In hindsight was relegation good for the club?

[Holden McGroin 6785]

I dont want to tempt fate here but I wonder about previous injury crisises (is that even a word?). Was it down to players just not wanting to play at the time? The amount of muscle injuries was unreal at certain points.

[Holden McGroin 6785]

It also makes me love Enrique, Jonas and Colo that little bit more. All 3 could have gone back to Spain but instead they were happy playing games on pissy wet midweek nights at Doncaster, Barnsley, Scunthorpe and the like. I love how they are getting the rewards though, smashing 5 past our local rivals in front of 52'000 and beating Arsenal at their place.

 

Makes it all the better the fact that Ola is a bench warmer in Russia, Viduka has disappeared off the face of the Earth, Owen is still crocked and Insomnia has to live in Wigan

 

I dont think Colo would have had many takers considering the fee we paid and wages he is on. Fair play to him though. I love the guy now.

[Guest alex]

I dont want to tempt fate here but I wonder about previous injury crisises (is that even a word?). Was it down to players just not wanting to play at the time? The amount of muscle injuries was unreal at certain points.

Crises

[Christmas Tree 4852]

I dont want to tempt fate here but I wonder about previous injury crisises (is that even a word?). Was it down to players just not wanting to play at the time? The amount of muscle injuries was unreal at certain points.

 

 

Funny that

[sammynb 3517]

I dont want to tempt fate here but I wonder about previous injury crisises (is that even a word?). Was it down to players just not wanting to play at the time? The amount of muscle injuries was unreal at certain points.

 

I said at the time there was a rumour here in Australia, for a more than reliable source, that Viduka was told he would never play for the club again as long as JFK was in charge, hence why when Shearer took control all of a sudden he was fit and available again.

Now we all know Viduka was lazy fat bastard but he wasn't as bad as he was made out to be by some at the club.

[Ayatollah Hermione 14069]

I dont want to tempt fate here but I wonder about previous injury crisises (is that even a word?). Was it down to players just not wanting to play at the time? The amount of muscle injuries was unreal at certain points.

 

I said at the time there was a rumour here in Australia, for a more than reliable source, that Viduka was told he would never play for the club again as long as JFK was in charge, hence why when Shearer took control all of a sudden he was fit and available again.

Now we all know Viduka was lazy fat bastard but he wasn't as bad as he was made out to be by some at the club.

 

I thought when Viduka did play, he showed some decent little touches and the odd sign of class but if that's true (and it wouldn't surprise me), no wonder he couldn't look arsed in the relegation run up. Out of him, Owen and Martins, I have the least disdain toward Viduka.

[Kid Dynamite 7182]

I dont want to tempt fate here but I wonder about previous injury crisises (is that even a word?). Was it down to players just not wanting to play at the time? The amount of muscle injuries was unreal at certain points.

Crises

 

I just applied for a job on the Crisis team yesterday and spelt it Crisis' in my application

[Billy Castell 0]

I think relegation did help. The season you went down was a joke, and was the culmination of years of madness since Robson was sacked. For want of a better word, it was a high risk strategy, which could have seen you do a bit of a Leeds, but it worked. A load of the crap you had swimming around the squad on daft wages like Duff, Martins, Viduka and Owen left, and the remaining players developed a team spirit that grew in a less intense spot light. Whilst you now don't have such big names in your squad, you do have a confident team, and what seems to be a competent manager, which must be a nice change.

[khay 10]

I think relegation did help. The season you went down was a joke, and was the culmination of years of madness since Robson was sacked. For want of a better word, it was a high risk strategy, which could have seen you do a bit of a Leeds, but it worked. A load of the crap you had swimming around the squad on daft wages like Duff, Martins, Viduka and Owen left, and the remaining players developed a team spirit that grew in a less intense spot light. Whilst you now don't have such big names in your squad, you do have a confident team, and what seems to be a competent manager, which must be a nice change.

 

if Smith could be added to the list of crap on high wages leaving I'd be a very happy man right now.

 

Saying that was good for us last season just not worth the money now though. Get the feeling he would be someone who would take a pay cut to getting playing again. I.E off to rangers or somewhere.

[Billy Castell 0]

Maybe the constant rumours will be true, and he'll be at Ewood Park soon.

[khay 10]

Maybe the constant rumours will be true, and he'll be at Ewood Park soon.

