We have no money to spend alledgedly. We have a defensiive crisis on our hands, we have a plethora of central midfielders but no wingers (apart from Solano) and only one proven centre forward. Our injury record is absolutely abismal and has gone past the stage of "Bad Luck" many moons ago.

The way I look at it the whole club is in a bit of a state. I thought we were supposed to be heading in the right direction. The only pleasing thing is that we are 7th, which means other clubs must be playing shite too.

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000

Answers

Steve Caldwell has turned down his new contract offer. The two parties are not too far apart apparently but seeing as the club transfer listed him not so long ago and are now shouting out for Centre backs do we blame him?

Teamtwaddle says Domi is monitoring the Goma situation and will follow if Goma leaves.

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000

DB,

We have two other wingers - Glass and Gavilan - who cost us ca.£3mm, and who BR won't or can't play. They are also probably earning around £6-700,000 pa in wages.

If we aren't going to play them, even when injuries are causing us to play central midfielders out wide, then why don't we just bloody sell them?

Part of the answer is that still don't have a settled team pattern.

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000

We should pick the team pattern based on the players available that can play in that position. Not pick the players then shoehorn them into some meesed up formation where no-one knows who is supposed to be where.

If Glass isn't fit then surely he falls into the same category as Dunc and Howey with his injuries and we should cut our losses, which given the initial outlay wouldn't be much money.

Howey is playing week in week out for Man City and was outstanding against Manure. Yet we keep Marcellino and Goma who want out of the club.

There are a lot of ambigous decisions being made and I'm getting more and more pissed off with them.

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000

The article in The Journal on this unfolding Goma fiasco - if we believe it - borders on the incredulous.

Allegedly, Goma thought he had a gentlemen's agreement with the Club to keep quiet about his transfer request, during which he would do his best to help the Club through its injury crisis. I'm sure it's a complete coincidence of course that his performances have picked up when he's trying to impress to be able get away.

FS has now blown the cover on this cosy arrangement because he won't tolerate players who don't want to play for the Club - and has pissed off both BR and AG who now believe his position with the fans will be untenable, and that his marketability will have been harmed.

The question I would ask is - do these people ever talk to each other, and agree what is to be done before they open their mouths, or does our Chairman simply behave in an entirely autocratic manner, and do and say whatever takes his fancy? Further, does he feel his highly-regarded and increasingly frustrated Manager will put up with this sort of cr@p for ever?

In the middle of this ferrago, it is now reported that Domi is unsettled (again?) by the problems of his mate and may also seek to go, and our only fit CB over 5'10" and budding star, Steve Caldwell, has refused to sign a revised Contract and is also close to p*ssing off both his Manager and Chairman!!!

Confucious, he say "Success in business is all about three very important things - management, management and management".

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000

The whole thing is beyond ffffing believe sometimes. I wonder how some of these people manage to get out of bed some days without killing themselves.

You'd think with all the past ffffffups they would scrutinise every press release before it left the club or something.

The whole thing is going pear shaped. I sensed a great deal of frustration in Bobby's words after the Liverpool match, a great deal. He will not tolerate this situation for much longer and will get to the stage where he realises he can't do what he wants to do, due to people at the club. In that way he will think he hasn't failed in his own mind and will happily walk away. Which leaves us with a shambles of a thrown together team with no shape or recognised formation and half a defence, with Warren fffing Barton as the experienced chappy. Lord help us.

Lucky at the weekend!!? Someone up there is laughing at us.

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000

Those who were in the Strawberry on Saturday will know what I mean saying 'What's that horrible smell coming from SJP'. Talk about Fred Karno's army ? Gets worse by the hour.

Might even be time for the NoTW to mount a another rescue attack.

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000

The only reason I would ever let NotW throw me a lifeline would be so that I could give the rope an almighty tug and pull one of those bastards in too.

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000

Sorry Softie. My idea of a sick joke.

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000

FS has been getting some good press recently regarding his transfer negotiations and stopping Bobby taking the England Job. Doesn't he like the good press then?

