Cronky

I also seriously wonder whether Keegan decided to bring this whole situation to a head, either deliberately or subconsciously. He was disillusioned with the game before, he always been impatient for success and I wonder if he's really got the stomach for the long slog up the table that's the realistic scenario. When he had that outburst after the Chelsea game, he was talking like a man who didn't care whether or not he kept his job. Not getting the players he wanted this transfer window may have had the same downer effect as the Chelsea game. Picking a row and getting himself sacked with plenty of compensation may not have been such an unattractive proposition. Keegan may not have done this in a consciously cynical way. But he tends to think he's in the right all the time, and he may have kidded himself that he was acting out of principle.

When Ashley wakes up tomorrow, I suspect he'll have realised that the situation is now untenable. Even if Keegan comes back, the credibility of the current set-up is shot to pieces. No decent player with other options is going to want to join. Everyone will be wondering when the next row and storming out is going to happen. We've been publicly exposed as a house divided, in the same way as after the Chelsea game, only ten times worse. The sad fact is that Keegan's standing with many fans is such that Ashley and Wise's team are likely to get almost the entire blame, and it'll be difficult for them to carry on in that atmosphere. Everyone will lose.

I completely agree with this. I understand how people are carried away by their love for Keegan, I remember how amazing the first time was. But the way some people have turned against Ashley over this is disappointing. I still believe he has an excellent long-term strategy for this club, better than any owner we've had. Maybe we get the club we deserve sometimes, reacting like this? That's how I'd see it as well. Keegan seems to have this Princess Diana status with many supporters. In their eyes, he can do no wrong and whenever there's trouble it has to be someone else's fault. The fact is that he has to work as part of a team and he can't have his own way all the time. Whether he comes back or not, I think that permanent damage has now been done to Keegan's working relationship with the new regime. If he's really not happy with how things are being run, then he should resign. "Princess Diana status" what the fuck are you on about?! Another bandwagon merchant who doesn't appreciate the history of the club! Sorry if you didn't understand the Princess Diana comment. I can't be arsed to explain. And as it happens, I've been a supporter for 40 years.

The fact that there seems to have been two days of meetings with not much coming out makes me hope that things are really being sorted out. Hopefully KK is older and wiser now, and Ashley is a good enough businessman to know when he needs to compromise to keep a star man in his organisation. Conflict is normal in big business like this, it's how you work it through that decides if you'll be a success. If someone walks out, it's impossible to work it through.

I completely agree with this. I understand how people are carried away by their love for Keegan, I remember how amazing the first time was. But the way some people have turned against Ashley over this is disappointing. I still believe he has an excellent long-term strategy for this club, better than any owner we've had. Maybe we get the club we deserve sometimes, reacting like this? That's how I'd see it as well. Keegan seems to have this Princess Diana status with many supporters. In their eyes, he can do no wrong and whenever there's trouble it has to be someone else's fault. The fact is that he has to work as part of a team and he can't have his own way all the time. Whether he comes back or not, I think that permanent damage has now been done to Keegan's working relationship with the new regime. If he's really not happy with how things are being run, then he should resign.

Yes.

What a farce. So the Board haven't sacked Keegan, but they're not saying that he's definitely staying either. Only that they'd like him to stay. If he really has walked out, he can stay away as far as I'm concerned. Even if he comes back, the message has been clearly given to all and sundry that Keegan and the new regime aren't able to work together.

If Keegan really did storm out, then I'd hope the club don't come running after him like that. He's part of a team, and you can't run things like that.

It sounds like this has been brewing for a while. Ashley probably didn’t want to get rid of Keegan before the end of the transfer window, as it would then be very difficult to attract new players in, with the club in turmoil. As for the reason why – let’s not jump to the conclusion that Keegan is entirely the wronged party here. More will come out.

KK having a walkout and being persuaded back is a repeat of an old story. It happened more than once in the Hall era. I just wonder what the argument is about. Just a thought - do they think that Keegan is not pulling his weight?

I think we've moved forward and we're going to have a much better season than last. I'm happy with that. Wise and his team have done well. I don't know why some people are upset about Milner. £10 million plus is a very good price for a player of his standard, and we do have alternatives for his position.

