lookers87

funny. could've sworn it was jp that put taylor away for the 2nd pen on Tuesday - after breaking a bournemouth attack up. granted he's no kk, but he will sit in and allow macca to go on his runs, solid league 1 player that's all

picture fame on OWTB, now I know I've made it

well the good news is that due to the fixtures left we are now mathematically safe. In my usual opimistic way using the bbc predictor I've got us sneaking a playoff place in 6th - on 72 points. However that is mostly due to the run-in we have on paper - I think more realistically we are looking at around 8th/9th 66-68 points. And even that is dependant on getting the likes of greegs, lids, hughes and davies back.

Littlejohn yes, Dowie no. My 'bitter' list is so long these days that I've forgotten the reason why I have an aversion to some...of the top of my head I reckon Lee Dixon, Clattenburg, Aldridge, but very few ex-players/managers, I just feel sorry for them leaving such a fantastic club!

I have to say that Burnley have a fantastic way of doing this. All season ticket holders received an offer book at the start of the season with their tickets. This had all kinds of offer relating to various games throughout the season - free scarf at one, buy one pie get another free at another few, and most importantly a free ticket for a friend/two at various games which had obviously been selected due to likely small attendances (Scunthorpe mid-week, Colchester and various others)- and for me this is the key to any 'game' offers - go through the season ticket holders (other than Kids for a Quid etc). This will ensure you aren't rattling any of your 'loyal' customers (you'd be suprised at the level of anger directed at the club sometimes from some ticket holder when they've tried offers in the past - for little reward for the club as no-one took up the offers in the numbers expected). Some of the Burnley seasonticket holders I know think these are wonderful, and the club (through this gesture) has ensured that they are going to renew their tickets next season. But at the end of the day it is down to the product on the pitch as to whether these offers work in ensuring increases over a period of time.

Listen I'm not a moaner, but I can't say I don't get so frustrated sometimes that I end up shouting 'oh ffs' type things. But quite frankly the way the attendances are going I'm all for anyone paying £20 to sit there and moan for a couple of hours - at least they are paying there money (obviously with a 'not near my seat' caveat ) . It is the stayaways that need to be attracted back and that is only achieved through a balance of a good product on the pitch and the correctly targeted marketing/offers. That hasn't been achieved just yet. My point on the above was that it isn't the shouts from fans that give players the ability to chose the right pass, stop making the wrong run etc. Good support can help lift players, but 99.9% of crowds in football have whingers, we are no different. Take last night as an example, it was one of those occassions where it was up to the players to lift the crowd - as oppose to other times when the crowd are already 'up'. I know if I was a player I'd rather be playing at home where I might hear some idiots in the minority shouting rubbish, but at least I'm not getting rubbish from a few thousand home fans at an away ground.

nope, it's the same size piece of grass that they play on every week.

I think it is actually 3500ish season ticket holders - that's been the generally accepted figure for the past couple of seasons.

Eardley wasn't at the races last night, but why persist playing macca rw? he continually drifts in and although it's been mentioned as a 4-3-1-2 it isn't!! Granted a lot of it is down to the players available, but having macca out there is doing the team no favours at all. All action - yes, can't fault his work rate, but his runs etc actual force us so narrow centrally - esp playing with 2 more holding cm in allott and jarrett - it is easy for packed oppo defences to deal with. The weakest part of Eardleys game is (quite obviously) his distribution and yet he is continually left as our attacking outlet (often with no cover behind him). Get a proper rw in front of eardley and perhaps we might see eardley's performances picking up.

Didn't realise he was actually in HR??!

The reason for not accepting credit cards is that although we would buy the tickets on our credit cards in June - the club wouldn't receive any of the money from the credit card providers (minus fees) until sometime in march/april-ish. That would be 9 months+ with only 'on the day' payments coming in and therefore as you say, the straw that breaks the camels back. The time they need the income most is during the close-season hence cash is best. The key with any ticket promotions is pushing it through season tickets holders, so the buy one get another free (once a certain number of tickets is achieved) is a good one. That solves any earache the club would get from the minority, and ensures the 'free' tickets aren't lossed revenue from people who would've bought a season ticket anyway. I see the Braford scheme has won an award at the Football League awards thingy

thought we were talking about becham there for a min, but then remembered that he can't take a pen

Fair point - but the songs I listed weren't for running out to/scoring they were more for building a bit of atmos before and halftime. Therefore they need to be the old pub sing-a-long type songs that is what warms the chords up for some of our own tunes. By all mean mix it in with some Inspirals etc...I all for that after all that is my era...

The choice of music both around goals and at the start of either half isn't great. Though to be fair the whole music after a goal is a bit too american for me. The best 'goal' music is something that can get people singing - some clubs like middlesborough get this spot on. There does need to be a bit of a rethink at latics if they are going to carry on - I remember the thread on here a while back about it. Have to say 'guns of navarone' is a tune I hadn't heard until that discussion and I think it would be brilliant to claim as our own. Perhaps someone can dig the old thread out... And some sing-a-long tunes before the ko and halftime would be better than some of the 'stock' ones that franny has been playing for too long now!! Ok, it's not going to make all the difference, but if it raises the mood a little it can only help. 500 miles, deliah, amarillo, rockin all over the world, silver lining, predict a riot, chelsea dagger, come on eileen, - that little lot should help things along...any other suggestions on tunes to get people moving/singing...

Not being happy clappy but can't we give the lad a break for a few games before jumping all over him. How many strikers have you seen over the years that on the odd game you've seen not been good enough and yet still manage to score regularly? More than I care to remember I have to say! I'm not saying he is going to be some fantastic player (at the end of the day he's from Sheff U) but at least give the lad time to bed in/get used to regular league football before saying he isn't good enough. He's currently got a better ratio than any of our other strikers!

