MHL 47

I can't believe he's not been booted out yet and I'm wondering why not? Surely the board can't be so spineless they'll wait until he gets absolute pelters on Saturday and then just like TFSW blame the fans for 'making his position untenable'. He's really going to get it Saturday, the atmosphere relating to TFSW will be horrendous. If the board members cannot see this and act now they are failing their duties as officers of the club.

I've thought for a while that us fans sometimes over-rate our impacts on the team. I'm sure we have an effect but it's not as large as we'd like to believe. The greater effect will be how much the players believe in the manager, how he makes them feel as a group, what they know about him already, how he compares to others they've experienced. The second worst decision was to appoint him in the first place, in some respect he has been the 'victim' (very, very loose use of that word) of that decision. Again you know my thoughts on some of those people who made that decision. The worst decison was to appoint De Matteo into a permanent role in the first place, if the owner & board had any doubts whatsoever that he would be here for the long-term (by 'long-term' I mean 2-3 years, in our relative terms)they should have taken the unpopular decision then. All they've done by delaying it is cause additional problems by doing it mid-season.

Himself

Each to their own I suppose, I don't ever boo the players (by god we've had some poor ones) or a manager, this one now is a different matter, by now I mean after last night, last night wasn't a 'cry for help' or a'cry to arms' it was a calculated and pre-meditated speech designed to take blame away from him. Do I blame him for coming here, no I don't, I think he would have been better advised to have shown a some public contriteness about his previously made comments, that may have calmed an inflammatory situation down a bit. His persona didn't allow him to do that. Look, he's made his bed and now he'll have to lie in it, the more I think about it the more I believe he's got something else lined up. The oppo fans giving out stick for us not calling out Roman is simply the politics of envy, do you think Man City fans will criticise Mansoor. Anyway, not bothered about what they think really.

Perhaps he's reaping what he sowed, what he's ended up with is a result of the 'cause and effect' of his comments about the players, fans and the club when he was at Liverpool - Some won't see past that. You'll know from our discussions that I never rated his ability, the rest of it I didn't like but could live with if he'd put us in a comfortable league position and got us looking like a solid unit again, he hasn't on either count. He's turned out to be not as good as he thinks he is and with that diatribe last night has just proved what a manipulative and cunning individual he is, personally I wouldn't pay him in shirt buttons now. As for my champers, it's on ice and with a bit of luck will be getting 'popped' this evening. Heck I'd even accept Grant for the remainder of the season now. At least he has the sense to know who to rely on, he's a bit of a liability football wise, but he may be able to get good advice in that respect.

No, I've just been watching the re-runs Classic old time quiz show, and some of those prizes, seriously! Back to TFSW, sounds like he avoided having to catch the bus. It's unbeeleebable (FSW speak there) that he believes he'll get away with this rant.. He's gotta know that this'll be the end, he may be many things but he won't be completely stupid. This was well rehearsed and according to reports this morning was repeated to the radio, TV and written media reporters on separate occasions. No matter what questions were being asked he went back to the rant. Either he knows that he was going very soon and wanted to get-in first, which in his warped mind may make any other employer think that he's been hard done by and let him have an opportunity at a new club, or he's already got one lined up and wants to start work for them sooner rather than later, either directly or behind the current incumbant's back. There's been rumours about that Grant has been spending time around the club again recently and it may be he's put two-and-two together?

Personally I truly hope that the club kicks his arse off the plane home, give him the BFH (bus fare home) and sacks him for gross misconduct.

This diatribe from him is because he's got wind that he's off and soon. I'm with you and would say he's offand by lunchtime tomorrow. He's a dirty, devisive, self obsessed freak. Suits the scousers just perfectly - always the victim, never to blame.

Would that then mean that "Benitez is like permanent impotence"

Rumours are that he just might be after tomorrow's game......................hope, above hope that for once they're true this time.

In short, I would credit the man who did the deals that convinced them to come to us. The talent is obvious, the crux of the matter would be why they chose us, and I suspect you're wise enough to have a guess and come up with the same answer as me and it won't be they were impressed by Emenalo's tactical mantra or his CV. I posed a question about the other managers and what they'd do faced with him. He's a causation of our issues, not a saviour, and for that and his part in bringing TFSW he deserves rebuke and removal Loans will only benefit if they make into our first team squad or turn in a profit from selling on. Let's look at the players you quote, three of the four well known and highly regarded ex- first team members of the clubs they were bought from, there's only two real options, play them or get them loans, a no brainier. Chalobah has been a good loan, however he was outstanding at his level and age groups above his level a loan was again the obvious choice. I've mentioned this to you before, thus far no young player recruited during Emenalo's tenure has made it into the first team squad or in fact any other PL squad, ringing endorsement?FFP is driving the slight reduction in offered salaries, younger players are obvious target for establishment of a lower mean level of salary, it's still a job that needs doing so credit to Gourlay for that. Crisis is a time for strong leadership, decisive thinking, reflection and change - why are you in crisis in the first place. They're a mess, you'll defend him (Emenalo) I cannot, a fraud recruited by a fraud, albeit that Grant knew what was best and that was to leave it to Steve Clarke using Jose's tactics and team.

