sadoldgit

It is Saints Lore that if you don't get promoted at the first time of asking you are a rubbish manager, as Adkins will find out if he doesn't get us up this year.

I worry that we won't get the players we need until the summer as that will mean another season in this bloody division. We do need new blood - how many players is any ones guess but two qulaity players in the right positions would make a huge difference. And a Plan B would be nice.

DD, will you still be so suppotive of NA if we don't make the play offs this season?

We do need new blood in January but do we have the cash and the owners the will?

The trouble with our electoral system is that encourages Governements to start of mean so that they can "buy" votes with sweetners 4 or 5 years down the line. Not ideal for building a stable economy.

I think you will find that Mr C B Fry is having the arguement DD...unless you think that winning the CCC constitutes winning a "major" trophy? When was the last time they won anything? Fairs Cup in the 70's???

LOL are you serious? A miracle finishing 6th in the CCC? When did I ever say that. I said that his aim was to make the play offs and he achieved that. We would probably have gone up too but for a couple of individual errors by players. I never sneered at Burley. I never sneered at Pardew (who you seem to support too). I am not sneering at Adkins. I did not sneer at Hughton. I simply pointed out, as I will again, that Newcastle United have not won a major competition for decades. If you want to add the CCC as a major comeption that is down to you. Personally I don't. 5th biggest league says it all. Surely major means biggest? I was say 5th was minor. If you want to make an arguement out of that little lot you are now on your own mate.

And you believe that?

Blimey Otters me old mate...a stonking post!!!

I still don't get why some people were not happy with Pardew. His team scored an awful lot of goals and he surely must take credit for that, width or no width. He certainly got the best out of Lambert. His team also won football matches. Whether Adkins will be better or not only time will tell, but we haven't set Div 1 alight this season and if we don't bring in some quality in January it is hard to see how we can push on with what we have. Pardew was expected to take us up last year and was under no illusion that it was this year or bust. Somehow Adkins is escaping that pressure so far this year but why? Surely the expectation should be the same? HOwever, whereas Pardew had money to use, it doesn't seem as though the same financial support is there for Adkins (so far at least). If Cortese is serious about his ambitions he will have to spend more money. He tells us he is the boss. Fine, then do what you need to do otherwise we will be spending another year in League 1 and people like Lallana won't hang around much longer.

Someone said here that Pardew was Susan Boyle to Adkins Cherly Cole. Really?

After last year I as hoping to build on the momentum. However, without the fresh blood (read investment in the promotion push) we seem to be treading water. Last year I beleived that the people running the club were going for promotion big time. I don't get that feeling this year.

Managers have a Plan B when they win and don't when they lose. That stupid comment was levelled at Pardew by those who wanted him out and creamed their jeans at Adkins coming in. The simple fact is that both Pardew and Adkins had/have a hard job to do an if they don't win are deemed to be idiots.

We didn't under perform last season and without starting the season with one hand tide behind out back we would have made the play offs and probably gained promotion. If that manager was still here and allowed to build on last season we would probably be looking at promotion this season. As it is it looks like a struggle this season. What did Keegan say about Ashely? Perhaps the same comment could be levelled at Cortese?

A major competition is the Champions league, Premier League, FA Cup. I don't think promotion from League 2 is. Do you? As for a big club. It is one that wins lots of major competitions isn't it??? How many have Newcastle won in the last 3 or 4 decades?

You are a very strange man. I am not sneering at Chris Hughton for winning promotion from the Championship. I am meerly pointing out that Newcastle have not won a major competion for decades. In what Universe does the Championship constitue a major competion??? And I am the plank.

I don't get it at all. All we really know is that they had not seen eye to eye for sometime.

But then why all of the specualtion about Pardew's future which turned out to be on the money Nick?

Thank you for your response Spudgun and I am sorry if my post was a bit harsh (bad day at the office). I respect your enthusiasm and I hope it is well founded. I do have misgivings about Mr Cortese, especially after telling us that Pardew's job was safe then sacking him at the worst possible time, but we shall see. I still have doubts that we will be owned by the same people this time next year but sincerely hope I am wrong. It is good of you to spend so much time on feeding back what you have heard and for coming back to me on my post. Good on you mate and have a lovely Christmas.

A major competition. Happy to clarify.

Which players? You make it sound like all of them but only Rikki has a problem. There is a difference between not playing well and not being fit. Are they any fitter or playing any better now?

I don't agree. It would be like divorcing Cheryl Cole and marrying Danni Minogue.

Or Hooes, or Hone? Could have been anyone but if NC is alluding to LM then it won't have been Lowe will it as there was no love lost between them and he was tight with the pursestrings as we know. My money would be on Wilde.

Another conspiracy theory Alps? Where is the evidence that the pre-season was f**ked up? Not so long ago we were being told on here that Pardew didn't work the players hard enough - now too hard. Really which is is and why when you were complaining that they wern't worked hard enough is it okay now to slate him for making them work hard. Apparently Strachan ran the players b*lls off, was that wrong? Got us to Wembley and we got back there last season. Maybe there is something to making players work hard?

I agree that if the CEO and manager aren't working in harmony then something has to give and 99.9% of the time that will be the manager. Whether Adkins is the better manager only time will tell. Embracing technology or no, it is results that count. Adkins can use all of the technology going but if he doesn't get us up it is worthless. There was no technology in the 60's yet players played ankle deep in mud week in week out and the treatment rooms were not where near as full as they are now. I accept that the game has changed but you have to ask yourself for the better? Where are the Paine's and the Davies's nowdays? Tery Paine would have played over 800 games if he was a pro these days.