Offshore

Like quite a few people on here who read what they wanted to read. our demise of the last 18 months and current shambles isn't a figment of anyones imagination, other than those who refuse to admit it. Weve been going backwards ever since we lost to Partizan Belgrade. We were on par with Liverpool back then, they sacked their manager at the right time and appointed a good manager. We should have moved Bobby upstairs after finishing 5th, we would have been able to get a world class replacement at the time and move forward again. However, the fat c*** in charge of the club at the time waited until a stupid time to sack him, appointed a shocking replacement which made us a laughing stock. Since that day we struggle to be taken seriously as a football club. Ashley has come in and things go from terrible, to utter f***ing terrible. 6th biggest turnover, 50000 seat stadium, loyal fans, huge wage bill, however totally shocking management by Shepherd and now Ashley has destroyed any potential we ever had of making it back to challenging at the top like we were 6 or 7 years ago. Our reputation as a football club is a joke and we're a laughing stock . Even if we had money to spend, players and managers would think twice before ever coming here now. this always makes me smile. Only in people's heads. Nobody laughs at anybody but us ? Thats what I call a laugh. We have only been going backwards since we stopped trying to show the ambition to be a top club. By your criteria, Arsenal have also "gone backwards" since they were undefeated Champions ....... I don't know what gets into some people, who seem to think nobody else appoints a poor manager,and every season you should be moving up the league. Incredible. We are NOW going backwards, back to 3rd rate levels, and thats because we are behaving like a 2nd rate club, not a club trying to compete with the others of the biggest stature. TBF Arsenal fans think they have......

So he's proud of having us teetering 2 points off the relegation zone by New Year, with a squad boasting genuine quality like Michael Owen, Martins, Beye, Given, Nicky Butt, Jonas. The guy's a f***ing clown. How anyone can't be thoroughly f***ing sick of this utter muppet taking our team forward is beyond me. Makes me vom, the idea that this is the guy who is our current pioneer. He's a knob. And i know there's no one better and he's better than Hughton, blah blah blah, but i mean someone on here summed it up earlier on. "I think he's done a better job than any of us could." Oh right, that's alright then, thank f*** we didn't appoint a total amateur from an internet message board with no footballing experience whatsoever. We'd really be in the s*** then. Funny thing is Keegan had a similar record at the end of last season and most seen it as being great. Spot on baggio. Can't see why everyone is being so f***ing ungrateful. Ungrateful? So who else would have come to save us? f***ing superman? f*** no. Fact is kinnear had the bollocks to go for the job, where as many, many c***s turned it down. He was what, 17th choice? What else do you f***ing expect? How about Descamps & Zico who both expressed an interest. Oh yeah.. and that Turkish coach, what was his name? Kinnear owes us if anything. Without us what other club would have brought him back into management? We may be in the shits now and over the last few seasons but not too long ago who used to be a massive club in the champions league, UEFA and we've consistently had world class players over the last 10-15 years. He'll never get the chance to manage a club as big as this again, even if we are looking an absolute state right now. Precisely, Fatwax. Again - i don't resent him for that, he got offered the job and he'd be an idiot not to take it. But this whole thing about him coming in out of the good of his heart, how we should be oh so thankful to him for doing so... nah i'm not going along with that at all. He owes us, like you say. We were going to get someone and we just had to see how we'd do. Not great - it's just about passable and he's managed some decent results - but to say he's proud of what he's achieved so far sounds a bit iffy to me. Who has actually said this like?

Given is the only out of that list who would score as being in his prime and part of the Newcastle furniture, and unless the board decided to lose 5-1 to Liverpool to piss him off then I can't see how they are engineering his departure.

I can and I will. I would as well, at the very very least we wouldn't have played half a season with the utter turmoil thats occurred and thats got to be worth at least 6 points minimum.

