shorelatic

Bob, Sounds like you have the NHS in Israel - it sounds so familiar. Hope everything goes well when you eventually get seen.

Maybe a good sign - pehaps deep negotiations taking place to finalise the appointment ready for weekend. We can live and dream.

Obvious connection for goalie - Andy Gorton

My take on the new badge is that it is a blatant advertisement for wealthy arab royalty to either invest heavily in us or come and take us over. You have a fierce looking owl that could be mistaken for a hunting bird of prey that they seem to like in that part of the world. Behind the fierce owl is obviously a pyramid, world famous in the middle east and behind the pyramid sand dunes which they also have plenty of - all to make our new arab investors feel at home. Simples!!! (all we have to worry about is the potential conflict between our current jewish owners and the potential arab investors)

I believe that Frank Lampard may be available perhaps we could get him.

Sorry to hark back to the "Good Old days" but I have watched latics since we were applying for re-election in the 4th Division (Old Money). We were pretty poor in those days but at least the players put a shift in and we tended to be fairly well organised. We knew we weren't the best and didn't have the best players but the ones we did have we could identify with and in turn they tried their best. Over the years Jimmy Frizzell improved the squad and got us playing as a "team" as we got better we even started bringing in "luxury" players (Stainrod, Groves etc.) and they did their bit for us. Then Joe came in and, if you are talking about playing budgets, I bet times were worse then than now, but he still managed to wheel and deal and bring money in to keep us going, whilst strengthening the squad. I won't go on any further into the "Glory Years" but you see where I am coming from. Dickov may talk the talk but he definately can't walk the walk. This is the best squad of players we have had, he says, so why aren't we doing better. We are still 16th and will remain 16th for the foreseeable future unless we lose Baxter and whoever else, in which case we may slip further down the league. But then again he may bring different players in who will do a job for us - we don't know. The unfortunate thing is that this is his third season and we are going nowhere. The players may have changed but the tactics remain the same. One good performance followed by three or four poor ones with little effort, passion or desire. Dickov will then state it was unacceptable and he will sort it out - but three years on he hasn't and still we stagnate. I don't think he gets much help from his backroom staff either. I don't have a clue as to what goes on at training but if this is the best that Taggart, Duxbury, etc. can do alongwith our "super" fitness trainers then it is time for a change. Speaking of Duxbury - he was touted as a possible candidate for the managers job a while back, who would now want him with the dire results the reserves now get, even with a strong looking team against supposed inferior opposition, we still get rolled over by teams like Fleetwood Reserves, etc. I don't like the idea of changing managers every two minutes, but I think maybe it is time to grasp the nettle and make the necessary changes. I wouldn't stop at Dickov either. We need a completely new start so I would get rid of everyone associated with the current set-up. A new manager would invariably want his own staff anyway so releasing them all would probably help the new guy. We need someone who would at least get the players playing as an organised team, difficult to break down and prepared to put a shift in. If not we move them on and try the next lot of mercenaries or throw the kids in and sink of swim with them. Either way if we stay as we are we will be complaining like this next season and the season after whilst playing in front of crowds of two thousand losing whatever hard core we have left game by game. As we are the club is slowly dying and Dickov isn't helping. Sorry to go on but I feel deeply for my club and I am now getting more worried than ever, even during the dark days after moore left us in the lurch. Yes I know some of you will respond by saying we have no money, we have a sh1t ground, we can't afford the right players etc. but we have to start somewhere and on the pitch is as good as anywhere.

This unfortunately is the nightmare scenario - a draw at Pools and a draw at home to Shrewsbury will be seen by many as a valid reason to carry on with Dickov - only a defat in the cup to Doncaster would really spell the end. So if we lose tonight do we change before Shrewsbury to give any new manager chance to get a grip before Doncaster. As Corney has said Doncaster is the real test as a good cup run is desperately required to generate much needed funds. I fear we will stumble along until we lose to Doncaster - only then will something happen

Just to add - I worked on the construction of the Braodway Stand when it was first built back in the seventies - I even had the Architects drawings pinned up on my wall at home, delighted by the fact my club were having a "new" stand built - even if it was only small. Happy days

Isn't it wonderful to see the "togetherness" we had in that stand. Is it just my imagination or did it seem to be full like that nearly every week? I think we created a decent atmosphere in that stand and it is a real pity it was demolished. I wonder where they all are now? - certainly the majority of them won't enjoy the "matchday experience" as much as they did then. Braodway Stand RIP.

