quayside

This is definitely a big part of the problem. For all the talk of "just play 4-3-3!" and "just move Cisse inside!" it's just not that simple when the players are feeling like a dehydrated dog staring at an Arabian puddle. The biggest problem I have with Pardew is that this has been going on for months and I have no faith at all in him turning the confidence/morale issue around. He couldn't at other clubs and it's looking like he can't here. The confidence issue was summed up for me by the Everton game. At 1-0 up we had several chances, hit the post and had an extremely good shout for a penalty turned down. You could almost smell what was going to happen next, Poor decision by Atkinson gives them a free kick followed by a wonder strike from Baines just before half time. In the end they walk off with a win but there was nothing between the teams except that they are on a roll and full of confidence and er... we aren't. Almost a re-run of last season's game at SJP only then we had the confidence and won 2-1 with a "fortuitous" own goal from Heitinger and a worldy from Ryan Tayor. Momentum does that.

Sadly Shefki already has a gig at Hibernian. To date his record stands at 12 appearances and 0 goals - that's all been achieved with bags of enthusiasm no doubt.

Yes Basically, as at 30th June 2011, he had paid £138 million to buy the club and since then put in £140 million by way of interest free loans. Total exposure was therefore £278 million. He'd not taken any money back to reduce his loans since buying the club. 2012 accounts are due out within the next 3 months so we will have to wait until they are published to see if anything's changed.

What goes around comes around (or whatever the saying is). SAF has "manipulated" every rule in the book - and not just on transfers. He can get stuffed imo.

I think Fryers wouldn't even discuss let alone sign a contract.

Am replying on a new touch screen phone. That smiley was supposed to appear at the end of my post. I wondered what the f*ck had happened to it.

If it becomes more widespread I would be surprised if FIFA changed the 3 clubs in a year thing, to 2. It's bollocks. I may have missed something here but I don't think this has anything to do with the number of clubs in a year. Isn't it to do with the compensation a club has to pay if they want to sign a player who is under 23 and has come through the youth training system of another club? Fryers was a ManU trained 20 year old and they wanted Spurs to pay them £6m compo. Foreign clubs don't have to pay any compo, so Fryers signed for Standard Liege for nothing last August. Now Spurs buy him for £3m and everyone is happy except MU/SAF who only get a £150k sell on fee instead of the £6m they were looking for.

Louise clearly gagging for a piece of Pards.

Agree with that.

He should have at least flagged it up, was a farce how Valencia didn't get his marching orders, already being on a yellow and all that. Was the worst decision of the match for me, if I was Pardew I would have been absolutely raging. Valencia sent off in the 94th minute makes no difference to us, the game was over. Pardew was rightly more concerned that Anita might miss some games.

Sacking Hughton and appointing Pardew wasn't a risk?

Good point. Moyes "was" almost Pardew in March 2002, joined late season and did ok, great first full season, toilet second season. They hung on to him and its hard to argue that they made a mistake...

Colo can play in this game?

Why does everything that happens have to be an excuse to have a go at "some people on here"? You mean, some people in the world, some people who have a different view to you. Incredible really. "Some people" who were wrong at the time and are even more wrong now. Not naming any names, of course... You didn't really get my question. Doesn't matter like. You could just admit you were wrong about it... As if. I'm only playing, dawg. My point is that most people (everywhere) realised we'd need a bigger squad than what we have now to compete in at least 2 competitions and it was just brushed under the carpet by Pardew when it didn't happen. Now it's dawned on him, when we're 12th, that a few more players would be helpful. Coincidence or stupidity? I don't think its either tbh. AP has to live with our transfer policy or go elsewhere. That policy has done him some real favours in the past but last time round it came up short. So he has his own internal battles to fight with Ashley/Llambias and whingeing about his squad in public after the August transfer window wouldn't have done him or the club any good. But he's winging about it now after saying it was brilliant a few months ago. He knows more than anyone how all that stuff works and it's only now a problem when we're/he's doing badly. If we were currently top 6 I doubt he'd be banging this particular drum. There's a transfer window coming up and he's making his case for investment. Leading up to and during the summer transfer window he did the same. He didn't get it then because the club couldn't sign the players it had as targets due to its refusal to break the transfer policy. He had to publicly endorse his squad after the window, what else could he do? Lets see what happens in January..... Is this the new 'wait until the end of the window, still months/weeks/days left yet'? Nothing else we can really do but wait and see but I hope he's knocking their door down for a CB, a RB and someone to play on the left of a front three. Yes Tbf we have done decent business in the January window before.

