OzzieMandias

And to think the main reason I used to hate Spurs fans was because they moaned all the time.

While not being overjoyed at the thought of another transitional season (or two, or three), if it's a transition that is taking us to a better place then fine. It will obviously take time to rebuild from the mess the current powers inherited. And where were we going anyway? Was anyone in their right mind expecting Shepherd to deliver glory in the next couple of years?

I don't understand the title. Is there some fashion for players to move to the Far East that I haven't noticed?

You make it sound like something to do with submarines. I hear klaxons and see red lights flashing DANGER and lots of guys in polo neck sweaters running around. A loudspeaker barks: Warning, lack of depth! I repeat... Iceberg ahead! Something big, white, immobile... oh hold on, it's Marc Viduka.

I'm also happy enough with Owen as captain. He lacks the bullish quality Shearer brought to the job, and maybe that's what we're used to, but he'll certainly have the respect of both the officials and the other players as a model professional.

You make it sound like something to do with submarines. I hear klaxons and see red lights flashing DANGER and lots of guys in polo neck sweaters running around. A loudspeaker barks: Warning, lack of depth! I repeat...

I don't feel doomy or gloomy. Just expecting a transitional season. Again.

I read that one too. He wrote it a long time ago, no?

I don't feel Keegan's quite so likely to walk on a point of principle these days. The reason he was available at all -- not long after saying he'd never return to management -- is because his soccer circus thing wasn't going too well and he'd had to put a lot of money into it to keep the business afloat. I suspect he needs his pay packet.

Paul Dalglish.

Let's face it, anyone who preferred watching Toon-era Ian Rush to Toon-era Tino needs to seek medical help.

Asprilla app 50; goals 18 (one in 2.77) Rush app 9; goals 2 (one in 4.5) Barnes app 33; goals 7 (one in 4.7) I know who I'd rather have, even before you start considering the entertainment value. Or the fact that Rush is a twat and Barnes is a cunt, whereas Tino is merely a knacker, and is neither fat nor wears a stupid moustache.

Yes, I forgot his historic strike against Hull City. That one certainly put Asprilla put to shame. So what is it about Asprilla? Did he shag your wife or something?

Trust NE5 to be an Ian Rush fan.

I hated Ian Rush when he was at Liverpool, because he was at Liverpool. Never had much affection for Wales, either. And his fucking moustache was crap. Then he went to Leeds, and I dislike Leeds even more than Liverpool. And his 'tache was still crap. And then, after a summer of wondering who we'd buy to stand in for the injured Shearer as we geared up for our first Champions League campaign ever, on the deadline day for player registration for that competition, we sign a clapped-out Ian fucking Rush. I've never felt so sickened and disappointed by a transfer. I remember watching games where the other players simply didn't trust him enough to give him the ball. But even if he'd been good enough to score more than one goal a season, I still would have hated seeing him in a black and white shirt. John Barnes runs all that a close second, like.

I think you've arrived at the same point as Keegan did before his outburst last season. I've read that Abramovich, pre this latest bout of spending, has put £580 million (!) into Chelsea, in the form of an interest-free loan.

I think, if I had the money that Aimar's already got, I'd have gone to Portugal as well. It's really nice there. Esp. Madeira, looks gorgeous. I lived in Lisbon for a while. Great place. Preferred Sporting to Benfica, though, having watched matches at both places,

Just reading that second quote in your sig (assume its NE5?). SJH wasn't adverse to the odd trip into the Strawberry in his time was he? And fair enough, of course.

Thing is, the context changes. Things are already very different from the time when we last qualified for the CL, as a glance at either the ownership structure of the Premiership or the nature of TV revenues as a proportion of club income would reveal.

Question is how far into the past, eh? But of course that's painfully fucking obvious too, isn't it?

At least Rush scored a goal for us Yeah. One goal.

Precisely.

Compared to what? In terms of the level of football at which we are competing, or attempting to compete. Obviously, in terms of the Champions League, we are worse than mediocre. Compared to Blyth Spartans, though, we're pretty good. So not compared to the Premier League then? Au contraire. I said in terms of the level of football at which we are competing -- that certainly includes the Premier League. So competing as an 'average' Premier league side this year and finishing 7th would be a 'mediocre' season? In the period under discussion it was our best finish by some considerable distance -- our only one in the top half of the table -- and it wasn't good enough to qualify for the UEFA. Yep, that's certainly a picture of mediocrity in the post-Bobby years. You said we'd never been better than mediocre and finishing 7th this year would be more than that. You cant have it both ways i'm afraid. My apologies. I read your post too quickly and took it as referring to our 7th place finish under Roeder -- highlight of the last five years. To answer your question properly, I'd say a 7th place finish next season would be good in terms of our recent league placings, but still mediocre in the wider scheme of things. It represents nothing better than the upper end of mid-table. Well here's hoping for mediocrity at the end of this coming season then. For the upper end of mediocrity, anyway.

Compared to what? In terms of the level of football at which we are competing, or attempting to compete. Obviously, in terms of the Champions League, we are worse than mediocre. Compared to Blyth Spartans, though, we're pretty good. So not compared to the Premier League then? Au contraire. I said in terms of the level of football at which we are competing -- that certainly includes the Premier League. So competing as an 'average' Premier league side this year and finishing 7th would be a 'mediocre' season? In the period under discussion it was our best finish by some considerable distance -- our only one in the top half of the table -- and it wasn't good enough to qualify for the UEFA. Yep, that's certainly a picture of mediocrity in the post-Bobby years. You said we'd never been better than mediocre and finishing 7th this year would be more than that. You cant have it both ways i'm afraid. My apologies. I read your post too quickly and took it as referring to our 7th place finish under Roeder -- highlight of the last five years. To answer your question properly, I'd say a 7th place finish next season would be good in terms of our recent league placings, but still mediocre in the wider scheme of things. It represents nothing better than the upper end of mid-table.