Legod Third Coming

We have several reminders: 1. 15000 empty seats. 2. Watching Theo Walcott at the Emirates. 3. The tastiest buffet in Hampshire.

Er, have you any idea the sort of camera lens required for that?

I can see that going down well...

Beckford must be worth what 4 or 5 million on his own!

First Hitler, now homophobia, this is my kind of forum at last...

Nothing to be sorry about. If we are not promoted by the end of next season, Pardew will have under-delivered and then some!!!!

Ah...

No, let's be fair Rupert Lowe never built any straight roads.

Priceless Dave, absolutely priceless.

To which Minsk you could reply... as many FA Cup winners medals as you

Listen, I'm still waiting (genuinely) for you to work out how many games we need to win to be in the p'offs!!! Have to say on the DoF, I'm not convinced and definitely not with the Coppel Pardew suggestion... cos I think DD is right, Coppel will be manager in no time!!!!

I believe they last won the league when Mr Mourinho was in charge. And no doubt since, having appointed the Sporting Director, he has been allowed to appoint his manager. When Chelsea have won the league and European Cup, I might defer to it working in the UK... But come on, how do Benitez, Wenger, Fergie, O'Neill, Redknapp, Moyes manage so well when a DoF is clearly essential??

Real Madrid have had 15 managers in about 15 years. During a period of 13 in 12 years, they won the European cup several times. In Spain a DoF is not a problem for them, clearly. But to mirror this approach, you would have to structure the whole club around the DoF. In this country we simply do not do this, which is why in the UK it nearly always fails. AND now consider that in European Football ENGLAND produce by far the most successful clubs in the modern era. Not one of those clubs - Arsenal, United, Chelsea or Liverpool has a Sporting Director/DoF. So why the feck should we want one??

Oh and if you tell me Chelsea has a Sporting Director/DoF you would be right. Tell me, when did they last win the league or Champion's League... Ah, it was when they employed a manager who walked when someone else told him who to buy and pick...

In an ideal world I agree. But the term Football Manager is a misnoma. The best Football Managers RUN every aspect of the football side of their club. When do you think Alex Ferguson last took a training session with his players? He doesn't really - that's the coaches' job. But he decides who stays, who goes, who coaches, the scouts, the colour of the changing room walls, who is allowed into the changing room, who isn't, the players babies' names, their wives... That's why he fired Beckham and Ronaldo. And yet they will STILL win the league. In football, the manager dictates the on-field strategy, which means dictating the off-field, football-related decisions. He may have to go cap in hand to his Chairman for cash to buy the players, to appoint the right coaches, scouts, etc. But the Manager makes these decisions. Where a Chairman appoints a DoF it nearly always fails. Why? Because this is the Chairman admitting he doesn't know enough about the business he runs to TRUST his manager. Otherwise, why else bring the DoF in?? If the DoF is dictating football strategy - HE is de facto the MANAGER.

Many a true word spoken in jest DD.

.....

I do a bit of work with the MoD and they have this phrase 'sustainment' which I personally don't believe is a real word. But if it is, that's what we have to build - sustainment. Not a get back quick and then yo yo around the leagues approach, but an infrastructure and squad that is capable of mounting a challenge this year, next year and beyond. Yes, the players may change, but ideally the manager and coaching staff won't.

Lol - and to think for a change I was serious!!!!

LMFAO. On a serious note, I think Lee Holmes would be a bloody superstar in this league. Yes, based on seeing him only half a dozen times, but his delivery from the left is excellent and he nearly always goes OUTFECKINGSIDE!!! hooray!

Is it not the point of a forum to express one's opinion and try to persuade others? That's why I can never understand people calling Alpine and others trolls... Half of the fun of a forum (just like in old Roman times) is that we all have an argument and we all believe we are correct in our assertions. The problem is most of you are wrong! (Oh, that last bit was irony for the hard of thinking - and boy we do have some... )

I don' know why but that really tickled me... all those times we fannied around with it last season, orbit would have done!!!

CB you and I have discussed this before and I value your judgement on numbers. How many games would we need to win on the trot (given other results) to be around the play off places??

I'm sure Pardew is telling them all of the above. The problem is he is telling Jake Thomson. Which is a bit like telling me to go down to Annabels on Friday night and come home with a Page 3 bird... When Pardew has players with a bit more nous and guile all over the park we have a chance. I thought Mills did exactly what you've described but his delivery was poor. However, if he can get his delivery right (was his first game back after all) he can offer the width. Morgan hit him 2/3 times with balls that did spread play. I guess we can all see what's wrong, but given that some of these players couldn't do it last season, why do we expect them to be able to this?? When has Lallana ever taken the ball wide... (not dissing him, just a fact).

I don't think that's remotely true. I can only speak for me, but I am: 1. Extremely thankful I have a club for others to moan about and therefore preface all my thinking with this knowledge. To do otherwise seems churlish and frankly, just a bit ungrateful. 2. Patient enough to see six years worth of damage undone over the next year or two, not over three weeks. 3. Still positive that promotion is not beyond us - however hard it looks. Other teams have gone six games unbeaten - Leeds and Charlton, why not us once the team is established and new players are in the starting 11? 4. Relaxed enough to understand that moaning about failure to win thus far is a bit premature. Oh and personally, I can see green shoots - a much derided term, but the solidity of our back four after last season is like the wife suddenly losing twelve pounds and suggesting sex...