LV

I agree with a lot of that BUT I do disagree that it's simply down to one man, IMO it's down to football itself. The game's a phony as far as real competition is concerned. Football has changed massively over the last 20 years and not necessarily for the better, but to not try to be the best the club can possibly be and try to offer some kind of reward to the fans that turn up despite the lack of a meaningful trophy since 1969 is unforgivable. And that's all down to one man. I agree, apart from the last bit, I happen to hope (admittedly this hope is about as reasonable as my yearly hope of winning something) that Ashley is playing the long game and the club is being built organically towards the point where, within its means (because that's the only way it'll happen, less a sale to an Arab prince) it will progress. I much prefer to maintain that hope than wallow in/see everything in the negative. He's such a lovely guy too. So worthy of your trust and hope.

I think he'll suck the club dry before he goes and sell anything he can, including the stadium.

It was mentioned in that Mail article when Hughton was sacked that Ashley and Llambias interfered in picking the team and in tactics when Hughton was manager and even when Keegan was there (although apparently Keegan had none of it). I wonder if Barton got this from Remi Garde. He's got a lot of contacts in France now from his time at Marseille. Edit - Sorry, Mirror article not Mail. http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/chris-hughton-sacked-newcastle-forced-3344724

Loathe this regime that have occupied the club. They have absolutely no morals, nothing to admire and no regard whatsoever for their own players, the area or the fans.

The problem here is that the Palace chairman will probably sack him and spoil all our fun once he does show his true coaching and tactical 'genius' and Palace slide down the league. I doubt they'll be put through the same purgatory that we were.

Fancy going back to that Palace forum with me when it all falls apart? So much Years and years ago, the night Boro lost in the UEFA Cup final 4-0, after months of "Geordies at home, watching the Bill", dozens of us off here invaded one of their forums with usernames like DCI Jack Meadows and PC Reg Hollis. They didn't have the wherewithal to ban us, they just got increasingly angry and upset as the night went on. Still the funniest night I've ever had on here. I'm well up for an invasion after a Palace disaster. I'm in.

This........... is beautiful.

Good. Hope Pards gets a proper hammering.

Jesus Colo!

Sammy!

uh oh

Should be off

Was just going to post that!

Great goal

This is turgid stuff.

It's just a lazy appointment for a lazy club. We just exist to make fat boy a profit and that's the end of it.

Everything is KaKa for ever.

Hopefully, knowing the type of guy Carver appears to be, he was just saying what he thought Pards would want to hear. That's still a horrific thought mind.

Def having a tenner on Shola scoring against us for Palace.

Smoke and mirrors From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For other uses, see Smoke and mirrors (disambiguation). Smoke and mirrors is a metaphor for a deceptive, fraudulent or insubstantial explanation or description. The source of the name is based on magicians' illusions, where magicians make objects appear or disappear by extending or retracting mirrors amid a distracting burst of smoke. The expression may have a connotation of virtuosity or cleverness in carrying out such a deception. In the field of computer programming, it is used to describe a program or functionality that does not yet exist, but appears as though it does. This is often done to demonstrate what a resulting project will function/look like after the code is complete — at a trade show, for example. More generally, "smoke and mirrors" may refer to any sort of presentation by which the audience is intended to be deceived, such as an attempt to fool a prospective client into thinking that one has capabilities necessary to deliver a product in question. Compare red herring.

He'll have found that in Pardew's office. It's probably been left in the exact state it was the day he left. Like a shrine.

What's the story behind these 'freak and weirdo' comments about him? Did Pardew describe him as that?

Have we even definitely got him?

Looking forward to your statement later Lee. Sure it's gonna be a cracker.