sambosa75

Your response is as eloquent and well structured as always DD, but in fairness I come to expect nothing less from you. What exactly is a load of horse sh*t? Lets take a club similar in stature to Newcastle in terms of fanbase, history of winning things and annual turnover. Tottenham for example. If mid-table was truly the best they could ever hope for, with the dullest possible brand of football and all their key players not wanting to play for the manager anymore do you think they'd keep hold of the manager in question or look at another manager who could play more progressive football and give them a fighting chance of pressing on and challenging a bit more. I personally couldnt see them sticking with what they have. Clubs like Bolton and Blackburn with poor fanbases and little history (bar 1995 when Jack Walker bought the Prem title for Blackburn) are simply just happy and content to be there. They have no brand of football to speak of and no history of producing real footballing talent. Even Saints have a history of getting managers out who dont play football the right way. Branfoot being a good example. We have a rich tradition of producing good footballers and expect our team to attempt to play football the right way. Same as Newcastle.

I'm genuinely not sure they would. The Premier League really isnt the be all and end all. As a Saints fan, I havent missed it in the slightest. Its the most boring, predictable league in the world. The only real motivation for being there unless you support a top 4 side is for the money the club gets being in it. I would take a top 6 finish in the Championship every season than struggling year on year in the Premier League, waiting for that once in a blue moon you fluke a win over Man Utd, Arsenal, Liverpool or Chelsea. Dont get me wrong, I'm sure Newcastle fans would want to be in the Premier League but not if mid-table was the best they could hope for. A club of that size and stature (say what you like but they are still the 14th richest side in the world in terms of revenue) should not be limiting their aspirations to that.

I hate this sort of complex a lot of our fans seem to have. Their fans are excellent, there is no two ways about that. They turn up in their droves irrespective of the football they play home and away, domestic and abroad. The common misconception is that the build themselves up as some sort of ultra-super fanbase, when really it is the media that create all the hype and label them as "too big to go down". I have to say Newcastle fans went down and displayed more dignity than any other side in recent history. I probably counted two Newcastle fans on TV at Villa Park that were crying when they got relegated. The rest were singing and supporting their club the way it should be supported. As for how they treated Bobby Robson, lest we not forget that since Robson left Newcastle he has had 2 seperate battles with cancer. The latest one appears to be getting the better of him. It wasnt the fans that were calling for his head, it was their chairman Freddie Shepherd. He then dropped a massive boob by appointing Graeme Souness who noone wanted in the first place. He then ensued to fall out with Newcastle's most effective players (Bellamy, Robert etc..) and dismantling a side that was almost there had they signed a competent manager in Robson's place. By the time Souness deservedly got his marching orders, they had a squad full of big names that Souness signed out of desperation to keep the fans temporarily on side as things were going wrong on the pitch. This trend continued until Allardyce arrived. He was constantly talking about steadying the club, which he has a point with but the club were playing truly shocking football. To the point where Newcastle's most influential players at the time were heading on their way out, dismayed with the techniques Allardyce was trying to adopt. Given, Martins, Owen, N'Zogbia all wanted out. In order the stop a mutiny, Ashley decided to get rid, NOT the fans. Its exactly the same reason Roque Santa Cruz wanted out the minute Allardyce arrived at Blackburn. Too much emphasis on grafters and not enough of players with sound technique. Enough to get a team consistently finishing mid-table but Newcastle United as a club were never going to be content with that being what they aspired to. When I say the club, I mean the fans, the board, the players, the marketing of the club... everything. Since then, Ashley has done a range of desperate acts to appease the fanbase who could see the club was rotten at the core. He finally brings in a manager the fanbae approves of and will afford time to get things right as they trust him and know he prefers to encourage his players to play the right way, the players finally start showing some unity under Keegan and Ashley then decides to bring in Dennis Wise to have final say on all transfers over Keegan. Even the most blinkered fan should realise what a stupid move this is. Before people say it, Keegan was told he still had final say over first team transfers and Wise would be looking after the recruitment of the youngsters. Keegan walked shortly after because it wasnt as had been sold to him. If it was, he would have stayed and they would have without doub stayed up last season following their first 2 results of the season, which happened under KK. Mike Ashley has ruined that club and all their fans have done is turn up consistently in their thousands despite whats been happening. I cant understand this logic to laugh at their fans. Its the last thing they deserve. Seems like a real small-club attitude to take pleasure in the plight of someone else. I'm pretty sure you wouldnt go on a Newcastle United message board when we were in administration and find any posts displaying glee at our demise. Yes I am reasonably well informed on Newcastle United issues as a lot of my family are Geordies.

