um pahars

Good job yout that bloody wink there, or else I was in the car and up the M4!!!!!!!!!!!!! The only problem is that I reckon the clowns in charge do probably believe that, or else like addicts, they're in denial and trying to convince themselves that salvation is just around the corner.

And that's all I was getting at, in that we did have some choices regarding who we brought in. They were not massive choices and they were most definitley limited by finances, but there were choices nonetheless. And it looks as though we both agree that on balance the wrong choices were made. What might be up for grabs though is how responsible Jan was for spending that money, because I fear on too many occasions other peoples choices and input came into play.

15 odd players since June would suggest we have had a degree of latitude regards spending money. It should have been spent much more wisely and it should have been overseen by a competent manager.

We've gone through that before and methinks your being extremely disengenuous with what he said and what Clubs it related to.

Think you're being a bit harsh. I gave you Hockaday being kicked out, gave you Van Der Waals and also alluded to Lowe just shuffling the pack. Others have also given inside tips that have turned out OK. We need our Dutch supporters to be hot off the press!!!!!

But the quality of the incoming talent and how the money has been used is not totally dependent on who has been shipped out. Most of us didn't have problems with the majority of the shipping out (although there were questions regarding strikers), but that does not mean to say that we have been happy with what has comeon the other way!!! For me, our transfers in policy has been a major factor in our poor form this season, with an apparent scattergun approach being undertaiken and too many youngsters hoovered up in the vain hope that they will come good. Players in and players out are not mutually exclusive.

To be fair, Twente aren't that bad a side and are up there pushing for the title this season. He is out of favour though, but I wouldn't write him off just yet!!!!! It is possible to distinguish between the odd ray of sunshine (e.g. Poortvliet going and a burly striker coming in) and the continuing farce that we are (e.g. Wotte stepping up and Totale Voetbal still going strong).

Send them DMG

Even if it undermines the manager??? This bloke looks a bit rough and tumble to me, so there is a possibility he could be just what we need. I would love him to start bullying defenders and creating opportunities for others. Nothing would give me more pleasure than for him to become our Steve Howard. But going on our past track record of signing players this season, which IMHO has been one of our main failings, it doesn't leave me with much confidence. Additionally if we're signing a player a day or so after the departure of a manager, then I think it's fair to ask who is driving the acquisition of players. Is he Jan's man, if so how will he fit in to Wotte's plans? If he's not Jan's man, then just who is making the footballing decisions, because then you might start getting to the bottom of why we have been so poor this season if others are bringing players that the coaches have to then mould into a team. If that is our modus operandi, then it didn't serve us well in the first half of the season.

I think it does matter massively who signed him. If it was Poortvliet who set the ball rolling, then you can assume Wotte will be serving up similar fare. If it's someone else signing the players, then who is it and who are they accountable to? One of our problems this season has been a poor transfer record with a number of players who have been brought in, either under performing or not even contributing. Now if that was down to Poortvliet, then maybe that problem has gone away following his departure, but if it was not his say, then surely nothing has changed, when perhaps it should have. Personally, I think Poortvliet didn't have an awful lot of say in who came in and that had a big impact on our poor record this season, so to me it does matter.

So who has signed him then????? Wotte has only been in the job two days and he's already bagged us a striker. If he's one Jan had lined up then you have to assume it's business as usual with Wotte literally picking up where Poortvliet left off. Unless of course others are involved in the signing of players of course;)

Did I miss anything on the OS about Hockaday getting the boot????? Or are we being kept in the dark about that one as well!!!! Webster Hockaday Van Der Waals

I think that only a fool would not be concerned with the current state of our Club. Wilde may be many things, but I didn't have him down as a fool. However, the longer he supports Lowe on this crazy experiment, the more complicit he becomes in supporting the "Revolutionary Copaching Set Up". I fail to see how any rational fan can look at the current set up and what this "Revolutionary Coaching Set Up" has delivered so far, and be impressed with the returns. You can come up with excuses regarding luck, injuries or whatever, but that does not disguise nor excuse that this season has been a disaster. Wilde still has time to act, it's just whether he has the gumption to come up with an alternative or has the balls to support someone who does. If Wilde sticks by Lowe he will sink with him, but there is a chance he could redeem himself if he acts before it is too late.

From what I have been told I think the reason he was agitated was nothing to do with a delayed flight!!!!!! Anything else you know about him, origins, motivation, history????? He seems to be playing a big part in the current set up yet no one knows anything about him. PS can you remember what game that was before??

Some of the best and unified support for the team was during the dark days of the Branfoot protests. It is simple to distinguish between Anti Board and Pro Players support.

I think they're all wide of the mark, just that © seemed the most plausible out of all three!!!!!!! I have put some feelers out regarding this story and from all the returns so far I am afraid to say there is nothing doing with this story.

Haven't your ears been burning?????? People have been trying to get hold of you to see what you know about Kim Van Der Waals, our mysterious Dutchman who seems to have his finger in every pie. Is he the one you spoke to at the airport months before Jan & Wotte were appointed?

