Hughesy

Got the ball on the deck and passed it around far more. Less Route One and less reliant on the Carroll/Barton axis. Fair enough, I must just have missed it. Happy to agree to disagree - but I genuinely thought we played more flowing football. And I was massively opposed to Pardew when he came.

Got the ball on the deck and passed it around far more. Less Route One and less reliant on the Carroll/Barton axis.

And look how well that went. He's getting found out by more people, more and more each day. Look, I know you don't like him. You've made it clear on here for weeks. I'm just telling you what Barton himself said. Whether he was successful or not in his attempts to get Barton the deal is really irrelevant (knowing the men upstairs that he has to deal with). The point I was making is that the players don't seem to dislike him.... and none of the ones who have left or are leaving have said a bad word about him. Yet. Yes yet. I can't predict the future can I (neither can you by the way ). However, it's been 7 months since Carroll left and 6 weeks since Nolan. Still nothing..... All I'm saying is if Pardew was a bad and as "part of the cockney mafia" as some people on here and Twitter would have you believe, don't you think we would have heard about it by now. Some people may have believed he had more influence at the time of the AC sale. I should think that people now realise he's got jack all to do with the club, apart from taking names out of a hat every weekend. I think everyone realises that his job is basically first team coach. So on that basis, how do you think he's done (purely as a football coach / managing the first team)? In my eyes, he's done alright. About the same as Hughton. Pardew has easily done as well as Hughton. Of course, just look at the legacy he'll leave. A f***ed up team spirit, a squad thats threadbare and a first team that might as well be called 'injury 11'. I thought we had established that Pardew had no control over transfers? So with a worse team (ie no Carroll) and taking over from a popular manager with the players (too popular perhaps...?), he got results that were certainly as good as Hughton's and played far better football?

I think he was incentivised to make money for the club by way of sales and reduction in wage bill Ian. this thing annoys me, why would the board give him money to do something they're perfectly capable of on their own It's basically untrue.

And look how well that went. He's getting found out by more people, more and more each day. Look, I know you don't like him. You've made it clear on here for weeks. I'm just telling you what Barton himself said. Whether he was successful or not in his attempts to get Barton the deal is really irrelevant (knowing the men upstairs that he has to deal with). The point I was making is that the players don't seem to dislike him.... and none of the ones who have left or are leaving have said a bad word about him. Yet. Yes yet. I can't predict the future can I (neither can you by the way ). However, it's been 7 months since Carroll left and 6 weeks since Nolan. Still nothing..... All I'm saying is if Pardew was a bad and as "part of the cockney mafia" as some people on here and Twitter would have you believe, don't you think we would have heard about it by now. Some people may have believed he had more influence at the time of the AC sale. I should think that people now realise he's got jack all to do with the club, apart from taking names out of a hat every weekend. I think everyone realises that his job is basically first team coach. So on that basis, how do you think he's done (purely as a football coach / managing the first team)? In my eyes, he's done alright. About the same as Hughton. Pardew has easily done as well as Hughton.

Wot's ee sayin'? I dont believe what i'm hearing, Barton didn't like the fact he wasn't allowed to take free kicks and set pieces and thats what set him off Sunday. Should have learnt to take them properly then.

Why's that then? Losing our best players, hints of dressing room unrest - a patsy for a manager, a very small squad lacking cover in key areas and a failed promise to reinvest the Carroll cash into the team. That enough for you? We've lost Nolan and Barton and gained Cabaye, Marveaux and Ba. There's no evidence of dressing room unrest. Our manager did a decent job last term. Yes we're short on numbers but the squad should still have enough to stay clear of the relegation zone. Tears before bedtime? It's always the way with the anti-apologists... ;-)

I think the word 'apologist' is becoming the most over-used word on this forum.

Think that is spot on..

Can we just clear something up? Joey Barton is not intelligent.

Finally. Nice of him to come to that conclusion after he's been mouthing off for the last few weeks. Idiot.