Why does everything that happens have to be an excuse to have a go at "some people on here"? You mean, some people in the world, some people who have a different view to you. Incredible really. "Some people" who were wrong at the time and are even more wrong now. Not naming any names, of course... You didn't really get my question. Doesn't matter like. You could just admit you were wrong about it... As if. I'm only playing, dawg. My point is that most people (everywhere) realised we'd need a bigger squad than what we have now to compete in at least 2 competitions and it was just brushed under the carpet by Pardew when it didn't happen. Now it's dawned on him, when we're 12th, that a few more players would be helpful. Coincidence or stupidity? I don't think its either tbh. AP has to live with our transfer policy or go elsewhere. That policy has done him some real favours in the past but last time round it came up short. So he has his own internal battles to fight with Ashley/Llambias and whingeing about his squad in public after the August transfer window wouldn't have done him or the club any good. But he's winging about it now after saying it was brilliant a few months ago. He knows more than anyone how all that stuff works and it's only now a problem when we're/he's doing badly. If we were currently top 6 I doubt he'd be banging this particular drum. There's a transfer window coming up and he's making his case for investment. Leading up to and during the summer transfer window he did the same. He didn't get it then because the club couldn't sign the players it had as targets due to its refusal to break the transfer policy. He had to publicly endorse his squad after the window, what else could he do? Lets see what happens in January.....

Why does everything that happens have to be an excuse to have a go at "some people on here"? You mean, some people in the world, some people who have a different view to you. Incredible really. "Some people" who were wrong at the time and are even more wrong now. Not naming any names, of course... You didn't really get my question. Doesn't matter like. You could just admit you were wrong about it... As if. I'm only playing, dawg. My point is that most people (everywhere) realised we'd need a bigger squad than what we have now to compete in at least 2 competitions and it was just brushed under the carpet by Pardew when it didn't happen. Now it's dawned on him, when we're 12th, that a few more players would be helpful. Coincidence or stupidity? I don't think its either tbh. AP has to live with our transfer policy or go elsewhere. That policy has done him some real favours in the past but last time round it came up short. So he has his own internal battles to fight with Ashley/Llambias and whingeing about his squad in public after the August transfer window wouldn't have done him or the club any good. Whilst that is a defence of Pardew on the state of our squad and its strength in depth that doesn't excuse our recent results in the League. We look apprehensive and lacking in confidence and the defensive mistakes highlight that. Our style of play has been "direct", there are better ways to use the players we have but, even so, looking at the last two home games enough chances were created to win or draw both games. Lack of confident finishing screwed us. AP has got to get his mojo back and pretty quickly.

We've got plenty of games to play and plenty of opportunities to get players on the pitch and (in case anyone forgets) there is another African Nations Cup in January. We need a proper squad to be competitive.

Roman must be thinking he would look stupid if he sacks Di Matteo and appoints a new manager and Chelsea fail to win the Champions League - as is almost certain to happen. Far better to let Di Matteo have another go (on a short contract) and sack him or not renew his contract when he falters.

could throw burley and keegan into there aswell then. You could. Burley came to nothing much as a manager and Keegan's second coming (I assume you mean that particular incarnation of KK) was an ill inconceived mid season panic move. The thing is Lerner and Henry have no need to panic and I can't see that either of their appointments has done enough to get a gig of that size. Edit: sorry see where you are coming from re Keegan as in great first season in the Premiership syndrome. But my point remains.

Brendan Rodgers and Paul Lambert have to date achieved something similar to what Paul Jewell (Wigan) and Steve Coppell (Reading) did in their first season in the Premiership. In fact both Jewell and Coppell did better in terms of league placing. I'm not saying either of Lambert and Rodgers isn't capable of going on to greater things than Jewell and Coppell have done - but f*ck me it's a huge leap of faith by Randy Lerner and John Henry to make these appointments...

Fantastic achievement. First up I could not understand the thinking behind the appointment but I never believed the "casino buddies" stuff and, from early days, I thought I saw something in him that Hughton could not give us - so have always given him a chance (fantastic to see doubting posters now re-quoting their early condemning posts - genuine respect for that ). Every genuine fan has to be delighted with this award.

Cannot believe my eyes.

Craig Moore was OK. Howay man. We've had - at the time, actually - far, far worse than Craig Moore. Agree with that, he spent the majority of his time with us "injured" but he played some good games at the end of the 05/06 season, mainly because he had the incentive of wanting to secure a place in the Aussie squad for the World Cup (which he did achieve). Still remember coming up to see us doing Spurs 3-1 at home that season and our back four was: Carr, Ramage, Moore and Elliott. On paper that was not a bulletproof defensive line up, but they got it done and Moore was good.

Always rated Jonas - he has been committed from day 1, he's had the usual form and fatigue issues that all players go through, but he's never let us down. Respect to Pardew for having the imagination to play him in a holding role and respect to the player for having the team ethic to play in a position that he wasn't hired to play in.