Legod Third Coming

I think a lot of his work goes un-noticed myself.

That assumes that JP had some or all of the say in who was brought in. Given that we were led to believe Spiderman had been tracked for some time...

Bit unfair on BWP who has scored and created in recent weeks to drop him but keep DMG in?? Or are you privy to the 'DMG must play deal' that apparently exists!!!

Doesn't matter, Cork is on the pitch so you can always switch him back.

You could be right.

More worrying is that this is an endemic failing within our system as these are not new issues for us are they? And many of these players have been in our system for some time. But, you're right, I do disagree they are failing yet. Failing to get things right quicker, I would happily agree with. But maybe I'm just too forgiving!!

Thought someone said Pekhart had gone back to Spurs? But otherwise I wouldn't mind that either.

Kelvin James Perry Pearce Skacel Gillet Cork Surman Lallana Holmes BWP

Under the half-season rule, how many successful managers would never have had the success they have? Irrespective of attitudes to JP, half a season is surely only sufficient if you can point to an unmitigated disaster unfolding before your eyes? What about all those slow starters like Ferguson? Allerdyce? Curbishley? What about Lawrie even? I think this short-termism is killing football and making fans hopelessly unrealistic in their expectations. Listen to the irony: Half a season is fair as the club will need TIME to turn themselves around.... In other words to put right the wrongs before you can even make progress might take half a season. I realise that time is a precious commodity. But half a season where many of our players have now played 23 first-class games...

Not so. Today we are four points clear of relegation. On the last day of last season we were not safe - and relied on other results. Don't get me wrong, I liked Pearson and would have kept him. But I despair of people rewriting history to claim he would have done better than Jan or the more laughable, the we had 'turned a corner'. We started the last day of the season in the bottom three. You have every right to question the manager. But it is unfair to blame him for the results without considering the raw material at his disposal.

If you read what he says, I think he has been quoted as 4-3-3 going forward and 4-5-1 defending. But like I said earlier, I think we make too much of this formation. We fall down on basics time and again which I cannot have as being formation/tactic related. We really do shoot ourselves in the foot when players let the ball bounce, don't deliver corners effectively, waste free kicks, don't stay goal-side, scuff shots, etc. Now, if you said that they are not being trained properly to do the right things in their respective positions I would have genuine sypmathy with the argument...

What is going on there with Jewell and Carroll??

Ok, fair cop on Beatts. He did put in a shift when it suited him. But I maintain it's five years since I've seen them all give their all most games. Not since WGS have a team worked as hard for one another as ours are trying now. It's failing sometimes. You and others ascribe this to a 'malaise'. I put it down to age, experience and quality. You think our results would improve through a change in formation. I don't. I think our results would improve dramatically if we got some better strikers in - ideally the ones we already bloody own!! I support JP - have no care for Lowe. You support neither. Is that fair?

Oh, because I don't fit the convention that we're all doomed, Lowe is Satan and JP is clown. I forgot shephards are not welcome on the site. Baaah...baaahhh get rid of Lowe and the Dutch cretins... that better??

I'm here all week... (You did realise it was irony tho right? I mean from the bloke I quote you could see that? Or is the cynicism eating you up from the inside?) Chill fella.

Oh trust me, I'm more right wing than most Austrians, but it did make a valid case using nearly every current leading international manager as to why 4-4-2 is dead for all but Mike Basset and a nuclues of Southampton fans...

Didn't expect a German to do humour.

Isn't the point that Beatts only really gave his all for Strachan?

Didn't bother to read that excellent Guardian article about the death of 4-4-2 then?

This is politics. It's Morewhiney [sic] getting his own back at Brooking!!!!! Spot on.

No, no. I do think it was more of a gamble than WGS, that was my point. Sorry, not clear. But I would say only 20% more risky. That's what I meant. And as for Pearson, only 10% more risky all things considered. After all, much as I liked him, only Leicester and Coventry failing to score actually saved us, not Pearson alone. (That said, I liked him and would have kept him - but that as AJP Taylor would say, is history).

That is more than the entire club is worth!

How much less tho? all things considered? 50%, 25%? Given the circumstances and likey age of players, etc? I agree with you, of course, it was a gamble. But not as big maybe. Not if you factor in interviews, etc. He's managed at a low level. The bloke at Watford has never managed at all has he?

Stanford pulling out of cricket. The Kuwaiti's putting their share of Aston Martin up for sale. Hicks and Gillet trying to sell Liverpool and no buyers. The money's running out Ames. It's just they don't want you to know how badly, yet. You'll know by June.

That's immaterial, isn't it? That's like saying a donkey should find it easier winning a donkey Derby than a thoroughbred should find it to win the Epsom Derby. It's all relative.