shurlock

Close but not quite there- mcglinchey is responsible for ops and rogers for finance, not the other way round as you suggest...

Yep agree- he should be given a shot at the next four -all of which are easier. But there are limits. More ruthlessly, NC might have concluded that the disruption of bringing someone in -unless they're good to go asap- is greater than the cost of temporarily sticking with a directionless NA. And a modicum of loyalty plays well with the fanbase/media.

How many times have you seen Davis play? On the whole, he's pretty decent.

Do rumours count?

Dyer vs. Fox/Lallana will be fun.

Easy to say watching it on TV. We were right behind it. Nothing to do with conviction - the ball came in a flash and Yoshida reacted instinctively. There was no way he was controlling that.

I understand your point - its just your reductio ad absurdum way of reasoning that makes no sense. FWIW, I think the long-term health of the academy and ongoing commitment to it have a far greater bearing on the future of the club than whether or not hospitality uses defrosted prawns to make two-bob buffets. Which is to say, on the fundamentals, on the things that matter off the pitch, it's very early days but it's not all doom and gloom. Dare I say it, the signs are encouraging.

And I think Rickie has been fantastic for us - just that he's looked a little off in recent games.

And you used the fictitious example of the academy to make your point. As an extreme example, what if the ticket office was run like clockwork, the corporate areas were filled to the rafters, Cortese became godfather to MLT's kids and generally brought peace on earth?

But we're strengthening the academy and have made a long-term commitment to it. Don't let reality get in the way of your bizarre alternate universe.

The point I was making is that our midfield is too lightweight, static and isolated from the forwards (vindicated yesterday). I have no great love for Guly but he would bring a bit more presence in the middle of the park, is hard to knock off the ball and will play with his head up. Try it and see what happens - it can't be any worse than what we're doing at the moment.

Since we've been premiership then, where opposing defenders also happen to be better?

I predict Guly will come on after 75 mins. (or maybe earlier or later or not at all)

And what point is that? That someone's contribution shouldn't just be based on short-term performance but whether they're laying sustainable foundations for long-term success? Still

Management and coordination skills are probably more important in these jobs than precise working knowledge of each area, the ability to oversee and integrate the input of those on the ground who are experts but do not necessarily or need to take a global view of things. As a general point, you can go even further: today many, if not most CEOs of major companies don't have a background in the sector in which they work - they are basically generalists who know how to manage.

From you mate, that's praise.

If we assume rightly or wrongly, it wasn't Reed, then Cortese has been instrumental in the promotions. Either way, and regardless how you want to divvy up responsibility, the club can't be considered a failure. Dare I say it, most of my mates who support similar-sized clubs eg Leicester look at us with envy.

You forget the two back-to-back promotions if you assume rightly or wrongly Reed's running the show. That far outweighs a painful start to what was always going to be difficult season. Even if we go down, we'll still be in a stronger position than if we had kicked around in the NPC for two years.

Roger?

Hope so given Nixon has contradicted half the stuff you've come up with.

And prophecies about mystic saviours from the East(end)?

Impossible. It can't happen. We've been told that Cortese will hire a nobody, a puppet, a husk of a manager without an independent thought so that he and Reed can carry on business as usual.

Good work-definitely keep an eye on any odd signs -departing players slow in breath, hands on their hips etc. Might be a secret code.

Our CMs getting forward is the least of our problems. Indeed I wish it was more of a problem.