Lotus

How did you think HBA did in the No. 10 role?

The 'war chest' bit doesn't ring true for me. The club doesn't sign players that suit Pardew anyway.

I'm not talking about the way the game went. I'm talking about the attitude of the players going into the game. Sunderland looked up for a contest. We didn't, for whatever reason. No confidence in the manager to get it right. Nor did he fwiw.

It's going to get worse before it gets better too. A bog standard XI f***ing schooled us today, wait til Hazard, Willian and Oscar start running at us. They're not a bog standard XI. They're better than their league position suggests. Di Canio made a complete mess of things. Today, they looked relaxed and we looked nervous and under pressure. The expectation seemed to get to our players a bit, but it was always going to be a close game. 3-0 isn't a close game. No, it isn't. What an odd thing to say Also, as if the only difference between today and Norwich was Remy P*sstaker, shirley?

The thing with Taylor is, Pardew will see him and Shola as his supporters and confidants in the dressing room. He won't trust the French lads when it all goes moody.

Before the match he says it's not important how you play. After the match he says we didn't play the right way. He doesn't know his own mind. He obviously knows a thing or two about football, it would be churlish to say he doesn't. He's played, he's done the coaching courses, he's managed. He'd probably be a good assistant manager, some one with an opinion. His problem is he doesn't have the b*ll*x to be a leader. He'd doesn't have the conviction in his own ideas and he projects that onto the players. That's why he's always chopping and changing. He'll have decent spells, every manager - even the crap ones like Souness had decent spells. Over any length of time though, you'll always know Pardew will fall short because, when under pressure, he's just flaky. Always will be. Far too old to change.

The limp biscuits are out in force today

They're not reading mate. Too bust fapping over the balance sheet.

Our only geniune target was a positive monetary balance on transfer dealings. That's achieved.

You'd think watching the club sell it's best player and having 6 months, 6 F**KING MONTHS, to find the right replacement, and then watch them play the usual low-ball f**k about would actually raise a heckle or 2. But no, they prance about like a set of mindless groupies, praising ther club for way it does it's business.

Realistically, i expect him to leave in the summer. 1 year left on his contract and either the club or him must have reservations about extending it. Would be surprised if any club wants to buy him today (would not be surprised if we accepted an offer though). We've got a great squad after all...

It would take a fairly big turnaround in Marveaux's mentality for him to become an important player for us. Personally, i doubt he's got it in him. Who is he going to replace out of Tiote, Anita and Sissoko in the middle? Can't see that happening. Maybe Pardew will stick him LW but we all know he'll do next to nothing from there.

Grief is a powerful aphrodisiac.

We've a great squad according to you. I look forward to seeing how our great squad get on. See how they compete with the other great squads. Nestling among the other great squads come May. Hope you're right. You obviously have every confidence and i sincerely hope you're right. Our squad of players that we own have scored a massive 14 goals up to the start of Feb, a good squad? Yeah right. Brett knows, man. He knows a great squad when he sees one. Greatness written all over this one. Alan Mouseheart to lead them to big things.

I can't read his drivel anymore. Makes me think of that Ugandan preacher raging against men with Poo Poo on their faces. I've switched the nobby off.

We've a great squad according to you. I look forward to seeing how our great squad get on. See how they compete with the other great squads. Nestling among the other great squads come May. Hope you're right. You obviously have every confidence and i sincerely hope you're right.

And that buying to compete worked ever so well didn't it (short period with SBR aside - and he fell into Shepherd's lap). We are built to improve steadily, we won't spunk cash on an instant hit, because whatever we did spunk would be trumped times 10 by the City's and Chelsea's etc. I knew ToonPap would be in here. Telling us that, although he doesn't know Ashley, he knows men like him. Strong, powerful, alluring, success driven types, who never accept second best. Who shoot for the very top and never fall short. How we're so lucky so sit within the quivering folds of his obesity. How selling your best performers without replacing them is how every great sporting endevour should be run. Mug. OOOOH how grown up we are. We haven't replaced him yet, we will I am sure, the squad has undeniably improved over the last few years. I'd rather wait for the right player (and our hit rate is good) than some placebo type signing. The fact that the team is better, and playing better stuff, than it has for a very long time is vindication of the policy IMO. Mug. And where have the current squad (one of the best we've had for ages) come from ?? It's a mystery to me, reading here we never sign anyone. You simply have to be in their employ. Because no fan with 2 stones between his legs could think like you. On to ignore.

You can only do that if the players club wants to sell and the player wants to come F**k me. What's a scout for? What utter drivel you 'contribute' to this board.

Oh, to be so aloof...

It's sh*te like this that gets me. We've known for 6 months he was off in Jan, yet we were completely unable to enable a transition of a player coming for the player going. A bit of propaganda is thrown out from the club alluding to the idea that a player bought for £7m is somehow a step down (despite this being more than we paid for Cabaye), and therefore suggesting, without saying, that we'll spending more than that at some later date. And then you get posts like yours. Your just an apologist for them. You've obviously got the intelligence to know what's going on but you've a very different agenda to most sporting fans. I say most as there seems to be a few of you on here. The fact you exist at all is some kind of f**king phenomenon.

And that buying to compete worked ever so well didn't it (short period with SBR aside - and he fell into Shepherd's lap). We are built to improve steadily, we won't spunk cash on an instant hit, because whatever we did spunk would be trumped times 10 by the City's and Chelsea's etc. I knew ToonPap would be in here. Telling us that, although he doesn't know Ashley, he knows men like him. Strong, powerful, alluring, success driven types, who never accept second best. Who shoot for the very top and never fall short. How we're so lucky so sit within the quivering folds of his obesity. How selling your best performers without replacing them is how every great sporting endevour should be run. Mug. OOOOH how grown up we are. We haven't replaced him yet, we will I am sure, the squad has undeniably improved over the last few years. I'd rather wait for the right player (and our hit rate is good) than some placebo type signing. The fact that the team is better, and playing better stuff, than it has for a very long time is vindication of the policy IMO. Mug.

Balanced viewpoints ftw. I despise Ashley and everything he stands for but don't think we are 'actively not competing'. I don't think we're throwing games purposely but we've came out and said the cups will be used for team building, I would constitute that as actively not competing tbh. If we were remotely competitve in the league you could easily excuse using the cups for that. As we're not bothered about competing in anything it's somewhat galling.

It's great to be as small minded as them isn't it? When only 2 games a season are worth bothering about.

And that buying to compete worked ever so well didn't it (short period with SBR aside - and he fell into Shepherd's lap). We are built to improve steadily, we won't spunk cash on an instant hit, because whatever we did spunk would be trumped times 10 by the City's and Chelsea's etc. I knew ToonPap would be in here. Telling us that, although he doesn't know Ashley, he knows men like him. Strong, powerful, alluring, success driven types, who never accept second best. Who shoot for the very top and never fall short. How we're so lucky so sit within the quivering folds of his obesity. How selling your best performers without replacing them is how every great sporting endevour should be run. Mug.

That's where everyone would like to be but how many clubs have the middle ground? I'd have thought every club in the Prem. None of them that i know of are in liquidation due to over spending and all of them have bought players. Am i wrong?