CaliMag Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 Where was Blackpool five games into last season? Lancashire. You and HO9... honestly. Despite two heavy losses, they had 9 points same as us. They'd be fourth and they weren't far off that last year (I think they were 4th IIRC). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Optimistic Nut Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 7 points but anyway, you aren't seriously comparing us to Blackpool? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Optimistic Nut Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 There are some positives at the moment but stuff like the undersoil heating s*** above. Just wow. A few losses and you'll be back in your caves. I know you're not, but the tone of your post it's as almost if you're hoping this happens to shut a few people up and people can go back to slagging him off again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ykmkmdd Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 I think Christmas Tree makes some decent points, but for the majority it will take a lot more than a few weeks of not making any catastrophic cockups for people to even consider giving Ashley the time of day again, he's still well, well in deficit for most, and rightly so IMO. Thing we need to remember is that Ashley is a ruthless businessman, at the moment it serves his purposes for us to do well, but he's taken several blows to his ego over the last few years, and when it comes to selling up his top and only priority will be what is best for him, which for us could well be a disaster....perhaps it is better the devil we know? As an aside, read this book recently: http://www.amazon.com/Soccernomics-Australia-Turkey-Iraq-Are-Destined/dp/1568584253 And I'm convinced Ashley or someone advising him has read it because a lot of the stuff they're doing fits into the recommendations it makes almost perfectly - recommend a read. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmojorisin75 Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 at the risk of taking this thread seriously ashley has, either through design or good luck (or both), found himself with what appears to be a cheaply assembled squad of talented players all at a good age and high potential to improve as a team he'll prove the doubters wrong when he stops fucking selling them the moment they look good and a bid comes in, and not before Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Eric Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 Surely the time to judge is after the next transfer window, we'll know his full intentions by then right Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Optimistic Nut Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 Surely the time to judge is after the next transfer window, we'll know his full intentions by then right We know his intentions. We know when a big offer comes in, a player will more than likely be off. The trick is how long are we going to continue to find the likes of Ben Arfa, Tiote & Cabaye on the cheap? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmojorisin75 Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 Surely the time to judge is after the next transfer window, we'll know his full intentions by then right We know his intentions. We know when a big offer comes in, a player will more than likely be off. The trick is how long are we going to continue to find the likes of Ben Arfa, Tiote & Cabaye on the cheap? this is what i'm saying as well, he's sold and sold to this point under the guise of getting the high earners off the payroll and bids that can't be turned down he's either being truthful about that or he's a fucking liar, once the colo & jonas situations have been resolved there'll be nothing left that isn't his own sanctioned deals under the new fiscal regime if he starts selling HBA, cabaye & tiote and continues not reinvesting then he's the cunt we're all sure he is one thing is for certain, if he's so deluded that he thinks they can continue to deal the way they have been forever then in the long run we'll end up down again Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Optimistic Nut Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 If we're up to the end of September this time next year, and we've got Coloccini & Jonas still at the club and on new 3-4 year deals or whatever, I'd be surprised, and thrilled. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Eric Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 I was being facetious, that was the excuse for him from Feb - Sep following countless profitable transfer windows which we weren't allowed to use to predict the trend. He's a gambler and he'll gamble with us until he sells for the price he wants, all on the cheap, so far it's working for him, we didn't get relegated as he held on to £35m last season, so he's tried it again. Every gamble that works buys him time to chip away and reduce the big Directors Loan Account of his and hold out for a good offer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRon Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 Ironically being a cheapskate has probably safeguarded the future while actually improving the squad as a whole. If Shepherd had still been in charge he'd have caved in and handed out a lucrative contract to the likes of Nolan because it would curry favour with the masses and he'd fall for the guff that his captaincy was worth it. |It's one of the reasons we were in such a bad way when the club was sold, we had an astronomical wage bill which wasn't reflected on the pitch. From that point of view the article is right. The problem is that Ashley's refusal to spend more than the least amount possible could still end up blowing up in his face if the current set of strikers don't hit the net regularly enough. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cronky Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 Wow. You're a fantastic advertisement for diverting to Toontastic. This forum attracts some weird people and you'll fit right in. By weird people I mean people that come out with shit that you never hear at games or in conversations with your mate or your dad or your granny or even the neutral fan at work. There are some positives at the moment but stuff like the undersoil heating shit above. Just wow. A few losses and you'll be back in your caves. Well yeah, if you'd rather look at a website where everyone thinks the same way and the only debate is who can shout the loudest, then Toontastic is the one for you. I prefer it over here because you do get a few people who can think for themselves a bit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tooj Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 Wow. You're a fantastic advertisement for diverting to Toontastic. This forum attracts some weird people and you'll fit right in. By weird people I mean people that come out with shit that you never hear at games or in conversations with your mate or your dad or your granny or even the neutral fan at work. There are some positives at the moment but stuff like the undersoil heating shit above. Just wow. A few losses and you'll be back in your caves. Well yeah, if you'd rather look at a website where everyone thinks the same way and the only debate is who can shout the loudest, then Toontastic is the one for you. I prefer it over here because you do get a few people who can think for themselves a bit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cajun Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 Wow. You're a fantastic advertisement for diverting to Toontastic. This forum attracts some weird people and you'll fit right in. By weird people I mean people that come out with shit that you never hear at games or in conversations with your mate or your dad or your granny or even the neutral fan at work. There are some positives at the moment but stuff like the undersoil heating shit above. Just wow. A few losses and you'll be back in your caves. Well yeah, if you'd rather look at a website where everyone thinks the same way and the only debate is who can shout the loudest, then Toontastic is the one for you. I prefer it over here because you do get a few people who can think for themselves a bit. I have been a member of toontastic in various forms for a number of years longer than here, this will no doubt get picked up here and posted over there but I agree. It certainly is a forum where the vast majority do agree with each other and those who have a different opinion will get a lot of abuse for it. Possibly why the forum is nowhere near as busy over there, it's hard to develop a debate when the majority agree on everything As much as we have the odd falling out, Chezgiven is one of the most intelligent and level headed football posters I have come across but despite getting respect for the way he constructs a post his posts are often 'swept under the carpet' because they go against the grain. Was even described as a more intelligent version of the person who created this thread Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cajun Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 Wow. You're a fantastic advertisement for diverting to Toontastic. This forum attracts some weird people and you'll fit right in. By weird people I mean people that come out with shit that you never hear at games or in conversations with your mate or your dad or your granny or even the neutral fan at work. There are some positives at the moment but stuff like the undersoil heating shit above. Just wow. A few losses and you'll be back in your caves. Well yeah, if you'd rather look at a website where everyone thinks the same way and the only debate is who can shout the loudest, then Toontastic is the one for you. I prefer it over here because you do get a few people who can think for themselves a bit. Can't say I disagree with him tbh, it's a running joke about the 'clique' on there but different opinions can be a bit League of Gentlemen "This is a local forum for local people" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tooj Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 Wow. You're a fantastic advertisement for diverting to Toontastic. This forum attracts some weird people and you'll fit right in. By weird people I mean people that come out with shit that you never hear at games or in conversations with your mate or your dad or your granny or even the neutral fan at work. There are some positives at the moment but stuff like the undersoil heating shit above. Just wow. A few losses and you'll be back in your caves. Well yeah, if you'd rather look at a website where everyone thinks the same way and the only debate is who can shout the loudest, then Toontastic is the one for you. I prefer it over here because you do get a few people who can think for themselves a bit. Can't say I disagree with him tbh, it's a running joke about the 'clique' on there but different opinions can be a bit League of Gentlemen "This is a local forum for local people" To say that people can't think for themselves is a ridiculous comment tbf. Some of the posters over there are highly intelligent people, who often post good reasons as to why they have their views. Deadman excluded. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cajun Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 Not disputing the intelligence, the majority of posters on there are very intelligent and missed from here but it seems as soon as anyone is remotely positive they go into the mong file and that's them done (or 'bullied' ) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuyP Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 We are in a good situation with alot of things, but people wont just forget the hurt, relegation, desecration of the club etc. that it took to get here...and we know it can be ruined at any time my a gaffe-prone chairman and a bullshitting MD...no club is run 100% efficiently, but we have been through some shit... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christmas Tree Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 Wow. You're a fantastic advertisement for diverting to Toontastic. This forum attracts some weird people and you'll fit right in. By weird people I mean people that come out with shit that you never hear at games or in conversations with your mate or your dad or your granny or even the neutral fan at work. There are some positives at the moment but stuff like the undersoil heating shit above. Just wow. A few losses and you'll be back in your caves. Well yeah, if you'd rather look at a website where everyone thinks the same way and the only debate is who can shout the loudest, then Toontastic is the one for you. I prefer it over here because you do get a few people who can think for themselves a bit. I have been a member of toontastic in various forms for a number of years longer than here, this will no doubt get picked up here and posted over there but I agree. It certainly is a forum where the vast majority do agree with each other and those who have a different opinion will get a lot of abuse for it. Possibly why the forum is nowhere near as busy over there, it's