Spot on rikz. Simply not good enough is it. We should be able to get top 4 with 25% possession - just like Leicester who by the way are totally dogsh*te and who we also should have beaten yesterday...blah, blah, blah....Bubble might not agree but smudge ain't far off you know!

Before you criticise someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticise them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

Ok I've had a few but feel I need to post here.

This is going to surprise a couple of people because of my previous criticism of Pardew.

Slate Pardew? This season so far? No. Criticism is fair. Slating? No. Well not atm.

I thought Pardew was an average manager when he left Newcastle (and I know the specific reason he wanted to and I don't blame him) but he delivered satisfactory finishes most seasons. I said theyd be relegated within 18 months without a decent manager and they were. Nearly within 5 months who a Geordie got worked up about listing his tours of duty to me while I laughed. I actually wanted Pardew at the time. I wanted a manager who hadn't failed with survival recently and he wanted the job with the 30 minute drive home.

I still think he's average but this is where it perhaps matters.

There is 3 and more worse in the division than us every season with sensible squad and financial management.
A below average manager if you like could relegate us.
It's a slippery slope from 12th to relegation.
The Charlton scenario ironically.

Now if SP had someone lined up better than Pardew then if I were him I'd be looking at that route. But that has its future implications. Firstly he could be bigger than us and he'd be off quicker than we'd like (not for the first st time if you know your history), and secondly, it creates that build up in squad of incompatible players. And that can cause relegation or financial losses 2/3 years later.

Ideally we'd do what Southampton do and sack managers when people wonder what the he'll we're doing and the unknown name comes in and takes us further. But we aren't them.

I think I can see what SP is doing here. AP wants to keep this job and eventually has toned down his hubris. Seen on Football Focus and playing down England. Although with personal issues I think it's unlikely. He's average but that's not a bad thing if it keeps you up and away from the bottom of that greasy pole from 12th to 18th. And one of the most important things, especially if it's what SP would prefer in longevity, is someone he can have a long term relationship with.

Pardew wants to be here and work local. It fits with SP. one of the telling things he said on football focus was that there was an emphasis on improvements in quality in our signings rather than cost as at Newcastle which i like to think makes that relationship strong but I don't believe that he piped up with Mike Ashley. He more than likely was acquiescent in that arena. But that's their problem.

I think in this period of teams we think we should get a lot of points from last into a period where we don't expect too many has given me time to reflect. I expected feck all in these 4 games and that is what we'll probably get. But that won't stop me singing. What might do is if we go beyond Liverpool and the next 3 or 4 games this run continues. I don't think it will happen but it might.

In summary I think SP is playing this in the long term and quite frankly couldn't give a fook who it is managing us as long as we're in the prem for however long it takes to make all the 21st century changes CPFC needs. Probably why I don't excited about beating Bournemouth 2nd half, Mboro, Stoke, Sunderland. (If we played Stoke now it would be a different game)

COYP

Ok then lets sack AP. Who do you suggest takes over?

And being hugely underrated for the majority of the season, getting extremely lucky with the signings of mahrez and kante, drinkwater and vardy both coming into the form or their career and huth and Morgan grappling more than hulk hogan which they can't do this season.

It was a one off that will happen once every 50 years and if you use Leicester as an example every season then that is unrealistic expectations.

There is no better option out there than pardew not one that would be attracted to a club our size anyway.

Look at the table, you've got Bournemouth and watford all of a point better, then every other club by far bigger than us and who would expect to be above us.

Sorry to break it to people but we will never ever be as big as the Liverpools, arsenal's and utd's of the league the best we can hope for is being a Southampton who have a very slim chance of champions league and a realistic enough chance of Europe and a cup with a good season.
Sticking with pardew and giving him a chance to build his own squad gives us the best chance of achieving this.

I hope this is some kind of joke or I'm going back to following a proper sport like NFL.

Before you criticise someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticise them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

Anyone else would be a massive risk there's probably 2 managers that could come in and you know what your getting, Allardyce and pulis and both play boring direct football and achieve what pardew would. I'd rather have pardew and watch better football.

Remember our most successful season under coppell, even that was dire to watch. This is without a doubt the best team we've ever had and people still moan.