Lush Vlad

So how would sacking him and appointing someone no better improve things ? We might actually luck out and end up with a decent manager? What's the alternative? We're going to just leave McClaren in charge, then get relegated, then appoint someone else when we're in the championship? After Pardew we ended up with Carver for half a season, who inexplicably almost took us down having been in an OK position. I'd rather stick with him tbh, it'll be touch-and-go whether we stay up in that case, whereas you can rely on Ashley to f*** it up massively if there's a decision to make. Fair enough. I'd rather gamble. I don't see us getting out the shit with McClaren. At least some new chump, might get us some points on the back of the new manager bounce. A bit like sunderland have for the last few seasons. Or, Ashley might get extremely lucky and end up getting someone half decent.

Whilst it is hard to see the board making a decent decision, regarding a new manager. That sort of attitude, would mean we'd still be stuck with Pardew. I think having that view, would also ensure that we go down. As it's the only way we're headed under McClaren.

I was agreeing with a lot of what you said, but I couldn't disagree more with that last line. They deserve their fair share of blame, aye. But it is farcical, that it has taken McClaren so long to get anywhere near to knowing what his best XI is. I still don't think he knows. We took a long while to start playing decent football, longer than his 'judge me after 10 games', at least. So players have missed some sitters. Yes, that's on them. But barring the occasional game, where we have still ended up losing. Our away form has been absolutely pathetic. We've had no shape, our tactics have been non-existent and we just go out there and look like a Pardew/Carver team. We can't defend as a unit and we don't create anything going forward. Which is a recipe for disaster. Is that mostly the players fault, as well? Why can't he get a fairly talented group of individuals, to even resemble a team, FFS? Our home form and performances, have only recently started to look respectful and a bit more consistent. For a lot of last year, they weren't much better than some of our away games. I think he has to go, if we are to have a realistic chance of staying up. I don't particularly like Rodgers or Moyes. Rodgers seems like a prick and Moyes is boring as fuck, as is his football. But I'd 100% take them over McClaren. As they are much better managers IMO and might actually coax some life out of this team and develop some sort of game plan. One that doesn't rely on Shelvey getting the freedom of the pitch and finding players in behind. We're going to need to pick up points on the road, too. Something that I don't see happening, whilst this clown is in charge.

People not understanding the number in this thread has been a pet hate of mine for seasons now. 6 means people think we are 60% likely to go down, that's not very confident. You can get 2.25-2.32 from the bookies that we go down. The 7-10 camp should put all their savings on that and print money. I'm at a 7. So apparently, I think there is a 70% chance we'll go down. According to you, I should go and put thousands of pounds on us getting relegated at around 5/4. How is the terrible tipping line business? You winning much? I'll keep my money in the bank, cheers.

IP. You're geet lush.

Criticism more extreme? I can't Imagine French fans and media are much better or worse? Don't L'Equipe give some of the harshest player ratings in the world?

Aye they cannot charge him for rape now, but it reads like he's deffinitely sexually assaulted her. I'm assuming it's just harder to prove so they never pushed for it. Where's the N-O lawyer squadron at? Sexual activity with a child are the two outstanding charges. There is an element of coercion but the evidence suggests she was reluctantly consenting rather than refusing. If you think of sexual activity with a child as statutory rape then it makes more sense. I guess the defence will be that the only proof (unless it changes) is her word versus his? Having no experience of courts... how the hell do you judge that then? From who's more believable? Cause surely a 28 year old is more believable than a onlyjust15yearold Yeah. I mean I suppose the messages point towards something more happening and makes Johnson come across as a real predator. Johnson has pleaded guilty to grooming, kissing and touching her body in a sexual way. But yeah. I suppose him saying he didn't finger bang her or make her suck him off, would be more believable than what the 15 year old is saying

He'll need that £6m for a lawyer. His neighbours complain about the noises coming from his flat.

It's almost like a battered wife, having been beaten by her spouse 20 times in the last year claiming her husband has one more chance to make things right. It's not gonna happen, you know what he's like now, why put yourself through further torment, ffs. Or it will be like WBA, where there were also rumours about him getting the sack if we lost. We play well, get a result. Then we just carry on with our shit form and nothing actually changes. We can't persevere with a manager, who can get a team to play decent attacking football at home, when everything falls right. Yet constantly get battered away from home. If we stick with him, we are basically gambling on winning enough games at home, to keep us up. He'll clearly still be in charge next season, if we stop up, which makes staying up seem a bit pointless.

It will be like with England. He won't resign as he knows he'll get a golden handshake, once he gets the bullet. Can't say I blame him, I'm not sure how I would react in that situation.

Seems odd that the CPS would accuse him of quite a bit more? If she hadn't admitted to that stuff happening? Must be some evidence somewhere, that suggests that the 'oral sex' and 'digital penetration' took place?

Not sure you can blame the midfield for his foul on Costa, or totally missing a header and allowing Pedro to waltz in behind him and score

Well it might just have been in a move to seem like we were committed to him. But he is on the board, along with Charnley, Carr and Moncur. I would have thought he had more say than Pardew. Plus, IMO, our squad is far better than last season. Yet we're just as shit, if not worse.

It is certainly polar opposites with Wijnaldum. But I would say the same for the team in general. At times, we look like a top half team at home and look really comfortable and create a lot of chances. Away from home, we're the worst team in the league. I mean statistically, Villa are worse. But I think even they have managed more goals and conceded less. Plus, I still can't believe we won at Bournemouth!

