Lotus

There's been relevant mitigating factors people are happy to ignore so it's a pointless debate. Some people are almost upset he might be on his way to proving them wrong. Bitter-sweet for the boo boys... Where as him being utterly sh*te for 99% of last season didn't prove you wrong at all. Yeah right... If you are so stupid as to ignore the other factors that's your issue. I never said he didn't under perform but if he's a lame manager then last year he had his crutch kicked from under him. A lot of people are just hysterical idiots though... Yep, and tbh, your jumping around because we beat Villa marks you out as one of them.

We were good for 20 mins against Fulham and for 70 mins today. Do you mind if we see a more games before we start fellating him? Because, tbf, i did give it 10 games or so last season before i said he was having a mare. So probs fair to say that if we put in another 8 good performances (we can let the first 70 mins against Fulham go) we can say he looks like he's having a better season.

There's been relevant mitigating factors people are happy to ignore so it's a pointless debate. Some people are almost upset he might be on his way to proving them wrong. Bitter-sweet for the boo boys... Where as him being utterly sh*te for 99% of last season didn't prove you wrong at all. Yeah right...

Villa were very motivated for the first 25 mins of the 2nd half. Really came at us, just like last year. You could sense they were going to score. After that though i thought we really limited their opportunities, forced them to play sh*t simple balls our back 4 could read. Was very pleased with the discipline and shape of our midfield. I was worried we would get stretched but we stayed close through the middle. Anita'a positioning was very good. Moussa is an animal. He can also play. Thought you could just tell we had the extra quality. Remy and HBA were always dangerous and Villa didn't give them enough respect tbh, let us run down the flanks all game. Our midfield was better than theirs and our back 4 dealt with their front 3 better than their back 4 dealt with ours. That's it really, we were just better

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.