Park Life

It helps to have a manager you don't have to sack after they've blown your wad on their shite players. We've ripped it up and started again half a dozen times since the stability of SBR Of course by default that is a case for a DOF. Or not fucking up in appointing a manager. Again and again and again. Again, even with a goodish manager and had we still been in the PL we were probably about 8th choice for a player in this league and about 30th choice for a player if clubs of similar standing in Euro are taken into account. Yes, but Rome wasn't built in a day. Unless you're Chelsea. What's wrong with stability and steady improvement? We've had the whole of the PL time to build Rome.

In all honesty maybe we didn't need it with the likes of Keegan, Daglish and Robson, they probably were scouting networks on their own to a degree. But the lack of youth development (local and imported) and scouting is plain ridiculous (it's not like Fergy or Wenger is personally searching out young players he likes the look of). And stability.... how much different would things be looking now in just that context if Keegan had stayed. Which is the one good thing at the moment if the Shearer rumours are true, 4 year contract. Of course that assumes he isn't sacked (or isn't just rubbish). I agee, the lack of scouting has aggravated the bad buy huge wage cycle.

It helps to have a manager you don't have to sack after they've blown your wad on their shite players. We've ripped it up and started again half a dozen times since the stability of SBR Aye we wouldn't have been relegated with a decent manager that was actually in charge (and not being undermined by Wise et al) that had a bit to spend (or at least could spend what he sold) this season. We'd still have been in the danger zone with wages, but with a non-relegation Premiership finish we should have been able to move on. We're always going to have to pay more because we're not in London (or near it) and not Manchester Utd or Liverpool, but the trick is not paying loads for rubbish (which is what we've become - a place that pays well for other peoples out of date crap). Although again presently the issue is going to be surviving the wage bill in the Championship, until that's sorted little else matters. But this has been endemic and not the fault of one or other regime is my point. Rubbish. It's the fault of both Shepherd/the Halls and the current regime. Enedemic in the sense there is no easy way round it.

Aye a lot of it maybe, but John Hall can still bugger off all the same, he's pretty much spent his goodwill with his behaviour since ~1998. He had ample chances to help the club out in that period, but choose £££'s over that ever time. The structure and overall organisation of the club was never PL standard. It isn't the case we can blame individuals. You can blame the individuals running the show, like SJH. Fop's spot on. You can but it won't get you far. He's just another businessman who struck lucky. This club needs football people who are comitted to it and stay for long periods. How many times has the dwarf coach returned to Liv. How long have the admin and coaching staff been in place at Everton etc... The club lacks continuity in just about every department.

It helps to have a manager you don't have to sack after they've blown your wad on their shite players. We've ripped it up and started again half a dozen times since the stability of SBR Aye we wouldn't have been relegated with a decent manager that was actually in charge (and not being undermined by Wise et al) that had a bit to spend (or at least could spend what he sold) this season. We'd still have been in the danger zone with wages, but with a non-relegation Premiership finish we should have been able to move on. We're always going to have to pay more because we're not in London (or near it) and not Manchester Utd or Liverpool, but the trick is not paying loads for rubbish (which is what we've become - a place that pays well for other peoples out of date crap). Although again presently the issue is going to be surviving the wage bill in the Championship, until that's sorted little else matters. But this has been endemic and not the fault of one or other regime is my point.

It helps to have a manager you don't have to sack after they've blown your wad on their shite players. We've ripped it up and started again half a dozen times since the stability of SBR Of course by default that is a case for a DOF. Or not fucking up in appointing a manager. Again and again and again. Again, even with a goodish manager and had we still been in the PL we were probably about 8th choice for a player in this league and about 30th choice for a player if clubs of similar standing in Euro are taken into account.

Look at the bulk buying of say a Liverpool, half of whom never make it. 62 man sqad. I don't bother taking seriously individual bad buys, the nature of the beast is that generally you get one goodun in 3/4. Again this takes money and intelligence and even then the one goodun might get inj or leave. Not sure why you quoted my post there Just saying fretting over individual buys is pointless when the club has had little of no gameplan or good governance for so long.

