Teasy

With the recent signings I've gone from hoping teams around us lose to believing we can get the points necessary without having to rely on 3 teams sinking without trace below us, so I'm not too bothered about their win.

Me either. But the alternative is to see the established few continue to win season in season out. Wind back the clock to the SJH days pre-floatation and the money we spent to be able to challenge. What do you think other clubs fans were saying then? Only difference now is the amount of money it takes to actually catch up. Ourselves and Blackburn did the same thing just in a different era. The real difference IMO is the element of risk. We took a risk in order to strive for success, there's nowt wrong with that and to a large degree we've paid for that risk. I'm sure a lot of fans were pissed off about it at the time, but no doubt they've been equally happy too see us held back by the same thing that gave us that chance of success. Man City have no risk, just an unlimited amount of free money to buy inevitable success (if you can call it that..), there's a big difference IMO.

After 8 games, based on things you've heard and some stuff you've seen on the pitch and made judgments on you believe you can know 100% that Shearer was inept and that he caused various incidents (Bartons sending off ect)? IMO his biggest mistake was taking the job with only 8 games left (though he would have been vilified by some had he turned it down). Having said that I'm sure he made other mistakes and I in no way believe he's a good manager. He could be perhaps, nobody here can judge with any real accuracy. We'd have to have been their with him over the course of those 8 games to have any chance of doing that.

Not always like, but usually, never the less they all had to either take risks with loans or get their money from current Footballing success. Which is the real difference between the likes of Man City/Chelsea and genuinely successful clubs. I really hope they'll get bored soon, but I can't see it happening before they've bought some trophies.

http://www.otf2.com/forums/images/smilies/sorry.gif He's right though.

How dare they use their money in order to progress! I'm bitterly jealous of their riches, of course, but I don't have a problem with what they're doing really. How the fuck else are you supposed to get places in today's game? Money talks. Their has to be a limit and accountability when it comes to funds, otherwise its not a competition, its just a bloke buying trophies. They might as well just give the money to the FA and FIFA and buy the Premiership and Champions League directly. Loads of clubs spend money they don't have, but the big difference is they either have to succeed on the money they've borrowed or risk a steep penalty (eg Portsmouth). Man City can spend absolutely whatever they want without their ever being any risk to them, with no chance of failure how the fuck you can really succeed at all?

MONEY MONEY MONEY...and the jealousy that the haters' own clubs dont have it. Thats where the hate comes from. What a load of bollocks

The big difference is Luque didn't really want to be here, Ben Arfa definitely does want to be here. Does he? Or does he just NOT want to be in Marseille and we happened to be the main club interested? Obviously he didn't want to stay at Marseille and we were his favoured destination out of the interested clubs, hence he wants to be here.. You don't fly to another country to a club that your club hasn't even agreed a deal with because you don't want to be there. The big difference between that and Luque, is that allegedly he didn't want to leave Depor, but made the decision to go when Shepherd gave him an absolutely ludicrous wage offer that he just couldn't refuse. I always tried my absolute best to give Luque a chance, but it seems he really had no desire to play here.

The big difference is Luque didn't really want to be here, Ben Arfa definitely does want to be here.

you're just operating from the reduced expectations viewpoint, doesn't mean that the investment we've made (given the income from the PL) can be considered fantastic in any way... adequate i'd agree with what involvement has llamblias had in any of this? do you know, 'cause i don't but i'm guessing nowt The expectations have been reduced for a fucking reason, we're now a newly promoted side who have been in financial problems for years. If you expected a club in our position to do much better this window then I hope your next day trip out of the padded room is a pleasant one. Ashley and his employees have fucked up big time in the past, but so far this window (and in January) they've done a great job.

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2:1 to Newcastle

I'm managing Darlington in FM10, haven't gotten the Newcastle job yet.

Come on get it confirmed!, I want to put him in my FIFA 10 side

They're clueless, they mentioned something similar last week about the bench looking very weak and how we had to strengthen without realising that we had about 7 players out at the time.

To be fair if he really is another player coming in and here at the same time as Ben Arfa its an easy mistake to make.

Nah there's a one inch difference that would never hold up in court.

Do the same thing with the other pic, go on, I dare you!

But seriously Cooper, how do you know that's the same bloke from the other picture?, and where did you get that pic from anyway?

No, this was the bloke in the van: http://images.channeladvisor.com/Sell/SSProfiles/82056366/images/13/VC_hoodie.jpg

Do we want to take that kind of a risk though? Either way its a risk, don't sign players like him and you risk going down through lack of quality in the side.

As far as Douglas's comments go I think most people know the lads trouble. If he wasn't troubled we'd have to pay £20m for him not a loan with a £5m future fee or whatever. One player, who isn't even contracted to the club past next year, can't destroy the morale of the entire side IMO. If his ability doesn't end up being worth the hassle send him back early.

he brings up a fair point imo Which is? He's a bad little boy? Who fucking cares, we need a player like him and if it goes tits up our outlay will have been minimal.

I know we can score 6 goals every single match but playing with no defence or keeper is a poor decision IMO.