The Kraken

It's all very well throwing money at the situation if the owners are prepared to completely write-off the cash. While it's frustrating to see other newly taken over teams around us achieve the instant success we would like, I'd like to think we'd learnt our lesson of reckless spending and are heading for a more stable financial future. That said, it would be nice to see some more positive signs of a revival on the pitch....

I don't understand why so many people fail to recognise that 19 is just a very poor wind-up merchant. It's so very sad to see him push out, time and again, views that are the complete polar opposite to pretty much everyone else's, just to try and get a rise out of people. I actually feel very sorry for him; it must be a terribly sad life to have to constantly resort to an internet forum to get the attention I can only presume passes him by in the real world. Of course, if everyone would spot this, and perhaps just completely ignore his fabricated nonsense, perhaps he might get tired of his internet persona and bugger off.

Because we seem to have a number of cretins on this message board who clearly know little about the mechanisms involved in turning around a club such as ours on a limited budget. The implication that a loan signing is a bad idea is simply absurd, and planning for 2 or 3 years time is all well and good when you're operating from a stable platform. We clearly are not, and have to turn around our performances and results as quickly as possible, and certainly within the 6 months that this loan spell is suggested for. I don't recall anyone looking back on the loan spells of David Beckham, Jermaine Defoe, John Terry, Michael Carrick as being anything but beneficial for both the players and the clubs involved.

What's going on with our kit in that QF video? Horrible shade of yellow! Thankfully we toned down the colours a bit for the final!

I'm just astounded that so many people think we're going to turn the corner so quickly, just because we've signed three new players. The gap between the Championship and League 1 is nowhere near the gulf between The Premier League and Championship, so we're not instantly going to be better than the others around us, just because we used to be in the league above. And especially so since we've lost a spine of the old team through players like Surman, JPS, McGoldrick (and to a lesser extent BWP and Euell) and with Rasiak and Saga knocking on the door for a move away. We're still only really replacing some of these players, and our team was pretty shocking last year with them in the side, so we've got a fair way to go until we start becoming cometitive again. I think Pardew has made a good start with the new players in. Effectively, aside from Kelvin, I'm sure he would bring in a new player in every position if he could, but finances just won't allow that. So he's filling the team with good, solid, experienced players who'll start to build the spine back up. Add with Hammond now in to bolster the centre midfield, I think (hope) we may see more of Gillett as then there's still an older head in the centre to help out the youngsters. And we know he also wants to sign a good, experienced, no-nonsense centre-half, so we're getting there. I'd already put the first half of this season down to a period of transition, with hopefully the team performing much better by November time for a safe mid-table finish this year, a summer of more good signings and then a proper assault on promotion with a much more confident team, losing the dead wood along the way. It always pains to see poor performances and results, but Pardew is just a good manager, not a miracle worker. Admittedly if things don't improve in the next 6-8 games then there's real cause for concern, but until then i think I'll give the guy a break.

We'll walk this league. And the game has just been described as a local derby on Sky. Yep, only 70 miles apart...

Fair enough, but can you suggest a better alternative method to points deductions? A method that is not just a slap on the wrists but which would actually serve as a dterrent for clubs not to over stretch themselves? I really can't think of any better way. Points deductions are in no way an ideal punishment, as they usually serve to punish a club for a previous regime's financial mismanagement. However, I do think they are the best of a bad bunch of options. Yes, they punish the club rather than the individuals responsible, but they also reward the other clubs who do exist on a more secure financial footing. And they also hopefully serve as a deterrent to perhaps a small number of clubs to resist fans' clamour for instant success and operate within their known budgets.

Terrible design. Umbro really should just pack it in and hand over the reigns fully to Nike.