Next thing he'll do is release Bobby for the England job for the rest of the season!!

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000

I'm a bit more worried by NTL pulling out of the ppv deal with EPL. They must have already spent 10s of millions buying stakes in various clubs and setting up their initial bid. Pulling out won't have been done lightly and will presumably owe a lot to careful study as to how the football bubble has burst. Either they go full blooded and oust Sky or they will be buggering off and presumably taking their money with them on the way out of our door. When the youngsters have learnt off the senior players to hold out for an absolute fortune before breaking sweat then there isn't much left to look forward to.....other than finding another manager who gets on with South Americans.

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000

FS obviously been enjoying the good press a little too much and it's gone to his head. Spurred on by his popular grilling of Marcy, he's had a pop at another 'underachiever'. idiot.

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000

It's bad, but it's not that bad. We've got more good young players coming through than in years. Steve Caldwell will sign his improved contract soon, we'll sell all of TDO's foreign signings who probably only came here because of him anyway.

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000

Where do you stand on our shapeless midfield which is packed with Cetral midfielders Kiwi? Pretty much Robson-crafted, apart from Dyer who Robson said he would buy anyway.

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000

Good point about the midfield. It's hard to tell without seeing too many games this season, but it seems we're missing the same player as half the teams in the PL, and England, someone who can play on the left side of midfield. Apart from Ryan Giggs, who else in the PL is really that good?

I think Acuna and Bassedas may have been bought as replacements for Lee and Speed, in time, and because the price was right. I'd be inclined to stick to a flexible 4-4-2, with regular rotation between Lee, Speed, Bassedas, and Acuna. Put Solano on the right, and continue to search for someone for the left. And as for Dyer? I think he'd be great alongside a really hard ball-winning midfielder in the centre of the park.

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000

With no left sided midfielder we have Domi wondering when to get forward in fear about leaving the defence, can't be good.

On the other side we have Solano who is prepared to get down the touchline but Warren Barton to back him up (when fit), sod's law.

Owen Morrison from Sheff Wed would be my choice a left midfielder who can cross well, a bit like Guppy in his latest years. At least it would be a start.

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000

very grumpy.

it would be so boring if we were like man u - winning all the time!

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000

Why am I getting the feeling all this Caldwell/Goma stuff is a combo of Club higher-up's incompetence and press sh*t-stirring? :-/

Swift, I wouldn't mind a season or two of being boring. ;-))

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000

I would also go for a 4-4-2, but with Glass as a regular on the left- wing. I think the lad has much to give, except that he is too much injured. Hope he can prove himself tomorrow against Birmingham.

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000

With you on that one Roxy. Hopefully Glass will be given a full game and him and Nobby will pull Birmingham so wide it gives the chance for our central midfielders (pick one from five) to have a few shots on goal.

If Glass has a really good game it will show we need a left winger.

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000

DB,

I'd certainly like to see Solano and Glass playing together, and see what a difference it would make in spreading the game out.
As for Domi, I'm afraid he's a talented lad, but for me one who's "perpetually bewildered".

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000

I'd really like to see the perfect performance (I kow we all would!) whereby Glass and Solano have the full backs in the bag all night and they are brilliantly supported by the full backs.

With a couple of strong ball playing midfielders Acuna and Lee there is no reason why this shouldn't work.

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000

As an aside, I wouldn't mind seeing Speed in the inside-forward position. At the moment we can't do without him (due to his tendency to score goals from deep). Why not solve our striker crisis and play him in a more forward role? He's shown he can jump, score and run from deep into scoring positions. Isn't that a striker?

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000

Didn't Solano and Glass play together in the 1 (or 2?) games when
a)Nobby wasn't in Peru and...
b) Glass wasn't injured
last season? And weren't all that impressive from my hazy memory?

Then again, lack of match fitness would certainly play a part. I just wonder what difference they can make if they both manage to stay fit long enogh for a decent run.

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000