um pahars

The real cruncher has to be when season ticket renewals are announced. That's by far the best time to say "I'm not happy".

I honestly don't think it was overly melodramatic as I think relegation will cause us massive problems, even bigger than the masive problems we faced when we were relegated last time around as I fear it will result in administration. Of course, we still might bumble along, but if we do go into administration then the points deduction, the inevitable firesale and the legacy of it will cause us huge problems for seasons to come. The very existence of the CLub will be threatened, and even if we do emerge from the other side (as I'm sure we will in some guise), then it will not be pretty. I have never shyed away from being honest that the blame for our predicament should be shared amongst quite a few people, past and present (I reckon our apportionment of where the blame lies would differ, but it's not all Lowe's fault). But my issue with this season is that it wasn't the season to gamble (just as Hone & co. shouldn't have gambled the year before!!!). We had a sense of unity, a promising manager and perhaps the chance to consolidate and bottom out. But for reasons of ignorance, arrogance and God knows what we gambled, a gamble that failed and a gamble that may prove very, very costly.

I'm afraid you're wrong. What we are seeing now is no different from what we were doing for the first 28 games (it must just be that the other teams have all got worse). But honestly, you're spot on, in that Lowe and in particular Poortlviet were ignorant of the competition in this league and risked all pursuing a strategy that has almost cost the very existence of this Club. As well as ignorance, I think there was a large dash of arrogance in there as well.

Granted some of Rasiak's goals must have come when he has come off the bench, but Soccerbase have that in his 113 starts he has scored 50 goals. Take out his sub appearances (haven't managed to take out the goals with them mind) and it looks like : Watford 4 in 9 Bolton 0 in 2 Saints 24 in 45 Spurs 0 in 4 Derby 18 in 41 That's a pretty healthy return when he gets a settled start in a team. I still can't get my head around how Burley treated both Saga & Rasiak following the play off season. IMHO Rasiak knows where the net is when he's a regular. As for Euell, then I have always thought he was a good player, but just thought he probably needs to be treated the right way. Under Pearson he blossomed and it would appear that Wotte is also getting the best out of him. Two totally different players for me. If you want someone who will score, then it has to be Rasiak, if you want someone to put it about, mix it up and provide some leadership then Euell.

We are the envy of the world LMFAO :smt017:rolleyes::---):rolleyes:

Hello Mr Pot. Considering some of the vitriolic attacks and insults towards many posters on here and others in the real world (e.g. Crouch, McMenemy et al), then I'm afraid that the last 0.5% of credibility you may have had has quickly vanished with the above post:rolleyes::rolleyes: You need to decide as to whether you will be nice Nineteen Canteen, rude Nineteen Canteen, Sundance Beast, Flashman, The Bear and whatever the other three monikers were and stick with that persona, because the good cop/bad cop is just so confusing;). From the man in the Itchen South/Chapel corner.

I bought a large Rasberry Stolli last night and it cost me more than the £5 I've chipped in to help this site keep running. Of course it is frustrating when this site goes slow or crashes, but in a way it also shows how much we all want to visit and use this site, which makes the £5 a bargain. I'm sure those that run it are trying to do their best, they obviously want it to be a decent site and as far as I'm aware they aren't getting rich off of our fivers. I think a few collective steps backwards should be taken, a few virtual handshakes adminstered and everyone accept that they are after all trying to do their best.

Not sure about Donny. We'd have to overhaul a 9 point gap in 10 matches and that's some freefall.

Surely it has to be one team is dead and buried!!! Norwich are only 1 point behind us (with a better goal difference).

Other midweek matches: Norwich v Cardiff (draw at best) Barnsley v Brum (draw at best) Watford v Forest (Want Watford to win I presume) Sheff Utd v Blackpool (no points for the Seasiders surely) Swansea V Plymouth (no points for the Pilgrims) With the exception of Watford v Forest, there's alot of tough matches there, so can't see how teams will pull away midweek.

Like this season you mean with Leicester:D. Another fine win, and they must be almost there by now.

