Happy Face

How could Hughton have stopped this? Not really about stopping the fight but a sever reprimand would have been the solution. In what form? Fine Carroll 2 weeks wages and drop him to the reserves for a month. You've got Ameobi, Ranger and Lovenkrands and we're 12 points away from being promoted IF Forest win all of their games. 9 points if we beat Forest tonight. You do that it shows Carroll what he did was wrong and that he's not a shoe-in for the first team no matter what his actions are. By playing him it doesn't reprimand his actions one bit and it wont defer him from doing it in future. Hitting him in the pocket wont hurt him hugely, but if you drop him and others succeed whilst he's not in the side (which they would) then it hurts his ego, which is what he needs. Deny ourselves the striker that's scored 10 goals in 11 games to put us in the position you describe when no complaint has been lodged and no charges made? Do that to a 21 year old kid in the best form of his life, when he's improving and gaining confidence at a greater rate than he has or will at any time in his career. Even though we refused to do it to Barton either before or after he was jailed. An older, supposedly wiser, more senior squad member with more previous. After nowt happened to Dyer or Bowyer or Shearer? When Liverpool did nothing of the sort to Steven gerrard who had been charged. Man City have done nowt to Michael Johnson. Birmingham did nowt like that to Pennant. Arsenal did nowt like that to Adams. In a corrupt world I respect your moral stance, but with a precedent set over and over again in the past I cannot see why we should start trying to turn the tide. All i care about is winning tonight so I'll welcome Carroll onto the pitch.

How could Hughton have stopped this? Not really about stopping the fight but a sever reprimand would have been the solution. In what form?

Steven Taylor is nowt but a brown-nosing bell-end who's found out (however innocent he might be in this case) his disingenuous playing to the crowd hasn't left him as popular as he thought it had. Fans, on the whole, prefer performances on the pitch over paper talk, which is why Carroll's goal haul this season has won him a lot more fans than all the talking Taylor (and his dad) does in the press about how much he loves the club and what it owes him.

Everyone had their own criteria for thinking as they did at the back end of May last year, but whatever they were, some people were reasonably hopeful of a top 2 finish, that's all.

http://www.toontastic.net/board/index.php?s=&showtopic=25437&view=findpost&p=663645 We've hardly had any injury trouble. taylor out for most of the season,barton out for all of it,ameobi was supposed to be first choice this season,then enrique. Exaggeration to say Taylor's been out "most of the season"... he's played more than half the games. And Enrique's played three quarters....there's only 6 players who've had more games.

and if my optimistic view was seen as a piss take, here's a more measured post where I said we should be getting auto-promotion.... http://www.toontastic.net/board/index.php?s=&showtopic=25437&view=findpost&p=663645 We've hardly had any injury trouble.

Pointless. You cannot see the results of the poll until you have voted. Please login and cast your vote to see the results of this poll. Total Votes: 71 pointless? The point is many people predicted (and expected) we'd be in the position we are now and anything less would have been a huge disappointment. Conventional wisdom on this is now so perverted that no-one argues with the conensus we all thought we'd struggle to reach the play-offs. But that's Llambias talk. Whether you can see the results or not. It's the truth. There are not 71 regular posters on TT, so which way did the 'strong' voices of the forum vote? Not 71 regular posters? Look at the posters around 70th place in terms of post count... http://www.toontastic.net/board/index.php?&name_box=begins&sort_key=posts&sort_order=desc&filter=ALL&act=members&max_results=60&aim=&yahoo=&icq=&msn=&posts=&joined=&lastpost=&lastvisit=&signature=&homepage=&name=&photoonly=&st=60 2Bias Canofbeans Armchairpundit Paddy Magma Baggio Optimistic Nut Kitman I'd say they're pretty regular contributors. Not automatically. It was the most popular option with 45%. With about 80% predicting at least a play off place. Automatic (1-2) [ 33 ] [45.83%] Playoff (3-6) [ 24 ] [33.33%] top half (7-12) [ 7 ] [9.72%] lower half (13-21) [ 5 ] [6.94%] in the shitehole (22-24) [ 2 ] [2.78%] We got relegated?! [ 1 ] [1.39%] I've never said anything whatsoever was in your head. Just that it's not true when Tron says no-one expected us to be where we are.

The link is pointless as you can't see the poll results unless you're a member. Lots of people are members. You could even sign up.

Just joined Bwin. £30 deposited and placed on Man U £30 free bet placed on Arsenal Did it via rpoints so guaranteed £25 back off them even if neither win. About £70 return if either win. £111 return if both win. I'm running out of bookies offering free bets. Jaxx next week.

Pointless. You cannot see the results of the poll until you have voted. Please login and cast your vote to see the results of this poll. Total Votes: 71 pointless? The point is many people predicted (and expected) we'd be in the position we are now and anything less would have been a huge disappointment. Conventional wisdom on this is now so perverted that no-one argues with the conensus we all thought we'd struggle to reach the play-offs. But that's Llambias talk. Whether you can see the results or not. It's the truth.

Over 43% thought we'd finish in the top 2 on Toontastic.... http://www.toontastic.net/board/index.php?showtopic=24453&st=0 I predicted that we'd walk it and win the first 12 on the bounce. http://www.toontastic.net/board/index.php?s=&showtopic=24445&view=findpost&p=630298 Was there a similar poll on here? Was the outlook more negative.

