80

'You're going down with a silver bullion ship'

So we're agreed - it's war with Spain. Good stuff.

They all look the same...

Well, if we take it as being true just for the sake of argument, it is very bad as it's £5m we thought we still had in our pockets until recently. Given how much we're spending in general, it's a big hit. Far better to have him for free, put simply, never mind any relative valuations we might be pleased about. As far as anyone knows it's still being discussed/argued out. Thing is, I'm not sure what there is to argue about. As far as I'm aware, we've operated within the confines of the Webster ruling - something ultimately rooted in the EU's (of whom all our bases belong to) attitude to employment law. As it is, I'm not sure what legal grounds Deportivo can offer to say Gutierrez should have been paid for, and it would seem their action is more inspired by emotion than sense - a bit like Le Havre's when we took N'Zogbia. The fact is, if things went far enough, Deportivo risk Brussels wading in and calling ALL of football's binding contracts into question - the Webster thing was only a halfway house set up by football from a position of weakness. The legalities are only going to push this stuff in one direction - total freedom of movement, which won't ultimately be in Deportivo's (or any club's) favour.

I would love an explanation of whatever's going on re: Gutierrez's fee. Really unclear on where that one's gone/going.

I basically agree with everything you say, but this para best highlights what pleases me (already said this once today - I'm starting to sound gushing). He appears to be a particularly flexible manager/character (note: not to say spineless), which is something I wasn't expecting.

Yep, if this happens, it'll be Shearer's choice all the way - and quite right, too. He's always had a lot of respect for Dalglish, so I couldn't be too surprised if it does. I'm not too sure about the appointment for a variety of reasons (re: scouting and admin, he's been out of the game for a while (but then again, Keegan supposedly had been too, and he got us Bassong!)), but that's for Shearer to decide. I must say like others that in retrospect, several of Dalglish's purchases proved to be very successful - not just in terms of talent but that of character. Nobby, Dabizas, Given, Speed and others went on to become the bedrock of our Champions' League side.

Must admit I'm surprised and delighted by the noises he's generally been making re: affording players individual attention, knowing all players are better for feeling good etc. I'd anticipated a 'one size fits all' policy, whatever that size was, myself.

Didn't see it, but I'd guess (and hope) that would explain whatever people have noticed.

If that vid really shows the extent of his behaviour, I hope the PFA give him their full support. Farcical that someone could be moved to 'fury' by it. I had to watch it a second time just to make sure he/that incident was what was actually being talked about. In all seriousness, I'd have the Carragher thing down as being worse - gobbing during a minute's silence instead of just not being able to sit still while that dreadful noise was being made (which I rushed to turn off myself when I first saw it).

Interesting. I have to give him credit for a lot of the stuff he's saying and appearing to do.

Way more damning than silence

Partly depends on where we are with managers and, more to the point, finance in the Summer, but I wouldn't mind keeping him if we stay up so long as its on a cheap/short deal. Not actually clear on what his wages are, now I think of it. I don't imagine they're that high - a sustainable (relative) luxury should we be relegated.

His debut. He had a dodgy debut. Never did understand why people came away from the Man Utd match pleased with him, he looked like Bambi on ice more than once. I excused it on the grounds that he'd had about one day's training in him, but still...

I'm just hoping we can snatch this... scrappy 0-1, 74th minute kind of thing. Praying that we go with a 4-3-3, but have no expectation of us doing so. I'd be over the moon...

Interesting comment.

Normally topped the 'most fouls' and 'most fouled' charts, as I recall.

Well... makes it totally clear to any ESN outsiders that when someone says no it doesn't mean they want Kinnear back, at least.

If we were to lose, I'd have that result between WBA and Stoke.

'Should' being the operative word. Whether he does is another matter. That said, I was somewhat surprised and very pleased to hear what he said today about players needing to hear how good they are etc. Seems like he does have a clue after all that players sometimes need confidence and happiness instilled in them by someone else, which the likes of Souness often didn't seem to realise. Bodes well. True, just getting the Shearer era started is a big weight off our shoulders. Yes... so long as he stays beyond the 8 games, of course. The alternative could make things even more unbearable. I'm also concerned that if he does turn out to be a bit of a disaster (see Souness), that the media will go nuclear in accusing us supporters of being fickle etc. Anyway, no point in talking about this kind of thing, just now I suppose. You think there is? He spoke well, today - left me feeling more optimistic. Also pleased to see more sense in this thread than I expected to. Let's all hope this turns out as well as we want it to. Good luck to him - we need it.

Thought that went well, good stuff from them both.

http://img.skysports.com/07/10/218x298/Gerry_Francis_589495.jpg & http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/09/26/article-0-03B3FFA00000044D-307_233x383.jpg Because two heads are better than one.

Colour me gobsmacked.

Fine - tell me how a Shearer now is any worse than the crap NOT doing the job they're paid for ? I wouldn't have felt much more confidant with the Shearer of 4 years ago in the team. I can't take the fact you've asked me that seriously, but he'd be unfit for a professional game in a way you can't imagine - literally. The forwards aren't really our problem in the first place, I'd say. Any player can be mismanaged.

I'll have what he's having.