Lotus

Thought he was very, very good. Better than Colo today. He's so bloody quick. Good anticipation of problems today, covered for his team mates. Can't ask for much more tbh.

A lot better today. No shame it getting done for pace of Agbonlahor. He should have been more alert to the threat though. Good option on the right when we're attacking.

Our threat was always going to be from wide areas today. He kept their 2 CBs occupied which freed up space for HBA/Remy/Gouf. He didn't tear up any trees but he was alright.

Loved him as footballer. Seems a bit over the top as a manager tbh.

MYM can defo match him for pace. Think Taylor would be more likely to get to a header tbh.

If he speaks publicy then he can expect scrutiny. Hardly out of order for anyone to do just that. Shame journalist's don't call him out on it at the time.

If we wouldn't pay his wages 2 weeks ago i doubt we'll do it in January.

I'm normally supportive of Pardew, but from those quotes he must think we're absolute imbeciles. No, but 3 posters on here will definitely think you are

The Pessimism Police will be all over that post pal. Never bad mouth the Pards with a game coming up

Would be awesome to see him in that kind of form again.

Ooh, you little bitch !

The bloke is a spineless w*nker who is not in it for the right reasons. However i hope the slimey sh*thead puts out a team with the right attitude on Saturday as that's the bit that counts.

Wouldn't be surprised if Pardew thinks he'll be better at combating Benteke. That's because he might be. As far as physical attributes go, probs Taylor and MYM would be our better combo. Colo is such a master at reading the game though it's crazy to think about omitting him. He doesn't anywhere near the pace or power to compete on that level with Villa's frontline but his brains should be enough. Our midfield will need to be excellent on Saturday. If they can close Villa out it will force them to go long or down the flanks and we could be alright there. What i don't want to see is them just pinging it effortlessly through the middle like we're not even there. Our midfield stays tight and competitive then i think we have a front 3 who can worry them.

And that makes a central defender worse than useless. Mental that so many managers kept trying to get something from him that wasn't there. He wasn't worse than useless, though. He had far more good games than bad. He couldn't be relied upon to concentrate. Obvious to everyone. I know all fans have a mancrush or some player or other but Bramble ain't worth the love.

I agree. Some big decisions for Pardew for this. Don't envy him actually. He'll be worried about MYM and Anita and i can see why (both are better footballers, clearly), sometimes you need some size. Especially if the opposition have it abnd use it. If we could get our midfield 5 to actually work effectively as a unit then i think we could get something from this. I can imagine Villains will be thinking that a trio of Weimann, Benteke and Agbonlahor will scare the crap out of our defence and i can see why. I sincerely hope that Cisse, Remy and HBA scare the crap out of theirs. We've certainly the talent to do so.

Thing is, as frustrating as Robert could be at times, he actually contributed to a lot of goals. Never underestimate the value of someone who can whip in a quality ball early. CF's always have and always will love that kind of player.

Never ceases to amaze me how Scousers try and distort fairly simple reasoning and rationale to present the whole Carroll affair as a great deal for them.

Coloccini is a better player.

Have enjoyed listening to Gus Poyet's analysis of games. Been very insightful. Seems to really know his stuff and can pinpoint things in an instructive way.

You are right about the loan notes, they were structured. Given that the club lost £32 million in 2007 and was technically insolvent it must be possible that would have consituted a breach of covenant? Incidentally apart from the stadium loan notes the club also had a further chunk of about £25 million (from memory) of debt outstanding in the summer of 2007. I have quoted your paragraph above, as I'm not so sure about it. Clearly Spurs have done something like that over the years but they are an exception rather than a rule. There is a bit of Everton about it. I'm not sure the supporter base would be too receptive to a new ownership regime creating another Everton. Maybe I'm wrong. It is a club that lives within its means but a lot of the fan base criticise the board for lacking ambition (ambition = money). Haing ambition does not equal operating beyond your means. It means having the will and determination to improve and grow. Mix that with some ability and we have the potential to improve and grow in stature both on and off the field. As there is a total lack of will or determination the talent that could help realise it will keep well away. Naturally. The able and the apathetic are not natural bedfellows.

The source of the debt is irrelevant, the fact was we were built on unsustainable credit, we needed an owner with deep pockets, we got one, could have been better oh aye, BUT the resultant carnage had we not got one would dwarf the current situation in terms of criticality IMO. That's not a defence btw, just a statement of the facts as I see them. Then you're not comparing apples with apples so don't bother. You bring up to clubs as comparison when in actuality the situations were very different. I think he was just comparing football clubs who have financial stability issues. Then use examples that are in some way relevant and comparable. Otherwise it highlights nothing tbf.

The source of the debt is irrelevant, the fact was we were built on unsustainable credit, we needed an owner with deep pockets, we got one, could have been better oh aye, BUT the resultant carnage had we not got one would dwarf the current situation in terms of criticality IMO. That's not a defence btw, just a statement of the facts as I see them. Then you're not comparing apples with apples so don't bother. You bring up to clubs as comparison when in actuality the situations were very different.

To me he doesn't appear to restructured the way we're run for us to able to manage without him. Commercial revenue has decreased. There's nothing on the pitch worth a hike in season ticket pricing. Does this make us an attractive option to buy?

Mashley has zero footballing ambition for NUFC. Which is clearly good enough for some. We should be grateful tbh.