sadoldgit

What is your expectation of NA this season then Dune?

He looks like Curly Watts brother from Eastenders (if he had one that is). I don't expect Fonte will losing any sleep now

I imagine that those who gave Pardew a hard time will also be expecting Adkins to get promotion in his first season. If he doesn't.........eek

Well if he wins a cup and gets us promoted in his first season he can say he has done better Dune.

So now you believe all you read Alps???

Quite. The main thing is now hopefully we can start to look forward again. So long as Nigel doesn't have a massive ego, like a tipple or sh*gging we should be sorted

It may be the case, it may not Alps, but at least we have a manager now. Not quite the wow factor I was hoping for but good luck to the bloke. I hope he sees out his contract and I hope that he is successful with us.

There is still time Phil!!!

I get the flesh pressing and the PR initiative and it obviously did the trick on those fortunate enough to be granted an audience. I would say though that the people at the others clubs would expect their fans to believe their version of events as much as NC expects ours to. We don't seem to have much cash at the moment so I can see why we would be stalling on compensation. I am also confused. He is saying that Les Reed's set up has nothing to do with the 1st team yet in the piece on the OS it seemed like it was all supposed to be linked? I am sure something was lost in translation. Still, at least somone seems to have told him to sharpen up his act as far as the fans are concerned, so no bad thing.

I don't agree Alps, although he did get the impression that he thought he would be off earlier than he was. I know you support NC but lets be honest, if he had already decided that NC wasn't the man to take us forward, he should have sacked him earlier and given the club time to regroup and rebuild. There are a number of managers, not just AP, who manage just waiting for the axe to fall...no way to build a future or deal with the now for that matter.

Sounds plausible.

Not so much as wow but more I am going to wait to see what comes out as I think things are more messy than they appear already.

LOL how do you know what I heard and who I heard it from Torres?

As you know I am no NC fan, but I would have no problem with NA coming here at all. Not my personal choice but any manager coming in would get my support. Whoever they are, they will have a tough job on their hands.

I have heard something tonight that gives me a different take on what possibly happened so I am not saying anymore on the subject for now Minsk.

The money thing is a bit worrying. We are told we are a rich club yet the spend this year was disappointing considering we all new we needed a bit more class. And why worry about compensating a club for a manager under contract unless the money ain't there?

He sacked the contractors so you would like to think at least once to give them their P45s

Ok, so why wait to the end of the transfer window to sack him? If it was the right thing to do, do it at the end of the last season, rebuild and hit the ground running at the start of the new. Instead, he sacks him at the point that we show were are turning things round and we can't sign new players. Priceless.

Getting a bit wound up Phil? I don' think AP did too bad a job with the first team last year. As for being sacked for non footballing reasons, why did the other 2 go too?

But apparently he has nothing to do with the 1st team

I agree with a co-ordinated approach. That is what Lowe was trying with the Dutch guys, only problem, wrong people! It makes sense to get the youth, ressies and 1st team signing from the same hymn sheet. Thing is, shouldn't the manager being the one calling the shots? Les Reed might well be a jolly nice bloke and have lots and lots of coaching badges, but I would want the manager running the whole show.

or turn to stone

I bet he wished he'd been caught sha*ging too!

That's what Mick Channon said about LM. He bought in good players and let them get on with it!

If the pressure isn't getting to the players DD, what do you think the problem is? We scored loads last season, why has that dried up?