The Board etc. etc.

[NE5]

A selling club for me is a club that has a history of being a feeder clubs for others throughout their existence, West Ham, Ipswich etc. We on the otherhand have always been big players in the transfer market, from Jock Peddie to Michael Owen, we have always splashed out and have over the years broken many records and will continue always to do so long as their are fans willing to pay good money to follow their club.

 

 

sure we have, and we have always had 52k crowds, always won trophies, always qualified for europe, all until those crooks took over in 1992 and ruined things.

 

You can get back to looking for those history books of yours, they might be on the back seat somewhere with the spare keys.

 

 

[NE5]

Its the same arguments for each side all over again. This has been going on

for at least six months now. HTL and NE5, why you give a **** if some people

wont change their opinions about this matter? You go on like crusaders ffs.

 

I think way too much effort is put in this. For once it would be nice to hear HTL' and NE5's opinions

on some other stuff on the board. Now its limited to this, and the odd

Luque is crap comments. I'm sure you'd both have a lot more to contribute. :roll:

 

Basically, because I know I am right. And its the others who are stubbornly not changing their opinions . I am stating facts, you should address that to them.

 

 

[Guest Gemmill]

Its the same arguments for each side all over again. This has been going on

for at least six months now. HTL and NE5, why you give a **** if some people

wont change their opinions about this matter? You go on like crusaders ffs.

 

I think way too much effort is put in this. For once it would be nice to hear HTL' and NE5's opinions

on some other stuff on the board. Now its limited to this, and the odd

Luque is crap comments. I'm sure you'd both have a lot more to contribute. :roll:

 

Basically, because I know I am right. And its the others who are stubbornly not changing their opinions . I am stating facts, you should address that to them.

 

 

 

I don't know how you DARE call anyone stubborn.  tongue.gif

[Taylor Swift]

Here's my brief take to get things started again..

Our aim: win trophies

Result: no trophies in the last 30 odd years

Conclusion: FAILURE

 

The board over the last 30 years : FAILURE

Yes, NE5, that includes Fat Fred as well. It also includes SJH because we never won a fucking trophy with him! Yes, he helped the club and brought it back but we still have won shite!! We don't have a divine right to win, I know. But that should always be our aim... And since we didn't achieve it, we failed (or 'they' did).

 

Sometimes you make good posts mate, but this has been said before, what do you consider failure ? Would you rather we had won the League Cup and been relegated and struggled for most of the time like the smoggies than have the decades in europe etc that we have ?

 

I consider not winning trophies a failure. No, I wouldn't like to be like the Smoggies but that doesn't mean that I can't be disappointed with our current position and the fact that we haven't won a trophy since the UEFA one is the late 60s. It also doesn't mean that we should 'settle' for this position. Last thing, this also doesn't mean that my support has waned over the years or my expectations are too high. True, I may have been spoiled by Keegan's reign but that's because I started supporting 'us' during that time, but yet, that doesn't mean that we shouldn't aim to be the very best. Why settle?

[NE5]

Today's ambition is misguided. We don't sign players to win trophies, to win league titles like we did under SJH and KK, we sign players to put bums on seats, to draw the fanfare of the media and to blind the sheep, and you have to say, it works a treat every time.

 

have you found your history books yet ?

 

Come back Wayne Fereday, Paul Sweeney, Rob McDonald, Alan Shoulder etc all is forgiven. Those 15k crowds were great days 

 

"We are trying to buy players to win the 2nd division title and get back to where we belong"  .... :lol:

[NE5]

Waddle was known as Judas at the time and got more stick than any other former player that I can remember, a lot was directed at his wife.

 

only by small time fans who thought Newcastle were a big club ...

 

 

 

[NE5]

You don't understand,Yes I do it isn't a case of someone disagreeing with me, I am posting facts . Unless someone posts that we did differently during the 1960's, 70's and 80's - and the facts posted about other clubs who we have overtaken ... you can't disagree. I never have

 

If I think Luque is shit, that is an opinion, others think he is not, thats an opinion. Of course it is So I disagree, this is totally different to putting across the clubs history. What has Luque got to do with things that happens 50 years ago??

 

I'm not questioning your intelligence Yes you were or anyone else's, just that you - or whoever - are simply not prepared to accept facts. Of course I can??

