.

Owen is 5 foot 6, defender is 6 foot 2... So??? The ball was rolling along the ground, well below even Owen's knee level. If anything Owen should have had an easier time because the larger player against him would be less manouverable. Jesus wept. The defender was behind him and nudged him from behind. And Moses brought him a dirty tissue to blow his nose on..... Thats even worse again..... he's a fecking highly paid, massively expensive Premier League striker, yet he can not out manoeuvre nor stand up to the shoving of a Championship defender. I mean Owen pretends to be worthy of a top 4 club, yet when in an absolute sitter of a position for a goal he gets out bottled by someone who can't make it in to Wigan.

Owen is 5 foot 6, defender is 6 foot 2... So??? The ball was rolling along the ground, well below even Owen's knee level. If anything Owen should have had an easier time because the larger player against him would be less manouverable.

How did our 15 million pound striker end up so easily kept off that cross? Wasn't that Owen standing in the middle of the goal mouth with the ball crossing the goal only inches from his toe, yet he was kept off it by a lone Championship level defender?

Quick comment.... Rozi and Tayor are playing complete shite. Smith has been a complete spectator. Butt falls away from the shot every time he shoots on goal, which is why he keeps going over the top. ..... and why the feck would you replace Duff instead of Butt or Smith?

Its a funny thing with Sam, I almost always agree with who he brings on and when, but I -almost- always disagree with who he takes off.

N'Zogbia has been excellent. Beye has been very good. Duff has been pretty good, very active. Butt has been very ordinary. Cacapa has been pretty shite. Martins is a 10mil pound striker with only one foot, and that one is defective. The guy has had 3 excellent chances, 2 he screwed because he refuses to strike with his right foot, and the other he screwed because he doesn't know when to just shoot at the fecking goal already! I am starting to ponder whether Ameobi isn't a better option than Martins, as ineffective as Shola has been in the past at least he has the blind ambition to shoot (with either foot) the first chance he gets. The ref has got to be on the take!

Ironically he did f*** all when he become a LW. It was when Martins was taken off and our wonderous manager ridiculously decided to play for a draw, actually. Owen was a positive move. Martins was poor. We didn't lose because of that move. Martins was at least worrying Chelsea, they knew they couldn't really push on and go at us for fear of leaving him room to run into. Bringing Owen into a game like this was about the most stupid thing Sam could have done, for reasons Rich has explained already so I won't revisit them. And if he bagged the winner? All hail the tactical masterstroke. Is that what your argument has been reduced to? f*** me. no suprise, some of his posts during the game included "MARTINNNSSS...playing fifa" and "hope he gets shot for real next time". the decline and fall of HTT has reached its final nadir and the dark ages are upon us. What's he supposed to do when he gets to the Crusades? If the team's performance hasn't improved by then they might be visited in the night by HTT wearing a white cross of St George on his chest and a mace in his hand.

Martins really does need to come off and probably spend some time in the reserves squad learning how to shoot at the goals. He is so lacking in confidence he just seems to be terrified of being put in a position to shoot, so he fiddles and stuffs-about with the ball at his feet. It's kind of like Tom Cruise's character in Top Gun, towards the end of the film when he wont engage the enemy. Oba is just so scared to have a crack that he keeps looking for that perfect, training-ground shot on goal. Guess what Oba, you won't get it against Chelsea! I think he needs to spend several weeks in the reserves squad, where he will get more room to set up his shots, until he starts one-timing them at the goal mouth on a regular basis. Until then we need, as slow as he might be, Viduka up forward, as he will at least take those shots. (Mind you, I don't think I have ever seen Oba display the characteristics of a normal Striker, that is taking the first chance he gets to shoot irrespective of how much of a chance there is. A striker's job is to shoot, nothing more, nothing less, anything else is a bonus!)

Not in my eyes I'd start wondering whether Shepherd has had plastic surgery.