I completely agree with the senitments of the article, and always have. I maintain that the stance Lowe took with Jones was absolutely the right one throughout that whole sorry episode, and the criticism the club has since received for the so-called treatment of Dave Jones has been extremely unfair. I read the serialisation in the Echo last night and its convinced me not to buy the book, as his slant on the actual turn of events is very disappointing. I think Dave Jones fails to recognise that, as the manager, he was seen as the front man of the football club, and the media spotlight he and the club were put under at that time was such that it just wasn't possible to sweep everything under the carpet and think it would all be ok. Something had to be done, and while I'm not at all a fan of Lowe and everything he's done to contribute to the demise of this club, I actually think he got this one spot on, and actually acted with a fair amount of sympathy for DJ's personal plight, while balancing that with the needs of the football club. It was an impossible situation and there was no resolution which would have suited all parties; but I think the route chosen was in the end the correct one.

No brainer really; if they're still here, get them in the team, as they'll both score goals in this division. Sadly, I think they will both be gone by the start of the Championship season. I guess we just have to hope that Pardew already knows this and has lined up suitable replacements for them.

The Trust has certainly reached the end of its natural life. There can be no doubt about that now. I've never been a fan of their's but can recognise a small number of good things that came of the Trust's formation. But I think what would be sad to see now would be for the Trust to carry on as SISA has done for many years, abusing a previous and no longer held position so that a handful of vocal imbeciles can achieve their ambition to gain media space, supposedly in the name of the fans. I don't know Nick Illingsworth, and so wouldn't want to judge the man on a personal level, but I'd hope that if he really held the club's interests at heart he'd realise this moribund association of his was dead in the water, as was his role as a self-made spokesman of the fans, and see him and the Trust retreat into the background as soon as possible. And stay there.

Good God, sign him up, I didn't realise the Swiss links were so strong. I'm off to sign for Barcelona on the basis that I like paella. Adios.

I'd love to know what the conection is, given that: a) Ivan Campo is Spanish b) Ivan Campo has never played in Switzerland before Maybe he likes Swiss Rolls? Or his favourite TV character is Swiss Toni? Other than that, I'm lost...

Perhaps a bit harsh, but on the right lines. According to their OS he started only 17 league games for Charlton last year. Hardly the type of signing to base our team around.

Hopefully the search will start and end with WGS. Very optimistic though.

Lynam should hang his head in shame at the preposterous charade he's put this club through in the last few weeks.

I'd say its the exact opposite, to be honest. If we had some serious investment coming in our players may actually be tempted to stay. In the obviousl absence of such, you can't blame any one of the players wanting to get away from the shambles we've become.

The fire sale begins!

Steady on; in no way whatsoever would I advocate an additional 15 point deduction, particularly when we are in administration. I've already said that I don't like the rules as they punish the previous owners, and an additional 15 points would only punish the new incumbants and the fans. I don't believe these rules will ever stop what is currently happening to likes of us; owners of clubs will always over-stretch themselves in the pursuit of success. I think the current rules can only act as a mild deterrent; but as I stated I think they are just the best option currently available, and certainly a long way from ideal.

As much as the Football League's rules stink, in that they tend to punish the supporters and club rather than the previous owners, I think its a much better system than the loopholes that allowed the likes of Leicester to build a new stadium, incur huge debt, wipe that debt out through administration and suffer no formal punishment. Don't get me wrong, I think there is a huge amount that could be done to make the punishments equal across the board and fairer (Stockport and Luton spring immediately to mind) but there does need to be some form of deterrent from financial mismanagement, and this is perhaps the best of a bad bunch of potential measures.

Think of how much we had to put up with three major shareholders in Crouch, Wilde and Lowe. "I'll put in £2M if they do" etc. And how much investment did we see? None. Having one, and only one owner is much more beneficial to a number of wannabees looking for their share of power.

I posted this a while ago, I'd like to see a return to the Rank Xerox kits of old, with this as the away kit.

I posted this a while ago, I'd like to see a return to the Rank Xerox kits of old, with this as the away kit.

From what I've heard previously though, we won't yet see any of that money (yet) as the FA/League will hold it to pay off any footballing creditors we have if the deal fails to go through.

Was it not the FlyBE logo or something??