sadoldgit

Ron, thanks for this. I did have some recollection of Barclays pulling the rug out of the blue. Trouble is, as time passes and as more people put their interpretaion on what happened, or what they think happened, things get clouded. There is a fascinating book to be written about our decline and fall (and hopefully rise!). Duncan, you up for it?

If you can't be bothered to engage in a sensible discussion do us all a favour and go somewhere else will you? For someone who thinks he knows so much you actually know very, very little. Tell you what, go and draw up a list of all of the managers that you would like to replace Pardew and when you have a top three come and tell us who they are. That should keep you busy for a while. Then we can have a meaningful discussion about their merits and your reason for wanting them over Pardew. Ok?

I suppose where there is life there is hope - and stranger things have happened so maybe you can't blame him for hoping something would come out of the woodwork. As you say Duncan, we think we have had problems but when you look elsewhere it could have been worse. I'd rather be us than Portsmouth, Cup Final and all!

Wot? Alpine in slagging someone off who is trying to get a balanced view shocker! You seem to know an awful lot about what went on inside the club for someone so far away. Source?

Sorry Panda, I was writing my post when you had made yours, but this pretty much answers my question. I keep hearing other clubs referring to us a "cheats" for going into Administration which is pretty weird as we had no say in the matter!

This is what I am trying to get my head around. Again my memory is hazy on this point but I thought that Lowe wasn't expecting us to end up in Administration and was running the club as if the plug wasn't going to be pulled. If you think you re afloat and trading and don't know that the bank are about to pull the plug, why would you put the club into administration? And yes, it did work out well in the end (although we dodged a bullet with Pinnacle!!).

What a strange individual you are. I haven't slagged Keane off. I have simply made the point that spending shedloads of cash does not guarantee you success. Do you think that is a concept that you can handle? If you are so sure that money can buy success please tell me what is the amount you have to spend a) to guarantee winning the European Champions Cup and b) Divison 1. Surely then all Chelsea and Southampton have to do is to spend that money and we are sorted!

Go and read some of the replies on here. It would appear that some people would have been very happy if we had been knocked out of every cup at the first round stage (even though there is absolutely no guarantee that we would have any more points on the board if we had).

The way the money is divided up in football nowdays sux big time. It is about to get even more unfair if this measure goes through.

Can someone who knows what they are talking about help me out here please? I have seen lots of posts blaming Lowe for deliberately timing administation so that we would lose 10 points this season along with relegation. My understanding when it happened was that the timing had nothing to do with Lowe and that it came about because the bank pulled the plug on us at that particular point in the season. So who instigated it? Lowe or Barclays?

No one knows (apart from our lucky fans with crystal balls). It did hurt clubs that have done doubles and trebles and you could argue that good cup runs increase confidence and help performances in league games. perhaps without good cup runs we wouldnot be doing so well now? You only have to look at some of the points dropped by some of the other "top" teams to see that long cup runs don't affect their ability to put in a cr*p performance. We must be one of the only clubs who have won b*gger all for years and finally win something then moan about it!!!

You have completely lost me with this one Alpine. The only thing I see in the washing basket is washing???

You have completely missed the point here Wes. Yes I am a shades of grey man (as opposed to a shades of black ). All I am doing is trying to get Alpine to fess up. Personally I think that Pardew has done more than enough to prove his is good enough (and ambitious enough) to carry on his rebuilding job next season but I don't think that Alps believs that himself. So it was a cheeky attempt to get him to a) at least answer a question and b) let us all know where he nails his colours. Of course we know where he nails his colours and that is not on this manager's mast if he loses another match or two..thing is every managers gets things wrong ad lose matches - it just seems like ours are not allowed to? As for the paraphrasing again Alps, please get it right. I have no problem with NC's ambition (over ambition as you bizarely put it). What I have an issue with is the fact he went public when it should have been done behind closed doors between him and Pardew. Also the fact that it would be nice to see him give Pardew some praise for the good job he has done this season. To me his announcement smacked very much at putting distance between him and us not getting promotion. No doubt he saw the stick that Lowe got and has decided very early on that the buck stops with the manager (even if he does call the shots on the transfers). We ALL want promotion don't we? It is just that there are some people who can see why it was going to be tough this season and if we have to wait another season so be it. I assume that ML and NC both saw it like this when they announced their 5 year plan - unless it was promotion this year and 4 years to get our of the CCC???? Personally I don't see why it is a problem to support someone who is obviously committed to doing his best for us and has already won some silverware. This constant sniping when he drops a point or three is what winds me up. By all means criticise players bought or tactics, but with APs record for us thus far to come out with "I am not calling for his head yet" seems more than a little previous to me and very disrepectful to a good manager doing a good job. At the end of the day it really doesn't make any diffrence does it? Alpine is very hard on managers (oddly apart from Pearson who only managed to win 3 out of 13 matches for us) but thats the way he is. It is all a bit of internet banter but I am not the only one who gets irritated by Alpine's negativity and attitude on here am I?

