manorpark

I may be new here but I am a life long supporter like the rest of you guys and have the right to say...ARE YOU f****** KIDDING ME? It is an 'odd' thing to say, that's for sure. I don't think I was ever that daft, when I was a kiddiewinkie (as this kiddie obviously is)!

I don't think we are trying to attract anyone to this club "from the position of 13th place". There is no one involved in buying new players (owner / manager / directors etc) who was involved last season. Even Freddy Shepherds temporary role is irrelevant, as he is off ill. Everyone, who may be joining us, knows that this is a totally different club, and that last season has no real relevance to anything at all - for the future. It will become even easier 'after we have achieved' , but it is still nothing like as bad now, as the statement "from the position of 13th place" implies!

he'll stay and see what Allardyce does for us, if he stays at all. Then he'll f*** off if/when we aren't challenging for the CL. And you can't blame the lad for that. Logical and correct. Applying the same type of logic, and what I hope Sam will do the rest of the close season, I see Owen staying with us for a long long time. It will not be that long before we are challenging at the top end of the league again, only this time, once we have started, our even-greater-than-previously 'financial muscle' should see us stay there.

Great idea, a s**** section (got plenty of them already).

A Wind Section?? (thats for me!) Where would they all be though? The wind section needs to be at the back (!) of the Leazes, I would say.

"Why can't he love me like I love him? WHY?!" Exactly!!

A Wind Section?? (thats for me!)

All this wailing and whining, like some girl has chucked you or something. Chr*st!!!! The end product is what matters. He's here / He's staying / He will stay a long time if he scores goals and we win matches / surely you all think we ARE (under Sam) going to win lots of matches . . . . . . . So, we are all going to have some great times - Vintage times await . .

Yeah, both ends. That's where I think (as said previously) the two 'standing' sections should be. That would take care of the singing thing and the atmosphere in the whole ground would be better, starts other people off, etc.

Seriously, a standing section would take care of the singing-section issue, it would automatically become like an 'away section' and would attract those who would start the singing off! I have had this discussion before, but I am certain that "safe" standing areas could be created, that would really improve the atmosphere at home games. My preference is at one (or both) of the ends, in a centre-section stretching from just up from the pitch, to say halfway up and about one third of the width of the end (if you can understand what I am trying to say!!). It would increase attendences too (would please Ashley) and even if the tickets were (naturally) cheaper, the increased numbers would more than compensate the club for the lower prices. I think an insurmountable problem may probably be, government legislation reflected in Premier League rules. Shame.

Shade OTT We need a top quality CB and LB, maybe at RB if Sam isn't comfortable with Solano, Geremi and Carr there. The other LB only has to be decent cover, if we even sign one that is. Reckon Babayaro will end up being 2nd choice. Possibly a 4th choice CB, but even then I'm not expecting anything more than a solid, but quite limited, player. We need a really top class LB and CB though. Marquez and Riise/Heinze would do nicely. It depends on what we are aiming to achieve, as a club, this season. If the objective is to go on failing due to lack of quality players during injuries and suspensions, then what I say may be OTT. If we are moving up a gear or two, to try to challenge for a high league placing and challenge for a cup or two, then I am not being "OTT". I personally feel that we are going to try to 'move up a gear' this season, so I say we need a further five good defenders. I bet Sam goes for them, too. He may settle for only getting four more, if we accept that Solano is a reasonable quality cover at Right Back, for one more season. Yeah, I bet he goes for five more, but may only get four of them. If we aim lower, we will finish lower. it's not as if money is a problem and I think Sam knows how to 'attract' players, until such time (soon, I think) where he will not need to do too much work to attract quality players, due to our league position by the end of the coming season.

I personally think he only needs to strengthen the defence. We need (as Sam himself has said) two good players for every position. This means that defensively (including the goalkeeping position) we should have 10 good first-team quality (ideally 'better' than other teams have) players. How many do we already have? GOALKEEPER - 2 (Given/Harper, so NONE needed) CENTRE BACK (A) - 1 (Taylor, so ONE needed) CENTRE BACK (B) - 1 (Rozenhal, so ONE needed) RIGHT BACK - 1 (Geremi, so ONE needed) LEFT BACK - 0 (so TWO needed) So - we still need to acquire a total of FIVE new, top quality, defenders (in my view).