 

Done, if that Phil Jones is any good we can do a swap.

[Holden McGroin 6785]

Smudgers contract must be up at the end of the season, no?

 

I wonder where he will go. Championship team surely.

 

Edit: Just checked. 2012. Dammit.

[Guest alex]

Smudgers contract must be up at the end of the season, no?

 

I wonder where he will go. Championship team surely.

 

Edit: Just checked. 2012. Dammit.

Aye, he got 5 years on 60k a week

[manc-mag 1]

Smudgers contract must be up at the end of the season, no?

 

I wonder where he will go. Championship team surely.

 

Edit: Just checked. 2012. Dammit.

Aye, he got 5 years on 60k a week

 

 

Videprinter: .....£15,600,000 [fifteen million six hundred thousand pounds]....

[Happy Face 29]

We've currently got the same owner and the same squad as we would have had we stayed up if you ask me and we're not realisticly going to maintain this position. The one difference i think is Shearer might have kept his job, but even that''s debateable.

 

Relegation was nowhere near as good for the club as losing the 1990 play-off was. That led to change from top to bottom that took us into the champions league, when we could have floundered for decades like the Mackems.

 

Cue Leazes....

Edited November 10, 2010 by Happy Face

[Dr Gloom 22186]

fuck me. when you put it in black and white, that's a pretty shite bit of business. i like smith's attitude; he's a trier and he doesn't hide but he was never worth that sort of money. he's a striker that didn't score goals and a converted holding midfielder who is championship standard at best. all that for a cool £15m in wages plus £6m transfer fee.

[Kid Dynamite 7182]

Smudgers contract must be up at the end of the season, no?

 

I wonder where he will go. Championship team surely.

 

Edit: Just checked. 2012. Dammit.

Aye, he got 5 years on 60k a week

 

 

Videprinter: .....£15,600,000 [fifteen million six hundred thousand pounds]....

 

The crazy thing is, 40% of that is straight to the government in tax. Yet the government have just decided they cant afford £7mil to finish off the Olympic Stadium. They have spent £516mil on it so far but have decided that to decorate the outside like below would just be a step too far so its going to be bare concrete instead

 

[manc-mag 1]

Smudgers contract must be up at the end of the season, no?

 

I wonder where he will go. Championship team surely.

 

Edit: Just checked. 2012. Dammit.

Aye, he got 5 years on 60k a week

 

 

Videprinter: .....£15,600,000 [fifteen million six hundred thousand pounds]....

 

The crazy thing is, 40% of that is straight to the government in tax. Yet the government have just decided they cant afford £7mil to finish off the Olympic Stadium. They have spent £516mil on it so far but have decided that to decorate the outside like below would just be a step too far so its going to be bare concrete instead

 

 

 

I know money's tight these days but that's pretty idiotic given that the external shots are typically one of the iconic images of the games that people are left with. And that's what it's about at the end of the day, a huge marketing drive to advertise London/the UK as a tourist destination so it's a big thing to get wrong for the want of £7 million. Particularly as our weather could very well be shite so you'd want something bright and colourful against slate greay skies, not just bare concrete.

[Guest alex]

Especially when you think how well the economy will be doing by 2012

[Tom_NUFC 0]

Yes, but as has already Bern said, we were lucky. Things could have gone worse and we could have sunk like a stone.

Fortunately, we got rid of the dead wood, and some players I didn't think would stay did and had a good season last year and have built on it (Coloccini & Gutierrez).

The lads that stayed made a firm decision among themselves to stick in and work their bollocks off. And that has ended up creating a really strong understanding and close knit atmosphere.

I won't say that it turned out to be right to shun Shearer and go for Hughton because We don't know what would have happened with Shearer. The reason we ended up with Hughton was let's face it because Shearer told Ashley his plan but that was going to mean Ashley handing over money which he didn't want to do. Hughton was the cheap option, and to his and our good fortune, it paid off. But this wasn't an astute decision on the part of Ashley. He was just lucky.

 

Fortunately Hughton had the respect of the players and as time went on he grew in confidence. Don't get me wrong, I'm very much pro-Hughton and at the time thought as most people did that he and the team need our backing. He's done fantastic, but it was still a gamble based on Ashley not wanting to spend.

 

As the season went on it became enjoyable. It was nice to be winning so many games, there seemed to be a new bond between the team and the fans, like we were all in it together. And it was nice to be out of the headlines. I think that so far it has been a good thing, but so far... There's still time yet.

