derry

Possibly an awareness that what he wants and what might be happening could if actioned cause problems. In his games up to now he has been very pro active with his input, last night he wasn't. Quite a few posters commented on the strange lack of input from the touchline, Burleyesque was the way some described it. The new boss would not have any input from him in the selection process. It would be quite easy even at this early stage to see that this is not necessarily what he wants. The appointment is before next summer and could come at any time Cortese finds for him, a suitable candidate. November could be a point in time it could happen, as I understand Coppell was offered the Managers job but wanted to take six months away from football, so turned it down.

Semantics, it says 'Pardew's boss'

He would do for me but I think unless AP liked it and could work with him, any post that takes decisions out of his hands won't be welcomed.

The main point of all this was Pardew's apparent lack of intervention and body language last night. I still see a potential problem unless AP is allowed complete autonomy in his decisions and the D of F is an assisting roll rather than an in charge roll. Time will tell.

Read it again, he would be Pardew's boss and responsible for football matters.

Did you read the full Cortese interview? It was very precise and pedantic that the person appointed D of F would be in overall charge of all football related matters. I thought at the time that wouldn't fit well with Pardew. The following night what Pardew came up with was completely different, a General Manager to help him. Cortese never mentioned a GM. It was a double page interview and the answers were extensive. Cortese also spelt out that he was the man in charge and he was setting up a completely different infrastructure and that only the heads of departments would report to him and the Manager would report to the D of F who would be in charge.

As soon as I hear Lallana and Wotton announced over the tannoy I know it's going to be a hopeless, width-less, shapeless mess.

Cortese said that the D of F would decide all football matters including recruitment and the Manager would report to him. The next night Pardew came out with the opposing and understandable view. The term General Manager was introduced then by Pardew. Cortese was very precise about the D of F deciding all football matters and reporting to him.

No. I didn't fill two and a half pages of the Echo on successive nights with two completely differing scenarios. Cortese spelt it out and the next night Pardew insisted he would be in charge. Unless Cortese has been fundamentally misquoted he won't be.

A lot has been said on the after match threads about Pardew's body language etc. In the Echo Cortese has said that the Director of Football will be in total charge of the football side. In the Echo Pardew welcomed a Director of Football but said that he had to be in charge with the D o F subservient. Maybe Cortese has spelt this out and Pardew won't be in overall charge after the D o F arrives and will be reporting to him as set out by Cortese in his interview. I can't see that working.

Lallana needs to put the team shape before his off the cuff inclinations. The manager seems to be hoping against hope that he will perform but he is no better this year than he was last season. He needs to take a step back to the reserves, learn to be a team player and have occasional exposure in the first team, if they ever manage to work out what position he could play. If he is handled right he could develop into a good player but he needs a sprint/power coach to try and develop him physically.

The team he is picking with no width, Holmes and Gillett ignored, Wotton a fixture, the idiosyncratic undisciplined Lallana picked no matter how badly he performs, no balance or players complementing each other, 11 back for corners and nobody taking responsibility. He needs time, but he also has to show he has a grip on what we have got and that isn't happening. He is not helping himself. We are a shapeless, haphazard mess at the moment with the keepers saves keeping us in it. If he picks Wotton and Hammond together against Brentford it will finish him for me.

The trouble is the team selection is unbalanced and the likes of Wotton and Lallana are the problem not the solution.

No shape, No width, Wotton in midfield, Lallana doing his own thing, Davis saved us again, another corner nobody went for. No substitutions until far too late, one up front, no width, no wonder we didn't perform. Get back to basics, proper shape, play the players in their proper positions or leave them out. Paterson wide right, Lallana never stays wide left so no width, three central midfielders FFS and we were second best, murdered down the touchlines again. The bloody problem is that we need wide players to be available to the midfielders to spread the play, stop the opponents wide, get down the line and get loads of crosses in to the strikers. Until we get proper wide players, Holmes, Gobern, or Mills (when fit) on the left. Thompson maybe Gillett on the right. Hammond and Schneiderlin in the centre. Get in a proper centre back, put Lallana, Lancashire, etc back in the reserves to learn how to play. We have no pace, are ponderous, pedestrian and undisciplined in defence. I'm prepared to give Pardew a chance but he has to start demonstrating he is making a difference because it is the same width-less crap we have watched in the past. Football is all about teamwork and players complementing each other together with proper balance none of which applies to the team at present. If it hadn't been for Davis again we would have been hammered.

He is a superlative shotstopper. We don't know who is the best keeper in this league. The criticisms regarding commanding his box and his lack of positive distribution is valid.

What has got lost in the passage of time is that I was the OP on a thread saying I'll put in £2500 does anyone feel the same way. That's how it started and nobody had to come forward unless they wanted to. I happen to have enough money to do whatever I please and understand that others don't. I have no doubt the debt will be paid, however this thread is about the lack of accountability and transparency and my account was an example. It does beg the questions, how much raised and how much is still owed to suppliers etc.

It wasn't my little scheme. I would have put the £2500 in when required, however that's history. I did make other donations towards the end when there was no chance of that happening. When somebody rings up to borrow money with a promise of repayment in a week I expect that to be honoured. I wasn't involved in any way with the concert but lent them the money as they had run out and needed supplies. This wasn't a donation and as a matter of principle is going to have to be repaid. What I do with my money is up to me.

Both the people dealing with this are decent people. Nick Illingsworth called in over a month ago and promised to sort it the next week but I've heard nothing since. I've sent a couple of emails in the last week to the other person but have had no reply. It's the Saints Trust who hold the money so it will have to be resolved through them.

I have no problem there and have the necessary evidence, emails, invoices, delivery address etc. I have now given them a deadline after which action will be taken. I feel sure it will be settled as promised.

There is a big difference between giving a donation and being phoned up and asked to lend the money for a week. I made my donations to the club and this was a loan that I expected to be honoured, and yes I will get my money back and if I have to involve a solicitor and go to the SCC it will cost them more.

Have lawyers been engaged on this one John?

It would indeed. I lent over £200 to the organisers to purchase blank CDs, cases, and a CD writer and was promised the money back within a week. After chasing it up eventually Nick Illingsworth called in a month ago and told me they were waiting for the club to pay them and that he would sort it the following week. That was a month ago and I am still waiting. There are questions that need answering.

It may not just be the work permit. He missed the last two months of the season I believe with a knee problem and was released.

It will need a team to come in for him, pay a decent fee added to his enormous wages. If he doesn't take a pay cut he may well be staying. I don't think he will take a pay cut unless it is one of the top CCC teams. Same with Saganowski.

He wants £3m a year. Even the Premier clubs aren't interested at that price. Raziak will have to take a pay cut if he wants to move. I bet when push comes to shove a transfer fee plus his wage demands will put off CCC clubs. Saganowski probably the same.