TRon

WE finished second and went into the champions league? with Keegan's players. As soon as the world class manager was able to bring his own in, we plummeted like a stone. Lest ye forget.

why anyone would 'double up' on duff is beyond me. if it was possible to put half a man on a player, if i was a manager, i would take up that option when playing against a team that had duff in it. It's generally the case though. Most wide players find two players in front of them, Zog usually cuts inside to get round this, Duff usually loses the ball while trying to stay wide. Milner loses it while going wide and cutting inside. On the few occasions he gets behind the defender he checks back to let them catch up which isn't too hard.

While Duff hasn't been great, I don't think he's been helped by the lack of options when he gets the ball. He's generally got two players doubling up on him which in theory means there's space somewhere else but we aren't getting the ball out. This is where the central midfielders are not giving any options.

Christ. He's only broken a bone, not become permanently disabled. He'll get the best medical care going, and probably earn more you ever will in you life - just while he's on the sick. So what? Still a pretty sick chant. I wouldn't wish an injury like that on anyone and money isn't everything. Bollocks. I bet if someone offered you £500k to break your left ankle, you'd throw in the right one in for nowt. Kids are too soft these days. I'd lop off both legs and an arm for £50 tbh.

I've been keeping an eye on the Ramos creaming. Good post. Yet in your other thread you were criticising Ashley and Mort for bringing in a manager who had been out of the game for some time. How do you manage to hold two diametrically opposed views at the same time?

I'm actually frightened to death with what Keegan might buy, having in mind the way his team has been playing playing. What a player with talent. Yes Keegan's well known for buying carthorses like Ginola, Cole and Asprilla. If only he could spot a player like Allardyce...the silky touch of Barton...the goal instinct of Smith...

Keegan was never a master tactician which you can count as either a weakness or a plus. Given funds next season I'm confident he'll put together a side capable of winning matches in a decent style. Nowt's changed since he was appointed. In case anyone forgot, these players were getting thrashed under Allardyce as well, he just had a lot better fixtures to get some results.

Fixing your post that way I completely agree with you. I can't see why Keegan would come in the first place if he was told he wasn't going to be backed. I for one won't be blaming Keegan if we go down. The seeds were sown last summer, Allardyce is the first manager to complain about lack of backing from his board since, eeeerrrr......before the Halls and Shepherd, in fact. Or Keegan, from Sir John Hall, when he walked out after the swindon game. I agree with your comment above ie that he wouldn't have taken the job if he hadn't been shown ambition, but we will see in time how much will be shown when it comes to the crunch. Lets hope this is right, but if we go down it won't be much good. He'll have to get us straight back, and thats a year wasted at least. They have to at least equal those champions league finishes, in my eyes. They have to meet the challenge of their time, there is no way out of this comparsion. I'm not bothered in the slightest if they are "good blokes" at all, I couldn't give a toss I just want a winning football team. There's a Freddie Shepherd appreciation website, you should post there. www.fatbastard.com

Don't spoil it, there was a queue a mile long of world class managers waving application forms don't you know?

He wasn't my choice at the time, but there's no way I won't give him the time needed to turn things round. He deserves that much.

Faye started off brilliantly yesterday but in the end he was getting swamped. I still say he's a good defender, he'll look much better next to Cacapa.

I always wonder why Taylor is so often standing alongside Given on the goal line. Shouldn't he be marking a forward instead?

Agreed. Give our Kev a chance you moaners and fuck off.

Paul Robinson is so bad though. He's the Mr Bean of Prem keepers.

Just been watching the second goal again. He actually turned round in a circle while Ronaldo ran past him. What a fucking joke.

We haven't got players with the legs. Butt and Barton are too slow so if they make a run forward, they can't get back if we lose possession. Plus they are shit so they might as well stay in the centre circle to be honest.

True, and Ramos has done well but that's hardly Keegan's fault.

Jenas in particular has really performed well in this competition. His "engine" alone makes him twice as good as Nicky Butt. Well I used to say that when we had him but knowledgable pundits like HTL convinced everybody Lee Bowyer was much better.

Ramos OUT!

Well done Spurs, I'm pleased for them as Ramos has earned it whereas Avram would have inherited it. I would like to re-iterate one more time that Jonathan Woodgate is a cunt and can fuck off.

We lost to Reading when we weren't under pressure, and were lucky as hell against Fulham. I wouldn't take wins against either as nailed on given our total lack of heart.

I think a draw would be a decent result tbh. Blackburn are well organised and effective, similar to Villa. They are very beatable but not by a team which will wave the white flag at the slightest sign of pressure. If we go in with the same players who have been rolling over the last few weeks we are staring at defeat.

Smith but it's a trick question because Butt shouldn't be in the team either.

While I agree that originally appointing Allardyce was fair enough, I don't agree that he should have been given a blank cheque by Ashley. Ashley was right not to trust him to blow his wad if the signings so far are anything to go by so he can hardly be blamed for not backing even further, a manager he never wanted in the first place.

Putting in youngsters would be the wrong thing to do in an ideal world but some of the current first-teamers look like they've given up the fight. I wouldn't rule anything out at this stage.