Pilko

:lol: that's incredible.

:lol: or had a bag of Scampi Fries.

Score draw.

Bobby Gould or Dean Holdsworth next.

We need to find a balance of preparing to a) counteract the opposition and also b) emphasise our own strengths, that balance is somewhere in the middle of the two but they're not necessarily always at an equilibrium. Last season we pretty much always swung far too much towards a) and part b) was very much on the back burner. There's always a danger we could go too far the other way, but with Pardew in charge I somehow doubt that. I'm glad he's admitted it, anyway. It seems like the mega-cautious approach was his reaction to being beaten a lot, and a way of trying to grind out a few wins to provide that 'platform' to play a more expansive game (see Norwich 1-0 (h) from 2011/12, followed by the excellent WBA, Liverpool and Stoke performances), except this time we couldn't grind those wins out and we just got deeper and deeper into the rut. Hopefully he realises it's a lot to do with personnel too, i.e. the detrimental effect that 90 minutes of Gutierrez has on our team every week, regardless of how attacking/defensive the set-up might be.

The things he's said this pre-season hint towards him admitting that he played too safe and focused on the opposition's strengths more than our own. If he can actually go some way to implementing that then he might be able to start moving forwards.

I bet with a proper/decent target man such as Gomis playing the long ball style will look a lot better, whilst still daft and stupid, it'll at least be effective a bit.

Last I heard, Mick Hartford was going to become Chris Houghton's assistant at Norwich.

He reckons at board level, then. Hopefully he's just going to be Kinnear's PA cos I don't want the twat coaching our players.

Oh good, getting Pardew's replacement sorted I see I for one am glad to hear of the latest 'Remember the 90's?' coach linked with a job at our club. Crazy Gang reuniting at NUFC? You spoil us, ambassador. My money is on Dave Bassett as the next has-been to get linked with us. He's done nowt but the odd Goals On Sunday stint for about 10 years now.

There's more chance of him scoring from one that way tbf.

Sounds like a shit result and having seen the goals, our defending is absolutely piss poor, particularly on the first goal. Still, winning every game in pre-season is unrealistic whether you're Man U or Macclesfield. Hopefully the next game will be better.

Way to paraphrase Relentless's strapline there to describe their greatest competitor. Was that on purpose?

Gosling, Amalfitano and Abeid then most probably. He's correct to be fair, they hardly featured last season and now Bigi looks capable of playing a bit we don't need them really.

Cisse Shola Jonas Sissoko Tiote Cabaye It'll look like that man.

£4m sounds pretty cheap, all things told.

Exactly the same with me , was very self-concious around Nov-Feb that I was essentially repeating myself every Monday about why we'd lost or whatever. Anyone asks me how I think we'll do this season and I tell em of the tenner at 14/1 I put on us going down when Kinnear gave the famous TalkSport interview. I didn't realise it was still 11/1 like, depending on who leaves/comes in I may well follow up with a bit more cash.

1 in 2 in any of the major six or seven leagues in Europe I would consider to be at worst a good record, at best a phenomenal record. What are you after, some computer game striker with over a goal a game average? Get real, man.

Hope we get him, no idea whether he'll be good or not but a) he can't be worse than Shola and b) we desperately need a lift, some fresh blood, some positive impetus from somewhere and a signing would definitely provide that.

I'm sure we were linked in 2008 before the Euros. That said, hope we get him in. Seems decent.

This summer feels worse than the post-relegation non sale summer. I think we will get relegated still.

pre season win, we score 4 goals and there's no injuries. And there's still negatives, but you have to be a right sad cunt to find them, of course.

Nice to start with a win and scoring a few, can only be good for their confidence. Now, to start getting more of the senior players in the side and some injury-free run-outs in Portugal please.

Ferguson and Abeid are on for Obertan and Sissoko according to Lee.

Vuckic and Gouffran.