Micky

If nothing else they play offs have got to remain a target for the team to strive towards reaching. Personally I think it's out of reach this season - but you never know, if others falter and lose form we need to take advantage. If we finished 6th and got promoted it would almost feel better than running riot and winning the league outright. We are a decent side now - our second half of the season should give everyone a good indication of how good, and how we might do next season.

Hallelujah...! At last, there are realists here. Was beginning to worry - but agree with the OP totally apart from the 'guaranteed' promotion place next season. If it were that easy - everybody would be a football manager. Many have been here and many have found it very difficult to get out. After all of the turmoil, this season has been an absolute blast, good owners, good manager, good players, good facilities and good prospects. Yes, we are set up for success, but nothing in this game is a given. I'm happy to go with the five year plan so long as we are making strides forward.

I think that one of the sticking points is that if he plays a certain number of games for Pompey it triggers a claus in his contract entitling him to another years contract at the club (which they probably cannot afford), and therefore they don't want to pass that trigger point. Therefore he is not getting games for Pompey, which in turn is ruining his England chances.

Big ask in my opinion - especially when you get round to the squeakybum bit of the season.

Yes, but how many managers did they go through until they found the one...? How long did they take to find the one that eventually delivered the 'Instant', in many cases - lots of years...! Whose to say that giving somebody a little extra time is not the way to go? We could take managers from many of the clubs that you mention - but that doesn't mean that we are going to have instant success does it? Why do we have a 5 year plan - which we are agreed that we do - right? If we sack AP in 12 months time - does the 5 year plan become a 3 year plan with the same ultimate goal, thus putting twice the pressure on any new manager? N.B. I agree to your additions in your previous post about the dangers of losing good players who may not want to play at this level for too many season - but that is a problem for every other manager in this league - it is not exclusive to us. If anything, if we believe everything we read on here, we are 'minted' and therefore we should be able to hang on to such players - although again I don't think it is quite that simplistic.

Ahhh I see - sorry it's late. And, if that did happen then this board would most definately be in meltdown...!

Not too sure that every successful club has done it at all. Yes I agree that you have to find the right manager at the right time - but that is much easier said than done. If your happy to set non negotiable milestones and targets and then sack people as soon as they fail to achieve them on the 18 month mark sobeit. When you look at the farcicle situation at QPR recently I guess you have given your guy a fair shot at it. Personally I think stability is needed right now - we are a League 1 side now and if we are still here in 2 years time then I would be happy to see AP still at the helm so long as we are showing progress and knocking on the door. Personally I think that '18 months and you're out' is just a little simplistic and knee jerk in some ways.

Do you know what these milestones are? Did you make the May 11 one up? At the end of the day we have all heard of the '5 year plan', which is to reach the promised land within that timescale - that is the ultimate goal. Whose to say that we dont spend another 3 years in this league and then achieve the goal with btb promotions? Job done - but unfortunately most of us won't have stuck with the 5 year plan, another manager will be in place given another 18 months, bringing in his new staff, buying the players he fancies, blah blah blah - have we done this a number of times before...? Nothing wrong with ambition at all, nor realistic milestones either - but nothing, absolutely nothing in this game is guaranteed - and we should all be aware of that.

I sincerely hope you are correct - personally I think this season it's a big ask. If we do manage to get in there we could win the lottery - honestly I don't think that we will. That makes next season very, very big - everybody will be expecting nothing less than promotion one way or another - won't they? What if AP and the team don't deliver? Where are we then with the 5 year plan? Don't get me wrong - I would like to stay with it, so long as improvement is shown season upon season. I wonder if those expecting 'instant' will stay with the management and team as well though?

We all want it - we all crave it - the bottom line is so does every other club that plays in the league - therefore we can't all have it. Nobodys sneering - simply pointing out that success (promotion, playoffs) may not be 'instant'. We may have to sit a while, consolidate and build a team to deliver promotion. Other teams have been here, probably thought it would be easy to get out and have taken longer than they would have liked - we are no different. Yes I want success, yes I crave it as badly as the next fan - it's just that I'm realistic enough to realise that (irrespective of the club / party line) it may take longer than most on here seem to think. Yesterday - we without doubt dropped 2 points. When you have three points in your pocket in injury time you shut up shop - you win the game and become sucessful - we didn't do that, we were not sucessful.

