Consortium of one

He can blame injuries but the team spirit has evaporated and he's become tactically conservative to the point of potentially dooming the club.

Pardew out.

I don't resent him leaving but I guess he'll disappear somewhere on the Chelsea bench and we won't hear much about him until he starts making noise about leaving for more playing time.

No one is as loyal to a team or franchise than supporters or fans. Not owners, administrators, managers or players. It'a a job, career and/or way to make fame and fortune for them. We invest our time, money and emotions to watch the players perform. As I get older, I find myself rooting for the uniform more and individual players less. Kind of sad, really, that we care so much about them and for the most part, those feeling are only briefly returned.

"See? I told you we couldn't beat Newcastle at Anfield with this paper thin squad. The lads just aren't up to it. Look at recent history. We savage them here. Now we can't even take a point. I've asked the board to stump up the cash for my kind of players. These lot just don't have it."

I agree with the points being made. Another thing that comes to mind is there is a distinct lack of creativity from our set pieces. One of the things that impressed me last year was the fact that the opposition never knew what was coming and that helped put the defense under pressure. We stole the odd goal, too.

That almost looked too easy. Maybe it's the spark we need.

We're finishing 4th.

Good points but in my post I wasn't advocating any crazy deals that were way out of the box, just to clarify. But if the policy is to buy younger players who can a) appreciate as players and b) appreciate in value and you cannot land one of those players for an area of need perhaps you have to stretch the parameters a bit. Maybe you go for a 27 y/o instead of a guy 24-25. I think we all understand the trap of stretching too far but if you have this opportunity in front of you...

Count me amongst the disappointed. At this point, IMO, we need to bring in a starting quality FB (either RB or LB) and a 3rd striker. Earlier, I would have included a CB but it looks like Perchinho can help out in central defense. I understand the club's transfer policy. It's sensible and has worked to this point in time. However, there are times when it is prudent to step slightly out of those parameters to seize the moment. If ever there was an opportunity to push on for the top four, this is it. Surely FB was the most pressing and I'm surprised that Debuchy was the only target we had interest in. Really? The club couldn't find anyone else to fit the club's desired profile? Similarly, the only strikers we were interested in were Luuk De Jong and Andy Carroll? The only CB was Douglas? They've done a fine job stocking the midfield with Anita, Amalfitano and Bigi. To a lesser extent, they signed Good but he's more one for the future. I find it hard to believe that Debuchy was our only target at FB and there haven't been any targets worth pursuing at striker as well. Surely the 12-15M in the Carroll discussion could land a good starting quality FB and a decent young striker of similar quality to Leon Best? In the end, I will say I trust the club's new policy. However, with so many top teams in a state of flux it would have been a good window to step outside the box, as it were, and make sure you filled the positions that needed to be filled.

If Lille miss out on CL group stage they may be more willing to deal Debuchy. They play Copenhagen today, after losing 0-1 in the away first leg.

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11669/8030970/Pardew-Carroll-deal-unlikely If we are really out for Carroll, we can use that money to get Debuchy and a younger, cheaper striker across the line before the WINDOW SLAMS SHUT.

Shefki Kuqi

Douglas Debuchy Messi

ManCity have tons of talent. ManU are weak in central defense, IMO, but with all that talent up front and Fergie, they along with Man City will be clear of the field. I think Chelsea brought in some dynamic talent but still have holes. Arsenal are sliding. Liverpool are floundering. Tottenham has some real talent but if Modric leaves, they are a cut below. I'm also not convinced that AVB can cut it in the EPL. That being said, I think a move into the top four is a very real possibility if we can shore up the three areas we agree on: 3rd striker, 3rd/4th centerback and Debuchy. I'm genuinely pleased we've been able to hang on to everyone, too, and I hope we can until the WINDOW SLAMS SHUT.

I wouldn't mess with this game too much. Krul Raylor Saylor Willo Perch Obertan Cabaye Anita Marveaux Shola Cisse Harps Tavernier Amalfitano Vuckic Campbell Ferguson Gosling

Too complicated. Show them a recording of the boreholes. Play up the "green" aspect of the boreholes and give a quick peek at the balance sheet to show the savings as a result of the boreholes. That should be enough for any player to say, "Where do I sign?"

According to Wiki, Jol liked him at LB and played him there. When de Boer took over, he felt he was a DM.

He's definitely going to play midfield? I was under the impression that Santon preferred to play on the right so we pushed for Anita to play left FB.

So basically the borehole will have paid for Rob Elliott. In all seriousness, it's a pretty good thing we've done. If every major sports team did something like this it would have a pretty big impact. If we take Shola, give him some apples and put him on a bike hooked up to a generator the club can save massively on it's energy costs.

Even though I'm old enough to be his father, Shola is like a father to me...

I say buy him for 10M. Carroll will score 6 in 18, Rodgers will get sacked and the new Liverpool manager will want Carroll back for 20M.

I liked Nolan. I thought he played an integral role in building team spirit, helped get straight back up and solidified us in Premier League. And then he did the club a favor when he demanded too much and found another club willing to pay it.

Wow. I love the quotes from HBA.

...was reading that Solksjaer likes to brain baby seals with a ball peen hammer for laughs c*nt