Ronaldo

Sacking Allardyce let us to what some of us felt at the time was a very risky managerial appoinment for all the reasons that were vindicated 9 months later. I hate Allardyce as a manager and love Keegan. But the sacking of Allardyce cannot be called anything but a mistake imo because of the timing and the fact we didn't improve at all in terms of picking up points.

So sacking Allardyce wasn't a mistake then (your original argument) it was getting rid of Keegan. Otherwise you could just as well say that sacking Roeder was a mistake because we got relegated 2 seasons later, the logic doesn't work. We genuinely improved under Allardyce though. that is the worst arguement i've ever heard, improved we looked better with roeder

What's your point? We got most of our points under Allardyce that season, to suggest Keegan saved us wrong.

So sacking Allardyce wasn't a mistake then (your original argument) it was getting rid of Keegan. Otherwise you could just as well say that sacking Roeder was a mistake because we got relegated 2 seasons later, the logic doesn't work. We genuinely improved under Allardyce though.

And we wouldn't have beaten Fulham, the mackems and Reading under Allardyce?

That decision against Crouch was absolutely terrible mind, and the Defoe goal was perfectly legit.

That's not the discussion here though, we all know Keegan wouldn't have taken us down.

I can see Hughton or Shearer getting us to 9th in December.

Barton was injured for a lot of Allardyce's time here. I honestly can't see Allardyce playing Butt to the extent we actually did last season. He's not a stupid as Kinnear, Hughton or Shearer.

Erm, because he seemed to make it a priority to replace Butt the second he was given the job.

He was terrible, but by no means as bad as those 3.

It took a very, very special combined effort from Kinnear, Hughton and Shearer to take us down. Allardyce wouldn't have started Butt or Shola and might have even (pure speculation) dropped Owen when it was clear he was contributing fuck all last season.

No bitterness there.

Anyone under the illusion that we were getting relegated in 2008 needs to look at the table at the end of 2007. Allardyce would have taken us nowhere, but we would never have been relegated under him, no chance.

Yes, as it most certainly was last season.

What?

In the grand scheme of things, it was a mistake getting rid of Allardyce because we got relegated 16 months later.

Green, Foster, James and Hart are all marginally better keepers.

Find it hilarious btw that some seem to have reservations about signing Simpson for £500k but wouldn't sell Carroll for £4m.

Shittu is decent backup in this league but no more than that. Central defence is our strongest part of the team and you'd have to be insane to start messing with it to accomdate Shittu and slightly improve the RB position, frankly.

Hate to say it but nobody else wants him.

He was only poor against Derby in an attacking sense, and yes he got raped on Monday when a player fit for the premiership was given acres of space to run at him all game. Posters who were saying he was alright 2 weeks back are now saying he's complete s****. Imo, RB is one of the few positions we don't really have to worry about for the next 6 months should this deal go through.

But you've seen him with your own eyes! The fact is Saylor is by far our best right-back and Simpson rates on a par with Geremi. And probably Solano. I think Simpson is solid. And at the very least decent backup for the premiership. Solano and Geremi would get murdered in the premiership at RB.

I only wish I made such a fantastic contribution to the forum as you Iceman.

Fair enough, as I said, never saw him play for them. But I was told he performed very well for them. Not the first good full-back that Allardyce didn't rate btw.