Dr Gloom

We'd have unquestionably been better off. But the best option was always to move Bobby on at the end of the season previous (like Liverpool did with Houllier) and use the time to bring in a top class coach from who was available, giving them the time and resources to set their team up and get some time with them to start the season following. But of course Fat Fred prefers to keep Bobby on toolong, then having done that dumps him in the shit by telling everyone he has 1 year left, then sacks him 4 games in and then makes the single biggest fuck up any chairman has managed and employs Souness...and the rest is history! i would have let him see out his contract meself. would have been tough on the auld boy to sack him after finishing 5th.

Put it another way ... given the choice, would you rather that Keegan had not left or that Robson had not been sacked? robson should never have been sacked He should have made way for a planned replacement. Sadly that never happened. i wonder where we would be today if that whole thing had been handled differently. ie robson not being sacked 4 games into a new season and instead being allowed to see out his contract then retire graciously before moving upstairs to make way for a new, younger manager. we could have spent robson's final season sounding out his successor instead of finding ourselves having to recruit souness and then roeder.

Put it another way ... given the choice, would you rather that Keegan had not left or that Robson had not been sacked? robson should never have been sacked

Dalglish at Blackburn tbh The one bit of the post you thought you could pull me up on. Nice one. haha, here we go again. Eh? Anyway, I disagreed with your intial premise and as for Robson winning the league if he had KK's resources - I doubt it. Robson's signings, were on the whole, canny shit. So I'm struggling to see how he'd have won the league with more money. The more money he spent (with one or two exceptions) the worse his signings got. what you saying? viana was bargain of the century

I simply dont get the love of him. He was good but a country mile away from great. Liverpool fans dont exactly think the world of him do they? They know his standard and allow really good players like Gerrard to piss them about. but Bellamy? Not gonna happen is it? If he was Waddle, Beardsley, Gazza or Shearer standard at the same point in their careers then I would have a little more regard for him. However, he simply isnt in that league. Or anywhere near it. Terry McDermott was a far better player at his age but I doubt Bellamy would agree with that. He'll never learn. Mainly cos he has very little control over his own ego and temperament. take away the injuries and he's a quality player imo. the problem has always been his attitude. bobby robson had the patience and man-management skills to cope with him but i doubt benietez will bother. he'll probably just buy a replacement and flog him to bolton - i could see big sam getting the best out of him tbh.

those are the most stage managed shots ever. that pic of risse and bellas embracing is hilarious.

Apart from Keegan. Robson would have won the league with Keegan's resources at his disposal tbh. His transfer dealings at Newcastle suggest otherwise tbh. would have walked the title with eleven carl corts tbh

i agree. i think we'll be pretty well stocked for strikers next year if we buy one more to add to shola, owen, martins, dyer and sib as a backup. i think we should gamble on a lower league player like eastwood or nugent...or try for ashton if west ham go down. hopefully gooch will impress and sign a permanent deal then the main problem positions are really just full back although another central defender wouldn't hurt. we're pretty well covered in midfield assuming emre doesn't walk.

looks like he could be on his way tbh

I disagree, KK built a better side from scratch. Robson was class but he took over the club in a better position with better players. Both had plenty money but KK made the better signings. KK had a better win ratio and when you analyse where the club was when both managers joined and then when they both left Keegan did far better overall. Nothing against Robson though. There are elements are Keegan's reign you can criticise (the scrapping of the reserves being one) but overall I thought his signings were top class given his resources at various stages. He signed the right players to get them out of the first div, Kilcline, Peacock etc and then made some very shrewd signings once you were up. Players like Cole were available to anybody who wanted them but Keegan saw the potential befoe others. Even players who I didn't particularly rate before he signed them like Scott Sellars proved to be very shrewd buys. I still maintain he made a mistake in playing (not necessarily signing) Asprilla towards the end of that glorious season though yeah, thanks for reminding us

Correction: the London based press would have you believe that Ferdinand is a "brilliant young player". In reality, he's fairly average. Agreed... He's the brother of a half decent international defender, therefore he must automatically be a "brilliant young player". In reality he's shite and when you speak to reasonable Hammers fans, they'll tell you that Ferdinand is largely to blame for the woeful defensive performances this season... true, but he and gabbidon were both canny last season. could be a blip; then again he could be a one season wonder. i remember bramble looking good during his first season in the premiership with ipswich.

at his age, he should really be happy to take whatever he's offered. we saved him from man city reserves or dropping down a division tbh