Edited November 11, 2010 by Tom_NUFC

[Billy Castell 0]

Smudgers contract must be up at the end of the season, no?

 

I wonder where he will go. Championship team surely.

 

Edit: Just checked. 2012. Dammit.

Aye, he got 5 years on 60k a week

 

 

Videprinter: .....£15,600,000 [fifteen million six hundred thousand pounds]....

 

The crazy thing is, 40% of that is straight to the government in tax. Yet the government have just decided they cant afford £7mil to finish off the Olympic Stadium. They have spent £516mil on it so far but have decided that to decorate the outside like below would just be a step too far so its going to be bare concrete instead

 

 

 

I know money's tight these days but that's pretty idiotic given that the external shots are typically one of the iconic images of the games that people are left with. And that's what it's about at the end of the day, a huge marketing drive to advertise London/the UK as a tourist destination so it's a big thing to get wrong for the want of £7 million. Particularly as our weather could very well be shite so you'd want something bright and colourful against slate greay skies, not just bare concrete.

 

I'm guessing its a deliberate ploy by the government to emulate the 1930's................

 

 

David Cameron and Nick Clegg inspect progress on transport links to Thatcher World, a new historical site based in Licolnshire. The road links and the 2000 foot statue of Margaret Thatcher are being built by former public sector workers and those who have been unemployed for 2 weeks.

 

 

Bare concrete has a sense of presence that will last 1000 years.

Edited November 12, 2010 by Billy Castell

[LeazesMag 0]

I think you are all overestimating where we are at the moment. I have nothing but admiration for Hughton, and I am enjoying the spirit and mentality of the team at the moment, but we are miles behind where we could hae been at this point. If Ashley had backed Keegn over Wise, and invested fairly modestly in the team following Keegans advice during that ill fated transfer window I am absolutely crtain it would be us not Spurs laying in the Champions League this season.

 

As it happens relegation wasnt the disaster it could have been, but this is almost entirely due to the luck in having a man with the decency ability and patience of Hughton(a Keegan apointment) at the cub at the time.

 

I am pleased that Hugton is in charge now, but relegation a blessing, not a chance. The last two years have been a huge missed opportunity.

 

nailed

[brummiemag1 0]

I think you are all overestimating where we are at the moment. I have nothing but admiration for Hughton, and I am enjoying the spirit and mentality of the team at the moment, but we are miles behind where we could hae been at this point. If Ashley had backed Keegn over Wise, and invested fairly modestly in the team following Keegans advice during that ill fated transfer window I am absolutely crtain it would be us not Spurs laying in the Champions League this season.

 

As it happens relegation wasnt the disaster it could have been, but this is almost entirely due to the luck in having a man with the decency ability and patience of Hughton(a Keegan apointment) at the cub at the time.

 

I am pleased that Hugton is in charge now, but relegation a blessing, not a chance. The last two years have been a huge missed opportunity.

 

nailed

 

Yes agree 100% - Ashley and the relegation have set the club back by a decade or more. We are a million miles away from challenging for the top 4 and as you rightly point out, it could have been so so different if we had an owner with some ambition who was prepared to take Keegans advice and realise the potential of the club.

[brummiemag1 0]

I think you are all overestimating where we are at the moment. I have nothing but admiration for Hughton, and I am enjoying the spirit and mentality of the team at the moment, but we are miles behind where we could hae been at this point. If Ashley had backed Keegn over Wise, and invested fairly modestly in the team following Keegans advice during that ill fated transfer window I am absolutely crtain it would be us not Spurs laying in the Champions League this season.

 

As it happens relegation wasnt the disaster it could have been, but this is almost entirely due to the luck in having a man with the decency ability and patience of Hughton(a Keegan apointment) at the cub at the time.

 

I am pleased that Hugton is in charge now, but relegation a blessing, not a chance. The last two years have been a huge missed opportunity.

 

nailed

 

Yes agree 100% - Ashley and the relegation have set the club back by a decade or more. We are a million miles away from challenging for the top 4 and as you rightly point out, it could have been so so different if we had an owner with some ambition who was prepared to take Keegans advice and realise the potential of the club.

[Guest alex]

I don't think it set us a decade behind where we were when he bought the club. We were a million miles off the top 4 then. And I hate the bloke.