scoobos

Fair point, but it depends what your looking at, long or short term. Like Chelsea are poor according to the league but they've been very strong since mourinho left

You know, we'll probably bloody win today , as that seems the way this year. Lose hope and then see a far far improved performance , then lose again. I'm still blaming the ownership and state of the squad and not mcclaren (alright ewark?)

WHS - what a fucking travesty.

I'll be over the moon if we get a result, because they're not easy to beat. How many times have we beat them? Feels like a few at best

I can't mate, it was on in a random pub I was in for the cup final. Jamaican or St Croix or whatever maybe,. ( Just a normal west indian bloke, saying what he thought, they are usually pretty poor commentators / pundits on the telly here.

Muhahahahaa. On the Caribbean football show , the pundit there made possibly a very astute roundup of Pardew. He reckons this: 1. Pardew comes into team - defence is loose and undisciplined. 2. On a sliding scale attack to defence (or Pardew styley to previous styley) - Pardew starts to move the players towards his desired place. 3. But that place is too negative, so he goes through the sweet spot he should be aiming for and then pushes the players to be even more Pardew, which destroys any creativitiy and results in more losses and draws than when he arrived. 4. Pardew doesn't understand , because the players have done well previously, but he doesn't realise hes moved them too far down the scale. 5. Players (forwards) get blamed, bought replacements and it gives a temporary reprieve because they are yet to be moved down Pardews sliding scale .. (I swear down I was expecting him to say "Pardewed!" Probably not the best write up of what he was saying, as I was on my way to being hammered, but I remember thinking, this lads maybe got it spot on. Is there a trend where when he arrives at clubs he does get great runs, never to be seen again? I only know his time with us and palace.

Well, yes Alex, but not within weeks of them being signed. He's getting a team piecemeal and having to work with a shoestring defence and attack in the meantime.

Going to keep stoking the fire, but why exactly gpirlo do you blame McLaren given the situation he's inherited?

Bit nasty on Stacey, she's a victim too isn't she?

Fish, 3+1 = 4. Champagne is a bit of a swiz, there's been some interesting experiments with it back in the 70's where suggestion of value makes someone enjoy something more. I'm a Bollinger guy myself, your stuff is a bit tart unless you add some frozen grapes to it. Thanks Dickie.. I still don't think he needs dismissing and I still think he's better than managers we've had before him, during Ashley's reign of terror. If I was given a choice (bar Houghton / Keegan) I'd pick him over Pardew, Carver or Kinnear anyday.

no need to jump on me, I can't help living away .. if people keep packing the stadium, the show will go on.... Or ok, if you don't like that at least do something or the AshleyOut Campaign can't really be named as such can it? Continually jumping on managers and putting blame on them is not dealing with the problem at all. The problem isn't the managers is it? We haven't even got a squad where we can play all players in their natural positions do we?

Taylor and Radgevic as CB , 7-1 Toon.

Edit - townsend thompson same fuckin thing I agree with DK <edit> my view is if we could manage to keep "new fans" away from St james and the existing season ticket holders just don't show up for 2 games in a row, the media will get right on his back. There was no better opportunity than when the media were on to his Sports Direct sweatshop, with MP's on the news discussing it - for AshleyOut to really go for the jugular. But getting a co-ordinated effort in footie fans is like herding cats , it seems. Do something like everyone go to the match, but don't enter the stadium, just sit on the bank and block the buses / cars exiting the stadium, just fucking anything really.

I never said it was English I said it was an English trend. Nowhere else in the world I visited last year had bottles of the stuff in every fuckin house. Oooo it's like champagne but cheaper..... ffs. Sparkling wine is sparkling wine. bad day at the office.... now fuck off getting on poor Steve's back the lot of you and give the old bastard a chance.

oh man, that's grim.

wtf is chateaubriand ? is this another one of those cringeworthy English trends , like proscecco or whatever the fuck its called that everyone was drinking when I visited last year? I'm not really convinced we've seen McLaren "enjoy" freedom in the transfer market, hes still only 1 guy out of 4 decision makers. Mitro , Shelvey and Thompson may well be his choices, but who knows really?

No love for my Jimmy Johnson post sniff.

I don't think anyone in the Premiership has problems similar to our own. My view is that the FA should be creating rules to limit who can run a football club that's registered with them. I don't know of another club in the Premiership that is setup as a free advertising mechanism / secondary business and has had all of its retail arms handed over to the owners own companies. Ashley doesn't give a fuck about success, he's taking the piss and laughing all the way to the bank, he's no scruples what so ever. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he enjoys just squeaking through, if only to fuck over the fans who try to intimidate him. (not quite as close as this year though) I thought McLaren was above what we could reasonably get, he is (just) an experienced and established manager. I think its too much of a gamble for a "young" up and coming manager - believe it or not, I know a manager of this ilk, whos doing particularly well in the lower leagues. Taking a job like Newcastle would constrain him too much and if he failed due to Charnley / Ashley it could well destroy his career if the responsibility is pinned on him.

I said we HAD no chance of getting Garde back then, but now we probably do have a chance (thus the "maybe not now tho!") comment, as he's had a howler and will soon be out of work with his reputation damaged. the team got worse under him.

How quickly you forget just how horrible we were to watch under Pardew, or Carver. It'll take a very long time before we're that god awful again. Worse than under allardyce Mio.

taking the pies out of predictive text is low. You big hairy nipple

Fair enough, but why think positive about a situation that quite clearly isn't. I'm well past stage 1 of bereavement, denial, Until Ashley goes its down down down. That said, I'd have thought that by supporting McLaren you'd think I was positive and not defeatist? It's defeatist to say the managers shit get him out, after half a season. There's been at least 4 games this season where we have played better and got points, than we ever did in the last four.

Sorry I was dizzy with all this talk of shaved pubs. You cock

come on then Howmanheyman - tell me when, under Ashley, we appointed a manager who was a step up? We can say Joe Kinnear's replacement, but he had a heart attack and came back as Director of Football to do even more damage. We're all entitled to our opinions sure, but , how don't you see a better style of football under him? How is it "useless" to take over a heap of shit like Carver left and in 6 months have them passing to feet and running with the ball? Everyone screaming for Garde, who we had absolutely fuck all chance of getting (maybe not now tho!) - and look what he's managed ?