So he's proud of having us teetering 2 points off the relegation zone by New Year, with a squad boasting genuine quality like Michael Owen, Martins, Beye, Given,Nicky Butt, Jonas. The guy's a f***ing clown. How anyone can't be thoroughly f***ing sick of this utter muppet taking our team forward is beyond me. Makes me vom, the idea that this is the guy who is our current pioneer. He's a knob. And i know there's no one better and he's better than Hughton, blah blah blah, but i mean someone on here summed it up earlier on. "I think he's done a better job than any of us could." Oh right, that's alright then, thank f*** we didn't appoint a total amateur from an internet message board with no footballing experience whatsoever. We'd really be in the s*** then. Give ower man. With 'those' players and the rest like Bassong and Colo available he had us 6 unbeaten and looking like a competent side, drop a few of those players from the team due injuries and suspensions and we lose our last 2. He wasn't manager during the last window so how can he be blamed for a shortfall in quality in reserve? FFS, he nearly got Ameobi playing half-decent. I'm not blaming him for the lack of depth, i'm blaming him for pitiful results against the likes of Wigan, Stoke, Fulham, Sunderland, Wigan again. This 'unbeaten in six' thing is becoming a serious get out for him. Yes, we did well to keep some clean sheets and he did appeared to make us look difficult to beat (the win against Pompey was brilliant), and i praised him for that. But you can turn it on it's head just as easily, and say he's not won nearly enough games - which can't be argued imo. Anyhow, i'm not gonna continue with this cos it's generally just pointless. We're stuck with him and that's not going to change, so i may aswell cross every available limb or digit on my anatomy, and hope for the best. It took KK last season and JFK this around-a-bout the same number of games to get 'their' team playing the way they wanted. KK getting Viduka back to go 4-3-3, and JFK getting a settled back four. Before both managers got 'their' teams right both had crap results against supposedly crap opposition. And the above in no way means I think JFK is anywhere near KK as a manager mind, just put in for balance. And i'll join you in hoping for the best, as sometimes thats all it feels like we've got.

So he's proud of having us teetering 2 points off the relegation zone by New Year, with a squad boasting genuine quality like Michael Owen, Martins, Beye, Given,Nicky Butt, Jonas. The guy's a f***ing clown. How anyone can't be thoroughly f***ing sick of this utter muppet taking our team forward is beyond me. Makes me vom, the idea that this is the guy who is our current pioneer. He's a knob. And i know there's no one better and he's better than Hughton, blah blah blah, but i mean someone on here summed it up earlier on. "I think he's done a better job than any of us could." Oh right, that's alright then, thank f*** we didn't appoint a total amateur from an internet message board with no footballing experience whatsoever. We'd really be in the s*** then. Give ower man. With 'those' players and the rest like Bassong and Colo available he had us 6 unbeaten and looking like a competent side, drop a few of those players from the team due injuries and suspensions and we lose our last 2. He wasn't manager during the last window so how can he be blamed for a shortfall in quality in reserve? FFS, he nearly got Ameobi playing half-decent.

He didn't feel that way before the Liverpool game. Maybe he did but getting bummed by Liverpool was the last straw Maybe, but they also coincide with 'Arsenal' rumours.

R.S.I. claim from having to bend over to pick the ball out the net 5 times? He probably did his back in but it will have been because he carried 10 people against Liverpool. true enough

In truth i'd imagine he's doing a better job than we all thought he'd could. He has for me.

R.S.I. claim from having to bend over to pick the ball out the net 5 times?

No of course mate, we dont know for certain that we could fall like Leeds. Its just that fear that if we continue to allow our better players to leave, replace them with lesser quality players whilst all the other teams around are strengthening, then ultimately, we will only head in one direction. A good man manager at the helm always helps when you dont have 11 International class players in the starting line up and at the minute i dont feel we have one of those either. I feel like we are kind of treading water at the minute. Hopefully it wont be for long. Don't disagree with any of that Rob, especially the treading water part. This window will tell us alot about what our future holds, I don't mean just by who actually signs, but also who we've also genuinely 'tried' to sign but got knocked back from like Modric.

Quite the opposite if things continued, we'd actually be cash-rich because we didn't spend. But possibly equally in League 1 if we fill the squad with average players. Any concrete proof that thats what we'll do? (not a dig at you, just was pointing out that we're no-where near doing a 'Leeds')

It's ok though, Ashley deserves another chance. I think he does, at least to see if he can sort the last 8 months or so out. Whether he does or can is another matter.