I don't understand the need for anyone to push the blame for EVERYTHING onto Ashley or onto Shepherd when there's plenty of blame to go around for both of them. The only difference is Shepherd can't possibly do any further damage.

Do you have any idea how sad you sound? No idea mate. How sad? As sad as a pathetic, probably single little cyber warrior who hurls abuse at those who barely deserve it from the safety of his spunky Kleenex-littered bedroom. You're right about my bedroom being "spunky-kleenex littered" (If there's not a song with that as the title, there should be). What deserves a little bit of stick more than trying to get into the drawers of the mother of your teamates child? mate u are not funny at all Scottish fella walks into a bakers, points to a pile of cakes and says "Is that a doughnut or a meringue?" The baker replies "No, you're right, it's a doughnut." Take my wife, please!

Do you have any idea how sad you sound? No idea mate. How sad? As sad as a pathetic, probably single little cyber warrior who hurls abuse at those who barely deserve it from the safety of his spunky Kleenex-littered bedroom. You're right about my bedroom being "spunky-kleenex littered" (If there's not a song with that as the title, there should be). What deserves a little bit of stick more than trying to get into the drawers of the mother of your teamates child? We know that for a fact about as surely as we do that Taylor is a brown-nosing little f***er... Fair play for the unexpectedly witty and mature response though. Since I've always thought he's a brown-nosing little fucker and have been saying so for years, I'm inclined to believe the story that's emerged whether or not anyone's confirming it yet.

Do you have any idea how sad you sound? No idea mate. How sad? As sad as a pathetic, probably single little cyber warrior who hurls abuse at those who barely deserve it from the safety of his spunky Kleenex-littered bedroom. You're right about my bedroom being "spunky-kleenex littered" (If there's not a song with that as the title, there should be). What deserves a little bit of stick more than trying to get into the drawers of the mother of your teamates child?

Do you have any idea how sad you sound? No idea mate. How sad?

partly,not entirely. Why not blame McKeag? The club were in a right mess when he sold up. true enough, then hall, fred and co done some good work on maximising the clubs financial potential to get us into a very good position. then they let it slip. They didn't "need" to go down a division before moving in the right direction either. bloody right. weren't accusing me o such silliness were you ? I wouldn't dream of it.

partly,not entirely. Why not blame McKeag? The club were in a right mess when he sold up. true enough, then hall, fred and co done some good work on maximising the clubs financial potential to get us into a very good position. then they let it slip. They didn't "need" to go down a division before moving in the right direction either.

Peter Storrie might talk a lot of bollocks but he had it right last week when he pointed out that you can't blame Redknapp for spending the money they threw at him. I blame Souness in as much as his signings were shite (wheras Redknapp's won a cup and got into Europe), but in allowing Souness to spend £50m (in 8 months) that we didn't have or weren't due, Shepherd has to carry the can like Gaydamak at Pompey.

Clearly rained a flurry of blows into the brown nosing little fucker's face.... ...unless he punched with one hand and Taylor injured the other hand with some particularly strong pointing at it.

and then there's Taylors.... http://cache2.asset-cache.net/xc/6294-001027.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=EDF6F2F4F969CEBDD12D4F24C52F73C996CF3777BF502FFB320F03BB5828A314E30A760B0D811297

Aye but I fully expected him to finish in profit in January. I know he's still in profit overall, but he spent a modest amount in January and it was just enough investment to keep the first team strong enough for the final push. You've got to give him credit for that. Even if it was in his best interests, it was in ours too so I was glad to see it. It's what he refused to do last January though it would have been in his best interests at that time too, so it's an improvement.

Spot on. What's incredible about being labelled an entrenched Ashley hater without the capacity to consider the facts is that my view of him has constantly changed along with events as they happen. Arrived - Thank christ for that, no need to worry about our debts any more. Legend Stand with fans & Pint downed - strange decision...but legend still Appoint Keegan - Absolute Legend Appoint wise - strange decision, but still a legend Sack Keegan - Woah, you wanker what the fuck? OK Keegan was unreasonable. Benefit of the doubt. Appoint Kinnear - Howay man dipshit! What you deein? Sell Given & Nzogbia - This is getting stupid. Is he trying to get us relegated? I'm going to set up a blog to compare what he says and what he does because they seem completely disparate. Appoint Shearer - right, now he realises. Howay the lads! Relegation (club for sale) - good riddance. Keegan Tribunbal - Christ i knew he was a liar, but that takes the biscuit. Off the market - You utter fucktard. No mangerial decision, no chance for the manager to mould his squad. How incompetent can you be? Stadium Name - Now he's just taking the piss. January deals - That could get us automatically promoted or even win us the championship. Good work. Most people defending Ashley on here are still stuck on the same emotion we all had on day one and nothing that's gone on since has wavered them one iota. Is it just a refusal to accept being wrong (as I freely admit I have been)? Makes you look dafter than clinging to the dream that Ashley saved us.

That's not true. I'll gladly forgive and forget once he shows with results and not words that he's returned us to being a Premier League club where relegation is inconceivable (as Llambias said we were just last season). As it is, all he's actually done that I could praise as a positive step (as opposed to maintaining the status quo) is spend £5m in January gone. Having shown a profit of £10m and £20m in the two previous windows.

The debate around 'models' and 'blueprints' is horseshit. It's all well and good marvelling at how Wigan did well to bring in Valencia, Palacios and Figueroa while ignoring the their more expensive fuck ups like Marlon King, Jason Koumas and Julius Aghahowa.