Do you ever post comments about him when he's had a good game? It seems you can't wait to criticise the lad and pick holes in his game. yes. i think that on his day he can be a great player, but he's frustrating to watch and there are areas of his game where he has lots of room for improvement. is he worth £10m? i'm not sure. you'd have to say yes when you compare him to luque and there are signs that he can be a quality player for us but i think he's going to follow in the line of newcastle forwards like ginola, robert and bellamy that can be brilliant one week, then disappointing the next. Don't agree with that at all. Ginola and Robert only blew hot and cold because of their poor attitudes. Bellamy wasn't anything like brilliant/rubbish. He always gave his best and very often made a difference. You always knew he would be a threat. Martins is more in the Bellamy camp but is currently inconsistent because he's young and adapting to a new league. Comparisons with Ginola and Robert are bewildering. not saying it's a lack of effort on martins part - you can't fault his workrate - but, like robert and bellamy, he can destroy a team one match then frustrate the next. good player on his day but frustrating. a £10m player should do it every week, or more often than not. so far, i'd give martins a 6 or a 7 out of ten, which is pretty good when you consdier his alleged age, the fact that it's his first season at a new club and country and some of the shite service he's had to deal with this season. How often does £10m buy you a 21 year old that does it every game? you'd expect it from a 28 year old

Good that everybody on here has his own agenda regarding certain players. We should split them equally. Dan has Martins, MattM4 has Ameobi, I have Emre, Baggio has Duff, so there are still plenty left... tbh mate, i don't have an agenda with martins. i want him to do well. i'm just not sure he's worth the money we spent on him. i hope he proves me wrong. i'm willing him to do well.

“Today a young man on Acid realised that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration. That we are all one conscienceless experiencing itself subjectively. There's no such thing as death. Life is only a dream and we're the imagination of ourselves....Here's Tom with the weather. “A lot of Christians wear crosses around their necks. You think when Jesus comes back he ever wants to see a fucking cross? It's like going up to Jackie Onassis wearing a rifle pendant. 'Hey Jackie, just thinking of John. We loved him. Just trying to keep that memory alive baby'” "People say 'Iraq had the fourth largest army in the world'. Yeah, maybe, but you know what, after the first 3 largest armies, there's a REAL big fucking drop-off. The Hare Krishnas are the 5th largest army in the world, and they've already got all our airports." "They lie about marijuana. Tell you pot-smoking makes you unmotivated. Lie! When you're high, you can do everything you normally do, just as well. You just realise that it's not worth the fucking effort. There is a difference." "You ever noticed how people who believe in Creationism look really unevolved? You ever noticed that? Eyes real close together, eyebrow ridges, big furry hands and feet. "I believe God created me in one day" Yeah, looks liked He rushed it." legend

le sib? behave man

looked like he was trying to give their player a reach-around

Do you ever post comments about him when he's had a good game? It seems you can't wait to criticise the lad and pick holes in his game. yes. i think that on his day he can be a great player, but he's frustrating to watch and there are areas of his game where he has lots of room for improvement. is he worth £10m? i'm not sure. you'd have to say yes when you compare him to luque and there are signs that he can be a quality player for us but i think he's going to follow in the line of newcastle forwards like ginola, robert and bellamy that can be brilliant one week, then disappointing the next. Don't agree with that at all. Ginola and Robert only blew hot and cold because of their poor attitudes. Bellamy wasn't anything like brilliant/rubbish. He always gave his best and very often made a difference. You always knew he would be a threat. Martins is more in the Bellamy camp but is currently inconsistent because he's young and adapting to a new league. Comparisons with Ginola and Robert are bewildering. not saying it's a lack of effort on martins part - you can't fault his workrate - but, like robert and bellamy, he can destroy a team one match then frustrate the next. good player on his day but frustrating. a £10m player should do it every week, or more often than not. so far, i'd give martins a 6 or a 7 out of ten, which is pretty good when you consdier his alleged age, the fact that it's his first season at a new club and country and some of the shite service he's had to deal with this season.

the club have offered him a new contract but he'll turn it down and move abroad if he gets done on a racism charge

Do you ever post comments about him when he's had a good game? It seems you can't wait to criticise the lad and pick holes in his game. yes. i think that on his day he can be a great player, but he's frustrating to watch and there are areas of his game where he has lots of room for improvement. is he worth £10m? i'm not sure. you'd have to say yes when you compare him to luque and there are signs that he can be a quality player for us but i think he's going to follow in the line of newcastle forwards like ginola, robert and bellamy that can be brilliant one week, then disappointing the next.

he's been great considering what we were expecting when we signed him on transfer window deadline day. i stil reckon he'll do well to earn a new contract. he's probably done enough to deserve a contract extension but i'd be disappointed if he was anything more than a squad player. he should be 5th choice at best really.

bring back the zenith data systems cup tbh

he reminds me of yakubu. on his day he's awesome. great shot, pace etc. but he's a bit hit, miss or maybe. you can't argue with his workrate but he ran around a lot last night to little effect. he still needs to hold the ball up better and play the easy pass more often.

sib has surpassed all expectations but i'd agree that shola is by far the better player. i'd say the current order of merit for strikers is: owen>martins>dyer>shola>le sib hopefully we can sign a properr target man to replace le sib in the summer. otherwise i think we're fairly well-stocked for forwards - it's the defence that needs sorting.

he's got a decent shout for starting ahead of parker with dyer or emre alongside him.