Fatwax

Has a bit of free time over summer I guess.

Keegan didn't quit city, it was a mutual agreement to not renew his contract. At least that's how I remember it. Both chairman and manager wanted a change, not really a walk out.

Billy Ions, 15 year old Geordie youth player currently in Spain. Linked in the same article in the OP.

Yeah, but on the other hand it was 5 years ago. And you say you'd be fine with finishing 7th but I doubt the majority will. Fans naturally tend to wand progression year after year and Liverpool haven't appeared to have done this at all.

Liverpool are also a brand name, you see their merchandise all over the place when you go abroad. I tend to see more kids support Liverpool than other non-local teams in the school I work at as well. I can't get my head around how Liverpool fans love Rafa though. He has done well for them getting to 2 CL finals and winning one, as well as the FA cup etc., but the amount of money he has thrown away on average players is ridiculous... how anyone can justify 18m on a right back and then moan about needing more funds for strengthening is beyond me.

I know and these commentators called it a carnival atmosphere Only because the amount of clowns on display.

This isn't massively uncommon, I was told by jeff winter that woodgate moving to spurs wasn't just football-based and was a major reason why he didn't move to us instead.

Shut up Jonny Hall, shut the hell up!

Oh no, credability on an internet forum. Some of you need to take yourselves a little less seriously, you'll all collapse with heart failure.

What, Mark Hughes who took Blackburn to 6th in the premier league playing attractive football on a budget of f*** all and signing and developing some superb players? And McClaren who's got unfashionable Twente 4 points clear of world renowned Ajax and 5 ahead of PSV in the Dutch league this season? Did Blackburn play attractive football though? Allardyce got Bolton to 5th didn't he? What's your point in that perspective? Either way, both of them managers did well over time at their club.

You're right to a certain extent, change of management may lead to instability but the operative word is may. If the change is done mid season, then yah definitely. But if we do at the end of the season, get a proven Premiership manager to install his new staff, strengthen the squad, train the players and have friendly matches, then it is reasonable to expect that things will turn out well. I disagree that the reason for the instability over the last few seasons was change of management, it was more the timing. Keegan's example provides the best proof of how things can be done right and wrong. Getting him to replace Big Sam with time to spare filled the fans with optimism, chopping him off a few games in and bringing in such a lousy replacement created instability, so it all depends on how and when the replacement is carried out. If we don't change Hughton at the end of the season, highly likely Ashley will replace him in January when Hughton's deficiencies are revealed (again) in the Premiership. Nothing against him, I appreciate what he has done for us in the Championship, but that is all he is...a good Championship manager. I kind of would, coupled with the fact that the club has made the wrong appointments. Ignoring the old boards history with this, the appointments by the current board have been: Keegan (replacing Allardyce who was appointed by old board) Joe Kinnear Shearer Hughton Keegan was a romantic choice that was, in hindsight, almost definitely picked to just get the fans on his side... although I really can't say that for sure, none of us can. Kinnear was an absolute joke of an appointment from start to finish and I still refuse to believe that he was the only option. Shearer was something like the Keegan appointment but backfired in the end. Hughtons appointment made sense given everything that had happened, although it wasn't until a month or two into the season until it happened. I agree with your point about the timing of the appointments being paramount to their effectiveness... but I would like to see Hughton given at least until Christmas. Then again I'm something of an optimist and more importantly I don't trust this board to make the right managerial choice after they have inevitably fired Hughton.

Well I assume it'd be a 30k basic at a maximum, with incentives in the contract that could raise it such as goal bonuses, appearance bonuses etc.

A change in manager leads to a massive change in stability, with the whole backroom staff changing, new players to suit the managers' new tactics, new training regimes, new training timetables... everything changes and anything that was settled before becomes unsettled. The sole reason for our instability over the least five years or whatever has been the constant upheaval in managers & both playing and non-playing staff. To change a manager that is clearly popular with the whole playing staff and has their respect could work if the right appointment is made, but it could also backfire massively and any kind of uproar caused from poor player performances would leak up to the boardroom with the fans unhappy with a failing appointment (no doubt people would then moan about Hughton not being given a chance) and before we know it 'buoycootts' are flying about, club sales and most probably interim managers and re-occuring relegations. Of course, it could work out if the right appointment was made, but I can see us getting a good start in the PL before things go a bit stale, a bit like Hull in their first season - difference is that I rate Hughtons' man-management more than I do Browns. People are saying Hughes could be good, but surely he'd be just another Allardyce who is too pig-headed to accept his own shortcomings and mistakes.

Burnt

The question from the reporter was most probably loaded, so he'd either give an answer that'd provoke a reaction either way.

Yeah, but he only said that because he deserved to be sent off for twatting Carroll in the stomach with his knee. AC did play well though, feels like a decade ago, that pre-season.

Sheff Wednesday turned down Eric Cantona, reckoning he wasn't good enough. Shit happens I guess.

This isn't offside, it's only offside if it's a part of your body with which you can legally score. seen it before though. must be a s*** linesman or something. Yeah, pretty much. Also the daylight rule never really existed, it was just something that shit commentators talked about making the public think that this was the case. Never been in the rulebook, that.

This isn't offside, it's only offside if it's a part of your body with which you can legally score.

This has been our best season for injuries for a while. We normally have loads crocked.

Routledge missed last match with a calf problem, should be back for Watford. Lovenkrands is hamstrung, awaiting assessment. Probably going to miss a few games.

Yeah but the trouble with that argument is that Ashley, although sorting out the clubs finances, cost us millions and set us back several years by getting us relegated with ridiculous mistakes. It's always going to come back to that. Plus he had the chance to sell us to "them rich Arab blokes down the road" and didn't. He's a greedy cunt.

You could quote results from earlier this season as well when we were winning on the road and at home which would also be 'partly down to Hughton'. I'm of the opinion that should he get us promoted he deserves a to manage this club next season. I think with the kind of football we are playing now we are twice as likely to stay up than West Brom with their prettier football. An example would be Stoke in comparison to West Brom last season. In the words of Sir Bobby "Not pretty but very effective". Our players down have the minerals to play like Stoke. The midfield tend to back off when the other team attacks rather than applying pressure and looking for the ball & advancing with it when we have possession. Definitely a priority area for next season, no matter what division.

I'd say he does, just not at this level yet. He was lethal in the reserves last season & Shearer saw enough of him in training to get him tied down to a pro deal. Shouldn't really be more than a bit part player at the moment if he's not providing though. A loan next season to a league 1 or championship club should show us what he's capable of potentially.

Is that smith with 2 assists?