LCFCJohn

I understand the concerns that the original message could be construed as Top having ambition but I also agree with this point. It’s not a case of caring what the KPFC fanatics think, but just concerned about giving fuel to the fire where defending them is concerned. Someone suggested ‘LCFC - Rotten from TOP to bottom’. That didn’t seem to get a lot of traction but I liked it. It isn’t such a divisive message to get people jumping out in defence but also couldn’t be interpreted as anything other than criticism of the club at all level. As you say, enormous credit to Osvaldo for pulling together though.

Sometimes things just need pointing out I don’t mind anyone’s views and opinions but back then with some substance!

To be fair, you did reply to a post of @Gamble92just saying what a load of rubbish basically without anything further. Gamble raised some legitimate points and asked a genuine question and you simply say you can’t win? Not really sure what Gamble has done wrong there to be honest. My view for what it’s worth, a lot of stuff was overlooked due to the success and inevitably, when it goes to shit, people will think back to previous decisions that they essentially got away with. Like the Sousa/Sven stuff, Mills, Beckford etc. They got away with it as Pearson came back and fixed the mess and laid the foundations in terms of sports science, scouting etc. The financial irregularities with our first promotion, again they settled and it was brushed under the rug. It is now that there is nobody like a Pearson and his team or even the renaissance with Puel/Macia to bail them out that it is oh so plainly obvious. It doesn’t mean not being grateful. But it does show that it wasn’t all down to the owners.

The graphic is incorrect. Where is Sousa in that? The season you have down as 9th, Sven was in charge until November and left us in 12th before Pearson came back. It was 3 and a half seasons and just putting a graphic like that conveniently ignores the rest of the context. He got us promoted first time from League 1, went straight into the play offs and lost on penalties. He was then inexplicably replaced which led to a season and a half of dropping to 10th and 12th when he took back over with loads of money down the drain on the likes of Beckford, Mills and Danns. He returned in 12th and we again see nothing but improvement in league positions, finishing that season in 9th, then 6th and smashing the league in 1st. It can’t be proven but based on how he navigated it when he returned, to go back to my original point, it seems fair to say that him finishing 5th after promotion was on track to have us promoted. It is likely that if he had been left in place, it wouldn’t have taken 2 and a half more season. I reckon he’d have had us up in 2 as that is how many more ‘full’ seasons it took him after coming back and having to unpick the mess he inherited. It certainly would have happened quicker than if we hadn’t wasted time and resources getting rid of him in the first place.

Sorry but what took Pearson 4 attempts? He got into the playoffs first season after promotion from League 1. He joined part way through the season picking up the mess created by Sousa and Sven. Then the Watford playoff season before smashing the league the year after. Hardly like he had 4 full seasons, let along consecutively without picking up the mess from other managers in between.

Pearson and co were well on the way to getting us up before he was sacked first time to be fair.

He seems to have bulked up and looks more composed. Maybe he has gone away and worked on himself and reflected? You can’t judge him on the Sheff Utd loan. Look at the state of them last season, come on. The Middlesbrough one was disappointing. But it came after the Sheff Utd debacle so who knows where his head was at. If he has reflected on himself, gone away and worked on that to try and turn things around, that would show a positive attitude and commitment and maybe in that case, we should see what he can do?

I think to an extent, it comes down to attitude. I can’t comment about Skipps ability as I haven’t seen enough of him but he has proven he can be a top player at the level we will be at. Question is whether he is a decent character and will work hard. If so, he has a place. It’s the likes of Faes and Vestergaard that need binning as a priority. Poor players and shit characters. And Ward but hopefully his contact sees to him going.

What sound logic that is. Top and co running the club into the ground, defend them to the death and clap along as they do it. Young kid get serious injury, see red and hurl abuse at him. Such a large section of those attending home games are utterly pathetic.

I still think there’s ability there. He’s been awfully mismanaged and destroyed of confidence. He never had a decent loan, he went to Sheff Utd in the Prem ffs. He missed out on a season with us in the Championship due to Maresca’s tactical preferences. He has a year left, if we can sell VK and make what we owe on him at least (might be unlikely), we could do worse than give him a chance. I don’t have time for players who think they are better than they are, have a poor attitude, don’t work hard etc but I just don’t see that being the case with Thomas. If we give him a chance and he is not good enough, given better (hopefully) conditions then we let him go when his contract ends. Obviously if we got financially beneficial offers for both VK and Thomas then decisions to be made.