The problem is that it's easy to see how we got there. The magic act would be attracting good players to NUFC without paying at least slightly OTT wages.... although some of our acquisitions over the last 2-3 season have been shocking, players on wage. We're not going to have to worry about attracting those sort of players any time soon though, but it's utterly scary how bad things could still get in the Championship off loading them (administration is still an option if Ashley is losing enough week on week and from there is pure ). My gut feeling is that we have never had continuity or any kind of bluprint or structure (no boot room) no alliances with Euro clubs with regard to scouting etc...The underlying issues are huge. Over the last decade people in power have just been lazy.

It helps to have a manager you don't have to sack after they've blown your wad on their shite players. We've ripped it up and started again half a dozen times since the stability of SBR Of course by default that is a case for a DOF.

The players were owned by a holding company and were leased by the club. Cheaper in the short term, however they never become assets as you say. Leeds were actually a fairly well run club till Risdale went mad. Should there actually be more rules on how clubs are run??

Aye a lot of it maybe, but John Hall can still bugger off all the same, he's pretty much spent his goodwill with his behaviour since ~1998. He had ample chances to help the club out in that period, but choose £££'s over that ever time. The structure and overall organisation of the club was never PL standard. It isn't the case we can blame individuals.

Nicos the cycle is bigger than that IMO. There seems to be an underlying disadvantage we have which we didn't have under KK 2, then it was cause we did buy some good players and basically outspent the competition, which we can no longer do. I don't think as Leazes does it just comes down to getting a good manager, the problem is bigger and more underlying...Whether it's location or lack of success it has been with us for a while. The mind boggles that we couldn't compete with the likes of Fulham and Wigan.

Look at the bulk buying of say a Liverpool, half of whom never make it. 62 man sqad. I don't bother taking seriously individual bad buys, the nature of the beast is that generally you get one goodun in 3/4. Again this takes money and intelligence and even then the one goodun might get inj or leave.

We've been overpaying for a decade nowt to do with Ashley. It is a bigger problem than just the failings of one particular regime. Oh I agree I'm just saying that the new regime has hardly addressed the problem. We've sold players in January presumably to fund the wage bill but as it turned out they were players we couldn't spare. They've brought in players like Barton, Cacapa, Nolan, Xisco, and R. Taylor presumably on high wages, players who like their predecessors aren't good enough. I think they were gambling on getting through to the summer in the premiership when they could start making serious in-roads in the wage bill by kissing off the likes of Owen and Viduka. Even if we'd stayed up I was expecting some surgery on the squad. Now it will presumably involve full scale amputation. Yes, yes yes... But there seems to be no easy ans to the greater problem ie How to get/attract good upcoming players and keep them without paying mad money. The answer is you pay them mad money. Then you have no room for maneuver when things go awry (inj/form etc) and get relegated. Small time thinking. Weren't you advocating a £150M spend as the only answer at the start of the season? I think that was in relation to getting to the top of the league. Getting that shower of shit to the top would take at least 150m (it was 100m tbf) and remains (depsite the piss taking) one of Parky's more prescient moments. If you're in the game (PL) you have to compete, there is no other way as you slowly drift down the table and start falling behind it is harder to steer the tanker. PL clubs have massive turning circles. If KK had been given even 50m we would have been fine this year (arguably) and this summer could still have been a clearout of the junk.

I remember people complaining about Emre, Dyer and Parker. Different players - same cycle. The issue isn't what they're on, but who they are and how do we get them without handcuffing our ability to remain pro-active. This is in reality what fucked Ashley up if for a moment we put the hate aside (and I do hate him).

We've been overpaying for a decade nowt to do with Ashley. It is a bigger problem than just the failings of one particular regime. Oh I agree I'm just saying that the new regime has hardly addressed the problem. We've sold players in January presumably to fund the wage bill but as it turned out they were players we couldn't spare. They've brought in players like Barton, Cacapa, Nolan, Xisco, and R. Taylor presumably on high wages, players who like their predecessors aren't good enough. I think they were gambling on getting through to the summer in the premiership when they could start making serious in-roads in the wage bill by kissing off the likes of Owen and Viduka. Even if we'd stayed up I was expecting some surgery on the squad. Now it will presumably involve full scale amputation. Yes, yes yes... But there seems to be no easy ans to the greater problem ie How to get/attract good upcoming players and keep them without paying mad money. The answer is you pay them mad money. Then you have no room for maneuver when things go awry (inj/form etc) and get relegated. Small time thinking. Weren't you advocating a £150M spend as the only answer at the start of the season? Which you poo pooed.