The problems that would need to be resolved would be: (a) Lowe and/or Wilde accepting they have to take a back seat and hand over the reins in return for any new funds, or (b) Crouch aacepting that his (and others??) money would be spent by those who he has no faith in. or © Wilde and Lowe have to accept Crouch (& others??) on to the board in return for the cash injection. IMHO © would probably be more likely to happen than the other two, but it would still mean alot of humble pie wopuld have to be eaten and i don't think it would take long to all kick off again (particularly as I can't see Crouch being happy with Wotte)!!

You're clearly delusional:smt104 Come on guys, let's all have a love in and then all our problems will be solved. Behave yourself.

Intelligent business men don't sack a unifying manager during a period of turmoil and strife. They then don't appoint an unknown, inexperienced and out of his depth Head Coach and approve a strategy that is close to mentalism. They then don't force that guy out onlt to replace him with his understudy who has been complicit in everything to date. Clearly, Lowe is not an intelligent business man;)

I know the offer has been there for some time, but I understand it came with pre-conditions, one of which was the removal of Poortvliet, but I just don't think Crouch would be happy to put money in whilst Lowe is in charge on a day to day basis and whilst we persevere with this ridiculous experiment under Wotte. For Crouch to come back, I think Lowe would have to step down from his CEO/Chairman position, something I don't think Lowe would do voluntarily. So unless cracks are starting to appear in Lowe's support (and that includes Wilde saying enough is enough), then I am doubtful. Unless of course an injection of money came as a part of a "share placing", then that might be different, as that may well upset the balance of power and allow those coming to have a much bigger say in decisions. However, overall I feel doubtful that this could happen, but that's not to say that I wouldn't appreciate it.

And I'm sure you were saying the same about Poortvliet. Given that Lowe's recent record on mamangerial appointments is shot to fck, given he was only deemed fit enough to be Academy Director/Reserves Manager and given the fact that Wotte has been heavily involved a& complicit in what we have seen to date, then I don't think it is unreasonable to suggest that this appointment is wanting. As with Poortvliet, that's not being negative, that's just assessing the facts we have, looking at it in with regards the context of where we are today and formulating your own opinion. It's a realistic assessment and opinion given where we find ourselves today.

Whether he would have been better or worse is purely hypothetical as it well never be able to be proved either way, just as it is impossible to claim or counter claim that anyone should be able to get promotion with the resources he has at hand. Those arguments can only be put down to what your own opinion and viewpoint is (although I would argue that any fcker could have done better than Jan, even with what he to hand). But there is no way that Lowe/Cowen/Wilde can say that Pearson would not be prepared to work with youngsters, that he would not be prepared to make do with short term loans and that he would have cost alot because he can only work with experienced pros, because his approach at leicester this season seems to demonstrate that he is up for all of those.

Four of those players were there when they got relegated though. Oakley, Fryatt and Howard are probably Championship standard, Dickov is as old as me and Dyer came on a free from MK Dons (26 and played just over 100 league games in the lower divisions does not sound like someone well above that league). But what Pearson has done is augmented the good and experienced players with youngsters and loanees and put together a team that are doing very, very well. However, the main thrust of my post was not saying that Pearson was some sort of wonder manager, merely laying waste to the falsehood that Pearson would have cost too much because he would have demanded to play experienced pros and would not have played youngsters, nor would he have settled for loanees. Pearson's wages weren't too excessive and he has shown at Leicester that he is able to put together a team that hasn't cost the earth and has a very strong youth element to it.

It certainly doesn't offend me, just find it rather starnge how you call for us to rally around someone/something, when 24 hrs earlier it was OK for those in charge to refuse to rally around the manager they appointed. There can be no doubt that the atmosphere at the Donny game was unsavoury, but after such a pathetic return from home games this season I think it was always going to blow at some point. Anyone who thinks otherwise must be somewhat naive. Additionally, I think it would be worthwhile adding that none of the vitriol was aimed at the players, who have received nothing but support for their endeavours (DMG excepted, who has had some stick). Up until then however, the support at SMS has been relagtively good. Numbers attending are another matter, but as has been discussed at great length elsewhere, the key in driving numbers up is a successful team under a successful manager and board. Football is all about having and espousing opinions, always has been and always will be. You could call the moans about Poortvliet's inadequacies, swipes, I would say they were people calling it right (and being realistic & honest, and certainly not negative as some portrayed). And as for suggesting that swiping will bring us salvation, then I am afraid it is you who are taking such a huge leap and making things up that don't exist. No one, and certainly not myself, has ever suggested that moaning on here will have anything more than a minimal effect on the Club, good or bad. I prefer direct and positive action as opposed to words when it is required. I do not take slices off of the Club, I merely assess and judge those who are temporary custodians of our Club. Was it counter productive to remove Poortvliet? Why did we not maintain the staus quo with regards the manager and rally around him for the next 3 months? I would suggest he was pushed because those in power finally realised he was underperforming and that it would be more beneficial to replace him than persist with him. Why is it counter productive to hold an equivalent view with regards the current CEO?