My prediction is a formation that plays more like 9-0-1 and a score line in the order of 3-0.

the needs and qualities needed to manage outside the prem have little to do with those of managing in the prem,especially if given money to spend. wht i'm trying to say is that the talents and qualities to manage hartlepool are different to those needed to manage newcastle Sure, but just as someone who has EPL management experience has infinitely more qualification than someone who has only managed in the Championship, someone who has a few years experience in the Championship has infinitely more experience than someone who has attended a few silver-service lunches during management training. For me, however, the one saving grace is that both Ashley and Mort are business men first, and football club owners second. They would -NEVER- put an inexperienced person in to a senior management role in their companies and hence are very unlikely to put one in charge of this company. I think the best Shearer can expect from our new owner is a senior advisory role or a senior coaching role, which I also think he is more likely to be interested in. Ashley and Mort are not interested in making NUFC the "Survivor" of the EPL, that is to say do what is popular so you don't get voted out. They want to make our club more like Neighbors, that is a consistent performer that generates good profits year after year after year after year. They will not sack Sam unless one of two things happens, either we really start to look relegation bound, or an absolute superstar manager throws his hat in the ring and says he wants the job.

My predication, however it may be labeled by some, is that if Shearer is named manager we'll be relegated inside of 2 years! He may have the respect as a player of all-and-sundry however he has nil respect as a manager, just because he hasn't earned any yet. He's a managerial nobody who just happens to have passed a few exams designed to keep the rabble out of top-flight management positions. He needs at least 2 years below the Championship being successful, then at least 2 years in the Championship being successful before I'd even remotely consider him ready for the EPL.

I didn't think we played a 4-3-3 today. I thought it was more of a 4-4-2 with Martins and Smith switching between being forward and wide-right.

Have to say I'm getting a little sick of staying up until 3am and 5am week after week to watch this insipid bollocks our team thinks is football. I still think Sam is getting the player formation all wrong, something we seem to have suffered with for 10 years now. N'Zogbia should have been forward on the left wing, with Enrique at LB, Milner should have been on the right wing with Duff to come on substituting for Milner because Milner was having a bit of a shite game. I don't know why Barton was taken off and Emre on. As much as Emre seems to be popular and talked about as creative, its been a while since he created anything and Barton was having a fairly high-possession game. Viduka's second goal also showed to me something our strikers have been missing for a long time. The ability to take a first-touch strike on goal. It's not very often our forwards take a first-touch strike, and its been a very long time since we saw them score from one. Just look at Martins today, every time he got the ball he wanted to juggle it about, and then he'd loose his footing and leave the ball behind. On a positive note, the team is looking fitter all the time. N'Zogbia's running at the end of the game was still full of pace, and we definitely seemed to have stronger legs at the end. Anyway, lets see what the next game brings us.

I read a commentary by Sir Les the other day where he was saying that 4-3-3 is the way to go, but that Martins is completely unsuited to it. His main point was that Martins didn't have the discipline required to maintain the formation as he constantly drifts in to the middle of the field collapsing the formation and interfering with the centre-forward's function. I think he's right. I think 4-3-3 could work very well, if we stick to it, and if we ditch Martins (no doubt a good talent, but highly inconsistent). I have been wondering how we'd go with such a formation fronted by: Smith - Viduka - Owen. With Viduka acting as a holding guy, he can act as a target man for the mid field and defence, passing forward, Owen and Smith then have time to find positions coming in to their respective goal posts and Viduka can slot a pass through to whichever one is in the better position. I think this plays to all of their strengths, Viduka being excellent at holding possession in the area, Smith and Owen both being reasonably good at finding spaces and executing reflex shots at goal.

OP is spot on the money. You want to know what's ruining our club? Answer is the media. Its easy to blame the fans for having unrealistic expectations, but fans are dumb (that's a universal rule not specific to our club). The media know this and know that the fans will believe whatever they print. So they just print/broadcast whatever sensationalist bollocks will generate some hysteria because that generates sales and ratings, leaving the fans with a wholly distorted view of what the situation is. The main thing our club needs is an owner/chairman who sticks his fingers in his ears knowing he has a quality manager and lets him get on with the job, ignoring the fans. The only way I will agree with disposing of Sam within the next 2 years is if some absolute super-star manager steps up and says he wants the job. Until then Sam's the man!