TRon

ok shitface.

Dave, should I make any further comments here or in the new thread you have opened concerning the same topic? or should I cut and paste across both?

Ok let me spell it out: * I was leaning towards the view that Mort probably wouldn't release substantial funds for Allardyce on the basis he's had pretty mediocre results so far. * The lack of press speculation suggests (although by no means is legally bound!) points to the same direction. Now if you'd like me to change the thread title I will, and in future I'll consult a solicitor before opening a new one if you'd prefer. No probs mate, I just wouldn't read a single thing into what the press are reporting (or not). The title infers you do to some degree. In fact I'm hoping it's because we're a tighter run ship on the story leakage front these days. You might be right about Mort. I reckon we'll see younger players and maybe a loan or two, so that if Allardyce is peddled at the end of the year it's not so much of an upheaval. Well, press speculation is often just a shot in the dark, but usually if there's cash available, the focus will be on which team needs certain types of players. e.g. We need an Anelka because none of our current forwards are capable of playing in Sam's 4-3-3 formation, but there has been no mention of us even trying to compete for his signature this time. It might be that we are running a tighter ship regards leaks, but the press don't really need leaks as they are quite capable of putting two and two together themselves even if it makes 5 sometimes. I think the feeling is that Allardyce isn't going to get much money so speculation is a waste of time.

Ok let me spell it out: * I was leaning towards the view that Mort probably wouldn't release substantial funds for Allardyce on the basis he's had pretty mediocre results so far. * The lack of press speculation suggests (although by no means is legally bound!) points to the same direction. Now if you'd like me to change the thread title I will, and in future I'll consult a solicitor before opening a new one if you'd prefer.

Why not? If there is even a chance there will be transfer activity, usually there's speculation in most of the press, tabloid, and broadsheet in fact. I've seen stupider logic in thread titles.

Christ you've done a good job of making a quality player like Gudjohnson sound crap. Good work. I made a good quality player sound slow, that's all. We don't need any more slow players, quality or not, but that's just my opinion.

you're focusing too much on the media rumour side of it. Look at the bigger picture, do you think there's much likelihood that funds will be made available to get the quality players that Allardyce wants? That's the crux of the question, not the bit you are highlighting.

Even if there were rumours, I wouldn't reckon on Mort & Co being to keen to splash big money with so little encouragement that it would be money well spent.

I agree, for once I can't really feel justified in urging the board to spend invest heavily in the squad. Best to hold fire till the summer and see if things get any better first.

1-1 at best.

Very quiet on the January window ATM. My gut instinct is very few funds will be made available as Sam has not done well with the current squad for whatever reason. The only player I've seen linked so far is another slowish forward-cum-midfielder in Godjohnsen.

Well, considering our bad run has come against the worst teams in the division I would suggest it isn't going to get better this season, at least.

Talk about not seeing the wood for the trees. Remember Robson's excellent counter-attacking team of a few years back? The only attacking players we had when playing from defence were Robert, Bellamy and Dyer (all lightning fast) but master tactician Allardyce doesn't seemed to have twigged how that worked either

What he fails to mention there is that Sven's team don't hoof the ball 50 yds upfield as soon as they win posession. They attempt to move the ball accurately and quickly to the front men to hit on the counter which is a million miles from Sam's direct football philosophy.

I'm now thinking between 12th and 14th, that's simply not good enough. Does anybody think Allardyce should be here next season if we finish as low as 12th? I don't even bother looking at the league tables any more, I wrote off this season after the Reading game. All I'm looking for at the moment is the slightest hint of progress, or team structure game by game.

I just hope he's not unsettled here already. I can understand easing him in gradually but he hasn't looked so bad as to warrant no first team football at all.

I think if you asked the vast majority of Newcastle fans (not just internet) they would want Shearer as manager. There again, if Shearer wasn't there, they'd probably want Lee Clark given the choice. Me personally, I'd prefer Sid Wadell or an Ant & Dec management duo with Jimmy Nail as first team coach.

What kind of spend and when are you expecting coach? I was expecting nothing really this season. I wrote it off the moment we hired Big Sam. Although that's not to say I'm happy we're losing games and not performing well but I did expect it so therefore I'm not too worried about these in reality fickle aspects of football on the pitch. Next season I expect better performances, more consistency and better management decisions on the pitch. I expect improvements in all areas of the team from defence to attack and with it league standing. I don't expect us to finish in the top 6 next season though. The season after that I do and the season after that one, I'd expect us to be challenging for a top 4 spot and looking to win a trophy. The spend? I think we could attain all that or look towards that on current budget levels. However we could cut out a good few years by spending good money and starting now which is the only way to progress at a quicker rate, the only way. This goes for any manager. If we appointed Ramos and gave him only 10m net spend a year, we'd struggle to break into the top 6 so soon too, where as the CL would be an impossibility to a large degree. No, Big Sam needs backed heavily in the transfer market. It's time to look for quality not quantity. I feel a certain resistance to a big spend coming from Mort. I think Ashley would be happy to spend big if he was confident Allardyce was the right man. Unfortunately, Big Sam's under-achieving results have not helped his cause. Regularly dropping points to relegation fodder teams must have put doubts in the Chairman's mind and for tht Sam has only himself to blame. Even now, if he can get the team to produce the results to reflect their transfer fees he can turn things round for the summer.

Emre is never going to fit into Allardyce's preferred team or style where the 4-3-3 needs a single forward supported by two wide players. The three scufflers who make up the midfield don't need Emre's skill as the ball will be flying over their heads mostly in any case.

A good article related to this subject:

Whats has he brought off it? I dont know anything about whats going on behind closed doors but i'd love to know. from today's Times (Oliver Kay): At Bolton, he and his staff were able to impose a philosophy on a squad that was built slowly over his eight seasons in charge as the team went from the lower reaches of what was the Nationwide League first division to the upper echelons of the Premier League. This was not only a triumph of tactics or organisation, but of the ideas and team ethic that Allardyce and his staff imposed. To be shown around their training ground at Euxton and to be talked through the thinking behind the computer hub, the layout of the gym and even the colour scheme on the walls was like a psychology or a sports science field trip. It's the sort of thing which made me want Allardyce here in the first place

Me too, even though I still rate him and think he could be a good player one day. Swap for Ashton plus some cash? We need a mobile front man, we already have plenty of plodders in the side IMO.

5 years? It's barely been 5 months and there's talk of him getting sacked, that's the reality. I should think he'll get the rest of the season to show some progress, if he thinks he's going to get a blank cheque for 5 yrs he's in for a rude awakening.

There's no point in laying off Big Sam or his staff unless some outstanding coach suddenly becomes available. For all his blinkered approach on the pitch, Allardyce has brought some much needed improvements off it.

Some of us spotted Bobby's flexibilty as opposed to Sam's blind dogma a while back and commented on it. That said, it's a wonderful interview, and for all he's supposed to be senile, Robson's clarity and vision is a master class in seeing the bigger picture.