Other midweek matches: Norwich v Cardiff (draw at best) Barnsley v Brum (draw at best) Watford v Forest (Want Watford to win I presume) Sheff Utd v Blackpool (no points for the Seasiders surely) Swansea V Plymouth (no points for the Pilgrims) With the exception of Watford v Forest, there's alot of tough matches there, so can't see how teams will pull away midweek.

It's not that mental. Barnsley are only 2 points ahead of us and although they have two games in hand, they will have to get something out of them to make it count. We have a game in hand on Forest and are only 4 pts behind them. 5 pts behind Blackpool with a game in hand. Effectively 6 behind Watford, but we do have to play them. 6 points behind Plymouth, but we have a game in hand. A point would have been good, but we now have two winnable home matches, then games against relegation rivals Blackpool (a) Charlton (h) Watford (a) Also noticed some of our relegation rivals are playing each other in coming weeks so some will have to lose (or only pick up the odd point)

17Plymouth..37...-11...43 18Watford....35...-5....42 19Blackpool..37...-13...42 20Nott Forest37...-12...41 21Barnsley....34...-12...39 22Southampton36...-16...37 23Norwich.......37...-11...36 24Charlton.......35....-22..27 I think this is right!!!!!

Bit of a mixed bag really. Nowich losing is offset by Blackpool winning!!! Barnsley will have two games in hand on us. Watford get a point. Forest losing is good and that last game looks a biggy.

Like Wotte, Pearson is/was more than aware of how to get the best out of a team and how to use youngsters. His record at Leicester is a great example of his belief in them, along with his experience in the England Yout set ups, and when questioned about our run in, he said: "Short term is the immediate priority but I am looking long term too. Alot of my background is working with youngsters. I worked with the England youth teams for three years and I see the Academy as a massive part of the CLub. It cannot be my priority at the moment but it will get my total support in terms of fitting in with the philosophy of the Club. I have worked at clubs where the academy and the first team are seperate entities and not integrated at all and those clubs are poorer for it." Pearson delivered his side of the deal last season, he did what he had to do.

I don't think you need a wholesale change in ownership to achieve sensible leadership. Liverpool are on the hunt for a CEO, we should just go out and join them. (then again maybe we should forward Lowe's CV to Hicks & Gillet as we're always being told how successful and great he is;))

June 2009 hopefully. Last time end of June 2006.

Who scored at West Brom away;)

Madsen came in in the January transfer window of our first season down. Blackstock left at the end of that season having seen Fuller bought the previous summer, Madsen & Rasiak came in half way through that season and Kenwyne Jones featuring more and more. And then of course BWP came in just before Blackstock upped and left. Lowe was at the helm when Blackstock was log jammed and I thought it was cheap when Lowe made this claim a while back and I think it's just as cheap coming from Wotte. As for the fee, well it was undisclosed, but I'm not sure that the suspected £500,000+ was too cheap for someone who we obviously didn't rate and only another CCC club were interested in.

Don't worry, it was only under Poortvliet that he would be in then out;) He'll be starting up front today.

As Pearson himself said back in March I think it is a very good idea: "I have worked at clubs where the academy and the first team are seperate entities and not integrated at all and those clubs are poorer for it". If it means that youngsters learn off the older players (and vice versa) then it can only be a good thing. Hopefully it will make the step up to the first team lass daunting.

I'm saying that with regards Best he got his facts wrong as the fee was decided by a tribunal. With regards the general gist of who was cramping Best and Blackstock's progress then that's football for you. Under Lowe we brought in Fuller, Madsen & Rasiak (you could even include Jones if you want) and then we went further and brought in BWP & Saga. These things happen, youngsters don't break into the first team and move on. Some progress, others don't, so to suggest the previous regimes were making mistakes is a bit cheap as it happens all the time, under every regime. We really should be hanging Lowe out to dry for letting Scott McDonald go and Askham for letting Wise go etc etc etc.

We should have kept Poortvliet then;)

As I said above, like you I found that very disconcerting. I agree the Academy is a vital part of the Club, both in terms of producing players to play or even to earn money from. Selling our best talent is a fact of life for us given our current position. But a more responsible position????? Very worrying. The most important person at the Club should be the first team Manager, end of.