I don't doubt Gourlay's commercial accumen and in that aspect he may be good at that aspect of his job, but I stick by what I said as a Chief Executive with overall authority over all club dealings he's over-promoted. he lacks experience in running a major football club or in fact any major sporting organisation. Emenalo just simply lacks experience at the top level of the sport. A networker, just like the man who first brought him to the club, can you see SAF, Wenger, Moyes, Mancini, or any other first tier manager reporting into him, if I had the experience of any of those aforementioned people and I saw his CV I'd laugh him out of the room. His transfer dealings have been mostly with known and proven quality players, not much foresight required there in my opinion. The facts are we have no-one with significant experience of running a major football club anywhere near our board and this is one of the major changes required for stability. The lunatics are running the asylum, how else can we explain the appointment of TFSW when anyone with a pea for a football brain would have seen his task was almost impossible from the get-go given the weight of feeling against him. the fact that he's proven to be a talentless tit also doesn't help much either! Seb Coe isn't a bad call but if someone like Dein was available I'd have him in here in a shot. Buck's background as a corporate lawyer must help and personally I see nothing in his role that interferes in a major way with the football side of things, I might see this incorrectly but can only base my opinion on what I see. Talking of TFSW and Emenalo, Emenalo's best buddy Avram was in the Owner's box last week, coincidence or not? Maybe there's a clear favourite for the Interim's, replacement Interim.

The only rationale I can lay against TFSW one up front policy is that's what he knows best and lacks the skills to do anything much different than that.When he has brought on a second striker, when we've chased games one of the two drops wide and deeper. The substitution on Sunday when he brought Torres on (and I don't blame Torres for this) just unbalanced the side. It honestly looks as if they don't prepare much pre-game in training of a system using a second striker. Just my opinion but I think we could buy whoever the 'hot' striking property is in world football and they'd not get more than 15 a season on average, as long as we persist with the one up-front. The trade-off is we generally have got more goals from midfield than most other sides in the PL.

Had to do it at Southampton one season, it's a pain in the backside. Remember to sit on your hands and have a big scarf round the mouth, blame the cold weather if asked. Good luck to all those making the trip, one trip too many for me on this occasion, work and all that.

Yep, maybe so, but I'd buy a ticket to watch it! In that one second I'd have got more enjoyment than in the majority of games I've endured with that fat fraud in the job.

What I believe you'll find is that for the majority of the last 8 or so seasons we've primarily played with one up front. That in itself causes issues of creating enough chances for them, marked by multiple defenders, outnumbered. We've had two golden boot winners in that period Anelka and Drogba, no surprise that they won those in seasons where we switched tactics from a lone striker to working a pair together. On Sunday at Man City Frank Sinclair sat two rows in front of me, he called it 20mins into the game. Not supporting Ba quickly enough, too much possession surrendered too quickly and our holding midfielder not moving the ball on quickly enough and having too many touch's and not defending the edge of the box tightly enough.

Yes please lots more fighting, with any luck one of the players will give his smug, grotesque looking, goatee covered two chins a good whack. I don't normally condone violence, but in his case I can more than make an exception. If he is to go sooner than the close season, I'm almost certain it'll take a biblical level event like a mass fallout with 'The Incompetent Twat' (think of the three letter acronym!) for him to get gone sooner rather than later.

As far as I am aware a very successful businessman and also a Chelsea STH for lots of years. Downside is his football experience isn't huge and he's been at that 'orrible red mob and to be frank I dread the thought of anyone with a link to them in a position of authority at the club. We've had more than enough of that lot, no more ex-reds please, not for a very long time anyway.

If Gourlay went, maybe even Wilkins could fill the same role that you suggest Hoddle could..........although I'd doubt it could happen. Pat Nevin seems to have the intellect and diplomacy required. Dein would be the perfect choice I'd agree, Gill seemingly has other aspirations but his type is what we need.

He's the owner and will more than likely have the ultimate veto or approval. What we lack at board level is clear and that is experience, the confidence that experience and independant wealth brings with it (and a damn big pair of big-boy bollocks), who'll tell Roman how it is and needs to be, thanking him for his support and input and letting him know just how things are going. Maybe Roman's background is a bigger issue than most think, Russian poor boy made very good, trusts next to no-one other than old associates, thinks that they can do the business for him in football as well as his other businesses. I'm more of a mind now that at the end of Jose's reign Roman thought he knew best. he's then got lucky or unlucky with managers and the senior players have helped drag out success with help from managers of course. We're now at the point with the diminishing powers of those senior players we have left where their will isn't quite enough. Jose's probably available and will have the motivation for a new go with us. The next jigsaw piece that's needed is getting rid of some of the board, including the over-promoted Gourlay and Emenalo, he wouldn't survive Jose anyhow. I hear David Gill and David Dein may be available! These are experienced and skilled football people who are not reliant on wages from Roman for their wealth or careers and the sort of people a club with the status of ours should be employing. They could build a structure to deliver success and sustainability.

So I'm right, you're gonna do nowt, whilst spouting rubbishNot bothered about your sexual preference, nice of you to let us all know though.

Well all's ok then, meanwhile you can do what people who moan about other people's ideas do best - which is generally knob all.Oh by the way lol!

Yeah, that's the way! Never ceases to amaze me that the ones who invest the least in terms of time and money spent following the team always want the ones who commit the most in the same terms to do the most. I'll see you outside the ground and we can hold each others protest banner.

Don't ridicule a person for wanting something badly enough for them to do something about it, in the words of a wise man: "Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little" or "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing", both famous phrases by Edmund Burke. A series of the same 'little' thing becomes something larger and gains momentum, I'd leave Samsung alone and do something at a game, a game on TV and at a time when it'll get shown. I'm not great at protests but something like the old 'Stand-up if you hate Tottenham" song, stick Rafa into it at the appropriate part and turn our backs to him. Let the TV and radio shows know it's going to happen and when, they'll be all over it. Support the team like mad otherwise, no booing of any player, just let him ave'it. 17th minute would be a good time for me.

Well, if the right direction is downwards, in terms of performances and league position then they've got what they wished for. Take out the unusual 8-0 mauling of Aston Villa and even the goals scored per game stat is rubbish too.