Legod Third Coming

Precisely. Does anyone really think we would have gone from spanking Rovers to being turned over and having our tummies tickled in a week had he stayed? It's immaterial but I just wish people would give Pardew credit. When he arrived we were the country's WORST football team on games won. WORST. And what he just turned that around and gave us a winning mentality (becoming the 7th BEST manager in the country) by doing feck all did he? Sometimes this forum resembles the mob in Rome. Devoid of intelligent debate, reason and credibility. And worst of all, devoid of humility and gratitude.

Couldn't agree more. Said when he started he reminds me of a young Gerrard but with more skill. Doesn't have power in his shot but frankly doesn't need it as his placement, movement and timing are all exceptional. Defenders can't live with him in this league, or the next. Premiership class? Probably in time.

So is Wayne Rooney isn't he? Somehow (and I don't know how because I couldn't do it) footballers can play for anyone. Tbh if it was me and it was a choice between a very, very mediocre Premiership club and two promotions and an England call-up, I know where my future would lie...

You don't need to be an Italian to offer someone a deal they cannot turn down... but it helps!

Thankfully, he created space for and assists for Beattie's goals and got us to the Cup Final despite your wayward assessment...

And yet still plying his trade in a team he helped to promote. Blackpool - TWO leagues above us.... And as for Lambert, he isn't suited to this team any more... sad but true.

Yes we played some great stuff but the reality is BOTH goals came from long balls by Butterfield. There is no right and wrong way to play. You just have to win. A ball that is hit from one player and is received by another in the same shirt in a good position is a good ball. End of story. For 20 minutes yesterday we looked like Brazil and scored precisely NO goals. Let's just see how we get on eh? Yesterday was alright against a team who are just slightly better than dire. Keep playing like that and scoring and we should win the league comfortably. If we don't fire the Chairman.

And so we should. Seriously, with our resources, anything but winning this division would be a huge under-achievement. We were 2/1 to win the league and 10/11 for promotion before a ball was kicked. And for good reason. We are the Real Madrid of League One. For periods yesterday we looked like it too. NOW we have to start thinking like it and showing it every week.

Aye, I noticed the lads ensuring that we kept two up, which kept three defenders back at times. One other thing that is obvious is that we have zero pace in our side (even if we leave two players up) and therefore need to play to our strengths. I'm not convinced that they way we are going to play is going to suit Rickie... for example. But short, sharp interplay is nice to watch, so long as we go long when needed. Take our first goal. What did it come from? From a ball played in from the diagonal, 35 yards out...

Two things that Adkins has done that endear him to me (despite my support of Pardew). 1. Kelvin only kicking when absolutely no other option is available. 2. Leaving two players up at corners. Thank you Nigel. This is pretty basic stuff.

Aye, a nice shade of yellow that - mind you that's probably the Council's response to Cortese asking for them to spruce the area up a bit...

A Tranmere fan asked Goalie66 and me yesterday - "Hey whadever hapent to that statue like? Dat was great dat."... unbelievable.

Exactly. Fans who shun 4-5-1 are living in the dark ages. Pardew used this formation to beat Huddersfield 5-0...There ain't much if any difference between 4-3-3 and 4-5-1 these days.

This will be that drinking culture of Pardew's...

From October played 42, won 27. Seventh best manager in the country. Sometimes facts are wasted on this forum, because contributors are blind to reality. Still I guess even the Crystalline Air Society still has members.

Like Hitler, not all his ideas were bad. Well, look someone was going to bring up a dictator soon enough...

I agree. What Pardew did was made us a WINNING team. The very fact that people complain he only got a draw at Wycombe is evidence of the difference he made to the club at a time when we desperately needed a winning mentality. Adkins now has the opportunity to build on that. Good luck to him. It's time we started to attack this league properly and stamp our bank balance all over it!

Is there any chance we could win if we played on that?

Ditto.

Who's Fletcher?

Then you shouldn't even have internet access. Effing kids, you don't win nothing with them.

Not necessarily - Pardew set his team up and played a certain way. That way earned a 4-0 win. Are you saying it is now impossible to win because we don't have players available who scored that day? It doesn't look a freak result to me. It looked like a smash and grab raid by Plymouth (not my words, those of Ian Darke - Pompey supporter) and that Leyton Orient could have been a similar scoreline had we not conceded a soft goal and their keeper had a great game, with Harding missing a bloody sitter to win it late on - it happens. The key thing is, what value has Adkins added so far and is there any evidence of the free-flowing football he espouses. So far, not to me - or certainly no different to the way the team played under Pardew. Does that mean it won't come, no. But if it doesn't come this Saturday, when will it??? I think the addition of Chaplow is a great start, so well done Nigel. It is also totally disengenuous of people to proclaim that Pardew played hoofball. We didn't hoof the ball when we went to Norwich and outplayed them, or when we outplayed Huddersfield or any of a host of other excellent victories, including at Wembley. Did the players sometimes get frustrated and go long? Yes. It did my head in. But it also provided goals - both Lallana and Lambert scoring direct from Kelvin. I intensely dislike and think it is insane for us to erase the memory of one of our most successful managers in my memory, especially when we have no idea how his replacement will ultimately perform. Tell you one thing though, if we don't beat Bournemouth you watch how many jump ship to this side of the 'anxiety' fence... I hope they have no need to!

Puts pressure on Hammond which is probably exactly what he needs. Good signing based on his last season with us.

Look, Pardew had those players playing and scoring. Would it have mattered who the players were? No. In Pardew's last game we scored FOUR goals. Get it? Oh, that's right. Eight minutes after that game Pardew went around and demoralised them and hence was fired. Fecking hell...