 

As has been stated, the Luque posts bore me stupid, as do others. Me included No one forces you to read them. As I supported the club during the 60's, 70's and 80's I would like to see posts about this period but unfortunately there are only a small amount of people who are up on it because they were also there. Or just perhaps they don't see the relevance of how the club was run back then as compared to 2006??Some people might be interested in the clubs history, I am some may not. Each to their own.

 

However,  I consider the slating of the current board I never have when it arises to be current and topical, and think a comparison with their predecessors and the fortunes of boards of other clubs to be part of the overall picture, taking into account the realism of knife edge competitive top level football, when judging their merits.

 

To that degree, if someone posts opinions , is it not right that they should back them up with facts where possible ? Not necessarily And not ignore alternative facts if provided ? Which is what tends to happen, as has happened here with Micks comments about the building of the East Stand, the World Cup grants in 1966, and comments by him and others about the selling of our major players, support to managers, ambition of the club, and subsequent poor and often disastrous league positions during three decades prior to 1992. As far as I can ascertain the only people interested are yourself and HTL...

 

 

 

To be perfectly fair - you've either missed my point or ignored it.

 

Were you part of the board of directors during the 60's, 70's and 80's?? If, as I suspect, you weren't - how do you know so much about the reasons why they came to the decisions they eventually did? Did you read about them in the newspaper? Do you believe everything you read in the newspapers of today? How could you possibly be in a position to know the dynamics of the board and the situations they found themselves in?

 

Were you privvy to the innermost feelings of the players of the time or did you believe every word they said to the local rags?

 

The only fact I know is that you may have stood on the terraces at the time but you knew **** all about the workings of the club. Neither did I. You are merely stating your precious opinion as your interpretation of what you were told and passing it off as 'fact'. I'm pretty sure you're spot on about some of the things you pontificate to us mere mortals about, but the majority is just your opinion.

 

As i've already stated, I agree with a lot of what you actually post but the tone of your posts sickens me to be perfectly honest. You're an extremley patronising and old chap aren't you? Am I glad I don't sit in front of you at matches... :roll:

 

Rant over. 

 

 

In that case I suggest you and your barmy mates all shut up about the current Board. Since I doubt any of you are on the current Board you obviously don't have the first idea of why they take the decisions they do and you and your mates have no idea of whether they are doing a good job or not.

 

I suppose you'll tell me, "that's different".

 

You’re absolutely correct – I’m not on the current board. Neither are you. You don’t know what goes on in the boardroom and neither do I. You never knew and neither did I. You obviously experienced their decisions and formed an opinion. So did your fucking bellend of a mate. How you interpreted the decisions of the board is up to you. Just don’t go slinging shit every other cunt who disagrees with you. So you stood on the terraces in the 60’s and 70’s??? So fuck? Does that mean whatever you say is correct? You and that cunt of a mate of yours are giving your own personal opinions of the decisions of the board. You have your points of view and others have theirs. They’re entitled to them and so are you. Doesn’t mean you are right and they are wrong and vice versa.

 

P.S. while I’m on a bit of a rant …Why the fuck do you pair of scum-sucking pig fuckers continue to patronise the living daylights out of the rest of us??  You’re not stupid by any stretch but your condescending attitude to the opinions of others is fucking staggering. You bore the cheese from our cock-ends and then cry like fucking babies when you’re questioned. I just wish to fuck that the pair of you would somehow, miraculously, change the fucking record and realise you’re living in 2006 and not the fucking 60’s. Things are different. Just because you’re old doesn’t mean you’re right. Learn some fucking tolerance you miserable set of cunts. You fucking disgust me, you fucking cunts.

 

Now that's fucking different. Fucking prick. 

 

 

oooohhhh nasty....surely on a mature adult forum they don't need to go around swearing like fucking bellends at people just because they disagree .... oopps sorry .......... know better than you ? The fucking shame of it.

 

 

[Guest Gemmill]

Leazes, is this your message board equivalent of a guitar solo?  Don't let me interrupt your groove.

[Colos Short and Curlies]

Leazes, is this your message board equivalent of a guitar solo?  Don't let me interrupt your groove.

 

NE5 - Unplugged

[NE5]

Here's my brief take to get things started again..

Our aim: win trophies

Result: no trophies in the last 30 odd years

Conclusion: FAILURE

 

The board over the last 30 years : FAILURE

Yes, NE5, that includes Fat Fred as well. It also includes SJH because we never won a fucking trophy with him! Yes, he helped the club and brought it back but we still have won shite!! We don't have a divine right to win, I know. But that should always be our aim... And since we didn't achieve it, we failed (or 'they' did).

