ImpossiblyDaft

Why, what a gentleman Mr. Hughton seemed from the start. Genuinely disappointed by this, even though I'm not a Newcastle fan. Gutted for you guys - I thought out of me and a mate who's one of you lot, it was my turn to be ripped the piss out of for all the drama we've had going on with the playoffs then Pearson-takeover-Sousa-Eriksson and all that, but it seems like its swung back to being you guys who are getting screwed over in a particularly unfortunate fashion Best wishes all. (yes, yes, I am drunk)

Unless they're cracking down this season, then no - its basically anyone you want to loan, as long as its short term.

They didn't like! To be honest, the first half was pretty even - admittedly, the second we were nowhere to be seen, but first half it could have gone either way.

This stream is atrocious, the moment anything happens it freezes up.

Got a score draw written all over it, really - Howard is the kind of player who'll have Coloccini bricking himself, and with Dyer, N'Guessan, Gradel and Adams, there's plenty of pace wide whoever plays (except if Oakley plays on the right. Which is something I've always thought absurd). Tunchev might not be properly back yet, but we've still got enough at the back to be okay, even if its largely the gritty type of defending rather than the classy sort; though I could still see someone with pace like Ranger maybe causing some trouble. So yeah, I'll go for 1-1. Would have been there if it hadn't been in the evening, ridiculous. Damn Sky.

The scouting is better than FM. The rest is nowhere near.

Yes thats good, but spare a thought for others like me who have to wait untill the end for League 2 aswell Awful show, can't stand Claridge. I hated him on 5live too. How can the BBC do MOTD and F1 so well but totally mess this up? It looks done on the cheap. Of course it is, but other than the Crimewatch, Watchdog etc. style camera twattery, its not bad, and pisses all over ITV's previous sunday-first-thing attempts.

I'm sure there's a film where the finale is on like a construction site at night and Van Damme I think it is (though there's a nagging feeling I might be wrong), is on a motorbike, does a jump with one of the bad guy's goons following him on a dirt-bike, does a loop in mid air, knocks the other guy off the dirt-bike and lands it. It was frankly the most amazing thing I have ever seen, but I just don't remember anything else about the film. Anyone know which film this is?

With a thread title like that I thought Joey was writing a book along the lines of the OJ Simpson 'How I would have done it... if I had, you understand' book.

I don't care about Newcastle United. I'm only here because I dream of a romantic evening with Tim Krul.

Apparently they're going to be getting in Mattock. In which case a decent championship-level right-winger with pace and a tendancy to cut in towards the corner of the box will tear them to shreds. Does Lua Lua fit that?

I think they're planning to keep McParland to start with (and then inevitably get shot at the slightest slip).

Coventry still have Kieren Westwood one of the best goalkeepers in the league, Elliot Ward and Aron Gunnarsson. The only good player they've sold this summer is Scott Dann, not to mention they have a very good manager. Plymouth have never been relegated from The Championship even when Ian Holloway left and their whole team was gutted of quality, now managed by Paul Sturrock whose teams are always tough to beat. Peterborough have won 2 promotions on the spin in Darren Ferguson's first 2 full seasons of management, with that kind of upward trajectory I don't see how you can call them no hopers. Doncaster play great football and once they'd adapted to the division last year went from rock bottom whipping boys to a very respectable 14th, maintain that form from the start and they'll be top half. Palace is a truly bizarre shout, Freddie Sears and Darren Ambrose in alongside the likes of Clint Hill, Jose Fonte and Victor Moses and now that Warnock has had the time to drill his style into the team they could be playoff contenders. Watford have an unknown quantity as manager and some very good players like John Joe O'Toole, Jobi McAnuff and Jay DeMerit, it's not as if there's no hope for them either. Point is The Championship is unpredictable, there are any number of reasons why any team in the division could do well or poorly over a season. Who'd have said that Charlton, a stable Premiership club for the best part of a decade, managed by the man who took West Ham up, then to Premiership mid table and seconds away from the FA Cup would be so abysmal last year. The season Watford went up under Boothroyd they were nailed on favourites for relegation, there's dozens of examples. It's not a poor poor league like somebody said, but it shouldn't be too daunting either, after all it's a league where Michael Chopra will get you 20 goals a season. My main worry is that Nicky Butt develops further delusions of footballing ability and tries to stroke and pirouette his way around the division. Don't agree with you on Coventry being much good; they've got one or two decent players but as a side are solidly bottom half material, regardless of Coleman being a good manager. Doncaster have lost a couple of players, I doubt they'll really push on but they're still an okay side. Palace are certainly midtable material, with an outside chance of a playoff push that shouldn't be discounted at this stage. Plymouth aren't likely to go anywhere, but as you say are a tough-to-beat side. Peterboro are going to be pretty run of the mill defensively I'd think - going forward they were on another level to other League One sides last season, so they're definitely going to do fairly well, of the sides that have come up, I'd say they're the most likely to do a Bristol City, Swansea etc. and hit the ground running if we don't get a striker and another keeper in, though I don't think the playoffs are likely they would certainly be capable of putting a couple past anyone. So much of the Championship is about mindset, because its all quite finely balanced on the pitch with good quality players who sometimes lack the consistency of the top-flight mixed with average players who give it their all - last season was one of the least even in a while and this season should even it up a bit more; the season before there were 18 pts between playoffs and relegation, compared to the 48pts between going down in the premiership and getting 4th last season.

