Unbelievable

I presume Townsend is not fit to start. Saivet for Anita debatable. Otherwise the best he could do with what's available I think. Howay the lads!

If Rafa Benitez gets appointed as manager, which now looks extremely likely, it's an absolute win-win as far as I am concerned. I wanted us to go down once and for all really, but with Rafa at the helm I would be quite optimistic of our chances to make significant progress next season and beyond. Who knows, maybe Ashley has finally learned his lesson and there is light at the end of the tunnel. If we still go down, part of me will be gutted about the lost opportunity to finally see us progress, but no one can deny we will have deserved it for the shambolic running of the club since Ashley took over and in the current situation with the Rafa appointment coming so late in the day. If we go down and don't come up straight away Ashley loses the SD exposure he so desperately craves, and I would expect us to be put up for sale within a few years. Either way, much prefer both scenarios to narrowly avoiding relegation season after season whilst playing dreadful football under such luminaries as Pardew, Carver and McClaren. Chuffed about these latest developments and it will be good to go into games without the indifference or worse I've felt for the last couple of seasons

Could have done with a fat Spanish waiter in La Manga

Good riddance. Should never have been appointed. Let's hope they've finally learned their lesson.

Yep

Get your finger out Lee FFS

FYP

Not mongish. A bit North Korea though, for sure. Aye. Quite enjoy skimming their forum now and again. Seem to be quite knowledgeable and reasonable on the main. Well, except for the admins of course. Same as here really.

Dave! Hide the server fund.

We've been spotted: http://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=282654.msg14521230#msg14521230 Expect some Liverpool fans coming in soon.

Number of the beast

It was going so well. Exactly

If they're now seriously looking at this calibre of manager it does make you wonder what they were thinking wanting McClaren after Pardew left.

Shame it's 28 games too late. 8 years too late more like

Imagine how much he will hate his wife in a year's time

GTFI, great goal. Bye Chelski

FFS

GTFI

The most 'shambolic preseason' I've ever witnessed was followed by promotion with 102 points tbf. Apart from the Leyton Orient game that pre-season wasn't too bad compared to this one in terms of results and we were managerless for that entire pre-season, so no, wrong again.

I don't think they're mutually exclusive.

Not having that Foluwashola, sorry. The alarm bells were definitely ringing already during the most shambolic pre-season I've ever had the misfortune to witness. Not saying all of that was McClaren's fault, but he didn't exactly help himself then either.

So you think nothing's going on then? Why don't they just come out and back him so that we can move on? Where's the fun in that? Remember the January after Pardew left, with all the supposed sounding out potential managers, 80 high profile candidates had put their name in the head yadayada? Meanwhile Carver took to the bench game after game and it wasn't until a full month after Pardew left, by the time we all knew Carver would get/keep the gig he was gagging for, that they finally confirmed Carver would stay in place until the end of the season? Their master plan was what? To wait until McClaren became available? Steve fucking McClaren? And you would trust these men to make the correct decision and pull it off? I do think something is going on alright: they're in a pickle and they're buying time in the hope that things will sort themselves out on the pitch with McClaren. People don't seriously believe we are after Rafa Benitez or capable of pulling such a deal off do they?