 

Sometimes you make good posts mate, but this has been said before, what do you consider failure ? Would you rather we had won the League Cup and been relegated and struggled for most of the time like the smoggies than have the decades in europe etc that we have ?

 

I consider not winning trophies a failure. No, I wouldn't like to be like the Smoggies but that doesn't mean that I can't be disappointed with our current position and the fact that we haven't won a trophy since the UEFA one is the late 60s. It also doesn't mean that we should 'settle' for this position. Last thing, this also doesn't mean that my support has waned over the years or my expectations are too high. True, I may have been spoiled by Keegan's reign but that's because I started supporting 'us' during that time, but yet, that doesn't mean that we shouldn't aim to be the very best. Why settle?

 

You aren't half so pissed of as me we haven't won a trophy mate, I've lived through the [mostly] shite since 1969. We all want to be top, nobody is settling for 2nd best, it just seems to me that some of you expect an ambitous board as a right. It simply doesn't work like that, there are lots of clubs who are taken over by bean counters and unambitous people who don't have the courage to sometimes be bold, which if successful taps the fanbase. I keep pointing out these clubs, who have been more successful than us in the past, and fell a damn sight lower when they changed, or made bad decisions. We have a board who desperately want the club to be successful, believe me there are a lot of clubs who settle for mediocrity and we could easily become the same, again.

 

 

[NE5]

Leazes, is this your message board equivalent of a guitar solo?  Don't let me interrupt your groove.

 

You mean a soapbox 

 

Who is this Leazes you keep banging on about ... you are 35 aren't you Gem ?

 

 

[Guest The Fox]

Here's my brief take to get things started again..

Our aim: win trophies

Result: no trophies in the last 30 odd years

Conclusion: FAILURE

 

The board over the last 30 years : FAILURE

Yes, NE5, that includes Fat Fred as well. It also includes SJH because we never won a fucking trophy with him! Yes, he helped the club and brought it back but we still have won shite!! We don't have a divine right to win, I know. But that should always be our aim... And since we didn't achieve it, we failed (or 'they' did).

 

Sometimes you make good posts mate, but this has been said before, what do you consider failure ? Would you rather we had won the League Cup and been relegated and struggled for most of the time like the smoggies than have the decades in europe etc that we have ?

 

I consider not winning trophies a failure. No, I wouldn't like to be like the Smoggies but that doesn't mean that I can't be disappointed with our current position and the fact that we haven't won a trophy since the UEFA one is the late 60s. It also doesn't mean that we should 'settle' for this position. Last thing, this also doesn't mean that my support has waned over the years or my expectations are too high. True, I may have been spoiled by Keegan's reign but that's because I started supporting 'us' during that time, but yet, that doesn't mean that we shouldn't aim to be the very best. Why settle?

 

You aren't half so pissed of as me we haven't won a trophy mate, I've lived through the [mostly] shite since 1969. We all want to be top, nobody is settling for 2nd best, it just seems to me that some of you expect an ambitous board as a right. It simply doesn't work like that, there are lots of clubs who are taken over by bean counters and unambitous people who don't have the courage to sometimes be bold, which if successful taps the fanbase. I keep pointing out these clubs, who have been more successful than us in the past, and fell a damn sight lower when they changed, or made bad decisions. We have a board who desperately want the club to be successful, believe me there are a lot of clubs who settle for mediocrity and we could easily become the same, again.

 

 

 

You should be looking at those clubs that have been and remain successful, instead of harping on about there are a lot worse off than us.

[Guest elbee909]

Being around to experience the relative-crapness of past boards of NUFC shouldn't stop one from being dissatisfied with whatever one considers to be holding the current lot back.

 

and showing how someone could come in and hold us back a lot further, because the current owners have in fact done very well, isn't relevant ?

 

It's a conservative argument though.  I'm assuming you're not arguing that the current lot are as perfect as could possibly be, and that there are none better.  Credit where credit's due, sure, absolutely.  But slating where that's due as well.  We've said it before I'm sure, but change for the sake of change is not the point, change for the sake of improvement is what it needs to be about.  As much as I can imagine scenarios where a replacement board-level set up could be worse, there are as many possible scenarios where it could be better.