A player with the ability to single-handedly keep a side in the Premier League? In todays market, absolutely priceless. I could see Man City paying silly money for a player like him. At his best and at his fittest, easily £30m.

Just got back from Manchester. Great event, sad to see Maccarinelli getting absolutely battered. Main event was a decent contest. Having just read most of the posts on this thread, I think St Marco called in spot on. Kotelnik, solid fighter. Lacked the hand speed and power to cause too many problems but the ones he did land with seemed to rattle Amir, who did well to slip out of range before Kotelnik could throw too many. As for Khan's popularity, I would say there was a good mix of people cheering for and against him. He appears to have a hardcore of fans who are very vocal and lend to a great atmosphere but then there seemed to be a large amount who were cheering on Kotelnik and hoping Amir would fall flat on his face. James DeGale looks good, as does Frankie Gavin (who, incidentally appears to have built up a very vocal following of Birmingham City fans) Shame to see Enzo Mac getting absolutely battered too. Hopefully he calls it a day.

Great news its now resolved. I'm happy with this appointment. There were probably 5 or 6 others who I would have preferred the Pardew but a great deal more that I would have hated to see. Welcome to the club Alan, do us a favour and sign some players though. Thank you!

Sounds like a good weekend!

Sort of find myself feeling a bit indifferent to this I must admit. Decent enough track-record barring his spell with Charlton but hardly the name to get all the fans excited. That said, it is largely based on his time at Charlton that I come to this conclusion. If he was coming to us following his spells at Reading and West Ham I'd be delighted. He also seems to favour attacking football which is something to be positive about. There are others I'd prefer but there are a great deal more names I'd rather not have than him also.

I am genuinely astounded people would be happy with Dennis Wise as manager. I would honestly rather have Steve Wigley back than Dennis Wise. He is a nasty little piece of work with no loyalty whatsoever. I would be very disappointed if he came here and cant believe people think him working in tandem with WGS would be a good move. What on earth could Wise add to the club if we already had Strachan?

Phillips, Giggs, Campbell, Larson... why not throw Raul, van Nistelrooy, Scholes and Nedved in the mix as well? Seriously though, I'm sure there are some experienced campaigners who would do a great job for us and hopefully bring out the best in the likes of Lallana, Gillet, James, Mills etc... Instead of the big-name, ex-premier league players Pompey went for I think I'd rather go for a few players with experience of what it takes to get out of these divisions. People in the Chris Marsden mould who have been solid journeymen for most of their career and would see Southampton not as a final big pay day, but a swansong and an opportunity to play a part in an exciting project of which they've never been involved in before. That would be more attractive to me at this stage. XI players who show the same pride our goalkeeper shows in wearing the shirt. Thats what will get us out of this division.

Strachan or Keegan for me. If we have Strachan, there wouldnt be a fitter side in the league than us. He would have our team run the other into the ground. As for Keegan, he would have us outplay and outscore the opposition. Both are winning formulas. As for Coppell, did a good job at Reading but I think he will be holding out for a Premier League club once the sackings begin and as for Curbishley... no thanks.

Long ball merchant. Would probably get us out of the division but I think you can get out of this division easily enough playing a bit of football. Much rather we achieved it in an attacking fashion than in a lump-it-and-hope manner.

