[nai]

With those dodgy cunts in charge I can't say I'd shed a tear if they did go down either.

Exactly, while they were at Blues they once said that being a yoyo team was a good thing as it kept the money coming in - parachute payments from sky, increased gate receipts in a promotion season coupled with lower player wages.  Wonder why the fans got disillusioned and left 'em to it.

Houllier's appointment must rank up there as the worst decision made this season, although Ronaldhino might yet win that one apparently.

I agree with FD & Jas, Keane is a cunt.  I hope that's the last we hear of him for a long long time.  Strange timing though with cup matches against Chelsea and Arsenal this week.

[GraemeA]

I've got mixed feelings about Keano. When he took over SAFC and got us up as Champions I thought he was (a) great (cunt). When he nearly got us relegated the following season I thought he was (a) useless (cunt). When he walked out on us I thought he was a cunt.

So he is definately a cunt but taking us from near relegation to Championship Champions was a good effort.

[tomtom]

Houllier is a bonkers appointment indeed... Wheres Keegan? 

 

Yes - there is a surfiet of shitness at the base of the PL.. its the only reason HCAFC stayed up for two seasons! We simply were not as shit as the rest - and we nearly managed a third!

This is going to sound a bit like I'm trying to make Hulls present position seem better but.. As a fan and season pass holder I am much preferring this champoinship season than the last one in the PL. The first PL season was amazing - as all the razammatazz, different away fans, tv coverage, media etc.. was all new and quite incredible to watch it all pan out. But by the second you realised that every game was about survival - each game, preview, pre-match, paper scanning etc.. was all squeaky bum time... you rarely sat back and enjoyed the game.

Thats nto something I've done much this season as we'ev been cack! but its been much more fun to go to the matches and watch  - less pressure, ligher feeling amongst the fans, lots of black humour and good old sarcastic chants - life is much better without the hyperbole of the PL.

So would I want Hull to go back up? Of course! There is a magic of breathing the air of that league.... but also a tension if you're in the lower half...

Not trying to Troll Nai, but I read this before Xmas - http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/dec/23/birmingham-city-relegation-nikola-zigic and whilst there are certainly worse teams around are Brum in trouble?

Keane? he is a knob.

[Jaspersharpe]

Clubs need to be properly run, then the magic of getting into the PL doesn't become a potential nightmare if you're relegated. Keep a cap on wages / fees and have a go. If you do go down then so what? The parachute payments are more than enough to mount another challenge and there's no long term damage done to the club's finances.

I'm pretty sure/hopeful that this will be the way things go in the future with more sensibly run clubs prospering as those that go for the "stay in the PL at any cost" model invariably end up going down at some point and then they're fucked.

[grumpycrumpy]

Roy Keane , bah ....... Thank fuck he's gone , I could never understand why he was employed in the first place . Ipswich , although not the most successful club in't world at least played enteraining football . Under his tenure we've become dull and uninspired . Good riddance . 

[tomtom]

But at the moment it doesnt work like that sadly..

I think Blackburn are for the chop.. I HOPE the new manager is as good as he's cracked up to be - but fear that the new owners are about to get a big lesson in how the PL operates and find that they cant just thrown a few million at one flagship player and rise to the top... I fear for Blackburn fans as their club has been tightly Trust run for the last few years - which maybe prevents them from rising above PL mediocracy, but has saved them from boom-bust.... Happy to be proved wrong..

[Jaspersharpe]

Meanwhile, outside Chelsea's training ground......



Surely put there by Spurs / Arsenal fans as every Chelsea fan must realise what "Abramovich out..." would mean?

No? They're really that stupid?! 

[Grubes]

Surely put there by Spurs / Arsenal fans as every Chelsea fan must realise what "Abramovich out..." would mean?

No? They're really that stupid?! 

they are cockneys 

[nai]

Not trying to Troll Nai, but I read this before Xmas - http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/dec/23/birmingham-city-relegation-nikola-zigic and whilst there are certainly worse teams around are Brum in trouble?

I did think last season that it would probably be our best league finish of my lifetime, a lot of teams manage to shine very briefly and this was our moment, just a pity we fucked up in the FA Cup when a run to the final looked possible.

