Legod Third Coming

Oh right - so Pardew is our most successful manager of the recent era - much more than WGS or Adkins... brilliant.

There is only one measure by which all managers can be judged across decades and that is the volume of games they win. Lawrie (of whom I am a huge fan) wasn't bankrolled by billionaires but in the First Division he was able to sign: Shilton, Watson, Mills, Ball... and lest we forget, the messiah!!! (I don't imagine Adkins will be bankrolled to sign Messi - today's equivalent!!!) I appreciate it's arbitary - Lawrie was successful over a long period and it's a bit like comparing Arkle with Kauto Star. But really, in all the years following, do you recall 20+ consecutive home wins... Adkins is Kauto Star and you're just from the Arkle era my friend....

Which is basically our issue - we are massively missing Chaplow and a fit Lallana. Which is hardly the fault of the manager. Take Bale and Modric out of the Spurs side and let's see how they fare...

If you can find a bloke who has won a higher ratio of games, I'm all ears!! He is still the most successful manager in the football league bar Fergie...

I don't profess a great football knowledge but I do know that tactically Adkins must have been getting more right than wrong for 18 months to be as successful as we have been. I also know that we played with width on Friday night and lost 1-0. Without three centrasl midfielders. With two. Who had no control of the midfield for the whole bloody game!!!!

Adkins' previous record of taking over a club and getting it promoted in ten months, you mean?? That one where he ran out of ideas about what time - May 30th?

I'm sick and tired of the happy clapper label. The facts are we are top and our recent form has been poor. Nothing more, nothing less. And yet we are supposed to turn against our most successful manager ever on your say so?? Well you know what. You can take your opinion on that basis and shove it up your arse where it belongs.

And I don't need to smell s h i t to recognise it.

In my view because they lack perspective and an understanding of how football works. Few teams (if any) simply go to the top of the league and win every game without some form of setback during the season. Football is like life. It's not the getting knocked down that counts, it's how you pick yourself up and respond. Tactics which led us to the top are now being called into question - fans know better than our most successful ever manager apparently...

Anyone who says Adkins has to prove anything to us should be taken out and shot. After doing so much for us in the first 18 months of his tenure, if you don't support him now you are either: 1. A goldfish. 2. An idiot. Take your pick. Recent form has not been great but nothing that is worth having was not hard work achieving. We know we need strengthening. We had some good luck early in the season, and we've had our share of poor luck of late. But in the words of the manager, we stick together, we go again.

If he is I would put Reeves on the bench. Lokoed good when I saw him in the cup.

Good call, De Ridder one side, Guly the other, Cork and Hammond midfield with Morgan the option.

He hasn't looked quite at the pace since he came back from injury. I suspect he genuinely needs a rest. He won't admit it - nothing sinister, which footballer in a team at the top of the league would?? It was telling that he really upped his game against the skates but even then he was still not to the standard he was pre injury. I would simply do a Rooney and send him to a beach for a fortnight - maybe over the cup weekend.

Homophone...

MOST deals are done late in the month. It's a reality. What is he supposed to do, slow the world down/speed it up?? And in the last transfer window we signed a bloke who has turned out to be one of the best centre halves in the division - but because no one had heard of him it was a poor transfer window. Barking fecking mad.

I would be stunned if Rickie fancied Hannover over the Premiership... But then, big busted girls in dirndls serving top quality Bavarian bier by the stein... Where do I sign??!!!!!

Just substitute the word sense for faith and you've got it spot on...

Does anyone think United's season is over after losing to Blackburn I wonder....

Explain steam?? Fitness? Motivation? What?? Genuinely - because I thought we looked a bit jaded last night, but we had two games in four days to be fair.

We are top. What might have happened is a fatuous argument. You know no more how we might have fared at Elland Road as you do tomorrow's lottery numbers.

We actually went for Plan B for the WHOLE of the second half last night. We went direct almost from kick-off. It still didn't work. Why?? A ref who wouldn't have given a rubber ring to a drowning man. Lambert and Guly too far apart. Losing out on the bounce almost every time (sometimes luck, sometimes bottling it). Bad luck in the box - how the hell we didn't at least hit the target given de Ridder's crosses is beyond me. It does show that Adkins won't always stick to the football on the ground. What we needed last night was a pacey forward we could have nicked it over the top to. Maye putting SDR through the middle would have been an idea?? But I'll trust in NA.

Do not fear. I have watched plenty of Swansea, QPR, Blackburn, Bolton, Wast Brom, Nowrich, Villa and Wolves this season - on our days (and we've had plenty) we have the ability to match any of the above. Yes, we may well get tonked by a Spurs or Arsenal once in a while, but we'll also manage to beat a Chelsea and United, draw with Fulham and should have enough in the locker even with the current squad not to be disgraced. And do you know what, who cares if we go up and lose every game - which we won't, it just doesn't happen like that??? We'll come back down with £50m in the bank. Safe. Secure. Solid. And with a future to look forward to. You can't say that of many clubs these days.

Cold light of day is a good time to make assessments and I couldn't disagree with any of yours. Point 5 especially.

Can't believe anyone who thinks that we were poor last night. It was a poor result but Bristol City were the best team at SMS I've seen this season - organised, drilled, unbelievably fit and very confident on the ball. Their defence was first rate and their goalkeeper is too bloody good for this league - even if he does handle outside the box!! How are they in the bottom half of the table?? We were unlucky, de Ridder was unfortunate with a few of his balls in. Fox and Richardson a little wayward with their crossing. We were a touch outmuscled in midfield and our finishing lacked the bite of normal. On another night we could have won that game 1-0. The good news is the Chairman has seen his first defeat of the season just as the transfer window opens!!

After half the season, our form is better than anyone else in the league. FACT - indisputable. We are top of the league and in a few hours we will still be joint top. We have had a poor December. We can now buy players to strengthen a team that is missing an in-form Lallana (say what you like, since his injury he is a yard off the pace and doesn't look quite match fit), Chaplow (a massive loss) and needs a pacey striking option and possibly a strong central midfield option. Why should our second half season form be worse than the first half? In both of our previous seasons we have had a very strong second half season. If you want to imagine the worst, go ahead. I'll take twelve points clear of seventh thanks. And look forward to the manager and Chairman strengthening a bloody good side with some decent options.