shurlock

??? Because our transfer committee/system is designed to ensure that any player isn't the personal whim of the incumbent manager but fits the overall vision of how the club wants to play.

Not if KL's commited to the club and it's business as usual as some are claiming on here. As I say it will be an interesting test of her commitment. It was a position that was crying out for strengthening before the injury. And whether she's here or someone else will be strengthened before the start of next season.

Because its a position we needed to strengthen anyway. Would give any signing half a season to bed in and be ready for next.

Will be an interesting test of KL's commitment to the club.

Good stuff.

Tried the 9.00 (surprise, surprise, also delayed) -was told the Grand Central was departing, got off only to find out it was still stuck and the East Coast was pulling away. Cut a long story short, on the 9.30 East Coast, going to Durham where we'll get a cab. Damage limitation. They are now allowing our Grand Central tickets, at least on our East Coast train. So if you haven't had to buy a new ticket yet, if I were you, I'd push my case and be a tricky ****.

Trains f**ked at Kings X.

Martin Samuel vs Neil Ashton Both are utterly terrible. One's a fat, wheezing **** much like the breathless hyperbole of his prose who can only make a living by murdering nuance with exaggeration and peddling provocation for originality; the other is a weasel shill whose irredeemable lack of talent requires him to cultivate sources by making Faustian pacts and even more sordid acts. Pick your poison. But worse are the helmets on here who choose one journo over the other to confirm their prejudices.

The mongboard equivalent of a poster who gets banned and comes back to town under a different name?

Think I'll stick

Not my question - asked if you thought it would be sung tmrw. I mean if you just read the mboard, you would think that it was never sung.

What are odds that those who go to Sunderland tmrw sing his name (like our support has done on countless occasions)?

Not saying that Cortese had to be reined to make the club more salable - rather he believed that he would be at the helm for a further period (note that this season marks the end of the five year plan), so he could carry out the next stage of our expansion -something on which he sought clarity in the summer and believed he had got from KL. Alas the issue wasn't fully resolved and Cortese sensed control over the long-term direction of the club slipping away and decided to walk. I dont think KL has opted to inject herself into the situation but has her hand forced by Cortese and, as owner with whom the buck ultimately stops, cannot avoid a degree of unwanted publicity (tbf she's done pretty good job of keeping a low profile even during this period). Having been blindsided by events, she will now pay people and they will prepare the club for sale in the summer. If we are indeed sold in the summer -its now in everyone's interest we finish the season as strongly as possible (i.e. not selling anyone in the short-term)- it will go a long towards showing that this version of events is correct. After all, its difficult to imagine Cortese wanting to be part of such a process.

Henry Winter isn't a tame puppet - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/chelsea/9813415/Henry-Winter-even-rich-owners-like-Nicola-Cortese-and-Roman-Abramovich-need-the-fans.html There are the shills at the Mail for that kind of hatchet job whose tone and treatment of the fallout have been very different. Indeed, its odd that you would even interpret that a journo suggesting KL wants to sell up is somehow a slur or exercise in the black arts.

Still think Ben Smith and Henry Winter's explanation is closest to the mark, namely, that Liebherr wanted a sale at the end of the season (coincidentally, in line with the five years at the club) while Cortese preferred a more aggressive push to make us even more successful before selling up in the next two to three years. Each had fundamentally different conceptions of risk/reward, so a conflict was inevitable. Liebherr probably asked Cortese to preside over a looming and even offered to line his palm with more trinkets and treasures to do so. But Cortese didn't want to do her bidding and quit. If true, this isn't about a perfect world or 100% control but a pretty major encroachment on how Cortese, at least, understood his role and job spec.

Forget the fact that we were third, had three players in the full England squad and were giving opportunities to youth. Jesus wept.

More up FF's street (credited to the man)

Good article - in everyone's interest to finish the season strongly when the real fun and games begin.

Steve Pemberton in drag?

Depends what you mean. They are a bigger and better supported side but they dont the academy we do. On paper, the ability to generate our own players puts us on a more sustainable footing than many other clubs which can only be a massive selling point.

Try talking out of your mouth.

No she would have dipped the rest in breadcrumbs and scoffed the lot.

Good stock. A 6 foot something, dominant in the air CB in the pipeline?

I imagine 900k only refers to net income. Not the assets of the club - the value of which have grown appreciably in uhe last year - think of valuations for Shaw, JWP and Chambers. They would have been trivial last year compared to this year.