80

That's true isn't it? Allardyce refused to be interviewed after finding out that Shearer was on the interview panel, quoting "I've never been interviewed by a player before and I'm not starting now" I thought that was common knowledge. Certainly not as far as i know. Someone else might be able to confirm this, but i think i would have read and remembered that. Sounds more like typical McDonald shit to me. Hey surely I'm not the only one to have heard this - I thought it was as good as gospel! Never heard anything about him walking out before it started, but certainly, the story was he was interviewed by a small panel which included Shearer. Which he didn't appreciate. Couldn't comment on the veracity of it, but the story is quoted and/or alluded to in the mainstream press every so often.

I don't think they're sitting on the fence in the slightest in private. They've made various remarks over the past couple of years in Bolton match reports that have essentially suggested anyone who would want Allardyce would have to be a mad idiot. I may be talking balls, but perhaps they feel they're influential and don't want to prejudice Allardyce's (possible) coming time at NUFC.

Typical.

It would be the most sensibly-timed sacking since... Christ knows when. Imagine, a full pre-season for a new manager to prepare.

Sylvain Distin is the in the top 4 centre halves outside the top 4 of the premiership. In the premiership. IMO. If that makes sense. (The other 3 are King, Yobo and Campbell, what order you wanna put em in is meh) Woodgate? Not for me. But whatever, thats the sort of company I would put Distin in. Are you including injuries in your thinking?

The idiot believes Craig Moore will be looking for a new club next season. I believe this club will be located in Australia as he's been saying he'd go there this Summer ever since he arrived here two years ago. I also believe Oliver will be writing for the Chronicle next season - mores the pity.

Just about to say that. And Celtic. Dyer and Harper were both for Liverpool. Emre - Galatasaray

He only came in when Phil Brown left for Derby, didn't he? If anything, that would show Allardyce can recover from a setback and strengthen.

I wouldn't be particularly distraught... I presume there would be reasoning for the move - either a decent profit to be made on the deal or concerns about all this injuries he's picked up of late.

Either way, it's as shite as 'this'. Efficient, though.

If it is, I am the originator. Even if it isn't, I still am, strictly speaking.

^

Not. Why the question?

Get out. And take your new-fangled thinkings with you. There's no place for the likes of those ideas at SJP. so Roeder is a crap manager because he doesn't spend his training time with his international footballers telling them not to throw the ball to the opposition? Not going to answer the question Alex put to you or will that show you up as being someone who puts in a random comment without the knowledge to actually back it up? How is he anything like Roeder? down boy he's an average English type motivator and tactician who doggedly sticks by his favourite players howzzat for starters? I could see why someone would argue the above, excluding the bits in bold. Roeder doesn't appear to be either, nowadays...

Get out. And take your new-fangled thinkings with you. There's no place for the likes of those ideas at SJP. so Roeder is a crap manager because he doesn't spend his training time with his international footballers telling them not to throw the ball to the opposition? Yes, because they clearly need guidance on the issue.

Yep. I imagine many of us could think of people we'd rather have to some degree or other, but I've said for some time that some of his particular strengths are areas in which we're particularly weak. Cutting-edge off-field techniques, a Manager who knows his own mind and will demand the best from the Board, and the knowledge of how not to throw the ball directly to the opposition in your own half, for example.

Nothing to do with the Royals, but aside from that, I agree

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/worldcup/2006/04/philmcnulty.html

I once had really high hopes for Taylor, I don't now. Maybe it was Souness, maybe it was the injury, maybe it was Souness's handling of the injury, maybe it's just because he lacks the brains to progress, I dunno. Whatever the case, I wouldn't be too bothered about seeing him depart as he seems to have gone backwards, if anything. Maybe we could put Owen to use and have him fly Tony Adams up from Portsmouth in that helicopter of his for a few one to one sessions, see if we can salvage him.

Take your point but it doesn't even register on my fuckedoffometer tonight. Oh, i've plenty of other things, but this is one of the ones other people aren't taking care of for me. Just sheer frustration I suppose. He shouldn't have done it and you can't condone it..........but I sort of understood why he did it. I mean how many times has he been in a 2 legged tie in which he was 3 goals up after 20 minutes - only to lose the fucker? Can you imagine Man U doing that? If it was a one off I'd leave it, but this is the third or fourth time that I can recall. This thread is probably not appropriate for the hours after a match, but for more general conversation I think it needs saying - he needs to sort himself out because he looks less like a title-winner and more like a lairy drunk. It isn't how I'd want, or accept, anger at our performance being expressed. Frankly, I'd be less annoyed if he'd behaved that way towards one or two of ours in the dressing room. As it was he was classless and made us look bad.

I take it Roeder backed our completely impotent approach of hoofing the ball up the pitch for Sibierski to head on for a Martins sprint. You might've thought we'd learn after the first six or seven attempts that not much good was coming of it - for us, anyway - I'm sure Alkmaar loved it. We scored four fine goals against them in the first leg and not one of them involved that particular manoeuvre at any one point. Fast, precise, incisive grass-level passes were the order of the day and we tore them apart. Today we did everything we could to avoid such guile. Bloody idiocy. As ever, of course, once we were behind we decided to try something other than aimless punts. Too late by then, unfortunately, with desperation then commanding our guiding strategy.

Take your point but it doesn't even register on my fuckedoffometer tonight. Oh, i've plenty of other things, but this is one of the ones other people aren't taking care of for me.

Seems this hasn't really been mentioned and I thought he deserved his own little plot of the forum after tonight. It's not the first time he's done something bloody irresponsible through petulance. What good did any of that display do us? He's supposed to be one of our senior example-setters, instead he's taken out his frustrations on one of their defenders before shaping to smack one of the guy's teammates who had the nerve to object - right in front of the referee I might add. When I first saw the dispute was taking place, I backed my man, as you do, though I hung back a little due to prior reputation. When blind you know where to place your loyalty. However, the replay left no doubt as to who was at fault, and that Butt had the temerity to continue in the manner has pissed me off, not least because I know how I'd feel if similar behaviour were exhibited by some barbarous Greek towards one of our own. Consistency demands I object now, therefore.

Says something when I'm sitting there missing Carr on the left.