Mowen

Some decent debate over the last few pages imo.

Do you get many away fans in Italy? Sure I've read before it doesn't really happen in Spain, is it just an English thing to take fans all round the country?

That's a good point about rivalry. It's almost as much fun to hate someone as it is to love them.

We'd be pissed off, but if we're gonna dish it out we should be able to take it too. Be fucking pathetic if we were calling on the FA to hold our hands because a berated ex-player got his own back. Bellamy wouldn't get anything like the stick Adebayor did either. The only one who might, and even then probably wouldn't, is Owen.

Think potentially starting a fucking riot is worse than kicking Van Persie in the face, like. Come off it. Yeah, I exaggerated. But after the Milwall incident the FA has to punish these things, obviously. Takes accountability away from the fans who spent 90mins singing about how his dad washes elephants and his mum is a whore though...all he did was gloat a bit. Maybe stupid but not worthy of further punishment.

Should get a 3 match ban for foul and nothing for the celebration. Are the FA investigating the fans who threw all that stuff at him?

Our players were shocking and deserved to get relegated, no doubt. I don't (collectively) absolve them of any blame there. I do, however, blame Ashley for failing to recognise this and do anything about it. It wasn't complicated. p.s. saying EPL is fucking wank.

We only spent about £10m net on transfer fees iirc, but it's further evidence of Ashley's incompetance that he allowed the wage bill to expand the way it did whilst apparently trying to tighten purse strings. A lot of high earners have been brought in on his watch. Also, I'm pretty sure it isn't well known Ashley spent £100m of his own money paying off debt, doesn't he want it back as part of the sale? I think it is possibly THE single most well known fact from the Ashley era, that he spent his own money to pay off most of our debt. It was all over the papers for weeks and weeks and Chris Mort was particularly public in thanking him (on behalf of the club) for doing that! The thing that is NOT known, I think, is whether Ashley will expect this £100M+ back, as part of the sale, or not . . . My point is that if he expects it back, he hasn't paid it off. If I buy you a pint, but then ask for the money I've not really done you that much of a favour. He will have saved us some money on interest payments if I understand it correctly though. Also, I think "THE single most well known fact from the Ashley era" is that the cunt got us relegated.

How can they ever punish someone retrospectively for cheating in this manner now that they've let off someone who so clearly did it? Much more of an issue than singling out Eduardo.

We only spent about £10m net on transfer fees iirc, but it's further evidence of Ashley's incompetance that he allowed the wage bill to expand the way it did whilst apparently trying to tighten purse strings. A lot of high earners have been brought in on his watch. Also, I'm pretty sure it isn't well known Ashley spent £100m of his own money paying off debt, doesn't he want it back as part of the sale?

If the finances were so fucked why did Ashley let Fat Sam bloat the wage bill so much?

Not sure he's that despised tbh...but he did parade his kid around the SoL in a mackem shirt.

If Ashley wanted the club to operate in the manner you describe he should not have appointed Keegan, nor anyone else (Redknapp for example) who believes bringing in better players in return for transfer fees is essential for a club to make progress. The mistake was his and his alone. By the way, you don't know the truth, all you have is your own bias which is based on very limited information. For accuracy you should really leave such comment out of your posts otherwise they become in danger of turning into you know what. First para is spot on HTL. A basic lack of understanding from Ashley. Implies to me he, at least, misdirected KK.

Ignoring all the other aspects of your post I disagree with to single one out; how can you honestly believe that "he [KK] is just as much or even more cupable than Ashley for the situation we are in now". When did Keegan leave the club? Even if it was 100% his fault (not in the slightest imo) Ashley had plenty of time to right the wrong. He could have appointed a manager, permanently, who could have kept us up. He appointed Kinnear on a game-by-game basis who worked hard but wasn't good enough and couldn't provide stability on his contract. Even once MA had decided he was staying he chose not to invest in the squad in January, preferring to make a profit when a blind man could see that we needed players. When JFK was taken ill rather than appointing a manager he let a coach take the reins, despite him having no experience of managing. This was allowed to continue for far, far too long before he finally got around to doing something; by this stage it was too little too late. Was KK responsible for making MA fuck up pretty much every decision after he left? Was he bollocks. We'd have stayed up if KK had put up with Ashley's shit for the season because he's a talented manager; but we should have stayed up anyway were it not for that fat fucking idiot.

I fucking hate Eric Cantona He was their inspiration in that run. Peter Schmeichal won them the title with his first half display at SJP imo. Unbelievable player.

I think you'll find it was number of factors which didn't see us past the post first. I would say lack of experience was the main one and secondly a few of our regulars ran out of steam. We were a hell of a lot closer to winning the league under KK then SBR and had a better team to boot. Can you remember Alex fergusons title challenge before the prem when his Man U team blew a 12 pt lead? I think keeping Venison may have made a difference, but as I now see from the replies to the tripe posted earlier, people have already mentioned the remarkable run by manure, for which they get no credit such is the eagerness to put the boot in to Newcastle United and Kevin Keegan. The classic cliché is that Keegan losing it live on air cost us the title, absolutely staggering that anyone can think that.

The one I did? Can't you tell from my drawing?

The sheer shitness of the quality and only when I read the "Boom" part made me laugh. "Spurs cunts" a nice touch too. Some excellent efforts in here. Never expected this thread to take off so well! That took me over two minutes and I'd had many a beer. I was quite pleased with the quality. I might try another one later, I'll try to think of a subject on the train home later.

So f***ing what if Ashley and Mort said that? Hardly paragons of truth. KK was not appointed at the behest of the fans, no-one could believe it had happened and the response to the appointment could be best described (imo) as something along the lines of terrified excitement. Like getting caught wanking over pat butcher. Yes, a bit like that. Why couldn't I think of that analogy.

So fucking what if Ashley and Mort said that? Hardly paragons of truth. KK was not appointed at the behest of the fans, no-one could believe it had happened and the response to the appointment could be best described (imo) as something along the lines of terrified excitement.

So why didn't they go down then? I thought if your manager left after 3 games there was no possible way to rescue the season and it was their fault when your inevitable relegation was confirmed?

Strange that Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger both agreed with him though isn't it? Spot on. NONE of the leading managers would have stood for what was foisted upon Keegan. Never mind the left-back issue, look at where Xisco is now (will those previously in denial now finally admit the lad is shite beyond measure?). Imagine what Benitez's reaction would have been.... Not walk, give the player a crack, then take charge of the situation and sell him back to the players old club in the next window? Seems to be how Benitez has handled it in the past. As for Wengar and Furguson backing Keegan, frankly, other than it suiting their own agendas anyway, they have earned the right to walk if they don't get it all their own way (besides the fact that Wenger especially has had players sold he would have prefered to keep and just got on with it). Keegan on the back of his time at city was arguably in a much weaker position to throw his toys out the pram over not getting it all his own way regarding transfers. Who has Wenger had sold he would have preferred to keep?

I thought he was our worst player last year, and don't want him starting on an anywhere near regular basis, but I'll be very surprised if he really struggles at Blackpool.

Loven generally does, but then he pops up with a goal Seemed to be playing very deep yesterday, presumably under instruction. Somewhat nullified the threat he brings. One occasion he got going and looked fast as fuck mind, don't think he got on the ball but it was pleasing to see nonetheless.