The old Chris Hughton discussion thread

[Dave]

We may stay up because there are several other very poor teams in the division.

 

My concern is that even if we do stay up we will be no better position the season after or the season after that because Ashley is not prepared to invest in players. If we dont invest in players we are unlikely to progress, after all, everyone has a youth policy and scouting system, why should ours be any better than anyone elses?

 

I fear Ashleys 5 year plan and the height of his ambition is to keep us in the Premier League by the skin of our teeth whilst spending the minimum amount possible, with the safey net of a further 4 seasons of funding if the plan fails and we get relegated.     

 

Everyone fears that mate, it's not like you're the only one. You keep banging the same drum as though everyone other than you is happy to scrape survival every year and you're the only one to see through this 'lowered expectations' thing.

 

If we stay up this year - however we do it - I'll be expecting more ambition to be shown next year for sure. Not hoping, expecting. I'd imagine most people will be the same.

[Guest BooBoo]

Owen and Martins had a good run against a a host of shitty sides like Birmingham, Sunderland, Reading and Fulham. It was a purple patch when we were fortunate to play a lot of the poorest sides in a 6 week spell. You can't discount the last two games v Chelsea and Everton when we reverted to type and looked weak.

 

The whole "if Keegan stayed everything would have been rosy" is tosh. He still had had his hands tied by Ashley and had a fairly poor squad of has beens at his disposal.

[Super Duper Branko Strupar]

We may stay up because there are several other very poor teams in the division.

 

My concern is that even if we do stay up we will be no better position the season after or the season after that because Ashley is not prepared to invest in players. If we dont invest in players we are unlikely to progress, after all, everyone has a youth policy and scouting system, why should ours be any better than anyone elses?

 

I fear Ashleys 5 year plan and the height of his ambition is to keep us in the Premier League by the skin of our teeth whilst spending the minimum amount possible, with the safey net of a further 4 seasons of funding if the plan fails and we get relegated.      

 

Everyone fears that mate, it's not like you're the only one. You keep banging the same drum as though everyone other than you is happy to scrape survival every year and you're the only one to see through this 'lowered expectations' thing.

 

If we stay up this year - however we do it - I'll be expecting more ambition to be shown next year for sure. Not hoping, expecting. I'd imagine most people will be the same.

 

All we can hope for is somewhere in Ashleys '5 year plan' he has 'selling the club' in there.

Can't see us progressing under him. If we stay up and we get a basis of a sturdy club with some decent players and on a bit of a high from staying up we will hopefully be an attractive proposition for investment if there's any around. If not, like as already stated, Ashley doesn't have the resources for us to force ourselves up the league sooner. It'll be a case of slow gains for acceptable results.

[Ronaldo]

Owen and Martins had a good run against a a host of shitty sides like Birmingham, Sunderland, Reading and Fulham. It was a purple patch when we were fortunate to play a lot of the poorest sides in a 6 week spell. You can't discount the last two games v Chelsea and Everton when we reverted to type and looked weak.

 

The whole "if Keegan stayed everything would have been rosy" is tosh. He still had had his hands tied by Ashley and had a fairly poor squad of has beens at his disposal.

 

Yep, we were also lucky to win against Bolton at home, a few weeks before he quit.

 

 

[Guest secteur2010]

I think Ashley's plan is coming to fruition now. The relegation I'm sure wasn't planned but now that the wage bill is coming down and we're back in the PL I would imagine (i've been wrong before) that with minimal investment (£20 million a year to include admin costs) and if we survive this season, next season would see a bigger investment in the playing side but not enough to knock us to the heady heights of top 8.

 

I think it's a case of steady as you go for the forseeable with Ashley looking to sell once the wage bill, etc are at a decent level and we've 'established' ourselves again.

 

Of course, I now expect to be beaten like a gong, you insufferable bastards.

[TheGuv]

Owen and Martins had a good run against a a host of shitty sides like Birmingham, Sunderland, Reading and Fulham. It was a purple patch when we were fortunate to play a lot of the poorest sides in a 6 week spell. You can't discount the last two games v Chelsea and Everton when we reverted to type and looked weak.

 

The whole "if Keegan stayed everything would have been rosy" is tosh. He still had had his hands tied by Ashley and had a fairly poor squad of has beens at his disposal.

 

Yep, we were also lucky to win against Bolton at home, a few weeks before he quit.

 

 

 

You have to remember the squad he took over were playing appalling football, and their morale would have been destroyed by BSA marvellous tactics. Anybody remember Zog left back and Milner left wing. And Geremi on the right...