It's the reality, unfortunately. And each year of the CL the divide will get greater. The best thing for football in this country would be for the top clubs to leave to play in a European super league. Hopefully it might happen someday. Still, on the positive side we do have a great club to support, and even under the current ownership we can compete within the top ten and occasionally turn over one of the bigger boys. Maybe that's all we can realistically hope for at the moment....and perhaps a cup! What would be the point in the best teams leaving? I never quite understand that argument - all that would mean is that we might compete for a completely undervalued and pointless league - knowing that there are 4-6 teams in England that are better than us?

Exactly - the only outspoken players currently seem to be those who are on their way and aren't getting what they want.

Everyone knows what came out at that tribunal, everyone knows what sort of an owner we have, everyone knows Llambias is a slimy c*nt. But the reality is that this is an industry full of despicable people and yet people still seem surprised that we aren't owned and run by angels. Look at Spurs hanging a decent manager/person like Martin Jol out to dry, and lying about Berbatov. Look properly at what the Glazers are doing at Man United. Look at Abramovich controlling transfer policy at Chelsea, sacking assistant managers and completely undermining Ancelotti (another decent man/manager). Anyone like the idea of Al Fayed, Carson Yeung or Sullivan and Gold? And does anyone really think those chicken boys at Blackburn know what they are doing? Check out great ex owners like Hicks and Gillet, Thaksin Shinawatra. Then you have the perennially unpopular owners past and present - Doug Ellis and the Everton lot spring to mind. Oh yes and there's good old Steve Gibson at Middlesbrough, an absolute gent by all accounts, I can't remember what happened to his football club though. I could go on but that will do. And I hate to bring it up but our previous owners weren't perfect. Ashley bought the club at a critical time when no one else would, he stuck his own money in and has funded his own cock ups. I can handle the venom you can get on here for posting anything that doesn't completely rubbish anything and everything the club does. But anyone who won't even entertain the idea that we could end up with someone worse is deluded imo. Summed up in one post.

Still waiting until end of transfer window to judge, but it is pretty ridiculous that our striker search since January came up with the following names: Gameiro Gervinho Erdinc Sturridge Crouch Defoe Beckford It's taken 7 months to come up with that list.

Speed+Lee Nah, Lee was just about on his last legs when Speed arrived. Speed - Dyer was a better CM. Not when Speed first arrived. And they were brilliant together in the first half of 2001/02 before Lee left.

Mentioned it earlier, but I am sure I read that Arnautovic was available. Can't say I've seen much of him - is he just not worth the trouble? I know he was being talked up as a great prospect.

I always loved Lee and Speed together in the middle. Thought they were brilliant together.

Because no player has: a) made a statement to the media that turns out to not be true? and b) ever changed their mind over a potential move?

Chronicle indicated they would accept 4 million.

Both, or do they not know which? Meant to say 'and'. Bassong would have been decent. Certainly would have helped cover LB issue as well. A player like Bassong is just what we need Indeed - would certainly be pushing for a slot alongside Colo if he could recapture his form, if not a definite starter. And could cover Enrique. No doubt Spurs would want about £10 million for him or something equally astronomical.

yeah - why should fans think about the expenses involved in running a club or the financial situation in which the club might be? Just spend money and it'll work itself out I say.

Both, or do they not know which? Meant to say 'and'. Bassong would have been decent. Certainly would have helped cover LB issue as well.

Chronicle reporting we turned down the chance to sign Bassong or Beye. Not sure if on loan or as permanent.

And how many times do we have to remind you that Tiote was unknown? Even the other names have some question mark of sort over them..... but i won't go there. Unknown to who? You? The football world at large? All scouts? European scouts? What a stupid thing to say. relatively unknown, then. Judging by your pedantic question, no player in the world is unknown since someone would know him. BTW, it was no more stupid than your question about Golfmag's claims about Pardew. Yeah, he clearly guessed it all, didn't he? Why try and claim he is unknown? He was an Ivory Coast international who played in the World Cup and was part of a team that won the Dutch league. I am not suggesting the average fan would know who he was, but he was clearly a fairly well known player in football circles. Have a read of the discussion re golfmag. Take it slowly if you like and then get back to me. If you think that was ambition, then you’re easily pleased. I don’t need to go back and read your nonsense in the other thread. Idiotic comment from the off. Hmmm - despite most people with a modicum of sense and grasp of logic agreeing with me? I think you do need to read it again.