No doubt she'll be glad of the change.

In fairness, we were outplayed by probably the best footballing team in Europe at the time. Hardly disgraced ourselved. I think the poster referring to the cup final was more tlaking about the atmosphere us fans generated. If I was an investor or new owner and I watched that I would feel very excited.

I dont believe it until I see a screen grab of SSN with it running along the bottom. I'm stuck in an office, please can someone get this for me and all the others without access to an TV?

No offence, but werent you calling for him to be instated as chairman shortly after his appointment for his professionalism? Pretty sure you were...

Bang up for that. Decent, solid full-back if I remember correctly.

C'mon Norfolk n Chance CC!!!

George Graham and Howard Wilkinson both won the title during their managerial careers but I dont see a clamour for them. O' Leary spent an absolute fortune at Leeds and if memory serves, was responsible for many a big money signing at Villa; Bosko Balaban and Juan Angel being examples of his acumen when coming to picking up pricy players and getting the square root of sod-all out of them on the pitch. Kevin Keegan left before getting Newcastle into the Champions League but he got them promoted and had them finish 6th, 3rd and 2nd before resigning. I'd wager he spent less than O'Leary at Leeds and had Newcastle playing infinitely better football. Yes, he didnt get them to the Champions League semi but following a favourable route and a couple of lucky results here and there, almost any side that competes in the competition is capable of a run to the latter stages. His work at Leeds was decent but lets look at the young players at his disposal... Woodgate, Rio Ferdinand, James Milner, Alan Smith (when he looked like a young Alan Shearer), Harry Kewell, Paul Robinson etc... Not a bad batch of kids and as much as I'd like to think so, our crop of youngsters really arent of that ilk. With regard to one of the worst managerial options out there, for a manager who has a consistent record of managing clubs with plenty of money to spend and having nothing to show for it, I would say he is one of the worst options. Would you trust him with a £15m transfer kitty? I know I wouldnt trust him with a £15 beer kitty. As for transfer negotiations, its usually a managers job to give the chairman an idea of what would be required wage-wise to get them to move. Strachan used to when he was with us, I'd imagine O'Leary would do the same.

Need you ask? It was The Killers... Obviously rubbish.

David O'Leary?!?! The man who spent Leeds all the way to near-closure? The man who advised his chairman to offer Seth Johnson a £40k a week salary when Johnson's own agent had planned to demand £15k a week? The same man who wasted a lot of money at Aston Villa for little or no return? He had a good side with Leeds for about a year, thats about all he has achieved. Genuinely think he is one of the worst managerial options out there and for suggesting him, you should be have gravel thrown at you.

I was saying the same thing about Franz to my girlfriend. Decent enough but nowhere near established enough to take on the prime time slot. That slot should be reserved for bands like Oasis, Coldplay, Red Hot Chili's, Foo Fighters, Muse, Radiohead, Paul Weller etc... Possibly even the Arctics, although they only have 2 or 3 albums behind them, each and every song they do is an anthem which the whole crowd knows. The trouble is, the organisers are always very keen on giving other bands a push which has explained the Killers and Franz headlining in recent years. Otherwise it would be alternating between the same 7 or 8 bands every year for the headline slot. I must admit, I've never really 'got' Bruce Springsteen, evidentally I think the same can be said of most of the crowd there as well.

More metal and less sh*t? Isnt that contradicting yourself? For the record, I hate rap music too but metal music is just angry, loud noise which is far more suited to Download, Reading and Leeds. Leave Glasto well alone.

Anyone see the skate flag near the front during Kasabian? Would have had to throw one of the girls on the shoulders at whoever was holding it. On the subect of music, big fan of Kasabian. Never put on the tightest set but always put on a good show and get the crowd up for it. I can definitely see how much they are influenced by the Stone Roses.

Jimmy Case wasnt capped.