Fine, no point in continued speculation about whether he means it or not . . . . but I think he means it!

Not an accusation, its a compliment! maybe from you, but with Bellers and nyt/nit, it's a blatant cop out Verlaine is just a whinging tit, disingenous at best, total f****** hypocrite at worst So - would you agree you are a WUM, or perhaps just a pessimist - or what?

Not an accusation, its a compliment!

Maybe, but he 'gets people going' - even when they (like me) know what he is doing, they still respond. Thats talent, in my book. Surely his potent combination of verbal bullshit and general lack of a genuine brain cell tells you he couldn't possibly be an effective wind up merchant... You know, there's a very fine line between genius and . . . . . (not that I am saying that anyone is a 'genius' like)

Put up a poll and I know which way I'll vote. He is talented at what he does. Nah, he's really not. Anyway, Mr Verlaine, whats this about you writing about me on Toontastic?? Come register and see. Hmmmmm . . . . . . . maybe. Is it any good?

Yeah, but I think its that 'belief' that sells his comments to people and gets them 'hooked'!! (He'll be lovin' this . . . )

Put up a poll and I know which way I'll vote. He is talented at what he does. Nah, he's really not. Anyway, Mr Verlaine, whats this about you writing about me on Toontastic??

Maybe, but he 'gets people going' - even when they (like me) know what he is doing, they still respond. Thats talent, in my book.

Put up a poll and I know which way I'll vote. He is talented at what he does.

I will just amend your post slightly, in the interests of accuracy: I am actually speaking out of my f****** arse I'm amazed you can go a whole post without a CAPITAL LETTER ASHLEY WANKFEST Sorry about the occasional CAPITALS , I am just getting carried away a bit by this so-much-better close season! But, can I just ask you - are you optimistic (feeling positive) about anything that is currently happening at the club at the moment? excited when the takeover was announced subsequently: Barton, Fatduka, a hundred worn out bosmans, bike rides and swimming now progressively getting more bored waiting for something good to actually happen, while being subjected to your increasingly annoying brand of frankly prescription induced looking hysteria yawn. Vic man, it is not hysteria. It is 'realism' based on my knowlege of our club, and what needed to be done to take it that extra mile, that most of us had hitherto only dreamed about! It is happening, everything points to that. But, it does not all happen instantly. It is happening though, and I intend to enjoy it happening, just as much as I will enjoy it when it has happened. You know what they say about 'anticipation and realisation' - so you just enjoy it too . . go on! I can assure you - it is real (I would have put that last bit in CAPS, but . . . ).

I will just amend your post slightly, in the interests of accuracy: I am actually speaking out of my f****** arse I'm amazed you can go a whole post without a CAPITAL LETTER ASHLEY WANKFEST Sorry about the occasional CAPITALS , I am just getting carried away a bit by this so-much-better close season! But, can I just ask you - are you optimistic (feeling positive) about anything that is currently happening at the club at the moment?

I will just amend your post slightly, in the interests of accuracy: I am actually speaking out of my f****** arse

This is an excellent statement from Michael Owen. It does not matter who wrote/co-wrote it. It contains the right 'detail' about why he is staying (Allardyce / Ashley Takeover / Training Methods / Ambition of Club, etc etc). As a side-issue, this statement actually tells us from the 'inside' (what we were mostly thinking from the outside anyway) that this great club (in our view) is currently completing the final transformations needed to become a perennially top ("really great") club. The timing of the statement and the so-called real reasons for it have been criticised in the usual way, by the usual suspects on here. It really does not matter if you (critics/cynics) are right - you may be - because in the real world, it is the END PRODUCT that matters most. That end product is that we now have an almost-new (Top Class) "signing", motivated to play for us . . . . . . called Michael Owen! For now, he needs to do no more than start banging in the goals and celebrating with us at St James' when he does it!! Any contract re-negotiations can and will follow, at the right time. In a close season of continuing BIG (good) news - this news ranks alongside the Ashley takeover and the realisation of the quality of the Allardyce appointment - as the JOINT BEST NEWS! Criticise that, if you can (but think about it first).