NJS

He did score a few goals for Leeds and Man U. I've said before I always liked him as a player and have been just as disappointed with his time with us as anyone - we can just hope that the lay off and manager change may spark a change in form.

Pompey have signed two midfielders today so this is probably dead. I think Barton falls into a group of players whose sale would guarantee relegation.

Yeah - my unrating of Kinnear aside, I didn't mind in the slightest his gameplan for Chelsea but Allardyce's "respect" for shit teams was soul destroying.

It would have been touch and go imo is my point - in response to the article suggesting we were safe with no chance of relegation. The reason I'm so worried this year is that even with players returning from injury, I think the lack of a focal point to boost confidence as we had least year will be fatal.

When he left we had 26 pts - Reading went down with 36 and a similar GD so we'd have needed 11 points as a minimum - I think we'd have struggled to get that many.

I know I have a vested interest working for an investment bank but as long as this isn't execs as it states and is just operational staff then there is absolutely nothing wrong with rewarding staff who work hard who have nothing to do with risk.

I could never see where those points would have come from tbh - I think comparing positions simplistically takes no account of the fixture list. We certainly wouldn't have been able to play with any freedom at Spurs and would have lost imo - I also think he would have been too negative in the derby and we may not have won it. Also as the end of the season approached I can't even begin to contemplate how much more negative the twat would have made us.

"..defend the constitution... so help me God"

The mackem game could get very interesting off the pitch now - I think owner and manager will have no doubt how they are seen.

NE bottom three looking quite possible now.

The thing about complaining and rocking the boat like we did for Beye's red card is that as long as they keep employing the same incompetent cheats, chances are they can get you back.

What's the odds on Obama being the consumate politician and inviting the pilot to his inauguration?

We did have a couple of years ago (probably pre-Ashley) - a lad I know who used to work for the Shields Gazette - I don't know if he's still there

Pretty much spot on - especially hope and belief >> fear and dread. From my own pov I'd add that that hope and belief rekindled a love of the club and football which was nearly dead and is now in death throes again "one year on".

So this isn't the Ricardo Montalban condolences thread then?

Bit harsh on Bulgaria going by my visit to Sofia in '99 - some mafia/crime/prostitution related theme would have been more appropriate - the rest are pretty good

He was on my flight back to Stansted after the Sunderland game - didn't look as extremely pissed off as I or the couple of other fans on the plane were.

It saddened me as she's on my "you don't really want to know how many people I'd kill for a chance with her" list.

I remember he reffed another game either the next year or the year after and disallowed another goal which was actually a correct decision - the funny thing was the crowd didn't even go up for the goal iirc - we just expected it to be disallowed. It would be good to see the two goals now with modern angles etc - they certainly went beyond even Bennett or any of the other corrupt fuckers worst excesses by a million miles from my "nostalgiac" viewpoint.

Ambitious teams will realise that Bassong is good and he'll be sold.

If I was Hughes I'd wait till the last day and then slap a cheeky £3m in for Given and maybe a couple for Owen - it'll be like Woolies.

I was mainly thinking of the jug-eared cunt and the parasitic whore when I said his family weren't that bad on race - obviously the Queen Mother was a piece of shit.

The context was "our little Paki friend" - do you not think that's extremely patronising at best?

I'd say it had more to do with the army officer training mentality/attitudes rather than his family. His "Dad" is a fuckwit but not a racist imo.

For Taylor I blame Tony Adams - that loan spell at Wycombe "under his wing" accounts for his pointing/ "I'm in charge" attitude which is fine if you were Adams and could defend/had respect but not when you're a headless chicken.