 

I know the past illustrates how bad it could be, and no, don't want those situations repeated.  People just want better because that's the only hope you have of ending up being the best.

[Guest Gemmill]

Leazes, is this your message board equivalent of a guitar solo?  Don't let me interrupt your groove.

 

You mean a soapbox 

 

Who is this Leazes you keep banging on about ... you are 35 aren't you Gem ?

 

 

 

30 Leazes.  I'll be 31 on December 14th if you're thinking of getting me something.  bluebigrazz.gif

[Shearergol]

Leazes, is this your message board equivalent of a guitar solo?  Don't let me interrupt your groove.

 

You mean a soapbox

 

Who is this Leazes you keep banging on about ... you are 35 aren't you Gem ?

 

 

 

Fucking hell, surely there can't be two of you.

[Colos Short and Curlies]

Leazes, is this your message board equivalent of a guitar solo?  Don't let me interrupt your groove.

 

You mean a soapbox 

 

Who is this Leazes you keep banging on about ... you are 35 aren't you Gem ?

 

 

 

30 Leazes.  I'll be 31 on December 14th if you're thinking of getting me something.  bluebigrazz.gif

 

Walking frame for the old boy?

[ChezGiven]

Leazes, is this your message board equivalent of a guitar solo?  Don't let me interrupt your groove.

 

You mean a soapbox 

 

Who is this Leazes you keep banging on about ... you are 35 aren't you Gem ?

 

 

 

30 Leazes.  I'll be 31 on December 14th if you're thinking of getting me something.  bluebigrazz.gif

 

30 my fat hairy arse.

[Guest alex]

Leazes, is this your message board equivalent of a guitar solo?  Don't let me interrupt your groove.

 

You mean a soapbox 

 

Who is this Leazes you keep banging on about ... you are 35 aren't you Gem ?

 

 

 

30 Leazes.  I'll be 31 on December 14th if you're thinking of getting me something.  bluebigrazz.gif

 

30 my fat hairy arse.

30 stone

[Syrette]

[Guest Gemmill]

Leazes, is this your message board equivalent of a guitar solo?  Don't let me interrupt your groove.

 

You mean a soapbox 

 

Who is this Leazes you keep banging on about ... you are 35 aren't you Gem ?

 

 

 

30 Leazes.  I'll be 31 on December 14th if you're thinking of getting me something.  bluebigrazz.gif

 

30 my fat hairy arse.

30 stone

 

That's enough of that slapheed!  14/12/75, Chez.  FACT!  I know my wisdom belies my years though.

[Howaythelads]

Here's my brief take to get things started again..

Our aim: win trophies

Result: no trophies in the last 30 odd years

Conclusion: FAILURE

 

The board over the last 30 years : FAILURE

Yes, NE5, that includes Fat Fred as well. It also includes SJH because we never won a fucking trophy with him! Yes, he helped the club and brought it back but we still have won shite!! We don't have a divine right to win, I know. But that should always be our aim... And since we didn't achieve it, we failed (or 'they' did).

 

Sometimes you make good posts mate, but this has been said before, what do you consider failure ? Would you rather we had won the League Cup and been relegated and struggled for most of the time like the smoggies than have the decades in europe etc that we have ?

 

I consider not winning trophies a failure. No, I wouldn't like to be like the Smoggies but that doesn't mean that I can't be disappointed with our current position and the fact that we haven't won a trophy since the UEFA one is the late 60s. It also doesn't mean that we should 'settle' for this position. Last thing, this also doesn't mean that my support has waned over the years or my expectations are too high. True, I may have been spoiled by Keegan's reign but that's because I started supporting 'us' during that time, but yet, that doesn't mean that we shouldn't aim to be the very best. Why settle?

 

You aren't half so pissed of as me we haven't won a trophy mate, I've lived through the [mostly] shite since 1969. We all want to be top, nobody is settling for 2nd best, it just seems to me that some of you expect an ambitous board as a right. It simply doesn't work like that, there are lots of clubs who are taken over by bean counters and unambitous people who don't have the courage to sometimes be bold, which if successful taps the fanbase. I keep pointing out these clubs, who have been more successful than us in the past, and fell a damn sight lower when they changed, or made bad decisions. We have a board who desperately want the club to be successful, believe me there are a lot of clubs who settle for mediocrity and we could easily become the same, again.

