AyeDubbleYoo

I think this is a realy good strategy to be fair, it's just that we needed more urgent surgery in the short-term as well.

How has this thread continued so long?

They need to realise they have to build slowly. Fuck knows how they managed to persuade Robinho, but Bellamy is more their level at the moment.

Bellers looks rough as a dog in that photo - just hope they don't show that to clean living Kaka, looks like he's on smack.

There's no way Kinnear will walk out. At the stage of his career he's at he would sign his new contract if he literally had to be punched in the groin every morning on his way through the door.... I imagine.

I rate Trialist G to be honest, he's our best hope.

Villa are the better team I reckon, they have a simple, direct, effective style that works really well for them. Not sure if they have the best players on paper, but then [cliche]football isn't played on paper[/cliche]

Can't believe he's been here for 4 years, still feels like I'm waiting for him to get started!

One of the biggest problems is the way Ashley seemingly gave up his plan and system when the fans protested. While I believe it was because his real motivation for buying the club was 'fun', I can't defend him for that. I think what he was trying to do when he came in was absolutely correct, and also much better than the last years of the Freddy regime, if it had been followed through. He made the fatal mistake of trying to match a logical system of running a club with a purely emotional managerial appointment in Keegan. The thing I'm unsure of is what his plans are now, and if he really is completely unable/unwilling to spend any money on the squad. It is definitely getting harder and harder to see the positives of the Ashley era so far.

Again!!!! read the OP I say Martins, Beye and Bass are our only influential black players! Mate, give it up FFS, you've got no defence for this one. I'm literally amazed.

Fucking hell, never thought I'd see this. The OP says 'black players have strength and pace' and then lists a load of our black players who have no such thing. I'd lol if it wasn't so disturbing.

Not a good idea to start a pre-match thread just after a defeat then.

Is that not precisely what he's trying to achieve by keeping Joe on? Lesser of 2 evils really - another managerial change or stability? Personally I'd prefer a better appointment at the seasons end. I would as well, not saying I completely agree with this decision.

Is that not precisely what he's trying to achieve by keeping Joe on?

I agree we should have been in for Pennant, although whether he would have come to the North East is another question.

I think the biggest problem is returning to the same arguments again and again, although it's understandable since we don't have anything to talk about on the pitch.

Smeghead. Fair play.

I've stuck up for Big Mike a fair bit and I've been disagreed with, but never openly slagged off. You spineless fuckers!

I don't think it's too bad to be honest, yes people have opposing opinions (especially on the Ashley thing) but I don't notice outright abuse that often. Maybe I'm just not looking for it!

Finally some sense. Exactly, some of the flak JK/the club is getting is way overboard at the moment.

I think it's because Ashley no longer cares enough to enforce any policy like that on the manager.

Anyone who isn't successful for us is almost immediately derided by a large portion of fans. Now people are entitled to say what they want but the whole hating someone/abusing them isn't something I personally get into very often. Hope I don't fall into that category, I despise Allardyce but for very specific reasons - the football he served up, his spineless approach to some games, that I've never been so worried about relegation, and the fact he still insists he did a good job.

This season? I doubt it.

Say what?

Sam Allardyce?