hard to develop a debate when the majority agree on everything As much as we have the odd falling out, Chezgiven is one of the most intelligent and level headed football posters I have come across but despite getting respect for the way he constructs a post his posts are often 'swept under the carpet' because they go against the grain. Was even described as a more intelligent version of the person who created this thread One of my favourite posters. Always talks a lot of sense and is prepared to change his mind if that is the sensible thing to do. (Apart from politics of course where he simply talks crap ) There's a lot of good posters over there and the general chat can be good but the football chat has virtually died a death. Too many cant put aside their hatred for Ashley and let this get in the way of discussing anything good about the football side. I of course dont know the personalities over here but it has been lovely this week simply being able to enjoy the "lurve" towards the team and revelling in the excitement building up to today. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbydazzla Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 For years I lived in hope of an end to the overpaid mercenary signings who bled the club dry and offered little return on the investment made in them. I used to moan on to my pals about how I wanted a squad of young, talented, up for it players, who had pride in playing for their shirt, rather than coming here to sit on the gravy train. I wanted a prudent approach to how the club was run and a long term strategy that was built on solid foundations. My pals liked the Shepherd era and thought I was a boring twat. So in theory I should be happy with where we are now. But the problem is that since Ashley took over we've had lies, arrogance, more lies, broken promises, embarrassing headlines, relegation, more lies, stupid statements, shit plastered all over the ground, more lies, too many managers, jobs for the boys, more lies, more arrogance, short sighted transfer decisions, a refusal to communicate and ultimately the current regime views with fans with utter contempt. It's been a high price to pay and that's why Ashley is still a cunt. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainhaircut Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 One of the important things to consider is where we were when he took us over. We had just finished 13th in the league in a season where we could have been relegated but for the odd win at the end of the season. The squad was extremely weak in depth to a point where Ramage and Huntington played big parts in the season. The wage bill was out of control with big wages being spent on players who weren't giving value. We had a new manager who no one ever really took to. The club was in massive debt and in serious financial danger. Looking at where we are now and in terms of our standing in the league we're about the same, 12th last year and probably somewhere mid table this year. The wage bill is well under control with probably only Xisco, Smith and maybe Harper, now he's not first choice, getting paid more than they offer. The squad is young and talented with better depth. We've invested heavily in the youth team and scouting networks making both far stronger than they were before. Overall, we look far healthier than we did previously. Obviously a lot of decisions have been very, very poor. However, I think we're only 1 good window away from being a very competitive team and the improvements behind the scenes seem really promising. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 For years I lived in hope of an end to the overpaid mercenary signings who bled the club dry and offered little return on the investment made in them. I used to moan on to my pals about how I wanted a squad of young, talented, up for it players, who had pride in playing for their shirt, rather than coming here to sit on the gravy train. I wanted a prudent approach to how the club was run and a long term strategy that was built on solid foundations. My pals liked the Shepherd era and thought I was a boring twat. So in theory I should be happy with where we are now. But the problem is that since Ashley took over we've had lies, arrogance, more lies, broken promises, embarrassing headlines, relegation, more lies, stupid statements, shit plastered all over the ground, more lies, too many managers, jobs for the boys, more lies, more arrogance, short sighted transfer decisions, a refusal to communicate and ultimately the current regime views with fans with utter contempt. It's been a high price to pay and that's why Ashley is still a cunt. :thup: Other than financially (and I'll keep saying it, I don't go to the match to revel in the quality of our accounts), I can't see how we're any further forward than we were when Ashley took over. We're still a mid-table team, with an average manager, with a selection of good players and dross. We still have a hit and miss transfer policy (which is now 'safer' but also prevents us buying 'next level' players like Robert, Woodgate, Owen and even someone like Coloccini - and keeping them) and as fans we're still treated with contempt by those in power. There are still just as many farcical decisions made off the pitch that regularly make us a laughing stock (including managerial sackings and appointments), and our profile as a prestigious top-flight club has probably lowered considering the relegation, tat plastered all over the stadium and apparent lack of marketing opportunities. We're no closer to qualifying for Europe as things stand, and without the investment in the squad that we can afford after generating masses by selling some our best players, that doesn't look likely to change. I suppose we're doing better now than when we undermined a club legend, brought in useless cunts like Dennis Wise and Joe Kinnear and were ultimately relegated after 16 years in the Premier League. Well done Mike, well done. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Optimistic Nut Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 We're also doing a lot better now than 2004-7 wouldn't you agree? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 Eh? I just listed the reasons why I don't think we are. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Optimistic Nut Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 Santon, Coloccini, Ben Arfa, Tiote, Cabaye, Jonas and Marveaux would all walk into any of those 2004-7 teams imo. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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