sadoldgit

I think the point is that we expected promotion this season after the foundation was laid last season. It will be harder next year and Adkins and the team will be expected to take a step up.

Has Alps been on yet? I am a bit worried that he may have exploded with joy!

Absolutely excellent second half to the season and an awesome run in. It will be tougher next year and that will be a better measure of his abilities but for now - job well done.

I am with you here. No matter how incompetant the police, they must have had some reason to doubt the McCanns. Awful to lose a child in this way and even worse to be suspects if innocent, but I too feel that there is more to this.

Yes they are, but she seems to be the one who is constantly in the media. I just found today's press tasteless and unnecessary. What they both did that night was unforgiveable and they will carry the guilt of their carelessness and selfishness to the grave. BUt by constantly raacking it up are they really trying to do their best for Maddy are just assuage their guilt?

I am sure it will, but why keep airing it in public? It is like picking at a scab.

I do have some compassion for her and I can't imagine her pain, but it has been some time now. There are lots of parents out there whose child has gone missing but they go about things with dignity. These people seem more concerned with themselves than with Maddy and her memory.

Excellent post. Whilst I won't miss it you make a good point. I hate what the Premiership has become and also won't be too disappointed if we stay in the Championship for a bit.

You would like to think it is. Sadly I think that Maddy is probably dead. Either the way, the chances of her being found now must be minimal.

Strange little man.

Nicholl inherited some excellent players but didn't bring in the same quality players that Lawrie did. I still think we should have brought in a more experienced manager to take things on but there you go. A backward step to me but I did say I was probably on my own here.

You are probably right.

If the public outpourings were driven by grief then I could understand it, but there seems to be something of the narcissist in both of them. I often get the feeling this is about them, not Maddy.

If he knew he was going to leave why sack him? It was no secret that the two did not get on. Could you blame Pardew for keeping his options open if what you say is true? There was an awful lot of rubbish spouted about this at the time and there still is. As it happens it has worked out well for both us and Pardew so time to move on.

I take it you don't have childen of your own then?

So Mrs McCann is now to publish a book in which we get to hear how traumatic this whole sad affair has been for her. Well how about poor Maddy? If you had done your job and been there for her rather than off enjoying yourself this would never have happened. You let her down. I wouldn't wish this on anyone but frankly I am sick off how you continue to drag your guilty pain through the public consciousness. The fault lies solely at the feet of you and your husband. If you had been a couple of chavs your lives would have been made a living hell by the media but because you are a nice, white, middle class couple they seem to bend over backwards to print every utterance and have given you an easy ride. You should be prosectued for child neglect. Having children is a ful time job. If you want time out for a while then you get someone in to care for them, you don't just leave them on their own. I understand your pain but you are the direct cause and you failed your child. Now please go away and grieve in private.

Probably on my own here but I never rated Nicholl. I didn't think he was the man to build on Lawrie's legacy and he didn't. I feel we gradually went backwards under him and he failed to make the most of the fine young talent he inherited.

A bit hardsh considering he had the best points per game total before Pardew and Adkins came along and made the play offs in his only full season. He couldn't build on that season as he had his best players sold from under him and the whole thing went to pot after that. Certainly not the best, but his teams did score lots of goals and win games and that was something we had lacked for a while.

Stranger things have happened, although with us you just know that we love to make things hard for ourselves. Still....we can only hope!

...for a change we did our wheeling and dealing in the early part of the close season and had our squad sorted before the start of the season? I know it isn't our way but surely now that we are in a healthier financial position it would be better to sort the squad, get everyone settled and focussed well before the start of the new season and hit the ground running?

Because they were/are a better all round team than us. Hence the need to strengthen in certain areas.

Good riddance

Perhaps its his phone thats dead?

Who cares? Really? We are up. He can say what he likes but nothing will change that.

It worked with Saddam Hussien didn't it?