UEFA CUP next season lads, believe it

[Red_Polo]

A bold prediction

Still "first is first, second is nowhere". So 3rd must be ****e.

Yes

We will finish 1st in something else though.

[REDSCOUSER]

that's what a limited budget gets you I suppose, we're trying to win the league here lets not forget, not just happily qualify for the Champions league, to get the 20mil, that we need as our only means for buying players, it's just like going round circles untill we get more cash.

you know where this is heading ? Moores & the board..lets not get there
I honestly thought we were gonna better the Boro today but it was the same all over again. Needles to say I am feeling rather frustrated and angry.

[REDSCOUSER]

Yes

We will finish 1st in something else though.

first team in the PREM to finish the season with 2 points away from home

[alunevans]

We're definitely no closer to bringing No19 home but that is partly down to the fact that Rafa has had his hands tied behind his back. If we're honest with ourselves we all know that players like Pennant and Bellamy, and a few others for that matter, were signed because the current board of directors wouldn't part with the cash for Rafas first choice targets.

First choice striker = Kuyt. Got him.

First choice winger = who? If Alves then Pennant + Bellamy = Alves.

Besides, even if true, why buy someone poo just cos he can't afford what he ideally wants?

If you can't afford a Porsche, buying a Skoda that doesn't even work for half the price is still a bad buy. You can't justify it by saying "well I couldn't afford a Porsche, what do you expect me to do?"

[Red Chilli]

First team in the prem to go a season without scoring a goal away from home in open play.

[Red Chilli]

first team in the PREM to finish the season with 2 points away from home

Surely Sunderland have already done that, or Watford?

didn't Fulham go a season without winning away from home?

[REDSCOUSER]

Surely Sunderland have already done that, or Watford?

didn't Fulham go a season without winning away from home?

Sunderland got 8 pts in 02/03, 1 win, 5 draws
Wolves got 7 pts in 03/04 from 7 draws
Nowrich did the same as Wolves in 04/05, 7 draws
Fulham got 7 last season but with 1 win & 4 draws

We ain't far off them terrible records

[Red Chilli]

We should drop Carlsberg and have Guiness as our sponsor.

It doesn't travel

[kurtangle01]

Sunderland got 8 pts in 02/03, 1 win, 5 draws
Wolves got 7 pts in 03/04 from 7 draws
Nowrich did the same as Wolves in 04/05, 7 draws
Fulham got 7 last season but with 1 win & 4 draws

We ain't far off them terrible records

We could still win the majority of our away games though and end up with 30 odd points on the road so now is not the time to make comparisons like that.

[REDSCOUSER]

We could still win the majority of our away games though and end up with 30 odd points on the road so now is not the time to make comparisons like that.

I was just answering RC question

[Harv]

I've pretty much lost faith in Rafa now. A great manager no doubt - just can't see him cracking the English game.

People have used investment to shoot that theory down in the past. Truth is - I wouldn't trust Rafa with a huge wedge in the market if investment did come through. Sad.

Alonso, Reina, Garcia, Kuyt, Agger, Crouch. They not good enough?

your talking out yer ass man:whatever:

If Rafa had the funds we wouldnt have Pennant, plain and simple.

Zenden and Aurelio were free transfers.....so i dont know why people throw them into the "purchases" pile. They were free!

we lack confidence that is all.

[alunevans]

If Rafa had the funds we wouldnt have Pennant, plain and simple.

I don't get that justification at all. Seven million! Why would anyone spend SEVEN million on a player who has never done anything but go to jail for being a drunk? Even if funds were tight and you need to shop around a bit, how does that justify seven million on Pennant when we quibbled over the odd half million when it was Figo.

Sometimes, regardless of the circumstances, you have to be honest and accept that the manager made a pisspoor decision. On both the fee and the player!

Nobody seems prepared to do that these days.

Its either sack him or he can do no wrong.

[Harv]

I don't get that justification at all. Seven million! Why would anyone spend SEVEN million on a player who has never done anything but go to jail for being a drunk? Even if funds were tight and you need to shop around a bit, how does that justify seven million on Pennant when we quibbled over the odd half million when it was Figo.

Sometimes, regardless of the circumstances, you have to be honest and accept that the manager made a pisspoor decision. On both the fee and the player!

Nobody seems prepared to do that these days.

Its either sack him or he can do no wrong.

FYI,
We didnt spend 7mill on him. We spent 3.5 up front with another 3.5 dependant upon his performances.

Figo didnt want to come to us, i dont even know why you are mentioning him TBH.

I can accept WHY Rafa spent the money on Pennant. He is young and has tremendous potential. He has been ****e for us everybody would agree. He lacks confidence, like the team, but he does have talent.

What i cant stand is knobheads slagging the manager off saying "he has spent his money on ****e" etc. He hasn't. He has spent his money very well, Pennant and Morientes being the exception. All his other MAJOR buys have been class...Xabi, Reina, Agger, Kuyt, Garcia, (IMO) Crouchie.

This season has so far almost been a carbon copy of last season.....crappy start...cant score...playing like ****e.....then we hit a good patch, the confidence builds and we go on a massive run.

Just for the hell of it. Who would you have spent the money on instead of Pennant?

[Red_Al_77]

FYI,
We didnt spend 7mill on him. We spent 3.5 up front with another 3.5 dependant upon his performances.

Figo didnt want to come to us, i dont even know why you are mentioning him TBH.

I can accept WHY Rafa spent the money on Pennant. He is young and has tremendous potential. He has been ****e for us everybody would agree. He lacks confidence, like the team, but he does have talent.

What i cant stand is knobheads slagging the manager off saying "he has spent his money on ****e" etc. He hasn't. He has spent his money very well, Pennant and Morientes being the exception. All his other MAJOR buys have been class...Xabi, Reina, Agger, Kuyt, Garcia, (IMO) Crouchie.

This season has so far almost been a carbon copy of last season.....crappy start...cant score...playing like ****e.....then we hit a good patch, the confidence builds and we go on a massive run.

Just for the hell of it. Who would you have spent the money on instead of Pennant?

No we spent 6.7mil rising to 8mil. I really don't know why people insist its 3.5mil. I suggest people go and look at what was said in the press and by Rafa at the time he was bought.

The bottom line is whatever the circumstances and however much money we have spent we are massively underperforming. We either accept that without a lot of money we are not a big club in the league anymore. In that case we have to argue whether Rafa is the right person to lead us on a restricted budget. Or if IMO he has had enough money to at least get us comfortably in the top 4 then his choosing of players to buy / coaching is at fault.

We had the basis of a good team at the end of last season. We have gone backwards. That is down to the manager and the players. Blaming the board for not giving him enough money is a weak argument. It devolves Rafa and the players of all responsibility yet he still spent a fortune in the summer.

[desertscouser]

we will not finish 4th. No chance.

people can continue to blame rafa's blatant failings as a manager on money if they want but the bottom line is how many managers in the prem have had as much as him to spend over the last 3 years? Not many. After spending so much money why do we have ****e like pennant, gonzalez and zenden still playing
why are we so rubbish? Why have we lost 3-0 twice this season? Why have we capitulated to united and bolton this season? Why do we play rubbish football? How is it possible that a 'world class ' manager is incapable of out foxing gareth southgate's appalliing boro side?

we are no closer to winning the league under rafa and unless there is a dramatic turn around in our fortunes over the next few weeks then i will have lost ALL faith in rafa's ability to get us where we need to be.