I think where we're at with parish deciding all football matters without any respected football knowledge assisting (and DF isn't qualified at this level), is a case of lots of decisions, errors and mistakes, whether small or slightly bigger, that are easily excused. On their own they won't bring the club down or get it relegated, but together they can and might.

1 left back in Souare. Result is gradual decline into relegation (with a dollop of unprofessional guidance from Pardew. Result is we have to buy 2 in January that some moan about now, but don't want to acknowledge the need for 2 in January. Funny that one.

Shyte 6 months with Pardew. Contract extended, big switch to expansive football (without a lb). Sacked too late, bring in a top manager we're lucky is available, like Pulis (without the dithering is it worth it we had that time), 'wind the clock back' to what works. It does.

Wind the clock forward after having less money to spend because of Souare and no cover and then needing to sign 2. Oops. Never mind, Frank says the magic words of youth so it's perfect, lets wind the clock forward beyond Pardew.

Team is like ok ing vulnerable. Lots of defenders to aim for a 3 at the back system. None of them comfortable of clicking. No wing backs, no chance.

Panic. Have to sign Sakho now.

Now after 4 months of knowing our keeper and striker requirements, the decision to leave it till the last few hours as well as the expensive Sakho means we have signed neither. 4 months with 1 striker. Marvellous.

All might be excusable in isolation but all of them together just show how bad we are at forward thinking and planning and could set off a chain of events to relegate us for a very long time with more damage to follow.

The no cover for Benteke one will either be incredibly lucky or incredibly stupid. So I'd think twice before moaning about work rate, tackling, commitment etc.

The issues don't end there. Next season Cabaye and Jimmy will be free agents and cheek and Mensah will probably have gone back. So 4 players to replace with about £40 mil net.

This has been done to death on here, but Allardyce gave his reasons for leaving, and calling those into question is to call him a liar; and calling someone a liar requires evidence. What it says in his contract is no evidence at all as to what was in his mind. He was asked the other day if he now wanted back and he said "No".

And if he wanted another job BTW that contract clause would be no great impediment. It would only require another club to pay the compensation to Palace, just as if they were buying him out as we did with Pardew. ISTR it was £2m and Wet Spam for example might think that were cheap at twice the price right now. I'm not even sure it's payable at all if the club concerned isn't in the English leagues.

I know enough about contracts to know that they are not straightjackets, thank you very much.

Edited by chateauferret (04 Sep 2017 12.49pm)

There was a six-month break clause in his contract, which he chose to exercise. My guess is that, if he managed to keep us up, he intended to do that in any event. It's SP who said he'd agreed Sakho plus one, in the summer window, with Sam, but I doubt that had much, if anything, to do with his decision to leave.

You don't know very much then do you? You've only got to look at the PL players who want moves but can't leave to see they are indeed straight jackets.

That, by their very nature, is what a contract is all about. Break it and you pay the penalty be it 50p or £200m.

Do you know what, or if, the clause is? He might have to pay back a £6m fee. It could be £50m. Who knows.

As for calling Allardyce a liar... That is a little petty, isn't it? Everyone lies the only variable is about what and by how much.

The manager lies to the players to improve confidence. You can call it embellishing the truth, exaggeration or whatever.

But if you want to say I think Allardyce is lying about his reasons for leaving then yes, he lied!

That's exactly what you were saying you did that loads of us don't do. Now you're asked to prove it, well...