Hmm. Chansiri is getting very fortunate with Rohl, who he has also shown a distinct lack of appreciation for. Of Rohl goes, they will sink like a stone again.

Was he there today?

Yeah fair. I took it as it’s better to stay down because we wouldn’t be ready. Which that I don’t agree with. Obviously we need change at the top and that happening due to not bouncing straight back might be better in the long run.

At a holiday park in Northumberland for the weekend. Just went for what we thought would be a quiet meal at the restaurant on site. It’s the weekend destination for Geordies isn’t it….. Fair play to them. I doubt many remember the last time they won owt so it’s nice to see genuine excitement.

I don’t get the argument that we’d be better off not coming back up. Of course we are better off coming back up. As long as we don’t spend on shite again. If we recruit sensibly (ha), the worse case is we come down again but battling and building to getting back properly.

Hopefully not. I think the talent is there to be a strong premier league player, even if not elite. But he has been held back somewhat by our woeful team. I mean if teams circle to pick the best of the bad bunch from the likes of us and Southampton, of course he will stand out. But hopefully the finances involved will see that he stays on next season.

I don’t disagree in principle but we are well off in these positions so my concern would be him stunting the development of our future. If we play with 3 behind the striker, I see this as being; Fatawu (right) Bilal or Alves (centre) Mavididi (left) Then there is the one of Bilal and Alves (if Bilal stays) and players like Evans and Monga if he stays as well as McAteer. There’s not enough room to accommodate everyone in the match day squad. Financially, forward planning wise and to eradicate this season and have a clean start, I think most would hope the bench has a couple of those listed above.

How do sign on fees for free transfers work? Presumably that wouldn’t affect a sale For Reid as you say? A lot depends on who stays out of Bilal, Reid and Ayew. Ideally, Reid and Ayew leave and we have, Fatawu & Evans Bilal & Alves Mavididi & McAteer (and Monga if he stays) We wouldn’t need to invest in the attacking midfield positions. If Bilal goes, I’d happily have Alves at no.10 but fitness and injury wise, could he be relied upon for 46 games? In this case, if shifting Ayew was not financially viable, and wages were reduce, I could tolerate him being back up for Alves for the season and going at the end of his contract. If Bilal stays, just shift Ayew regardless. Or Bilal goes, we can shift Ayew for a deal that is financially viable. We then need a new central attacking player but without that getting in Alves’ way, do we bring in a younger player again or loan someone on the basis our loan players seem to be, where they aren’t likely to be in the starting 11? Or would Logan Briggs be capable as back up for Alves if Bilal and Ayew had gone? Too much of a risk?

I always think 3-0 is ‘eased’ to victory. Thrashed I’d say 4, or is that a big win but short of a thrashing? Maybe 5 then!

Hopefully just eased back in for Nelson. Unusual for a centre back to come off the bench unless for injury like he did last game so starting and getting an hour of so is the next step. You can’t expect him to go for a full 90 so quickly. And an assist for Alves. We have to be building around these two.

It’s a shame about his injury and Nelson to an extent. I’d feel really positive about having a fit Souttar and Nelson next season as the partnership and getting rid of at least 2 of Faes, Vestergaard and Coady. But he is better than what we have.

We would have been better just letting him go and keeping Souttar in the squad than loaning him out.

Shame Rudkin hadn’t cleared his ears out that morning and heard ‘he’s just what we need in the Premier League’….

I do agree he got lucky with Pearson after initially binning him after the take over. It was not a left field, out the box thinking, just returned to the guy who had set the club on the road to recovery. Also the facts about Sousa, Sven and all the wasted money on Mills, Beckford, Danns etc is indisputable. Also definitely a good bloke and did a lot for the city and community. The culture of the club was certainly better as well. I don’t think he was anywhere like as bad as Top though. As someone said further down, he was at least a stronger leader and knew when to make decisions. Owning a football club was new to him so that is why people are more understanding of the first couple of years and the decisions made as he learned from it and rectified it. Top had years to learn from Vichai and seemingly learned nothing. Now it has all been falling apart, he had just put his head in the sand and doubled down and won’t make any kind of decision and has just let the rot set it. I don’t think we’d have been in his position if Vichai was still around. I think he’d have done something. However, I also think history is not so kind to him in that it is clearer as the dust settled that we were always very reliant on managers to build the club up and never had a strong structure in place at club level. The selling big only works for so long, especially if the recruitment goes to shit.

Great news. Hopefully he has an injury free run now, gets back in the side and picks up where he left off, comes back and we build the defence around him next season.