A Nut Can Cut You

The statistics show that we've lost 100% of our matches against third tier clubs in the last two seasons, which clearly means we will be relegated with our -10 points intact. Might as well appoint Tony Adams in that case, he'll get it done with a cherry on top.

It seems obvious it would be about 70/30 in favour at least. If the options were "I can live with it" and "I can't live with it", it would be 95/5. Especially after proving his ability in getting Leicester promoted, Pearson would be welcomed with open arms by the great majority with only a few desperados sniping from the distance, not to forget one special heartbroken fan standing in the rain in his Hoddle pyjamas. I don't subscribe to a Pearson Is God cult, his record at SFC was nothing special, but results alone are not the right way to measure the impression he made during his short firefighting tenure. He never had the chance to actually do the job before he was replaced. 13-15 games after taking over late in the season is hardly enough to judge a manager on results anyway, but I think the positive impact Pearson had on the club was undeniable. That is why Wotte is an unsuitable comparison. Wotte was part of the Lowe-Wilde hamsterplan that destroyed the feelgood factor. Wotte might have had roughly the same record as Pearson, but his removal was a question of when, not if. There was no future with Wotte, he was really just a caretaker. If he was ever going to manage SFC, it had to happen a year ago, but instead he was appointed in a different role. As long as it's not some lower league Swiss Poortvliet no one has ever heard of, or Tony Adams, it'll be, if not roses, at least something that doesn't make people sick.

How does Google translate Bulle into Dubai?

Yes, but the problem is not his lack of knowledge or insight about football. It's the personal baggage that leads him to say all those strange things. It seems to me he just can't handle the pressure of being a manager. He seemed to be fearing the sack from the day he replaced Redknapp, and then spent a lot of time trying to come up with reasons why he should and would not be sacked, and as is his wont, he did it all in public. AFAIC, being clueless is different from being incompetent in some respect. The danger is that whoever interviews the candidates might be so impressed with Adams's knowledge as to overlook his deficiencies. That is probably why there are people in football who would still back him to become a manager even though all evidence implies he's very unlikely to succeed. If he were to be appointed, it would be like killing 25000 fans with one stone. Hard to imagine a less popular appointment. If the shortlist of Adams, Adams, Coppell is true, I have to assume it would take a lot to persuade Coppell to join the club so soon after he left Reading. After that it would be a toss-up between the two Adamses, and one of them took on a managing job about a month ago... Not going to happen.

Adams is far from clueless, but he just isn't cut out for management.

Did you know that a Swiss roll is called a gypsy's arm in Spain? Overjoyed about the takeover, by the way. I trust a lot of fans will begin learning German soon.

Just the idea that you might be serious made me laugh out loud. Thank you.

It's almost like the Ted Bates statue fiasco all over again. People who had seen it prior to the unveiling claimed it was magnificent. Some kept saying it even after the unveiling until eventually every last one had to accept it was a joke. So now I'm left wondering whether the ITKs are right or simply deluding themselves because they desperately want to believe. Lynam has already contradicted himself. Our money man has appeared on Sky, but then it is said he is not the money man after all, just one of many. Fiolka himself, however, referred to the takeover as "my takeover". Even Lynam remarked that Fiolka's appearance on Sky put substance and weight behind the bid, which is a view not shared by many. I have a bad feeling about this. The most disheartening aspect is that no one has provided a solid case against the "revelations" Lynam didn't like. All we have is wishful thinking. The only things that provide a ray of light are 1) Fry must have vetted the credentials of the Pinnacle bid, and 2) Pinnacle paid for the exclusivity period. That is not enough for me to "keep the faith" though with red flags popping up all around.

I hope they replace the smorgasbord badge with something less cluttered. Should have been done years ago.

I disagree. I assume you're talking about managers because managers pick their own staff (coaches). In any case, you need to have a methodical and thorough vetting process, and then hire the best candidate, experienced or not. Experience in itself does not guarantee anything. Even the best managers have to start somewhere.

The laurels haven't been sold yet, but it looks like they will be sold separately, so it is a good idea not to rest on them. As for Wotte, before people go ape over what he said and what it might mean, it might be helpful to actually read what he said. "I carry on as normal because I am still paid by the club to do my job and until anybody tells me that something changes then I want to be prepared to do the job next season in League One."

D!ck Fry.

Some fine looking real football stadiums in this league. I was looking forward to seeing Stuart Gray's Northampton, but they were relegated by one point after losing their last game. Four teams within a point's reach, three of them with a considerably worse goal difference. Looking at this year's table, a -10 team would have needed to pick up 60 points to stay up. Walsall was 13th with 61 points. So as long as we have a club, we should be able to finish in mid-table at worst. Qualifying for the play-offs requires automatic promotion form.

I actually wondered if the club used an outdated scouting database for signings last summer. Wotton, Smith, and Holmes certainly seem like signings that might have been watched as potential up-and-comers two or three years earlier. I think we were linked with Wotton around that time, too. Would explain signing a Millwall reserve. What we should do is find a hitherto little-known young manager in the mould of Coyle.

The single biggest reason we are in administration is the fact that we kept spending money after the play-off failure. It was suicidal for the business to keep spending after the parachute payments ended. This presumably was done under the expectation of finding outside investment. When the SISU offer was on the table, Hone said that if the shareholders turned the offer down, players would have to be sold in January, i.e. finances were up sh!t creek without a paddle. Crouch disputed Hone's gloomy prognosis of the finances at the time and assured fans there was no need to sell. Now, whether the financial mess was ultimately the main shareholders' fault for not accepting the SISU offer is really neither here nor there because it was a low-ball offer (at the time!). But if you look at what happened within the club/PLC, the blame for where we are now is on whoever enabled the post-parachute spending. This financial disaster was not unavoidable. The less said about the fantastic success of the surgical operations carried out by the Lowe-Wilde dream team to fix the finances, the better. :smt009 The 5% allocation of blame to Wilde is rather modest considering he is the one whose Football First fantasy ultimately led to this wreckage. From Chalk Jockeys to Revolutionary New Coaching Structure with Lowe, it's nothing short of epic. Maybe we can all laugh about it heartily in, say, 25 years.

What in the world was he thinking? I can't believe he actually said it. I'm stunned. And how exactly could the club have been set up to avoid a point deduction when there were no such rules in 1997? Unbelievable. FFS, I truly can not believe he's said something like that.