No...............next question

You have probably forgotten but we made the play offs and would have made the final if not for a couple of individual mistakes by a couple of players. We were winning every other game. Doesn't happen to us very often but we are doing thta now and yu still can't bring yourself to back the manager 100%. Still, who needs stats eh. As for attention...how many poss exactly??? ps Do you have any comment about the money Keane has spent and where they are in the league???

Ah, the old pot kettle black scenario....still no answer to my question???

I hope you are right Foxtone but NC has hardly backed hin to the hilt in public has he? There does seem to be this thing going on, you know, bring in a "name" manager, give him some money, instant promotion that NC propergates. As we know, this is no instant recipe for success and if Pardew does pull it off this year he should be given the keys to the city. It would be good if NC could come out and back Pardew 100% for next season now so that we all know where we stand over the closed season and AP can get on with rebuilding job.

Any succcessful mamager in the lower leagues is going to attrack attention from above and Pardew has plenty of experience in the Prem as well as a good track record with us. He could walk into any job in the CCC and I expect there are clubs in the Prem who would have him too, irrespective of Celtic. I just hope he stays and sees the job through.

LOL, he certainly has the gift for avoiding answering questions!!!

You really do talk a lot of cr*p Alpine. There is a huge difference between targetting the play offs and seeking 6th. Please feel free to find any quote where he said he was aiming for 6th spot? You have learnt nothing from that season have you? There are plenty of other teams hell bent on promotion too as we have found this year again - no one is going to roll over and make it easy for us. That season as in this, we are one of the most competitive teams in the divison but we have no divine right to get promoted and it is a tough job. I remember you saying that you felt that he was deliberately trying not to get us up. I supposed you think that too about Pardew as you find it impossible to come out and give him your full support. Who exactly would you support in the job? It strikes me that anyone we employ is not good enough for you. Burley was the best manager in a points for game ratio before Pardew came along yet neither of them can please you. I suppose we need someone who can guarantee 3 points a game. Good luck with that. PS Roy Keane spent £8m of Ipswich's "family silver" this season - don't see them troubling Newcaste or West Brom.

Okay Alpine, as you obvioulsy can't bring yourself to give a simple yes or no I shall assume that it is a no and that you are keeping your powder dry for when Pardew does something else to warrant more grief from you. As for trying to "inform" myself "sufficiently". I was under the impression that I was trying to do with this simple question. Time to move on....

Quite, it is just a bit of banter on an internet forum, along with all the other topics that are discussed on a regular basis.

This is exactly why you can't guarantee to buy your way out of this or any other league. What looks good on paper does not always produce on the pitch. The trick is to pick the team and the tactics to get a result on the day and then to make changes if things aren't going to plan. For the more successful managers they get it right more often than not but even Wenger can and does get it wrong and so does everyone else. All managers have a hard job. On the plus side for them, most of them get rewarded very well for failure!

All I have seen you say is that you are not calling for his head "yet". I have asked for a yes or no answer to the question are you backing our manager for next season. This is not tring to get one over on you. I am simply trying to discover whether you think that Pardew is the man to take us forward next season. So then Alpine, once again. Yes or no?

What have courts and barrack room lawwyers got to do with anything? I have asked you a simple question which you seem hell bent on ignoring. Yes or no?