We've been overpaying for a decade nowt to do with Ashley. It is a bigger problem than just the failings of one particular regime. Oh I agree I'm just saying that the new regime has hardly addressed the problem. We've sold players in January presumably to fund the wage bill but as it turned out they were players we couldn't spare. They've brought in players like Barton, Cacapa, Nolan, Xisco, and R. Taylor presumably on high wages, players who like their predecessors aren't good enough. I think they were gambling on getting through to the summer in the premiership when they could start making serious in-roads in the wage bill by kissing off the likes of Owen and Viduka. Even if we'd stayed up I was expecting some surgery on the squad. Now it will presumably involve full scale amputation. Yes, yes yes... But there seems to be no easy ans to the greater problem ie How to get/attract good upcoming players and keep them without paying mad money. The answer is you pay them mad money. Then you have no room for maneuver when things go awry (inj/form etc) and get relegated.

You numpty. What the hell do you think HE'D get out of that conversation? You've sighed your oh so world weary disappointments of his stellar career, but what have you done yourself? People think critiquing a film is somehow like MAKING a film. They are in fact....different. I can understand people not *liking* his movies, but to dismiss them as if he hasn't been THE SINGLE MOST INFLUENTIAL DIRECTOR of the last 15 years is a little rich. Please provide evidence of your superior output. Thx. Not sure what your point is? Nobody allowed to banter about anything unless they prove they are superior in various things?? Again, I dismiss all his work. What are you going to do about it fucknuts? Talking like he's such a DISAPPOINTMENT! I mean really. It's like me saying John Lennon was over rated. Why don't you go and write an angst ridden song about it with your frog bird? Nice comeback! I'm only pulling yer chain you freak ...I can't see for a second how you can have a pop at Tarantino when 90% of all films made are worse that's all. Back in yer box.

We've been overpaying for a decade nowt to do with Ashley. It is a bigger problem than just the failings of one particular regime. Oh I agree I'm just saying that the new regime has hardly addressed the problem. We've sold players in January presumably to fund the wage bill but as it turned out they were players we couldn't spare. They've brought in players like Barton, Cacapa, Nolan, Xisco, and R. Taylor presumably on high wages, players who like their predecessors aren't good enough. I think they were gambling on getting through to the summer in the premiership when they could start making serious in-roads in the wage bill by kissing off the likes of Owen and Viduka. Even if we'd stayed up I was expecting some surgery on the squad. Now it will presumably involve full scale amputation. Yes, yes yes... But there seems to be no easy ans to the greater problem ie How to get/attract good upcoming players and keep them without paying mad money.

We've been overpaying for a decade nowt to do with Ashley. It is a bigger problem than just the failings of one particular regime.

Can't disagree with that. It's just that it's a recurring cycle with some clubs - take Boro, they went through a phase of high wages for little return not so long ago. We have habitually over compensated players to get them to sign, the only other route is to buy they younger, but then you need a scouting system that rivals Arsenal or Man U and again without the pulling power.

You numpty. What the hell do you think HE'D get out of that conversation? You've sighed your oh so world weary disappointments of his stellar career, but what have you done yourself? People think critiquing a film is somehow like MAKING a film. They are in fact....different. I can understand people not *liking* his movies, but to dismiss them as if he hasn't been THE SINGLE MOST INFLUENTIAL DIRECTOR of the last 15 years is a little rich. Please provide evidence of your superior output. Thx. Not sure what your point is? Nobody allowed to banter about anything unless they prove they are superior in various things?? Again, I dismiss all his work. What are you going to do about it fucknuts? Talking like he's such a DISAPPOINTMENT! I mean really. It's like me saying John Lennon was over rated. Why don't you go and write an angst ridden song about it with your frog bird?

Shall I put Kill Ashley in the title?

We spend about 68m a year on wages iirc. Someone can check.

Fair point. And if Luque hadn't had that inj he might have turned out alright etc... There has been general incompetence at the club all over. For a long time we only had one full time scout etc...