TRon

Kevin Keegan's replacement could well be ....Kevin Keegan! According to one report, Ambani if he buys out Ashley wants Keegan back as manager

Figures I'm hearing, Ambani wants to pay £220m according to the Times, and Ashley wants a whopping £350m to sell. I don't like to encourage strife against the club but it may be a good thing if it forces Ashley to lower his price and sell. I think his ideas were good but things have spiralled way beyond that.

If the offer is genuine then I hope Ahley doesn't try to be a stubborn bastard and try and hold on. This is his chance to leave before it gets really ugly so he should take it.

It's fantastic news if it's true. Here's hoping.

I'm sure Keegan will be putting all this behind him and getting on with his life, and good luck to him. I'm sorry it didn't work out but it takes two to tango. Me? I'll be looking forward to the next game and seeing what our new lads look like and hoping for 3 points then checking to see how far up the table we've gone if we win. If other people want to wallow in anger that's their look out.

Not because he doesn't rate him, because he wouldn't know who he is.

For Ashley to leave it will need someone to buy the club.

Misleading IMO. KK took over a struggling side and had a lot of bad early results, but he'd definitely turned things round by the end. He did a good job on the pitch, there shouldn't be any argument about that.

Why don't the fans club together and launch a joint buy out with Freddie Shepherd? We could install Shearer as manager with Lee Clark as assistant and replace Vetere and Jiminez with Beardsley and Bez.

Good to see he's turning the job down seeing as he's not going to get offered it in any case.

There's too much emphasis being placed on Keegan's knowledge (or lack of) regarding foreign players and the market in general (emphasis being on abroad players). How the fuck can a fella, that 1st time around, brought in foreigners in the shape of GINOLA, ASPRILLA, ALBERT, just 'suddenly' not have a knowledge of the market abroad? If he was left to recruit his own players I bet he'd have fucking spotted and recruited far, far better players than Wise any day of the week. It's really simply in that managers manage, recruit, offload and get players to perform. Why we've got to follow the 'continental' way is fucking beyond me. GINOLA, ASPRILLA, ALBERT were already well established stars who we paid premium prices for. It's a bit easier than spotting Fabregas when he's 19 then watching his value rocket isn't it? Otherwise I think I'd make a mint manager. I advise the club to buy David Villa, Arshavin, Terry and Bentley, and I can guarantee we will be more successful

i'm saying he's not had the final say, which is a bit different. you don't think arsenal would sign fabregas if wenger turned round and said 'not good enough, wont fit into the team, already have better in his position so i dont want him" do you? So if Keegan had said no, we would still have signed them? yes. Curbishley resigned for similar reasons (i bet those two loanees brought in last minute had nowt to do with him). if it weren't the case, none of this wouldve happened. Curbishley resigned because he was two games from the sack anyway. I didn't see masses of fans gathering outside Upton Park calling for him to be re-instated.

Jail him then. It's a criminal offence which has nothing to do with football. Banning a player from playing for 6 matches isn't a punishment to match the crime. It's punishing the club, not the player. we signed him knowing that he was due to be tried for that so it's our own fault that it is having an adverse effect on us. it is within the remit of football as shown by the Hartson precedent. Jail Allardyce then for a criminal lack of judgement.

But Dennis Wise has? Righto. I don't know, and neither do you, but Dennis Wise is part of the recruitment team and on board with whatever the recruitment strategy is. If KK didn't go along with it obviously there was going to be problems.

Anyway, systems and job descriptions aside, while I do sympathise with Keegan, I saw the new recruitment team as being a step forward. It's not too far off what Wenger does at Arsenal, the main difference being he obviously exercises more control on the final decision. But he's earned that trust by showing a vast knowledge of the market, which Keegan just hasn't got.

Actually this is one of the reasons why more clubs are going down the route of employing coaches instead of old style managers. it means that you DON'T need a squad overhaul every time a new manager comes along, as their job is to work with what they've - got by and large. I would say any players leaving were probably going to get shipped out anyway. Barton, Smith, possibly Owen and Duff, were all players that were ear-marked for the exit, regardless of who comes in or even if KK stayed. The players who are considered value for their wages will definitely be encouraged to stay.

and the fact that they are undeniably a bunch of London cun.. outsiders.

I can't see him working elsewhere. If he can walk out of this job twice, one which he loves, what chance of him sticking around at a place he doesn't? Only a crap club like Bolton or Hull will let him have his own way on everything, and he won't be interested in that sort of job.

I don't think Keegan is yesterday's man, he still has a lot going for him. He was the wrong choice for Ashley's vision of how to run a football club.

The club is broken The team is broken The fans are broken This will be one hell of a struggle this season. Talk about over-reaction. let's hope the players don't go out on the pitch with such a defeatist attitude.

I would like to stress again, that while I don't agree with those who believe Ashley has failed (although he has definitely made mistakes) I am all for a far richer billionaire taking over and ploughing massive funds into the 1st team squad. Anil Ambani is more than welcome to make a bid, although his group are again denying they are going to make one. the alternative of Ashley out and no one in I'm still not sure about.

This is why I still have some hope for this season. While there will be some older players on the floor through understandable loyalty to Keegan, there are others for who this is their dream and won't be able to wait to get out there.

Which top players are those then?

My theory is they switched his real list with a doctored one they prepared himself to make him look stupid. It might sound a bit conspiracy theory but hey, if we're throwing around baseless speculation why not