I'm not going to sneer at any of them, they all do a great job. But think subjectively about it - what do all clubs want - instant success. How many prizes are there, eeerr not enough to go around. The bottom line is that not every club is going to get instant success - how long have Leeds been here, how long did Forest spend here? Many good clubs have played at this level - there is no shame here. I'm not the one expecting (or even demanding in some cases) instant success, although I would expect improvement season upon season. By your working - AP has between 6 - 12 months to deliver before we get back on the good old 'manager merry go round' to find the next candidate. Hey - but no matter, that has served us well over the past 5 years or so, no need to change now huh. No need for me to worry about it either eh - me, I'll just get over it, in time.

Sorry - for what to happen...?

Really funny thread - I love it. Instant Success - does that like come in a sachet, which you pour into a bowl, add milk and whisk rigorously? Modern professional football (or any sport for that matter) is all about stating your ambition and aiming high - especially when you are talking to your boss or your customers. So the fact that NC and AP have targetted high stakes is hardly surprising. But whether they really expect to achieve them is a different matter. Can't wait until the end of next season to see the meltdown here if we are still in this division.

How funny is this... people actually believe that he resigned, really, of his own free will. Talk about gullible in the extreme. If his record is 4 points from 9 in his first 3 games at the club - thats not half bad either. Check out a certain Mr Strachans record - nobody appears to be calling for his head yet. The manager is the fall guy in this game, always has been and probably always will be - but sometimes, when you get rid of the people at the top things change for the better - let's face it, we know that for a fact. Sometimes you reap what you sow - perhaps those at LR should beware.

I think you might have missed a subtle point that influenced.com was making there actually...!

No slagging from me - I've got one too, does everything that I need it too (and more), easy to configure, battery life is good, sits happily on my home wireless network with 'Fring' (Skype) - works well. If any slight grumble - it's a slightly 'fat' phone, other than that its great.

I was going to say 'you couldn't make it up', but quite patently, he does...!!!

Don't know what his record was there, but FFS, what the hell is going on in English football. What was he meant to achieve in a month? If I remember rightly WGS took some time to get things going here, and look where that led. I hope he finds another club somewhere, is successful and able to stick two fingers up at QPR.

May have some legs. Other posters who appear to know the lady in question are saying that she has posted before and her sources and information has been good - wouldn't right this one off out of hand.

Ahhhh nice, three pages of speculation on, well, errr, not sure, but as far as I can tell, he's a footballer (although personally I think the Yeti might still come through). Another day at TSF....!!!

Ditto...

Yep - let's go with it then. So we merge with PFC. Lets go back to Everton and Liverpool. Then the two Manchester Clubs, just to keep things interesting. Tell you what - lets go the whole hog down in London with Spud, Chelski and Arsenal forming Chelarse Hotspurs - a real powerhouse of the EPL. Meanwhile those well know midland mates of Birmaston Villa are creeping up the league and looking for a European cup place. It's interesting in as much as you can make silly names from many teams - but lets leave it there...!!!

I can't believe that you posted that, because evidently nobody did take it seriously.

Never have I read such a load of drivel in all my life. I feel cheated of the 2 minutes it took me to read the OP and subsequent comments - you owe me two minutes of life, I want it back. Oh BTW I've also heard that Liverpool and Everton will merge next year - honest.

Damn, I've just been on that page and got this gem: Bad news for all United fans, Rooney is on his way out in the summer. If you havent noticed SAF is already looking for a player to replace Rooney, who plays the same sort of striking role, and that player is Hulk. SAF has been offered 60M plus benzema by Real Madrid. Expect to see SAF take this offer and use the 60M to sign a top class midfielder (Silva). So next years striking partnership will be Hulk and Benzema. You heard it here first, Pagey You've got to love it really though, ain't ya...!