Direct comparison with last year!

[Fez of Mahrez]

Martin Allen had never heard of Nielsen, Kaebi or Hellings before our top-notch International Scouting Network* informed him about them.

*Such an awful, awful shame we didn't have one of these already in place. We really have reaped the benefits this season.

[Vestan Pance]

I honestly think we will sign 4-5 players in the transfer window and shift a few on. If MM and the fans keep there nerve then I'm confident we will finish mid table. Let's hope Milan has learnt his lesson and now stops meddling with the playing staff.

[mancunianfox]

Martin Allen had never heard of Nielsen, Kaebi or Hellings before our top-notch International Scouting Network* informed him about them.

*Such an awful, awful shame we didn't have one of these already in place. We really have reaped the benefits this season.

Don Mackay may have a lot to answer for, especially if he recommended those players. I remember Mandaric saying somewhere that he had more contacts in football than Mackay. Though there have been many theories regarding why Fucillo, Mackay and Allen were sacked it probably was only as simple as all the poor signings that failed to improve the squad.

[Fez of Mahrez]

Don Mackay may have a lot to answer for, especially if he recommended those players. I remember Mandaric saying somewhere that he had more contacts in football than Mackay. Though there have been many theories regarding why Fucillo, Mackay and Allen were sacked it probably was only as simple as all the poor signings that failed to improve the squad.

I think with Allen it was more than that but certainly the links for the signings are there with MacKay i.e. Hellings having been on trial with Middlesbrough when he was there. The whole thing was a complete shambles and it's not as if the warning signs weren't there. I hold my hands up that I thought Kishishev was a good signing and I've been proven wrong with that but it was disastrous that we didn't address our problems on both flanks (not as much of an issue at the time as we assumed Kaebi would be on the right wing) and at left-back. Even the goalkeeper situation was only sorted after a couple of weeks when they'd realised how awful Nielsen is.

Oh and the strikers were never sorted either.

[mancunianfox]

I think with Allen it was more than that but certainly the links for the signings are there with MacKay i.e. Hellings having been on trial with Middlesbrough when he was there. The whole thing was a complete shambles and it's not as if the warning signs weren't there. I hold my hands up that I thought Kishishev was a good signing and I've been proven wrong with that but it was disastrous that we didn't address our problems on both flanks (not as much of an issue at the time as we assumed Kaebi would be on the right wing) and at left-back. Even the goalkeeper situation was only sorted after a couple of weeks when they'd realised how awful Nielsen is.

Oh and the strikers were never sorted either.

Bah humbug eh? I really hope that Holloway can bring in some decent first team players. Allen just seemed to sign reserves and thats why we haven't made progress because we are have to play last seasons team. No point in having money to spend if your not going to spend it well. After three years of Mandaric we will have been either promoted or left with a squad with more flops than Liverpool.

[Fez of Mahrez]

Bah humbug eh? I really hope that Holloway can bring in some decent first team players. Allen just seemed to sign reserves and thats why we haven't made progress because we are have to play last seasons team. No point in having money to spend if your not going to spend it well. After three years of Mandaric we will have been either promoted or left with a squad with more flops than Liverpool.

That's it in a nutshell. Players like Stearman, Sheehan, McAuley, Kisnorbo, Wesolowski, Hume and Fryatt are just very average Championship players until they prove otherwise on a consistent basis.

[mancunianfox]

That's it in a nutshell. Players like Stearman, Sheehan, McAuley, Kisnorbo, Wesolowski, Hume and Fryatt are just very average Championship players until they prove otherwise on a consistent basis.

I'm actually starting to think that Sheehan is the most useful of that bunch, maybe one thing that Allen got right. We have plenty of average championship players but what we needed in the summer was a couple of Jonathan Greenings or James Beatties. We should have concentrated on buying four or five quality players but instead we (arguably) bought one in Clemence and then a load of injury prone players we didn't need.

