Chris_R

Can't disagree with a single word of that.

Plenty seem to be saying "No" to Keegan, but I don't think I've yet seen anyone suggest an alternative. Past Shearer, of course. For me, it's the following: - Keegan - We all know what you get with him, the good and the bad. - Shearer - Completely and utterly unproven. Unless you count an 8 game winless spell which consigned us to relegation. - Hughton - Thanks for everything you've done but simply not cut out for it. - Someone else - Yeah, easy to say "Someone else" but who? For me, there's nobody out there that is a realistic managerial target that I'd rather have than Keegan. That's not to say that I don't acknowledge his failings, of which there are plenty, but the good outweighs the bad and at this point in time I am confident he'd have us tearing up this league playing great football. Give him some money and let him get his own players, and we'd be out of this league and safe next year in the Prem. What more, at this stage, can anyone ask?

The PDF? Do we have to spell it out for you ? http://www.premierleague.com/staticFiles/c0/3f/0,,12306~147392,00.pdf Seems you do. With it being in quotation marks, I thought it might be an acronym like ITK or the like.

Really, really hope it's not Moat. From what I understand the guy is having to look behind his settee and empty his penny jars to scrape together the asking price. Hardly bodes well for any activity in the transfer market.

The PDF?

Pretty much my opinion. He's fucked up. Repeatedly. But not maliciously. He's lost a couple of hundred million quid so he's probably as gutted as we are that the decisions he's made have been so bad. Some people act like he's doing all these things deliberately, just with the sole intention of destroying the club. He's a walking disaster, but it's incompetence not malice.

Indeed you do. Have a cookie to go with them. For some reason I thought that after finishing 2nd in 95/96 we'd have qualified for the Champions League, and that Keegan would have led us out before he resigned in January 97. Time dulls the memory, it was 12 years ago in my defence. However, my general point, though admittedly somewhat weakened by my own alcohol-addled memory, STILL stands!

We're a Championship club. Keegan has managed clubs in the Champions league and finished within an ace of winning the title, as well as managing England. He's also secured several promotions. Out of interest, which manager do you think is better, available and likely to come here? Which Champions League clubs were those again? Congratulations. You get 1 pedant point for noticing the incorrect pluralising of the word "Club". But my point stands. Keegan's CV is infinitely better than that of any manager we could ever hope to attract to this club at this point in time. Plus the football he plays is better than anything else I've ever seen.

We're a Championship club. Keegan has managed clubs in the Champions league and finished within an ace of winning the title, as well as managing England. He's also secured several promotions. Out of interest, which manager do you think is better, available and likely to come here?

Was just about to post that. Jonas has pace and can beat a man, but after that it all goes horribly wrong. Though I suspect he'll be more than good enough in this league. Anyway, he's been out so far this season and he's only one winger. We need a minimum of 2, and preferably some decent backup as well.

Let's face facts: We're not a good team. We're a team packed with hasbeen central midfielders, lacking in any kind of width, pace or ability to beat a man and put a cross in. Our choice of striker is either the young and inexperienced or the old and proven rubbish, whilst our defence often look like they've never met each other before. But we're still better than anything else in this league. 2-0.

Yeah, looked decent. Got forward well, defended well. It's only one match but he looks like an asset.

Nah, he'd only try and buy Thierry Henry.

Stopped even listening to this on the radio now, just can't summon any enthusiasm. Not angry, because it's only our kids in the least important competition around, just a complete lack of enthusiasm.

I wish we'd try Jonas on the right. He's simply not a left winger, can't do anything with his left foot at all but yet we persist in playing him there. We need a decent left winger in on loan, then we'll have a very solid first 11 if we switch Jonas over to the right where there's a chance he might actually be productive.

This for me, 100%. Sadly Guthrie is young and not so much of a household name, so he'll make way. We'll end up with a midfield of Smith and Butt on Saturday, mark my words. With Nolan up front. For me though, it should be Barton and Guthrie in the middle with Lovenkrands and Ranger up top. When fit I'd have Jonas on the right (Still utterly baffled as to why he keeps getting played on the left when he doesn't have a left foot) and no idea who on the left. Get someone in on loan.

I was there and it seemed to me that we pretty much did. They had 2 end stands of equal size, we had 1 each. Then we had half of their main stand as well. We had nobody in the stand opposite the main one but it was just a tiny strip that held practically no-one. Was my first ever away game. Got some awesome memories of that season.

Officials trying to make ammends? Chalk one off for each team...

He was always going to get a chance in a few friendlies given how many games he played for the U21's, he'll never be much more then a bit part player in the full side though. Wish we had a bit-part England international winger now tbh.

The net value of the club won't have changed. Instead of having (Numbers meaning nothing as I'm completely making them up) £100m worth of players and £80m worth of debt, we'll have £30m worth of players and £10m worth of debt. Unless Ashley trousers the money rather than reducing the debt, of course.

Why not ban him for 20 minutes and fine him 5p? Would have about the same value as a deterrent. Ridiculous.

Given that he can't get a cross into the penalty area from the wing I don't think he's at the stage of being able to blame the movement. I blame the tactics for this. Why on earth we persist in playing Jonas at LW I'll never figure. He's right footed, and can't cross with his left. Then we have left-footed Duff on the right wing, and people wonder why we produce nothing from the flanks? Get Duff on the left, get Jonas on the right. I'm not saying this will definitely sort things out but give it 4 or 5 games (Which I think we're yet to see since we signed Jonas) and then let's see if we've still got no end product.

Yeah, if he's correct he's going to have bragging rights on here for literally years to come haha. Personally I think he's posted in good faith. And of course like everyone with half a brain I hope he's correct. And whilst it's all very interesting, I'm refusing to get even remotely excited though until I see something concrete.

Didn't see it, but it makes sense that he came second. Nobody's going to vote him off because if you manage to get into the final against him it's like getting a bye.