 

 

 

You should be looking at those clubs that have been and remain successful, instead of harping on about there are a lot worse off than us.

 

Anyway, back on topic ....

 

John

 

There are people here who, for some reason, are only willing to compare the Board against the one of SJH's time. It's all they know. Of course the club has gone backwards since then, the players you listed in your earlier post highlighted that clearly. Nobody is disputing that. Nobody is saying that we shouldn't be comparing current/recent performance against clubs we're trying to catch, because we want to catch them. Nobody is saying they're happy we've won nowt, I've never said that the current Board is great and has made no mistakes, of course they've made mistakes.  So have Board's of other clubs, including those we are now trying to catch....again.

 

I don't know what gets into people's heads on this forum when it comes to people making comments about previous decades in the club's history. I've nowt against people who started going to matches in the 90's, my own son did 'cos that's when he became old enough. The people who started going in the early 90's when SJH was Chairman and KK manager should realise that they've seen some great football, we've come close and the disappointment is huge for everbody. What these people don't want to listen to is that those of us who have put up with winning nowt for decades haven't even had the pleasure of watching a decent team, a team that was good enough to even come close. That was life under a shite Board.  It could easily go back to being like that.

 

That's all the thread is about, trying to get across to people that it wouldn't be automatic that any replacement for the current lot would be an improvement. Making that statement doesn't mean I'm happy, doesn't mean I don't want improvement and doesn't mean I think the present lot are fantastic and that they couldn't be bettered. It makes me laugh that some appear to think that's what I'm saying, they couldn't be more wrong, I'm desperate for us to win something, to win the league sometime in my lifetime. My disappointment that we've won nowt is absolutely huge, I suspect I'm going to die without seeing us win another trophy, which is something I thought right through until SJH turned the club around. Then we took off and I believed we would do it, to say I'm gutted that we haven't doesn't even come close.

 

The present Board show the ambition ( whether they have the ability is another question ) and want the club to win things. By replacing them there is every chance it could be worse and some of us don't want to go back there. It is shite.

 

All I'm saying is that those who want the current Board removed should be careful what they wish for.

[Mick]

 

Anyway, back on topic ....

 

John

 

There are people here who, for some reason, are only willing to compare the Board against the one of SJH's time. It's all they know. Of course the club has gone backwards since then, the players you listed in your earlier post highlighted that clearly. Nobody is disputing that. Nobody is saying that we shouldn't be comparing current/recent performance against clubs we're trying to catch, because we want to catch them. Nobody is saying they're happy we've won nowt, I've never said that the current Board is great and has made no mistakes, of course they've made mistakes.  So have Board's of other clubs, including those were now trying to catch....again.

 

I don't know what gets into people's heads on this forum when it comes to people making comments about previous decades in the club's history. I've nowt against people who started going to matches in the 90's, my own son did 'cos that's when he became old enough. The people who started going in the early 90's when SJH was Chairman and KK manager should realise that they've seen some great football, we've come close and the disappointment is huge for everbody. What these people don't want to listen to is that those of us who have put up with winning nowt for decades haven't even had the pleasure of watching a decent team, a team that was good enough to even come close. That was life under a shite Board.  It could easily go back to being like that.

 

That's all the thread is about, trying to get across to people that it wouldn't be automatic that any replacement for the current lot would be an improvement. Making that statement doesn't mean I'm happy, doesn't mean I don't want improvement and doesn't mean I think the present lot are fantastic and that they couldn't be bettered. It makes me laugh that some appear to think that's what I'm saying, they couldn't be more wrong, I'm desperate for us to win something, to win the league sometime in my lifetime. My disappointment that we've won nowt is absolutely huge, I suspect I'm going to die without seeing us win another trophy, which is something I thought right through until SJH turned the club around. Then we took off and I believed we would do it, to say I'm gutted that we haven't doesn't even come close.

 

The present Board show the ambition ( whether they have the ability is another question ) and want the club to win things. By replacing them there is every chance it could be worse and some of us don't want to go back there. It is shite.

 

All I'm saying is that those who want the current Board removed should be careful what they wish for.

 

Good post and a post that I agree with from first line to 2nd last, I would guess that even the bits I don't agree with are not poles apart from what you feel.

[Guest thompers]

Does the current board really show ambition or do they make seemingly ambitious moves just to get arses on seats, regardless whether it's best for the team or not?