I do feel sorry for Mandaric in a way though because I think that he bought into the idea of getting promotion this season as much as a lot of the supporters did and he probably did think that Allen was the right man for the job at the time. Maybe his expectations were raised just as much as ours and Allen had everyones trousers down over the summer.

[davieG]

Whatever MM says in public you can be sure, based on his previous dealings that most of the signings will be freebies or low transfer values that leads inevitably to reserves and players out of contract and not wanted by there previous club - Hence Clemence, N'Gotty, Kishishev, Cort, Newton and Kenton, our managers have to live with that and so do we.

If people are expecting 4/5 money transfer players in January I think they are going to be very disappointed, like wise if there expecting an exodus of players I can't see that happening either it didn't in the summer and January is not the best time to shift unwanted players especially on relatively high wages.

[mancunianfox]

Whatever MM says in public you can be sure, based on his previous dealings that most of the signings will be freebies or low transfer values that leads inevitably to reserves and players out of contract and not wanted by there previous club - Hence Clemence, N'Gotty, Kishishev, Cort, Newton and Kenton, our managers have to live with that and so do we.

If people are expecting 4/5 money transfer players in January I think they are going to be very disappointed, like wise if there expecting an exodus of players I can't see that happening either it didn't in the summer and January is not the best time to shift unwanted players especially on relatively high wages.

I'd expect a couple of players in January and maybe for them to offer deals to a couple of players out of contract in the summer.

[Manwell Pablo]

Whatever MM says in public you can be sure, based on his previous dealings that most of the signings will be freebies or low transfer values that leads inevitably to reserves and players out of contract and not wanted by there previous club - Hence Clemence, N'Gotty, Kishishev, Cort, Newton and Kenton, our managers have to live with that and so do we.

If people are expecting 4/5 money transfer players in January I think they are going to be very disappointed, like wise if there expecting an exodus of players I can't see that happening either it didn't in the summer and January is not the best time to shift unwanted players especially on relatively high wages.

I agree I think 4 is the very most we will see. Hopefully we can get rid of some crap as well, it's going to take a long while to sort this mess out and Januray is just the start.

[Sparky]

He had final say. Milan said do you want this layer he said yes or no.

not convinced it went like that at all

If Allen didn't want players he should of either a) suggested some alternatives or b) told Mandaric that he didn't want them. We had a thin squad last season and we let players go over the summer too. The simple fact is that under Allen we didn't strengthen the team in the areas we needed to improve in. He bought players who were too similar to what we already had (Chambers, Campbell, Clemence, Kishishev, Nielsen) and failed to bring in a quality targetman, left back, creative midfielder, right and left wingers which were the areas we desperately needed to improve in.

We bought a load of crap in the summer and we are paying for it now. I have no doubt that Mandarics heart is in the right place and that he will back his managers financially. However, it is painfully obvious now that Allen was a huge mistake and Mandarics poor judgement is ultimately the reason why we are struggling this season.

I belive he did , he then got fired

[maddog]

tho given the circumstances this year, maybe not so bad?????

its a hell of a lot worse this year.

We have spent 3m on Campbell and Clemence.

Probably paying players a lot more money each week.

And yet the football in the league has been worse than the last few seasons i think espeically at home.

Fantastic in the cup though We will be the only club in a long time to score 3 at Stamford Bridge

And one of only a few clubs who will win at Villa Park

[lookwhaticando]

*Shameless bump of an old topic*

Two months later, and with just fourteen games to go... how are things looking now, Phubey?

Time for a Rob Kellyesque 'mini-season' I reckon.

[SOCCERROO FOX]

Phube shows ya excel spreadsheet da da dadadam

[Asha]

*Shameless bump of an old topic*

Two months later, and with just fourteen games to go... how are things looking now, Phubey?

Time for a Rob Kellyesque 'mini-season' I reckon.

Well it is. We've got a mini league with us 6 teams or so at the bottom.

Coventry are top o' league.