Slugsy

Incredible that some people think we can actually attract the likes of Mourinho - Mort gets it spot on in his latest statement - we aren't a champions league team and haven't been in the top 10 in six of the last 10 seasons - why the hell would a top European manager want to come here when they can go to top club in Europe without nearly as much risk? I mean Benitez, give me a break - Madrid have asked him to be their manager in the past and likely to look at him again. After having managed a much bigger club in the Premiership, and with the possibility of going to somewhere like Madrid - why would Benitez come here??

Hadn't read that till now, good response and I agree with Mort. He effectively says in the last para - Mourinho - forget it!!! Getting the feeling Houllier might be the one.

I think Houllier would not be the best choice - not because I don't believe he has the best track record, in fact he has a superb track record - I just feel on the managerial 'life curve', Houllier is on his way down, a bit like a Howard Wilkinson and perhaps his best years are beyond him. Maybe that's harsh and probably not justified, just my own feeling. However, faced with a choice between Hughes, Mclaren or Houllier.....Bonjour Gerard!

Given the realistic alternatives, I'm starting to warm to the idea of a Keegan/Shearer partnership. Keegan has always had fantastic enthusiasm and people skills while having clear tactical deficiencies, perhaps Shearer would be a good foil for him while Keegan would add the experience if needed? It would certainly be more exciting than the dross seen over the last few years and better than the likes of Hughes and Mclaren! Maybe the job is just the ticket to relight Keegans fire?

My problem with the two of them is that neither has any real clue about football. Who is advising them as to who to go for? Is it this Kemsley bloke, are there others? Starting to think we could do with a Director of Football in there to help with exactly this sort of situation

Bringing Keegan back would be a mistake, a mistake that I can see Ashley doing based on the last few days

Most of these players aren't fit to wear the shirt, people like Smith and Carr are a disgrace

Well, how much worse can it get?

One thing we are the best in the league at- giving the ball away!

It was clearly capaca's fault in the first place for not doing the simple clearance and giving enrique no option, the given made a hash of the clearance, shambolic, I'm speechless

What is it about our football club that turns level headed businessmen into complete loons?

He's on SSN now, was offered it, was a great offer but happy at Portsmouth! Well done Mort, twat!

We are doomed if Mclaren gets it

Forever grateful for the investment he has made and sorting out our debt but in terms of the footballing perspective, he is showing he and Mort are clueless

Starting to feel like deja vu, Freddie mark II

None, please

5m a year for 4 years? 5 times what hes on at Pompey just now. What happens if it goes pete tong (which given our history is very possible) after 12 months then we have to pay him off with £15m. Surely for that kind of money we could get a serious top drawer manager.

If it turns out he has been offered it and he turns us down, could you imagine it, Redknapp turns us down and then Ashley tries to get someone good... MA: "Hi Jose, I was wondering if you would like the fantastic opportunity of managing Newcastle United?" JM: "Would that be the same job you offered to Arthur Daley before me, a man who has won nothing, is on bail and would not move to Newcastle...hmmm, let me think about that?"

Agreed Good manager, knows the premiership, loves attacking football. A more solid bet than any johnny foreigner What a load of s***. Absolute cobblers. Well done for spinning this shambles until its a GOOD managerial appointment. Jesus. Good job we don't want actual success, isn't it. Still, if he's our manager, he suddenly becoems ace, doesn't he. Same as the last few did to some cretins, same as some of the s**** players do, just by wearing black and white. And THAT attitude, more than any pressure from fans, that stops us from being a genuinely big club, and keeps us from achieving the success we crave. All I can say is, I'd much prefer to be watching a Portsmouth team from the last two years than anything Sam or Roeder served up. So its about being a bit better than the s**** we've had, as opposed to actually being good? Exactly NM

Pretty dissapointed, if not gutted, hopes once again raised that we were finally going to get ambitious and once again dashed! Sorry but if true, Ashley has dissapointed me greatly on a footballing perspective.

Gutted I'd true, no better than what we had

F*cking hell, we haven't got a manager, got one point out of our last 12 and folk are mentioning 6th place!! Ha ha, only in newcastle!!! Brilliant!

Very good post by NE5, I agree completely with that

After further consideration, Allardyce had already assessed our academy wasn't good enough and was starting to bring in better quality on that level, he had brought in a load of backroom staff who at least seemed to have stemmed our horrendous injury problems, he clearly was trying to set up foundations behind the scenes to help the club long term. Granted he wasn't getting it right on the pitch so far but this club was in a right mess when he joined, foundations for success take time, time he didn't get.

He wasn't given enough time to be judged as to whether he has brought anything positive to the club. Martin O'Neil didn't win a game for 12 matches last season - he wasn't sacked and Villa have definetely progressed.