Great signings but some of us said that we were between halfway and 70% there. Upon saying this we were shouted down for being ungrateful or being unrealistic and unfair whilst net transfer spend was £10 mil. Then we 'didn't understand how contracts work and it's measured over the length of the contract', only for us to go out and spend the going rate for 3 permanent players in January that we needed all along.

Or it was 'they're working really hard to get the players we need but can't get the deals done.' Yeah right. Can't get them done when they're needed but can when they're again needed and prices are possibly inflated. Parish takes some blame but Pardew deserves most blame for his acquiescent relationship with Parish in the same way with Ashley. Pardew got the 8 year contract at Newcastle and the 5 year one here. There's a trend going on here. Job security before the team, but when he's at his peak he courts himself for the best jobs in the country and elbows anyone with equal or better knowledge and ability.

He got what was coming by his own foolish design.

There's one difference in those 2 relationships. No transfer responsibility at Newcastle. If he kept Ben Garner to cover his squad management ineptitude after those new signings have their feet comfy he might still be here.

Edited by Rudi Hedman (26 Apr 2017 1.05pm)

COYP

I don't think he really shopped around. He was lucky Benteke and Townsend became available where he could see them but he didn't look at the huge number of possibilities Sam looked at in January and didn't have enough options when failing to replace Jedinak, for instance or cover at left back. He wouldn't have known where Serbia even was.

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The Ferret
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Don't insult TKMaxx!

Losing to 10 men in extra time was the canary in the coalmine with regard to team fitness. We just didn't realise at the time.

We don't do possession; we do defense and attack. Everything else is just wa**ing with a football.