[alpal78]

Here's my brief take to get things started again..

Our aim: win trophies

Result: no trophies in the last 30 odd years

Conclusion: FAILURE

 

The board over the last 30 years : FAILURE

Yes, NE5, that includes Fat Fred as well. It also includes SJH because we never won a fucking trophy with him! Yes, he helped the club and brought it back but we still have won shite!! We don't have a divine right to win, I know. But that should always be our aim... And since we didn't achieve it, we failed (or 'they' did).

 

Sometimes you make good posts mate, but this has been said before, what do you consider failure ? Would you rather we had won the League Cup and been relegated and struggled for most of the time like the smoggies than have the decades in europe etc that we have ?

 

I consider not winning trophies a failure. No, I wouldn't like to be like the Smoggies but that doesn't mean that I can't be disappointed with our current position and the fact that we haven't won a trophy since the UEFA one is the late 60s. It also doesn't mean that we should 'settle' for this position. Last thing, this also doesn't mean that my support has waned over the years or my expectations are too high. True, I may have been spoiled by Keegan's reign but that's because I started supporting 'us' during that time, but yet, that doesn't mean that we shouldn't aim to be the very best. Why settle?

 

You aren't half so pissed of as me we haven't won a trophy mate, I've lived through the [mostly] shite since 1969. We all want to be top, nobody is settling for 2nd best, it just seems to me that some of you expect an ambitous board as a right. It simply doesn't work like that, there are lots of clubs who are taken over by bean counters and unambitous people who don't have the courage to sometimes be bold, which if successful taps the fanbase. I keep pointing out these clubs, who have been more successful than us in the past, and fell a damn sight lower when they changed, or made bad decisions. We have a board who desperately want the club to be successful, believe me there are a lot of clubs who settle for mediocrity and we could easily become the same, again.

 

 

 

You should be looking at those clubs that have been and remain successful, instead of harping on about there are a lot worse off than us.

 

Anyway, back on topic ....

 

John

 

There are people here who, for some reason, are only willing to compare the Board against the one of SJH's time. It's all they know. Of course the club has gone backwards since then, the players you listed in your earlier post highlighted that clearly. Nobody is disputing that. Nobody is saying that we shouldn't be comparing current/recent performance against clubs we're trying to catch, because we want to catch them. Nobody is saying they're happy we've won nowt, I've never said that the current Board is great and has made no mistakes, of course they've made mistakes.  So have Board's of other clubs, including those were now trying to catch....again.

 

I don't know what gets into people's heads on this forum when it comes to people making comments about previous decades in the club's history. I've nowt against people who started going to matches in the 90's, my own son did 'cos that's when he became old enough. The people who started going in the early 90's when SJH was Chairman and KK manager should realise that they've seen some great football, we've come close and the disappointment is huge for everbody. What these people don't want to listen to is that those of us who have put up with winning nowt for decades haven't even had the pleasure of watching a decent team, a team that was good enough to even come close. That was life under a shite Board.  It could easily go back to being like that.

 

That's all the thread is about, trying to get across to people that it wouldn't be automatic that any replacement for the current lot would be an improvement. Making that statement doesn't mean I'm happy, doesn't mean I don't want improvement and doesn't mean I think the present lot are fantastic and that they couldn't be bettered. It makes me laugh that some appear to think that's what I'm saying, they couldn't be more wrong, I'm desperate for us to win something, to win the league sometime in my lifetime. My disappointment that we've won nowt is absolutely huge, I suspect I'm going to die without seeing us win another trophy, which is something I thought right through until SJH turned the club around. Then we took off and I believed we would do it, to say I'm gutted that we haven't doesn't even come close.

 

The present Board show the ambition ( whether they have the ability is another question ) and want the club to win things. By replacing them there is every chance it could be worse and some of us don't want to go back there. It is shite.

 

All I'm saying is that those who want the current Board removed should be careful what they wish for.

 

Very sensible and balanced  though I'm not sure NE5 agrees with all of that

[Howaythelads]

Does the current board really show ambition or do they make seemingly ambitious moves just to get arses on seats, regardless whether it's best for the team or not?

 

It's a point we'll never agree on, Thompers. For example, I see replacing Shearer with Owen as an ambitous move, replacing an ex-England main striker with another. I don't see that as a move to get bums on seats, but I know that some do.

 

Catching those teams we want to catch can only be done with top players.