murphy

What a shame it was Wolves of all teams that Ward was picked to play against. Gifted them three points and then the momentum to take to Old Trafford. He might just have kick started their season.

Of course you would. Any of those would be a huge upgrade on what he have now. I'd take Joe Pasquale over what we have now.

I think there's a majority decision to leave out Maguire which I would agree with, but there's no need for some to make out that he wasn't up to much. He was still great for us and like Heskey before him, lost something when he got his big move in my opinion. Loved Elliott. I thought he was quite a silky footballer along with being a quality centre-half. Huth is a legend for dragging us from the bottom of the league to the top. The catalyst for the great escape, title winner and comedy free kick expert. Steve Walsh is perhaps the most limited player in that company but was a proper spiteful bastard and leader that we lack these days. He had that Botham-esque quality of making things happen. True legend. So where's Jimmy Willis in that list?

It's not over Not over Not over Not over yeh-et

What managers say in public does not necessarily correspond to their private thoughts and what is said behind closed doors.

I think you're missing the point. I believe that the idea of booing Ward when the game is already gone is not to affect his performance on the day which could hardly get any worse anyway, it is not to cause him distress, it is to make a protest about bringing in a goalkeeper that has shown himself to be severely lacking in all departments at this level, many times, when we have an alternative. We have a new manager who may well be unfamiliar with Ward's contribution to the relegation season. The booing was the fans' chance to say that they won't accept Danny Ward playing in goal again in The Premier League.

I thought (and I might well be wrong) that vichai bought the club, basically to give his football mad son something to do and it was always Top that was the more passionate about it? We have lots of evidence in recent years of a club being poorly run, but do we have any evidence that Top isn't intetested? I think the tragedy will forever tie Top to the club as he will seek to build a legacy to honour his old man. He's just not been very good at it lately.

I liked Pegguy. He starred in a penalty shoot out against Fulham when we went on to win the league cup. He also played a blinder at Anfield which led to Liverpool signing him. He doesn't belong on any dud list.

Buonanotte can play on the right in the same team as BEK and is especially needed since we have lost Fatawu, but it would be so Leicester to send our best player back to Brighton and bring in a dud replacement.

At least that might make him a bit bigger. Sounds like a plan.

Its because they don't understand the history and the sheer exasperation at seeing Danny Ward in goal for us in the Premier League again. What was it Einstein said about the definition of stupidity being to expect different outcomes from the same action? I have always been dead against booing our own players, but I'm fine with it this time. Danny Ward has been far too comfortable in his warm bath of mediocrity, to coin a phrase and fully deserved an almighty kick up the arse from the fans.

The third choice keeper. If your options for that are Iversen and Ward, it has to be the former.

I kind of agree with this. I have always hated seeing our own players being booed. Makes me cringe, but I am willing to make an exception for Danny Ward, not to cause him any distress but simply because he has demonstrated on several occasions how damaging his inclusion is to the team. After the relegation season, the thought that ward could ever represent us again in the Premier league should have been unthinkable, yet here he is. I think the fans are entitled to protest.

Regarding the booing, I wonder if this protest might have the counterproductive affect of making it more difficult for Ruud to drop him? The manager has publicly criticised the fans for singling out ward. To drop him now might look like he has been forced into it by the mob.

Danny Ward dreams of mediocrity. Danny Ward would need to climb mountains to get to mediocrity.

We will have a transfer embargo next season, so January may be our only chance to strengthen.

Probably not the time, but both of those statements can't be true...

I don't think enough has been made of the loss of Fatawu. It might end up being the difference at the end of the season. We have a squad of plodders and workhorses and so few match winners.

I think that context has to be taken into consideration. A poor goalkeeper in a poor team is not as bad as a poor goalkeeper in an established Premier League team with recent trophies in the bank. Ward was further below the level of which he was playing at than any goalkeeper that went before. He is also the worst we have ever had because of the cost we suffered as a direct result of his performances. I mean does it really matter how bad Mark Grew was in his five games for us or Mackleworth in his six? keepers that were only ever meant to be understudies. We trusted Ward to be a number one.

I suppose what I am saying is that Danny Ward easily cost us enough points to relegate us that season. Whether you blame Rodgers for picking him, Top for not sacking Rodgers for picking him, Danny's mum and dad or Danny himself for dereliction of duty is debatable, but the fact we didn't have a proper goalkeeper was ultimately what cost us.

I guess there were lots of contributory factors to our relegation but the one, monumental, avoidable and catastrophic factor that dwarfed all others, was playing two thirds of the season without a proper goalkeeper. Had we fixed that sooner, we stay up comfortably in my opinion. He has set us back a decade.

I must have missed the 'up' part.

When we really needed to have a good window, we absolutely blew it didn't we? Again.

Actually, you're right. The fact that we were asset-stripped, cash-strapped and then promoted with such a weakened squad is a direct result of Danny Ward getting us relegated in the first place. Seriously, I wonder what that number against would be if Danny had started every game. Shudder!

That'll learn him!