Taken from the BBC forum so not sure on the accuracy of figures. link here....bbc Simple game football - get good players, and then get your best players on the pitch together more often than not and you do well.

Isn't the poll flawed anyway in that he hasn't gone anywhere so 'Was he worth it' can't be judged until the end of his contract/him going? Judged on a purely football basis, is Hughes a good signing - yes, is he a player other teams worry about when they see the team sheet - yes, would a fit Hughes score goals - defo (seen as an unfit one hasn't done bad), are we glad that we've got him rather than another team in this division - defo, could/should he play/be playing at a higher level - most definately. So all in all of the options was it a good move to sign him - yes. He's won us points this year, but as senor says his overall contribution isn't near Rubes, Allott and even Davies. But still a v good signing and if he can get back to his previous fitness levels then without doubt a major headache for defences next season.

...why must it have been crap??? It was a job offer for Trotters, too right he was keeping his options open! Let's get the Trotman transfer in perspective (sorry to go over very old ground). This was a young lad, completely unproven in league football with a handful of games who we got off the scrapheap for nothing (playing in a position that we had bags of cover at the time), and for whom we were offered £500,000+. (A fee by the way that would in one blow wipe out 6 Months worth of season losses). I remind you that that is actually the biggest transfer fee IN for many a year, and as I see it is no indication of the ambition of the club at all. TBH I'd have questioned the clubs ambition/plans more if they didn't take the opportunity to make £500k+ on the deal (a deal which if Trotman progresses and moves on could net us another big wedge thanks to the 20% sell on). And that is the point, there is nothing wrong with being a selling club (which we can't exactly be classed as with hardly any out sales for years - v young players excepted) as long as you get more than the correct value for the player - plus if possible some sell on clause. At last a deal that actually suits US rather than either the player or the buying club!!!! I think the real 'bugs' are to do with how we ensure we don't end up in the situation we are in now at this time next year - not one of the best transfer deals we've managed to do in a long time.

brilliant!

I've put something similar on a different thread. All this talk of a creative CM isn't necessary, we have a decent blend in CM already - two ball-playing/hard working types to win the ball and give it simple. With wingers and an addition or 2 up front that would be enough for this division. Unless you have a player of the quality of a Wellens etc, then (in this division) it's not necessary. If you get lucky and get winger in of the physical stature of Josh Low you are really onto a winner in both boxes. Solid centre and 4 attackers - I would'nt be suprised to see both Eardley and Taylor flourish (which I believe they can - others don't but that's fair enough) in such a system. At present it is the balance in midfield that is stiffling our attacking - Macca is not a r/s mids, cm squad player at best.

Shez shouldn't be going anywhere. The season has flattered to deceive, and there have been failings this season from Shez, and even from the optimist base I come from I see them. The point being that if we reach this point next season with the club even lower then Shez will be fairly judged on his performance and (if that scenario is the case) he will have come up short. Despite various talk of transfers, ins/outs etc I do think that any team at our level would struggle having a 25 man squad - 8 of which have suffered serious injuries this season, and a further 8 of which are youth products under the age of 20 - the plan at the start of the season being to use them as back-up (not try to gain promotion with them as auto-starters!). For me a huge positive this season is the fact that the playoffs are still in sight (ok through binoculars now) in spite of having to rely so heavily on our back-up players - that's a great indication of the potential those players have. Think back to summer/early season based on the signings etc... (irrespective of subsequent form) 1st starters would've been Crossley, Gregan, Hughes, Ricketts, Liddell, Thompson, Kilkenny, Bertrand, Davies - how many of them have played a major part in the team over the past month/two?? Shez has some decisions to make in terms of how he really believes the team should play/be set up and it would be interesting to see what would happen if everyone was suddenly available at once. For me 4-4-2 is fine for this division, but he needs to decide if he wants the main thrust of the team coming from the middle of the park (ie creative cm) or stick with 2 ball-playing cm's and add to the wide attacking options. He will have learned a hell of a lot about just about every squad member this season because they've all had to play. That can only bode well for next season as long as he uses the next month or so to really decide what he wants for next season and begins to work on making sure he retains the people he knows will fit that next season. Personally I hope that means there is no massive change, just additions in key areas (and the usual player-driven exits).

each to there own. IMHO of Alless and Smalley it is Alless that looks more ready for the 1st team. His quality on the ball (when we started to PASS the ball into him) was obvious. Whereas to me Smalley's game is all about his pace and power and on that basis he isn't quite at 1st team level - too lightweight. That isn't to criticise him, just think that of the two he looks more like a lad thrown in due to emergency. As for Eards, I too think he had a decent game for most of last night, but the complete lack of support in front of him means he is often put into positions/passes which he can only deal with by putting his foot through it and hoping. To be fair I'd rather have a defender doing that than trying to dribble out from the back, but his obvious frustration was clear to see to all last night. For me, Macca playing right-side does Eards absolutely no favours whatsoever, indeed at present it does the formation no favours either. Oh i went for Lewis on last nights show..just

whoever says the word legend is banded about a bit too much these days...

looks like they did and it was quite frankly terrible. I don't think Taylor's challenge was deliberate, just clumsy (no two-footed lunge), but my prayers go to Eduardo. I just hope that I see him back on a football pitch one day because it means he has made it back from that! All the best to him

And topic on old Gracie: http://www.document-records.com/show_news.asp?articleID=319 not bothered to read the earlier posts then pointonstache (hint: try post #29)