Quite the opposite if things continued, we'd actually be cash-rich because we didn't spend.

Didn't hear him or his agent whinging when we went 6 unbeaten till Wigan. Don't have a problem with him fancying a shot at silverware if he's being touted/tapped up for Arsenal or the new cash kids City, but call it like it is Shay, don't bleat about how hard it is BEFORE the transfer window has got going and just after the club has 'promised' to push on during 2009. You should have said this, if you meant it, at the end of the summer window when we were really in the shit. Got shades of the Zog's monthly whinge this.

Hope it drags on and on then falls through.

The manager did want two full-backs in the summer though. Ah f*** it I've cracked. Although no idea what went on with that bloke we had on trial who went to Hull, and it was pretty apparent that we went for Warnock but obviously that never came off as well. So who knows? Still think centre midfield was/is the weaker area, although theres nothing in the rules that say you can't actually strengthen more than one area in a window.

Losing three of your regular back four would test any team in the premiership tbh. (we've still a wafer thin squad mind)

Not sure if he'd be an improvement over Beye (once he's fit) so not convinced we should spend our alledgedly limited war chest on him. Midfield first please.

You wouldn't think it mind with Taylor the way some people go on about him. They tend to ignore the fact he's played over 100 games for the first team and say he's still new to it all. it speaks volumes about him that he's still called "inexperienced" after that many games. similar things were said about bramble. I have (in the past) given him the benefit of the doubt as he was young (for a premiership centre-half) then and playing alongside some of the gash we've had Boumsong/Bramble etc so it would have been a bit early to write him off then. Was reading the write up in the Telegraph sport pages about the Liverpool game and Henry Winter got it spot on saying that that game showed that Taylor had not matured (or did he call him immature?). I think he was being kind to him tbh. (Mind you, i've heard other journo's on sky sports news who do the half-seven paper review thing claim that Taylor is the best natural defender at the club - so there you go) They're probably the ones who don't even watch us yet spout cliche after cliche. Wonder if there's an on-line football journalists cliche compendeum?

You wouldn't think it mind with Taylor the way some people go on about him. They tend to ignore the fact he's played over 100 games for the first team and say he's still new to it all. it speaks volumes about him that he's still called "inexperienced" after that many games. similar things were said about bramble. I have (in the past) given him the benefit of the doubt as he was young (for a premiership centre-half) then and playing alongside some of the gash we've had Boumsong/Bramble etc so it would have been a bit early to write him off then. Was reading the write up in the Telegraph sport pages about the Liverpool game and Henry Winter got it spot on saying that that game showed that Taylor had not matured (or did he call him immature?). I think he was being kind to him tbh. (Mind you, i've heard other journo's on sky sports news who do the half-seven paper review thing claim that Taylor is the best natural defender at the club - so there you go)

Carroll is still onboard the 'young enough to develop' bus. Ameobi and Taylor got off at earlier stops.

Would love it if true(the first one above)...I know it's The Sun but defo a bargain deal for us. Don't for a minute actually believe the Sun story to be true, but Owen isn't cup-tied for europe so would be a good addition to a champs league challenger for a decent price given his contract status.

Yeah, his outstanding performance made all the difference against Liverpool didn't it. Despite all the saves he made the s**** performance of our outfield players meant we still lost the game. Shay makes some oustanding saves, no doubt, but 90% of the keepers in the premiership would make saves in most (not all) of the same situations. The difference between a good goalkeeper and a very good goalkeeper is very small. We've got just as much chance of going down with Shay in goal as if we didn't because our squad is piss weak. Outstanding goalkeepers are often the fine line between a team finishing 1st or 2nd but IMO they are rarely the difference between a team staying up or going down - that's normally due to a collective group of players who aren't good enough. Name me one goalkeeper who has kept his team from being relegated through a series of outstanding performances............. Jimmy Glass

The easy answer is only sell if we have better on the books already or only sell if we intend buying a better keeper. I don't think any of the other keepers we've got are better (or of the same standard) than him and I can't see us buying an established and better one for less than we'd get for Given, so keep him until he decides he fancies a move himself.