It all depends on how much the new owners are prepared to spend in the near future to build a team. I don't think Robinho will have much impact on his own. If this were an ordinary situation, you'd say that City have spent too much on the transfer fee and wages, and Robinho isn't the best signing for a mid-table club.

Also remarkable that even if Capello didn't think he was ready/good enough to start, he wasn't named in the squad to bring off the bench if needed for that very reason you've mentioned...particularly against Croatia. Even more remarkable that the likes of Ferguson, Wenger, Mourinho, Benitez and Scolari, despite having clear opportunities to take the player from us, have failed to make any move. Clearly there has been a collective failure of judgement here, among those who really should know better. Or maybe the player isn't actually good enough for that level.

Sorry, Shola, didn't mean to forget you. It's obvious KK doesn't rate you and you'll be on your way soon.

I don't know the player, but I do think we need a centre forward type, because Viduka is unreliable and Carroll is inexperienced.

If it was designed to protect the weaker clubs and close the gap on the stronger ones, then it's failed. I think the main effect is that clubs are forced to have bigger squads, because they know that if they have a freak run of injuries, they can't just go out and buy replacements at any time. The clubs that can keep bigger squads are obviously the wealthier ones.

This is what bugs me. Why pay a player as though he's one of the world's best when he patently isn't? People are trying to introduce all sorts of unnecessary complications ie what is the cost of replacing him, does his reputation attract other players, will it annoy Keegan, will his replacement expect the same money, will someone else snap him up. Just offer the guy the going rate for a player of his standard, and if he doesn't sign, listen to offers. We got into this mess by trying to be too clever and over-paying him to overcome his reluctance to sign. Let's just play it straight from now on. In the long run, that'll pay dividends.

Assuming this statement really is official, it's a sign that the club have reached the end of their tether with the situation. If he doesn't sign, then we should try to move him on asap, and stop playing silly buggers. He's in the final year of his contract. If he doesn't re-commit himself, then he can go. That's the usual situation with players in that position and Owen, despite his inflated reputation, shouldn't be treated any differently. Besides, we can't have a captain that isn't committed to the club.

Nice. That really made me laugh.

Keegan needs to accept the Board's position here. We're actually reasonably well off for the wide positions, with Jonas, Zoggy, Duff and Lua Lua coming through. Milner's been good, but not outstanding, and we don't need him badly enough to allow him to force the club's hand. With the strikers, similarly KK can't expect the Board to shell out big money just to cover for injuries, none of which are long-term. The thinking of the Board has to be long-term, and strategic, not reactive to short-term considerations.

Unfortunately, if this "understanding" is not included in his existing contract, the club are right to review the current contract whenever it chooses. I agree. He has a right to put in a transfer request, but he can't claim the moral high ground here. Contracts are there to protect the player as well. I wonder how the PFA would react if the club were to say that under this gentleman's agreement they'd like to review his contract and want to pay him less because he's been playing poorly. I know that it's common in the game for contracts to be reviewed when players hear about others getting an increase, but that's just symptomatic of the power that players can now exert. There's no moral justification for it. A contract is a contract.

I think they could play together in a 4-3-3. In a 4-4-2, I think one of the central players has to be able to tackle, and that's not a strength with either of them.

I'm a bit surprised, given that KK seemed extremely confident that he would be staying a few days ago. It looks like a move to Villa has been on the cards for a while, and that he's been open to the opportunity. This written request is probably just a statement that he's willing to sacrifice his share of the transfer fee in order to close the gap between Villa's and our valuations. This'll go through for sure. In fairness to the lad, despite the way we mucked him about a couple of years ago, he's always given his best. At least he's put his heart into his recent performances rather than sulked like Berbatov, to get his own way. He's not done anything wrong here, so let's not jump on him. I wonder about the way that this has come out on the day when Ashley and Keegan are due to have their meeting. The rags will have a field day with that.

The team is a lot better than last season, mainly thanks to the new players recruited, so there's every reason to think that the system is now working well. At every club, with the possible exceptions of Man U and Chelsea, there's going to be a gap between what the manager wants and what the Board can deliver financially. I don't think our situation is any different. My sympathy for Keegan is limited though. He gave this story to the media on a plate after the Chelsea game, and it's no wonder they keep bringing it up. Thank Christ he's learned his lesson.

He got header after header tonight. I only wonder about what he'd be like against strong competition - I need to see that second goal of theirs more closely. You won't like what you see.