We are dull without doubt, set up to defend well which is why our goal difference is so much better than those around us.  And if Cameron Jerome is our best attacking option it says a lot, all pace and strength but woeful in front of goal.  When your striker is as deadly as your left back you know you're in trouble don't you?

But I don't think we'll go down because Robbie Keane will save us there are worst teams, or at least teams that don't look after the basics first, and we have a better team spirit than those around us.

But in all honesty I'd take relegation if it meant I could see us win the Carling Cup at Wembley next month.  I suspect we'll be up and down between the divisions for ever but winning a first trophy for almost 50 years would be a big thing.

[Richie Crouch]

I'm not surprised with the state of Liverpool's season with an average manager finding it hard to motivate a bunch of average players who don't seem to feel the need to play for the shirt and are awaiting a new manager & an injection of cash.

We should have sold Torres a season ago and replaced him with 2 strikers, a winger, centre back..etc. We're not a top 5 team anymore by a long shot. I think the obvious 3 aside, none of our first 11 would get near the teamsheet of the top 5. I reckon Villa with their current crop of promising youngsters could do well and become a top 6 team under a better manager.

[aLICErOBERTSfANkLUB]

Blatter! 

[GraemeA]

Well Woy has gone, by mutual consent

[Adam Lincoln]

Dalglish back to Anfield.

[Jaspersharpe]

Dalglish back to Anfield.

I don't know about the VAT rise but that's hardly "progressive". 

[nai]

Being greeted with a tyneside-like nostalgic reaction:

It's a dream, the King is back

Maybe Merseyside and surrounding areas should be evacuated, there's a mighty big bump coming soon.

[tomtom]

Being greeted with a tyneside-like nostalgic reaction:

It's a dream, the King is back

Maybe Merseyside and surrounding areas should be evacuated, there's a mighty big bump coming soon.

[Dolly]

Notts County are a good side aren't they ?

[Grubes]

Notts County are a good side aren't they ?

They were fucking dire when we played them first match of the season

[butters]

Better late than never I suppose.

Got to admit that I am glad to see Keane gone - he was a player that I admired for the large part as a footballer (obvious exceptions noted) but as a manager he wasn't "worth a rub".

There has been a lot of talk on the local paper that he was signed as a PR vehicle for our owner\sponsor which holds water to a degree - Keane holds a press conference, says something crass\outlandish\plain fucking stupid and the accompanying press releases feature the sponsor\owners name written large in the background. Whether it is true or not is open to discussion but if I was looking for what ever it is that our sponsors offer to the world I wouldn't necessarily be swayed by something written on a board behind Roy Keane as he rants on about the subject de jour.

Anyway he has gone so the next incumbent is our focus now - Jewell seems to be getting a lot of the bookies money but I would like to see Curbishley there - he played good football while he was a Charlton (similar sort of club set up too) or as an outside bet Darren Ferguson who did some inspirational stuff while at Peterborough IIRC though his time at Preston is likely to count against him.

What has to be done though is to get us playing decent football again though this is likely to be compromised by getting to the supposed Eldorado of the Premier League. As tomtom (I think) pointed out it is a far better experience to be in the championship and going to a game having that tantalising thought of actually getting a win than turning up and hoping you are only going to ship three goals to keep your goal difference to a level that might mean you scrape another year in the PL.

[aLICErOBERTSfANkLUB]

What Americans know about "Sakkar"

Well. Here's one that knows a great deal more than these two:

Nick Green. Nail. Head.

Adrian Dunbar/Darren Gough. Repeatedly hit with the stupid stick.

[Grubes]

What a fa cup draw. Arsenal or wankers away either team wins we get an awesome draw. Don't know who I want to play more? Arsenal would be a great day out but a chance to beat the cunts at there spot again and shut up the arseholes at work
1 happy Huddersfield fan

[butters]

Don't think that the draw for the 4th round is going to bother me much though there is always the outside chance Ipswich will score eight goals in about as many minutes to cause the biggest cup upset in the world.

[nai]

Oh well, saving themseleves for Wed maybe?

[butters]

That could be the case but I think it is all part of the cunning plan to win the Championship this year actually... 

[GraemeA]

Notts County are a good side aren't they ?

They are nearly as good as Stevenage