To be fair, its Championship in 5 years, then aim for the Premiership after that. Which is perfectly possible - Peterborough have done it pretty quickly.

They've all got confused over which Magpies they were signing up to No, they went for the one with history. Because it can't be bought, of course.

Bringing things a bit closer to home; Doncaster's Wellens having a medical at Leicester. Not sure about this one - extra depth in the middle is handy I guess and he's a good player, but it means either Oakley wide right, which is positionally rubbish when the other team can counter half-decently like most Championship sides can, or dropping King which would be rather harsh.

While the article would be shown up by a splattering of dihorrea on some paper, Edgar is a decent low-end Premiership player whose preferred position is centre back even if he rarely plays there. So given its talented by Championship standards, I don't see what the problem is with that statement is.

Dog track were going bust & they were going to buy that I think. Don't know if its actually happened yet though.

Frying pan > fire > frying pan ? Huzzah

Quiet down before I have to search out some pictures of the Colorado Caribou shirt from the '70s - one word should do: Tassles.

You mean the stadium that was completed before the club was forced into administration by the courts as protection against a winding up order from Eric Hall (& Dennis Wise's ridiculous court case) then? Terrible contingency planning, yes, and the construction company lost some money on that (they got the 10% all regular creditors were offered), but the bank took over the ground and there was still £16m left to be repaid against that when Mandaric took over iirc (bearing in mind that's half of the money there), which is better than the likes of Ipswich who took on debt to buy players, went down, wiped out the debt but kept the same people in charge and just missed out on their promotion challenge, and then promptly organised the -10pts. If Saints go back up next season will you have the same reaction? It basically boils down to coming under two categories - Cock up or scam, and Leicester goes in the former, rather than the latter with dodgy cunts like Ken Bates.

You mean they'll just say MA has to pay up? It's not always so straight forward, again in the Darlington FC case the main creditor was the Chairman/Owner who still owned the land (and would have even if the club itself had been liquidated), in the end he bought it (the club) back but with some debts wiped off IFRC. Which is what is worrying, it's not always a case of "forced" into administration, it can be a viable business strategy in certain circumstances. Vis a vie Bates at Leeds and the tricks of Leicester City. If you want 'tricks' you want Sheepshanks at Ipswich - wiped £20m off their debt via administration, bought the club back himself, then brought in the 10pts immediately after and were around the playoffs that season. Leicester City were near bankrupt thanks to inept planning, rather than trying on 'tricks': After administration the club was bought by a consortium of Pukka Pies, Gary Lineker and Emile Heskey and couldn't even afford any transfer fees after going up - the only reason the club is still going is that Muzzy Izzet turned down a move to Boro, really - the £4m or whatever it was would have kept administration away for another couple of months, but without that promotion (by 12pts!) things wouldn't have looked good. The 10% to the taxman thing is simply because that was what anyone got back out of it, much the same as others. Wasn't a case of going into it intentionally to make things easier like Leeds and Ipswich but just a huge, huge cock up by all manner of idiots; and unfortunately when anyone can't repay debts someone is going to have to cut their losses, either by administration or a winding up - and the first made more money than the second would have, luckily.

fucking cow. fucking glenfield.

Who the f*ck thought it would be a good idea to sample something as irritating as OZONE while removing the one positive in that it was hilarious to take the piss out of for the first minute to create such an abomination.

40? Typically the number for the Championship is 50, though admittedly there are more matches.