sicsfingeredmong

If he is the 'the manager in waiting' - which i have no doubt - Shearer had better be worth the wait, because the Souness and Roeder appointments imho were seat-warmer appointments aimed at filling the void between the end of SBR's reign and the moment Shearer steps up to the plate. The club has mortgaged it's future on him, as the manager or 'the potential saviour' who will guide us into the next decade if he of course survives over the long haul. The issue i have is that we've forked out a bloody big, and costly downpayment in the meantime. That downpayment being the last three seasons, including the current campaign - in the form of two relegation fights during our spiralling regression suffered under Souness and Roeder. The Shearer Management Blueprint has been costly indeed, and his eventual deeds as manager had better equal or succeed Keegans's accomplishments here.

Looks more comfortable turning off his defender's inside shoulder, when he's been at his most effective at Leeds and Villa, when he had more of a 'free role' in terms of being able to drift inside in the attacking 1/3 at the latter club. It's a nice attribute to have when employed in such a role, or as an attacking or playmaking/passing central midfielder whose able to beat his man 'on the turn' and wreak havok with the supply pass into & around the box, but the problem with Milner is that he doesn't have the physical presence and the final ball needed to play in the middle. As a winger he's one-paced, there's no guile to his game. If the squad was deeper i'd happily get rid of, but the problem is we don't that have luxury at the moment - re:the squad size. Being employed on the left, ahead of N'Zogbia, could be indicative of something not being quite right between Roeder and the N'Zog.

Conditioning-wise he's let himself go, ala Carr. IMO this is a major factor as to why both players have a propensity to pick up soft tissue injurys, especially over the last two seasons. This combined with Viduka's wages - no thanks. We already have two 'black holes' in the wage budget, in the form of Owen & Dyer.

I agree with the sentiment, but did Bellamy ever really chance his arm from distance? Emre is another who can give us this threat, had a couple of decent digs last night. He wasn't prolific but he filled his quota, and for a player who at the time wasn't that great a shooter outside the box that was enough. Bellamy forced whoever was charged with the duty of containing him into a dilemma. Does the defender play off him and run the risk of Bellamy eventually hitting the target, or does the defender mark him tightly while exposing himself to Bellamy's running with the ball at pace and a potential game changing decision on the referee's part, the later case was a common occurance when Bellamy plied his trade here or as some might say based on one interview quote "purely looking out for himself".

Since Robert's and Bellamy's respective departures we've lacked two players who were willing to chance their arm from distance. At least we seem to have that element back in the midfield area in the form of Duff and N'Zogbia, regardless of where they play on the midfield line. Hopefully ,and i'm extremely confident he will, Martins will be provide the same threat on the frontline. Player's willing to gamble, and generally willing to grab the game by the shirt collar was something that was evidently missing during Clueless' reign, especially after the binning of the two players mentioned. Anybody suggesting otherwise is speaking bollocks imo.

As for the Times' article making reference to the disrespectful manner in which Shepherd handled Clueless' sacking. Souness has some mates in the media, and this opinion doesn't really take into account the circumstances of the day ie. as per below. Clueless hardly did a 'Gullit', as far as walking into Shepherd's office - amidst or even in the wake of the multitude of pathetic performances prior to his sacking - and finally & honourably admitting that he was well & truly out of his depth. Like McKeag, he was prepared to cling onto his position for dear life until he was forcibly removed. These two incompetants taking the ship down with them as they held out for one last 'payday' was irrelevant, collateral damage in their books. The final acts of Robson's tenureship should've been handled with a greater degree of integrity, however if there was one bastard/useless prick who truly deserved an inglorious send-off, via an impersonal sacking as was delivered by Shepherd, it was Souness.

Kenyon won't allow that to happen, he's a ruthless CEO imo and he doesn't hand out favours to rival clubs. In the area of sales/recouping funds/outbound loan deals Chelsea haven't been played for mugs - a 3.5m combined loss on Kezman & Parker - hence i believe there's some base concerning this alleged 10m loan fee & the "buy next summer" clause. Cracking little player who can play right across the line, and he's previously looked the part when employed as an auxillary striker/forward. 10m initially and probably the vast majority of our transfer budget + another 5-10m depending on performances smacked on top of that next summer..... i fear that we'd be financially placing all of our eggs in the one basket.

Amazing how many people backing Bellamy by saying he loved us seem to forget this quote from when we bid for Rooney. .................... when confronted with the possibility of non-guaranteed selection for the 1st team - ie. following Kluivert's arrival, with a Kluivert/Bellamy 1st choice strikepairing on the horizon - didn't Shearer similarly question his own future at the club. Yet Shearer's "love for the club" hasn't been similarly compromised in many a supporter's eyes. Perhaps it's a case "hear no evil, see no evil" where certain individuals are concerned. From nufc.com's Match Reports. Alan Shearer told the Chronicle: "I think it would be great if we signed Rooney. "He will be a fantastic asset and a great investment for this football club. "It would be a great coup for the city and for the club if we can attract him here. "If he is thinking about going abroad to Real Madrid or whatever then he can do that in four or five years time. He is only 18 and he is still effectively learning his trade. "He will only be 22 or 23 in four years time so he's got plenty of time on his side and I think it would be a great step for him." "Obviously it's all up in the air at the moment. Yes he would put my place under threat. It would put everyone under threat. So what? "If he can come in and do well, then great. It's always been the rules of football if someone comes in and does well, you support him and say well done. "We are all in it for this football club and if Rooney comes in and improves us, then we are all for it and I am 100% behind that. "If we can get him it would be brilliant." The comments i refer to, when Shearer in a decidely more eloquent and media friendly manner left a distinct impression that he'd indeed look after his own interests in the event of SBR no longer guaranteeing him regular 1st team football, took place earlier in that particular transfer window ie. around the time of the Kluivert transfer. Somebody will find them although i'm certain they won't be found on dot.cock.

Amazing how many people backing Bellamy by saying he loved us seem to forget this quote from when we bid for Rooney. .................... when confronted with the possibility of non-guaranteed selection for the 1st team - ie. following Kluivert's arrival, with a Kluivert/Bellamy 1st choice strikepairing on the horizon - didn't Shearer similarly question his own future at the club. Yet Shearer's "love for the club" hasn't been similarly compromised in many a supporter's eyes. Perhaps it's a case "hear no evil, see no evil" where certain individuals are concerned.