Alex

Love it

But you're the one comparing where we were at this stage last season with where we are at this stage this season, CT. And in the first 10 or 11 games last year we had a very settled side. This season it's been anything but settled.

It was at this time last year iirc.

Stephen Glass! You know, the new Tony Green. Or the old Shane Ferguson.

They won't be paying up the remaing seven and a half years or whatever anyway.

Haven't Krul, Tiote and Colo played just 23 minutes of one league match together? That's quite a disruption to the spine of the team. Especially when two of those players are so key to ball retention, starting off attacks and also key to the performance of the player(s) alongside them. Particularly Cabaye and whoever partners Colo in defence. Just to write that off especially when you're comparing this season with last year's performances seems a bit off. Especially since the first half of last season was built on the solidity of that spine.

Souness got rid of him

Tiote. According to .com

It was absolutely fucking freezing as well. And the wallpaper sticks to the wall....

Not in The Eagle has Landed though

Because you look like a pigeon

I wasn't ascribing that view to you, Ant. I don't think McClean's a hypocrite either though. As Ewerk points out, he's paid by SAFC. Aye he pays taxes to the UK government but so what? He's obliged to do that but it doesn't then mean you sign up in agreement to all sorts of things when you do that. The people calling him a cunt miss the point of poppies as much as the people who vehmently oppose wearing them. It's about personal remembrance of tragic loss of life, it's not a fucking ego trip.

That was a negative and, right now, CT needs two positives. Just keep him away from the Toblerones.

There was a fairly recent report I read about how large numbers of recruits for the British Army now come from Eire. Although I would imagine it's the same reason you get loads from places like Ashington, i.e. Ireland's recession has bitten hard in a similar way to how people from those ex-mining communities often find it difficult to find work when they leave school. And with McClean coming from Derry, it makes his position difficult. I don't subscribe to the simplistic argument that he's over here now, earning money here so he needs to wear one. He's not an employee of the state, is he? Anyone in his position would've jumped at the chance to come to the PL but then expecting him to abandon his principles upon doing so is pretty ridiculous. I don't agree with him but I can understand where he's coming from. And it's an unfortunate fact that the Poppy has become politicised particularly in relation to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Especially when you consider what it's meant to be all about.

Oh, I agree btw.

The current form table confirms one thing (the clue's in the name).

It should've earned him more squad investment too. That's why I'm loath to criticise him. Any manager is going to face similar problems.

Exactly and it's pure opportunism anyway. The future of newspapers (if not the present) is the internet and the BBC have, in effect, one of the biggest and best free online newspapers in the world.

Thought it was already in his contract that that is what he'd get and that it's cheaper than if he was sacked. Although it ends any notion that he was doing the hounourable thing by going. And I wouldn't defend the beeb's handling of any of this for a minute but the toxic media in this country make me sick. There's hundreds of people, mainly kids, who've been the victims of abuse and the focus is now on how much damage can be done to the reputation of the BBC.

Thank fuck he's banned tbh.

Yep.

Just started watching Spiral. Looks great so far.

Got a text from manc-mag on Thursday and while I think Pardew is limited I agreed with what MM said, i.e. it was criminal not to strengthen in the summer and even more so when you look at how the league is there for the taking this year. That's not to say the title could've been won with a couple of additions of course but a top four space was definitely achievable. Even Man Utd are very ordinary by their standards and Spurs, Liverpool and Arsenal are struggling for form. Such an opportunity missed and the a probably a massive indication of Ashley's 'ambitions'.

Apart from the spell where he was caretaker after Souness got the hoof, the stuff under Roeder was absolutely fucking dire. Wolfy probably could've took over and the collective relief at getting rid of Souness would've carried the team to 7th.

And Donald Sutherland fought for them iirc.