 

When you look at how hard the fixture list was in KK's opening weeks it was a hard time to come in. The games he lost were against good sides.

 

Man U

Arsenal (twice)

Villa

Blackburn

Liverpool

 

All top 6 clubs at the time. I don't want to get bogged down in a debate but are any of you honestly telling me after our first 4 games you didn't think top 10 was an unreasonable ambition?

[Guest BooBoo]

When listing those above games which were tough fixtures, we also failed to beat Boro and Bolton.

[TheGuv]

Yes that is true. Bolton game was very poor, and Boro we had a fine goal disallowed. This was early in his reign when the players still probably hadn't made the adjustment from Hoofball to football

[Guest BooBoo]

I still think bringing him back was foolhardy. Great times in the nineties but forlornly trying to recapture long gone days was the first of many embarassing Ashley mistakes.

[David28]

Yes that is true. Bolton game was very poor, and Boro we had a fine goal disallowed. This was early in his reign when the players still probably hadn't made the adjustment from Hoofball to football

 

One goal disallowed? Iirc Owen scored a hattrick that day but only got one goal allowed.

[Thespence]

When listing those above games which were tough fixtures, we also failed to beat Boro and Bolton.

 

We were going down with Big Sam in charge.KK kept us up. Next season KK left early doors, we went down. That is how I see it.

[TheGuv]

I only remember him heading the ball away from Schwazer despite the fact h's about 7 inches bigger than him and he had the ability to use his hands. It was never a foul like

[Ronaldo]

Keegan also used Zog at LB, incredibly.

[Yorkie]

Keegan's team selections when he first came in were both bizarre and infuriating. How many times must he have played Smith and Owen up front together with Barton down the right. Really couldn't understand it.

 

The 4-3-1-2 was a masterstroke though.

[David28]

Keegan also used Zog at LB, incredibly.

 

Not in those games towards the end of the 07/08 season. Enrique was left back then.

[Guest BooBoo]

I'm not sure whether the infamous KK 4312 was genius or just a case of throwing the ingrediants into the pan and seeing what came to the boil.

[jdckelly]

I'm not sure whether the infamous KK 4312 was genius or just a case of throwing the ingrediants into the pan and seeing what came to the boil.

bit of both id say leaning more on the side of fuck it lets see what happens

[Thespence]

I'm not sure whether the infamous KK 4312 was genius or just a case of throwing the ingrediants into the pan and seeing what came to the boil.

 

Bit like Bobby with the sweeper @ Italia 90.

[Guest BooBoo]

That's what I think Kelly. We were desperate to stop the rot and throwing 3 strikers in paid off. Of course playing a load of crappy sides also helped, especially at SJP.

[Yorkie]

I'm not sure whether the infamous KK 4312 was genius or just a case of throwing the ingrediants into the pan and seeing what came to the boil.

 

Christ. Fact of the matter is, he had the audacity to do it and it worked an absolute treat. Like, practically perfect. I thought we could have beaten just about anyone with it. Chelsea picked us off fairly easily but Viduka was replaced with Smith at half time. That was about the only drawback from it - it needed the exact eleven to make it work. However at the same time, it was also the beauty of it. I touched on this in another thread the other day; it was tailor-made to suit every single player in it. Awesome, loved that little run.

[jdckelly]

That's what I think Kelly. We were desperate to stop the rot and throwing 3 strikers in paid off. Of course playing a load of crappy sides also helped, especially at SJP.

in fairness the spurs victory really stands out in my memory, keegans finest hour in the 2nd spell probably

[Yorkie]

That's what I think Kelly. We were desperate to stop the rot and throwing 3 strikers in paid off. Of course playing a load of crappy sides also helped, especially at SJP.

 

Crappy sides. That was the whole point. We picked them off at an absolute canter, looking like actual top half material. As opposed to looking like relegation fodder weeks prior. I never get this argument. "We only beat shit teams so we're still shit". Eh? How does that work?

[Guest BooBoo]

I'm just saying it was made that out that we'd turned the corner and the KK of old was back. A run of a 5 or 6 wins against sides with one eye on their summer holidays is a poor yardstick to measure against. There's no guarantee we would have seen more of the same the next season.

[Thespence]

Of course playing a load of crappy sides also helped, especially at SJP.

 

We did well against poor teams at home, well spotted. Shame we could not beat the PL worst team in history under BSA in the same season.

[Ronaldo]

Keegan also used Zog at LB, incredibly.

 

Not in those games towards the end of the 07/08 season. Enrique was left back then.

 

Zog was injured.