It's the manner of the last three defeats, more than the actual results. It almost looks like we won't get another point away, we play that badly. Everton could have beat us 5 or 6 nil and it wouldn't have flattered them. Chelsea did stick 5 past us and again, it could have been more. Watford, we created sod all, which has been a recurring theme away from home this season. Yet we conceded sloppy goals. When teams attack us, it looks like they're going to score every time they get near our box. We're all over the place. When you factor in the bad form of Watford and Everton, before we played them. It really does make you realise how shit we are. Watford were on a 5 game losing streak, we went there and shat the bed. Everton hadn't won at home since November and I think their last league win, was against us back on Boxing Day. We went there and pissed all over ourselves. The home form is kind of encouraging and gives some hope. But I think teams always know they will get chances against our shit defence. If they press our midfield and don't give Tiote and Shelvey time, then they will shut us down. West Ham and WBA stood of us and paid the price. Coincidentally, Shelvey was probably MOTM in both of those games. He's done fuck all else in the 3 away games he's played. Not that I'm singling him out, as they've all been shit. But it is quite worrying to note. As I feel teams will have the blueprint to comfortably beat us. Quite a few have done this to us already, TBF

So as we feared and most people pointed out. It was WBA's complete ineptitude making him look good. As opposed to Taylor actually playing well. I think the same can be said for the majority of the team, TBH. We made Chelsea seem like a great team, again.

Seems a petty one. But I've been getting annoyed recently, with added time at the end of games. I'm sure I read/heard somewhere, that the refs do actually stop the clock. But it usually seems well low. Like the Arsenal game yesterday. You had 3-4 subs in the second half, which I thought was supposed to be about 30 seconds for each? A red card, where Simpson took an age to leave the field. A break in play, where the ref decided to take about 2 minutes or more, to speak to Kante and then book him. Oh and Schmeichel taking an age on every goal kick. 4 minutes Seeing as the standard seems to always be 3 minutes, regardless. I thought this was pretty ridiculous. I'm not sure of the exact criteria, for adding on time. But there are so many instances, where I think you could probably have 8 minutes at the end. Yet you see 3-4 mins go up on the board.

Tiote, Saivet & Shelvey as a midfield 3 might work in away games? Mitrovic, Perez, Doumbia/Sissoko/Townsend up top. Agree with this and I think we'll see it at Stoke. Colback will be in at left back, unless Dummett is fit. In which case, Colback will be playing instead of Saivet.

Still odds against on us going down. I mean, it's practically even money, but we're 4th favourite to get relegated.

He's gone full blown Pardew. Front foot football, only to then get shat on from a great height and get battered 5-1. Constantly without a gameplan when we play away from home, never look like creating, yet we look like conceding every time the opposition attack us. I wonder if he'll mention 'letting our hair down', before we play Stoke He's an absolute joke of a manager. He looks completely lost and confused stood on the sideline. He seems to have had a bit more input with the transfers and we've spent a lot by our standards. Yet we're still stuck with Colo the Clown and an overweight Steven Taylor, as our centre backs. Plus a right back that doesn't like defending and a reserve team left winger, playing at left back. Great work, Sctheve. You ham faced prick. I see Ryder has been quick to crush any rumours of McClaren getting the sack. He just loves to crush our hopes, doesn't he? Obligatory mention - nothing changes until Ashley goes. He'll always just appoint no mark, shithosue managers, straight off the scrapheap. Until we actually get someone in, that has any kind of ability and isn't just another dinosaur, British manager. Then we'll always be in a relegation scrap. Ashley has had the chance to make a statement in the past and go out and sign a big name. Yet he has always settled for a cheap yes man.

I've been at 7 for quite a while. We're running out of games, though. We'll be lucky to get another 3-4 points away from home and sunderland are suddenly close to going above us. It's all on the home form. Need another 12 points from our remaining home games, otherwise, I think we're fucked.

Im really not getting this. Bar the goals, we've not approached this anything like our recent away games. We've done s**** in defence & given the ball away. If anything we've been so exposed specifically because we're attacking more in this match. We're trying to play the ball out slowly from the back and we're not looking to set up our attacks quickly. When Chelsea have the ball we sit off them and let their immensely talented players have space to run at us. Compare that to our home games where we aggressively press and seem to expend much more energy, it just seems like a different approach to me. Maybe I'm just frustrated with our crapness but that's how I feel about it today. This. I'm not sure what Jayson has been watching this season. But home and away, we play like two different teams. Still. Keep making excuses and keep looking for positives. I'm sure our away form might turn around. Maybe our away goal tally will hit double figures before the end of the season

Correct. Any half decent team will just do this to us for the rest of the season and we'll be f***ed. Our mentality and organisation are just so s*** though, we look fragile as f***. That should be the first thing a new manager sorts A manager can't exactly legislate for individual f***ups 3 minutes into a game like. What about not having a gameplan away from home, constantly conceding shit goals and only scoring 6 away, all season? Individual mistakes are happening quite often, it would seem. Poor ol McClaren.

Correct. Any half decent team will just do this to us for the rest of the season and we'll be fucked.

This club is making me bi-polar. Which is a bit like the home and away form. Pathetic. Going to have to win most our remaining home games, if we are to have a chance of staying up. We certainly won't be getting any points on the road.