Reports around that Dunny's out for 6 weeks. Wont help SB's season will it?

Well for me Dave it's not his bitter sweet performance as a manager that rankles as most managerial careers follow the same shaped curve. BUT the whiff off his financial dealings stinks a little too strongly imo.

The linesman gave that penalty ihd! dowd was in complete denial until that flag was held across the linesmans chest. If that linesman had been at the other end I've a feeling that their 1st goal would have been disallowed too. Dowd set the tone for his 75 min performance by giving that ludicrous free kick for Ronaldo's comic capers. Dowd wound me up by continually giving fouls against us for aireal challenges by our strikers. One thing that I did find it odd that his intransigence towards us appeared to soften for the last 15 mins. Anybody care to speculate why that was?

Maybe he just hated Souness from his Liverpool days?

If we could guarantee entertainment like that every game I think they'd even come from Burnley!

Just got in the Havi when the old RFW came on with that garbage! I was incredulous at his attempted spin, but when he finished the entire pub displayed no anger at all but simply burst out laughing at the old fool. Well played Hughes.

Just as an aside I couldn't believe how old and drawn BOTH Souness and Pearce both looked last night.

The war of attrition is over. Once the writing was on the wall GS recognised it and has appeared to engineer his own leaving terms by doing all in his power to drop the mags so deep in the ###### that he would get a full pay out. I must say the nincompoop chairman has been suckered big time..... again and with him there hope springs eternal that the mags will always be crying on the tele! I dont like it cos a managerial merry go-round is not something we want right now. If he had been potted 3 months ago Hughes stock was far less appealing.

Inapropriate!!! A win would have seen us get into Europe ffs!. How much did that cheating b tawt cost our club?

Now I've only seen the goals from yesterday once but where was Neil for their second goal?

The vast spaces in the away sections of the Wigan v Arsenal Carling game and the Bolton v Arsenal FA Cup. plus their declining results on the pitch would make me rather nervous of filling the new Highbury at those prices if I were Mr Edelman.

Claud Makelele? Ivan Campo? Tugay?

oops

Mokoena has one position which he really is very good at and that is the destroying / holding role in a 4-5-1. Only saw the brief highlights on the beeb and for once I did not listen to the radio, but did MH play Mokoena in a 4 or 5 man midfield? If it was 4 then he's a poor replacement for Tugay (even though it reads like he did make the 1st goal) alternatively if it was a 5 man midfield then I can understand Hughes desire to combat the ageing but still potent threat of Sheringham.

imo Brum will climb away from danger no prob. Signing Sutton and the return of Dunn, Forsell and Izzet etc will see to that. In fact they now have a very strong bench which is more imp than many realise.

Pity we couldn't bottle Kuqi's application and work rate and have injected it into Bothroyd! The result would have been awesome! ......and even to a lesser extent Stead. I was just about Steads biggest critic (after Mark Hughes) of his Premiership qualities and I was glad to see us offload him but I wish the poor buggger could score a few. I'm squirming for him.

The biggest criteria is that the man we appoint has the respect of the players, otherwise there would be too much devisive whispering between them. Peter Taylor wouldn't have that respect imo, good manager but the players are so shallow they would dismiss his pedigree because he doesn't manage in the Prem. Stuart Pearce wouldn't either, he's been a great player and is a passionate manager but passion is not enough at international level, tactically and in eloquence and PR skills he hasn't got it. Maclaran has even lost the respect of his players at Boro. Hiddink? Possibly But I dunno whether the FA would fancy another foreigner given the weight of opposition there has been to Svens appointment. Curbs would prob be the press choice and he would probably be my second choice. Sam's the man though. imo his tactical understanding and evaluation of the opposition is second to none, he is meticulous in all his preparations, he is eloquent, he commands respect from his players and even from the Billy Big Times, he won't stand for any spice boy behaviour off the pitch, and he is English. Whether he is too strong a character and not enough of a yes man for the FA would be the only thing against his appointment. ps Sven for the Mags could be a good bet.

I've had a bad feeling about going out of 2 cups in a week since Dickov's injury.

His goal at Ewood was quality but please dont give him credit for that shot it was obvious to all that it was a skewed mis-kick that got lucky waggy. AS for Kuqi? He needs resting more than Bellamy does! He is a 70 min sub that can ruffle feathers and change the emphasis of a game. His fitness is suspect for sure, like Frank Bruno his muscle bound physique means that he soon tires. He should be our 4th choice striker. The fans will eventually rail against him and his confidence will descend into oblivion if he is overplayed at this level. We will have a place for him in the squad I'm sure but as above and at Div 1 level salary. Quite simply Rio had the easiest game that he will get all season last night.

I'll put money on Wigan filling their half! It's like Fantasy Island for the pie eaters and fair play to them!

Good analysis Philip. I hope I am wrong but I'm not holding my breath on the Walker trust providing the required level of funding needed to compete with the top four in todays climate when the Prems popularity is on a downward trend.

"It will examine transfers concluded since January 2004 and to look for find details of any irrgular payments." Lucky for some that the start date was not 2000 onwards!

C'mon Freddy......it's a good day to bury bad news! The timings perfect! Just as he was on the point of getting sacked by us the Mags came in for him. Now just as he is on the point of being sacked by them who do we know who is now effectively managerless and could get him on the cheap? Souey for England!

JoeyBN...... Sven has been victimised and witch-hunted by the media just like every other England manager (bar Greenwood and Mercer) since Walter Winterbottom. However if he was any good this trumped up situation would never have happened. but 1. Whoever decide to offer him a ludicrous contract at 4m per annum (more than twice the salary of any other national manager at Euro 2004!!!) until 2008 should be potted too. 2. Peter Kenyon should be blamed / ostracised in some way for his contribution. 3. If it is now decided that Svens indiscretions are enough for him to go after the world cup then he should go NOW and asap. More atrociously weak management by the FA and especially so when one of our opponents is bloody Sweden ffs! as for THAT game..........If my memory serves me correctly we did not even have a shot on goal once Brazil went down to 10 men! That is unforgivable. Even the manager of a park football team would have changed tactics when confronted with such a straightforward situation.

Roeder and a Geordie ex-England international forming a management team? Sounds like something Burnley would do!