Consortium of one

We need to talk. I have a modest endowment policy due to mature any day now and that's another £3kish. Also I have received interesting emails from a Nigerian Prince.... Most excellent. Pleased to be giving me your bank routing and account number and I shall forward that info along to the grand Prince Mugabi with whom I have trusted my monies. PS: Let's keep this amongst ourselves...

The money I raised to buy the club before Ashley pulled it off the market was put into escrow. Having collected some interest since then, I now have $2,134.66. I have drafted a new letter of intent and have sent it to Seymour Pierce post haste. I await acknowledgement before I commence negotiations.

If there is a consortium in talks to buy the club, who is Shearer negotiating with? It doesn't make sense that he'd be discussing the future of the club/transfer kitty/staff with Ashley if he is in negotiations to sell the club on.

I'm in favor of a takeover but it has to be swift and decisive, though.

Ashley: Alan Shearer? Isn't that Dennis' decision? Or Joe's? I don't know. Yeah I guess he's the manager...Shearer?

Didn't Shearer say recently (in effect) that he was shocked by the lack of professionalism on the club? If so, even if Butt isn't up to it anymore, it has to help to have someone like him on the squad. If there's a dearth of players who do it the right way it makes sense to have a few around who it the right way to help set an example for the younger players. He doesn't have to play a whole lot, he just needs to practice well.

I'd like it to be Jonas I'd expect Lovenkrands Both would give a good show after scoring, too.

The blame could be spread around quite a bit but ultimately it gets laid at Ashley's feet. He was completely out of his depth from the start and made poor decisions and non-decisions. The whole DoF plan was poorly implemented and improperly staffed which led to Keegan leaving in a huff and within days a promising start was spiraling out of control. It has to start from the top and neither Ashley, Lliambas or Wise was up to the task. The players deserve blame too but to be honest, given the complete freaking chaos it must have been hard not to get down about the situation. Maybe with a stronger manager than Joe "Fucking Cunt" Kinnear, the club could have secured a spot in the Premier next year but given the clusterfuck at the top of the club no one better was available. I was amongst those that supported Ashley and hoped that his plan would work. However, his judgement and execution has been embarrassingly bad and is quite indefensible.

The way I see it was that Shepherd stayed owner too long and Ashley became owner too fast.

Not sure I'd agree with the proactive/reactive bit, the best defenders are proactive so they're not always on the back foot. They know where to be to snuff out danger instead of trying to stop it once it's a massive problem. Agree with you regarding him at right-back though. From what I've seen I wouldn't mind him becoming the natural successor to Beye - he's done well there. Yeah good point and you could go a step further and say that offensively you can be reactive by taking advantage of open space as well. I gues I just should have left it as Taylor looks better offensively than defensively

Shearer will stay. It looks like he's had some adrenaline rushes and that can be awfully addicting. He probably hasn't felt like that since he's hung up the boots. He'll want more, I hope. As for Taylor, it seems like he has more of an offensive aptitude than defensive. I remember some runs and nice crosses as a RB and he's made some heady plays in the opponents box as well. Some players are just better at being proactive than reactive and the proactive ones are better offensively where as the defensive ones are better reactively, obviously. I like him as a RB simply because i think he can be effective on the attack and as much as I luvs Habib Beye, he's probably on the downside and Tayls would be a good replacement, I think.

Keep him, coach him, give him a fair chance. I remember Kinnear making a comment about him after the first couple days of practice. He said something about Xisco not being in the right place and it seemed that from that point on he was buried. I don't see how the club can even get 3M for him at this point so it's better business to see that if you can't make him worth the original investment, you at least rehab his reputation enough to sell him and get something worthwhile back.

The movement was much improved too, for the first time in a while when we were awarded a free kick or a corner I felt that we could make something of it. Kevin Nolan's dummy for the equaliser was either a great piece of play by him, or a very well crafted training ground move, either way it was brilliant. I think players are inspired to move a bit when they know the ball will get past the first defender.

I'd like to see Jonas with center midfielder next to him that can pick out a pass and deliver it. He may not be a classic crosser of the ball but he can still bend a back line out of shape and create space for others.

I wonder what he would think of being a player coach? He was class yesterday and if he would be willing and could teach it would be nice if Xisco, Carroll and shola could learn a bit from him. Under those conditions I'd be happy to bring him back. He's just too unreliable to ever depend on though. I remember last year someone posted a photoshop of Viduka turning with the ball at his feet whilst holding a pint with a cigarette dangling from his lips. One of my favorite shots of all time, I hope someone still has it and can post it!

untapped

I want him back. He'd be a fine squad player as he can provide cover wide and up front. He's got pace, some tenacity and a nose for the goal.

We can't afford to give away any cheap goals like yesterday. Goals will be at a premium as Fulham are difficult to break down. A 1-0 win would be what I would hope for and a draw would be acceptable. Villa hasn't seemed the same since MON screwed the pooch with the Moscow trip. I think we could get a positive result against them on the final day

Even on sharply reduced wages I wouldn't want him back. He may yet have a good season or two left in him but his time here is done.

We have to score first, before the 10 minute mark, IMO. If we do that first, we in 2-0 or 3-0. Put all the pressure on them. fast.

You have a point 4 managers in one season is going to effect any player. However I look at Bassong and Guthrie and see them both as being of this type of player we need to be targetting. Yet one has taken his chance to shine in the first team and the other has not. Guthrie was given the opportunity to stake his claim for a regular first team spot, due to his own good preseason form and injuries and suspensions to other central midfielders. But he's failed to take that, and when I see him play I just get the overwhelming feeling that he lacks the hunger, he's anomimous in many of the games he plays, he's got the talent so there's something missing there. You have a point, too. Guthrie hasn't exactly siezed the opportunity the way Bassong has. Still, a stable year under a more demanding manager may help him.

But Guthrie is a young player who has played for four managers this year. You almost have to throw this year out when evaluating a young player. Even a seasoned veteran would be unsettled with what has happened this year. Guthrie fits the profile almost perfectly. I think he'd be fine as the holding midfielder. Put him out there for a run of games and see how he does. In a better environment, some of that hunger may come out as he gains a little confidence.

I think it's essential for Shearer to stay in order to move forward. I say Shearer, but any manager who is willing to continue with the no bullshit policies that he's started will be essential because the type of players the club should look to bring in should be younger, more hungry players who can be molded. Add in some older players, who are professionals and do it the right way, ie: Habib Beye and you might have something to build on. So I'd lean quamtity over quality, as long as the players brought in are younger and haven't established themselves yet. In the right environment, competing for playing time makes everyone better. I'd like nothing better for Shearer to sit down both Xisco and Carrol and say, "Andy, stop being a dick, work hard in training and you can be the focal point of this offense. Xisco, the slate is wiped clean, you'll get a chance to show what you've got and win a starting role. Who ever works harder gets a leg up." I'd let Owen go and bring in a couple of young strikers to compete with Oba. I'd bring in some young wingers to compete for right and left and push Jonas who has to start finishing play more. I would try to bring in an experienced guy to be playmaker in the midfield, though. In short, bring in quite a few players with some talent, looking to get established and sprinkle in some experience. The squad has to be pretty much completely revamped and to pin the hopes on 1, 2 or 3 big money players is foolish. I say it's better to go for quantity over quality at this point and hope that we can build a foundation from which we can build on in the following years.

Harper Beye Taylor Bassong Duff Guthrie Butt Jonas Owen Viduka Lovenkrands My big fear is that the club will work hard, miss some easy chances again, go into a shell and draw 0-0. If the club can find net early, they'll gain confidence, win 3-0 and carry momentum into the Fulham match.