Isegrim

Hmm, media exercises...

Not even in the same dimension for me. I was more upset when Woody and Bellamy fucked off. Let's see what happens tonight that's all I'll say. I think the only thing we will hear is that they are sorry that they couldn't reinvest the money. They really, really wanted to but unfortunately there wasn't enough time to get deals finalised. For now they only can wait until August 31st and in meantime do their very best in the Casino to raise more transfer funds...

Bring Back Henda.

I'm still in the office but I think I'll have to get myself a beer yet. Just the thought of Shola becoming the main striker yet again. Urgh.

That's as much a miss as one of Martin's shots on goal tbh.

Believable.

Do vat a good Englishman vould do. Get drunk and punch ze ozer kid's fazer on ze nose.

I'll probably have to write "Germani ite ad domum" 100 times though...

What's the Latin for 'wheeys keys are theese keys'? Quarum sunt hae claves?

I have no current plans of an invasion.

Can't remember him having that many injuries. Not a bad player who can play on both flanks but he will be out for several weeks with knee ligament damages.

Berbatov, Bent, Zokora, Keane.

Talksport is as reliable as Parky tbh.

Ameobi is still just the same old tbh. You can get some good battling performances out of him like yesterday, but at the same time in the crucial moments his touches or decisions let him down. In the end he is nothing more than an attacking version of Titus Bramble tbh. Best looked off the pace yesterday imho. There were some good balls played to him, mostly from Barton, where he either was too slow or not reacting fast enough.

I think it was a bit more often than twice and Barton actually got a bit theatralic in his protests at some stage. But he had every right actually because if Webb actually had done anything against the persistent fouls of the Sunderland players the game would have been much more fluid. It's a shame that Sunderland in the end actually got a reward for the antics.

Shame, a really good performance, especially from the defenders, got a bit spoilt by the late goal. I think the late substitutions are in the end to blame for it. There was no need for five minutes of extra time. If my memory is right referees are advised to add an extra minute per substitution to stop time wasting. Webb was glad to do this yesterday. I don't blame Pardew for it as this is what most managers do, but I think this tactics of time wasting don't work and did backfire yesterday.

He has moved to Kayserispor on loan.

Just for the record. I actually do agree that public criticism can be justified and helpful. I actually think it's probably justified in the case of Ranger tbh. But as I stated somewhere above, it has to be balanced and fair to have the desired effect. Imho (and from what I actually got taught about personal managment) you have to be rather careful that it doesn't backfire. You need to be in a strong position, something that the aforementioned likes of Ferguson or Keegan are/were but Pardew isn't (yet). He wasn't a popular choice, neither by the players nor the fans, so his actions are still under scrutiny. Singling out individuals for criticism when others have been as bad or worse is normally not helping you either. That's why I still think Pardew should 'pipe down' a bit. I admit it's not man managment at its worst, but imho still pretty poor.

Well, it's the question if the manager should criticise players in public. Imho it's man managment at its worst tbh. Ferguson does it. http://www.gloryunited.info/4810/2010/08/2...g-silly-points/ You've just heard that a manager shouldnt criticise his players in public and as it sounds like a reasonable thing, now hold it as a form of truth. The reality is that you arent qualified to understand the motivational dynamics at play. Speaking as a manager of people i'd say 'bollocks' to that claim 'it depends on the individual'. Anyway, lets look again at what he said rather than examining the notion of player criticism. 'A few young boys got caught out'. If you deem that language as potentially damaging to player morale, i'd have to question your motives for saying that. I agree. Keegan also did it, and other managers do, sometimes, it depends on what they say and the circumstances. Too many people seem over keen to slate Pardew for anything IMO. Criticism of the players in this instance is justified, he didn't really say anything to crush any of their poor little ego's in this instance. If he thinks Smith is not the player he used to be, if he thinks Ranger needs to get his head together if he is to fulfill some potential he has shown earlier, and if he thinks Krul is a flapper who should be doing a lot better and taking people out when he comes for crosses more often, he would be correct but comments like that are best kept in the dressing room and behind closed doors. So you rather agree with me. Good.

Tbf the incidents where a decision of a referee can get rescinded are rather few. It foremost depends on what the referee notes in his reports. The lack of explanations isn't helping in making the process of decision making very transparent though.

Didn't Shearer have some words with Ranger about his attitude, too?

Bring back JFK!

Absolutely intolerable imho. Although statistics show that drivers with just a little alcohol actually are less likely to cause accidents it's that most people can't control their drinking habit and the risks are too big. Some of the accidents and cases of drink driving I had to decide have been horrific.

I have tried to put forward the case that for some players, a bit of public admonishment might work. When the player has ability but its not translating perfectly, its a question of psychology and motivation. Which is fucking complex and not subject to bland catch-all statements like 'dont criticise them in public'. In fact maybe this is one of the few tools available to a manager when the financial and other motivational factors arent quite cutting it. I understand the thinking behind, however, I'd question the effectiveness of such actions. Given that Hughton appeared to have done such a good job in building team spirit and camaraderie, for Pardew to come in and start to criticise individual players in public isn't the best tactic imo. That's what worries me the most. Football players are modern days prima donnas and football a game where performances and are vastly influenced by factors like confidence. That doesn't mean a manager isn't allowed to criticise players either behind the doors or in public. But the timing of it must be right and the criticism must be just. Pardew wasn't a popular choice and replaced a manager who was very well liked as the first reaction of the team to the decision of the board shows. So imho Pardew first has to win the trust of the players before he can start dishing out criticism. Also, when he criticises he should keep the balance in mind. Singling out certain players when the whole team was utter rubbish last weekend isn't fair and hardly suited to motivate single underperforming players. His special mention of the younger players was utter rubbish when he exculpated others because of fatigue - including wasters like Smith or Perch.