bowlingcrofty

Now that makes no sense, does it? We'd clearly benefit from more teams being forced to work their finances properly. I'm content with the fact that Champions League is the key to mount a serious threat to the top four. However, that will not be the case as long as the FFFP rules do not apply. I think our policy, and experience from working within the limitations that we've set ourselves in recent years, would give us a massive advantage was it to be implemented. Strange. We're probably banking on other teams making tits of themselves and going bust, thus leaving us free to take the glory.

I also booked 'any Belgium station' and the confirmation said Brussels Midi. We'll be areet.

Wednesday - Friday from Newcastle? I cant find anything close to that. From London. Toon to London return trains are £60 atm.

Booked Eurostar + hotel on their site for £170

FYP

They've also put new sound speakers in the ground which obscure your view if you're back 3 or 4 rows of Gallowgate and stood up (for the exciting parts of the game, and not persistent standing, of course).

All booked up for Brugge. Return Eurostar and hotel for under 170. Decent enough.

certainly not what he used to be

Sacking off the West Ham game on the Sunday?

Probably worth putting in that sticky that the ACON starts on 19th January, which is almost three weeks into the next transfer window.

Both Brugges and Bordeaux fall over month end for me. Going to be cunterface hard to get the time of work.

A look at the Brugge site and it says they play us at their place on 20th sept and SJP in November

Howay man. I know we've not signed anyone but sort ya heed oot!

And we attempt to combat this by... doing nothing? Well we don't have the £110m it'd take to catch Chelsea. We go with the team who served us so well last year plus some upgrades on the departures...bar Best (who barely played) Yeah, just the 21 appearances last year for Leon Best. How many after Cissé signed? His role became less and less in the second half of the season. He was technically replaced in January

I still think we'll get one in, even if that's me being ridiculously optimistic. We've done this plenty times...play down potential signings to try and force selling club's hand.

And we attempt to combat this by... doing nothing? Well we don't have the £110m it'd take to catch Chelsea. We go with the team who served us so well last year plus some upgrades on the departures...bar Best (who barely played)

I may be in the minority here but I actually think it's harder to crack the top four this year than last. Man City/Man Utd/Chelsea spent ridiculous money. Arsenal will still be there, Spurs still there. Liverpool to look out for. I don't think we're two signings away from the CL, I think we're quite a distance away. Chelsea finishing 5th then winning the CL and blowing £100m fucked our chances, really.

People never learn. This is how we do business, we're not going to change now just for the hell of it.

Which 3 first-teamers have we lost? Best, Guthrie and Lovenkrands? And we've signed Anita. Plus Amalfitano and Bigi, who will play roles in the EL and League Cup. We haven't regressed, we just haven't really progressed, but progression was always going to be difficult this season when we overperformed so much last year.

Back in the Leazes for a game, might not be L7 but I sure miss it

It's not 40-45 games though. You get another chance to sign players in January. We may or may not sign anyone then, but we did last year because the opportunity arose. It's not as if this is it for the rest of the season now.

They won the Champions League and the FA Cup last year. OK, let me rephrase They were shit in the league. Certainly not as good as previous years and you would expect them to return to their usual 'standard' this year.

So what happens if Senegal qualify for the ACON? Shola will be our only striker and like last season proved during that period he can't play week in? What next? The ACON in 2013 starts in mid-late January. We have another transfer window yet. Last year we bought Cisse...

We cannot and will not compare with Chelsea. The reason we finished 5th last year ahead of them, is because they were shit. If you think otherwise, just look at the £100m they've spent in the summer. We can only hope to consolidate at the top and slowly improve to keep ourselves there. That's the Premier League now, unfortunately, and if you believe otherwise then you're either extremely optimistic, or deluded. One or the other.

Here is the alright on the night brigade again. We're alright now. This squad was alright all last season. Alright enough to finish above all but four teams. Not everything is a 'farce', or an 'embarassment', or 'pathetic', or 'disgraceful'. Surely by now you can see that the way the club has gone about its business in the transfer market in the past couple of years is worthy of patience and respect. They sign the right players at the right time if it's the right price for the club. No other way.