The Fish

This is some hot take.

Grab a hot drink, find a comfortable spot, settle in. Let me tell you all about it.

I don't think you're giving enough weight to how convincing the owners can be, and how confident/arrogant managers can be. Potter didn't take that job knowing he'd fail, he took that job because he would have been assured he'd be supported, given time, given control etc. And he would have believed that he could right the ship, get them playing good football, win the fans etc.

That's doubly concerning. Used as a sedative AND demoted?!

It's a legacy thing isn't it, the good English coaches are young (Howe, Potter, etc.) and haven't yet proven themselves in club football which is the usual route to the very top jobs. The big clubs have snatched up the top managers from around the world, because they've been proven elsewhere first. Guardiola, Klopp, Pochettino, Postecoglu, all of them cut their teeth elsewhere first. Then comes the hyper competitive nature of the elite teams in the PL. Man City can't gamble on someone like Potter yet, because while he did a good job at Brighton, that's a very different prospect to Manchester City. When jobs do come the way of young English managers it's usually because that elite club is in flux and more willing to gamble, but that very flux is a barrier to success. Potter inherited an absolute shitshow at Chelsea, with a bloated squad, an inexperienced owner and an expectant fanbase. He was doomed to fail from the off.

Oh well, they must all be shit then.

I dunno, there are some very good English coaches out there. But they're all either in good jobs already, or they know that the International job is a poisoned chalice.

She's also on Radio 6 and last I checked she was doing Desert Island Discs

Listening to anything that gets your blood pressure up.

Surely this goes against the advice of your nurse?

This is the thing though their best and brightest; Henderson, Adie, Cram are/were good at what they did and at no point did any Newcastle fan think "Let's have a bit of that". The Airshow, the Penshaw Monument, I'm quite happy for them to be associated with Sunderland. By the by, out of curiosity I had a look at the Wiki page for the Penshaw Monument and this stood out for me. Poorly constructed, lacks purpose, and is mostly empty. Not even obvious who or what it's for. Seems a perfect analogue for Sunderland AFC

So, if I'm reading this right, the people you know are pretty much all right? So, Wykikitoon (if that even is your real name) I put it to you that you are the common denominator in all your tales. Be better.

There are some Sunderland fans who cannot give credit to any player, any manager connected to Newcastle. I've no problem saying Reid was a good manager for them, or that ... well I thought I might have 2 or three examples of good players or managers, but honestly I can't. Not because they were Sunderland affiliated, but because they just haven't had that many truly good players for, or managers in charge of Sunderland in my lifetime.

That's a cracking dad-joke.

Wouldn't be surprised if the lads behind Sunderland til I Die bought the rights for that story, it's a real page turner.

As soon as I read the one about wasting a store assistant's time, I thought of you. Especially as it's been reacted to like it's a prank worthy of the English Mercurie.

Where's my fucking credit then?

Some absolutely true and 100% devastating owning of Mags in this thread.

Juan Khalife

All I want to do is Shawshank in the back garden 90% humidity man, it's inhumane.

I heard Toontastic old guard Jimbo is his secret dad, but he goes by the pseudonym "Juan"

Been hot, clammy and still here for the past week then Alexa piped up yesterday with a Yellow warning from the Met Office. Thunderstorms are coming, she said. Lying robotic witch. It's now over cast, still and clammy as all hell, but not a drop of rain anywhere. Where's my fucking Thunderstorm Alexa?! Where?! Car's covered in Saharan dust as well. And I've got some kind of summer cold/flu/COVID thing. Everyone without an ice cold can of something, can fuck right off.