But only if we can have the 70's players as well - Grovesy, Fryatt, Shaw, Stainrod, Wylde, Bryceland, etc. etc. - you know where I'm coming from BP

Looks a lot like Alien/Aliens - but obviously much updated and you can expect exceptional special effects with Ridley Scott - looks like it is going to be worth watching.

I do think we are underdogs Pete - can't buy a win at the moment - can't score and regularly concede. At least Dale are scoring and picking up points - more than can be said for us. Going into this match on the crest of a slump = nothing surer.

Dale Fancy their chances on saturday - Chairman Chris Dunphy says in tonights MEN they need to win 6 games and saturday is a very winnable game. I can't remember last time we went into a game against Dale as the underdogs. Dunphy said he remained confident the side could avoid the drop – but acknowledged the damage was done in the early part of the season. "I don't like it at the bottom, nobody does but I still feel we can get out of this," he told the BBC. "We need six wins, two draws and there are definitely six winnable games. Oldham, Tranmere, Exeter, Yeovil – they are all going to be must-win games but the team is good enough to do it Read more at: http://menmedia.co.u...league-position

Latics 0-2 Trannies 3,246

If you look to make progress year on year then standing still in the league really isn't good enough. Just because, in your opinion, we are one place higher than you thought we would be doesn't make it a "positive" season. Apart from the cup runs this season is no different than last at the moment - probably worse league position wise. We are going through the same post christmas slump as last year but without the "high" point of being near the top early doors. We still find it difficult to score goals, especially after christmas, and whilst it could be argued that the playing staff are slightly better than last year, have we really progressed? We have made a "complete mess of it" because we had a marvelous opportunity of getting to a wembley final, enjoying a day out and basking in the limelight, attracting a few extra fans(even if they were just "glory hunters" or "hangers-on"), earning a good payday to help erase the anticipated seasons losses, potentially having the opportunity to put ourselves in the shop window to potential buyers, possibly persuading a few extra fans to buy season tickets next year - how long do you want me to go on for? When will be the next time we get so close to appearing in a wembley final? - can you see it next year or the year after?. We desparately require large sums of money to, for want of a better expression, keep ourselves in the manner we have become accustomed. We desparately need money to finance the long overdue re-development of the ground. I know a cup final wouldn't finance that but, as Tesco say, every little helps. I'm not having a go at you at all but we have accepted second or even third best for too long now. We need to take every opportunity we can to help finance the club properly and the way things have turned out "we made a complete mess of it"

I don't know why everyone is sounding so shocked with the crowd figure - what did you expect? It was Valentines Day - the season is over to all intents and purposes - why pay out good money to watch the likes Walsall - people still sulking after the Chesterfield debacle - sh1thole of a ground with non-league facilities. We are not going to attract any extra supporters at this stage in the season, we all should realise that, and we will get the bare bones from now to the end of the season - 2000+. It is no use whinging about it - we have made a complete mess of this season(other than a lucky cup run and a trip out to Liverpool) and the supporter base will shrink again for next season, so unless we make a good start and attract back the "fair weather" fans we will all be sounding shocked again next season. Sorry to sound so depressing - but it's that time of year and after another inept second half performance I cannot see us improving our position anytime soon.

He is keeping his options open - he has a good chance of winning something this year with us and putting himself in the shop window, win - win situation for him. He can probably get hinself a championship side in the summer or If we do manage to scrape into the play-offs and go up he can negotiate a new contract on better terms with us. He is in a good position either way.

How do you know I'm wearing knickers? I quite like a draft up the flue

Ackey - you mean big brother doesn't reach that far? - I'm dissappointed now - I thought the mods were all-seeing, all knowing. xxx

Dave, In the interests of keeping Ackey out of prison - can you pm me the match streaming link please so we don't have to divulge this on this forum. Many Thanks John

Your nothing short of a coward Ackey - have you no sense of adventure !!!

No - but giving it some serious thought today - if we are going in the "home end" where are we aiming for - might as well try and stay together if possible.

I've certainly seen them play better - if they play like this against us I might fancy us for an upset.

First Gripe Darren - when you try to buy something from the online shop and want to get rid of the delivery charge by collecting it from the shop it won't let you - it just reverts back to £6.50 delivery charge no matter what you do - any suggestions?

At Leeds in the League Cup a few seasons back - Gregan was playing for them and controlling the game - but Neil Sullivan was in net for Leeds just after he had been dropped for Scotland and even he had to smile when we all started chanting "Scotland Scotland No.2"