Wolfcastle

Its interesting that with the exception of McClaren everyone at the lower end is, for lack of a better term, a c*nt. Shearer/Dalglish/Gullit are hard to like and dislike. Whilst the favoured managers have class and are definitely not c*nts To show its not success based I'd put Jim Smith (though he terrified me when he was here) and Ossie in fondness. Bruce would be my most hated. There's an, albeit sociopathic based, grain of likability about Souness that puts him just ahead of Bruce and Allardyce at least knew what he was doing - his goal was to play abysmal football whereas with Bruce and Souness it was an accident. Keegan on a different level to anybody else. Everything good we have now and have had can be traced back to him coming back.

Not sure Ketsbaia's a good defence. Speed obviously was good buy but never played well under Dalglish to the point there were jeers I know PLC gets correctly pointed at and there was obviously some pressure applied for non-football reasons, but the PLC didn't make him spend more than the £6m he got for Ferdinand on Andersson and Guivarch as attempted replacements. Or replace Ginola with Hamilton penny for penny. He spent a fortune when you look at it for basically just over 1year. Keegan sold players too. When we signed Ginola/Ferdinand/Barton/Hislop/Huckerby - we'd sold Fox/Cole/Venison/Nielson/Mathie/Sellars penny for penny the same year.

True, but I dont see why that's a cop out however. We ended up with a big squad with a handful of good players instead. His reserve/squad recruitment mirrored his overall - Serrant, Brady, Kelly, Robinson, Pinas, Gudjohnsson, Coppinger cost us over £2million and were complete duds. Keegan fetched up with Huckerby a year before by comparison who was good enough .

I dont feel like we went backwards under Mclaren. We stayed up on the last day the year before and were on course for something like that again. Same with Gullit really. Didnt get any worse under him than it already was. Its more Dalglish's and Souness' that I consider personally because of the backing they had to take the club backwards at a frightening rate.

yes the cheap tickets arguement will get dusted down in that instance, but not for every gate since they've been in that stadium that it applies to

Dalglish did the worst job by that parameter. Turned Keegan's entertainers into negative dreck that was three points above the relegation zone at Easter of the following year. Though again weirdly don't dislike him.

Don't know how many they took to the 1992 cup final but they got 16,000 for their next home game. They're the 1992ers.

Reckon the owner might get some under the bus throwage now its safe. Didn't get backed in the window.

Something like that. Did suggest an Olympic gallery at the old Wembley type scenario where its like a small extra tier literally hanging from the pre-existing roof. Were not after a lot I feel from the East Stand, couple extra thou. Couple extra rows like the extension at the San Paulo pre Italia 90. Since we'll be doing it up anyway at some point.

Went over my head. Did recognise Steve Marlet though (isn't it?) of all things. Wilder for West Brom is probably a good shout all round. Too precarious to get creative with their appointment and they've been cleaned out by a recent scam.

How's Command and Conquer: Red and White Alert going today reclaimed any people that had no interest in going to their games as evidenced by their gates yet?

Got to be because they've had all the notorious perveyors of horrible football bar Big Jack and John Beck. O'Neill, McCarthy, Reid, Wilkinson and we've seen what Bruce produces.

Does sound boastful but dang if it isn't correct. McLaren, Pardew, Bruce, Dalglish, Souness - have done either nothing or fail since they left us. Allardyce's horrific football repulsed fans everywhere he went bar 5months down the road in a long ball stronghold. Hughton has had his ups and downs. Keegan did brilliantly for Fulham and Man City. Smith did fine everywhere he went. Ossie played good but too open football everywhere he went. As predicted. Rafa's an outlier though

He can throw the owner under the bus now, finally, bet he couldn't wait. Didn't he do that here. Not say a peep about his master then intermated how difficult it was after he left?

Bit of both. He was the best defender in the country by a mile before he went to Italy in 92. Which in itself was proof of the oppposite. It was several notches above any other league at the time and he flopped badly and was broken thereafter, but only continued playing for England in that 92/93 season, albeit badly. The years prior to that he was fine

A couple caps in friendlies maybe, but they weren't just handed out then and by the time they were (Oceania tour 91, Venables reign) he was at veteran stage. Mabbutt, Adams, Walker, Butcher, Wright, Pallister, Howey, Keown were just better. Less cumbersome and lumbering looking and at international level managers looked for players that could play.

Bittersweet about it as was really enjoying being proved right to such a ridiculous degree but obviously its only right. Then I'll not miss the Bruce propaganda like a paper today that 'prior to Newcastle' he had 25years of 'creditable' career (Palace, Sheff Wed, Aston VIlla?!). Plus we can always invest in his replacement doing much bettter to continue to prove the same point We've seen the last of him now. Even he's not coming back from four horrific jobs in a row.

Having the closest we've had to a full squad available (since we felt there'd be business before the window shut) puts a slightly different slant on things. But for the relative thinness of the squad it would be a real possibility. Know were going to get problems though so will stick with 9th.

Playing well, well on top and having Jo and Maxi on the bench was lovely feeling mind.

Its a more difficult group than the customary easy group but with two qualifying its f*cking redundant.

Seen that, the defence offered, albeit light but nevertheless massively reaching, was one of these XG type stats showing they're not defensive. But every stat he had here - attacks/attacks against, shots/shot against had us in the bottom two - it was totally ignored and only his spawny results counted then and he smugly loved living off just that. So be it.

Cant wait for the world cup threads on there. "Am all for 'uman rights marra, but not to the extent I'd watch the other channel for 90minutes. The Mags are turning a blind eye not rayazing their aaan club to the growand thoa. But marras want their-air entertyenment"

A normal person would think 'life's to short to get worked up about things like flags that having nothing to do with us' They have to secretley love and need to get worked up hating on us.

West Broms worst season since they were thrashed at home by non-league Woking in the FA Cup and relegated from a division with two relegation places.

I don't like it when Man United are underdogs anyway, so happy not to go there. Atmosphere isn't as bad as usual and the players raise their game. Liverpool this season (Chelsea, Arsenal and some Euro games over the years) and us from experience in 94 and 95.