Magister

I don't think that"that" is actually a syntactical requirement of an indirect statement construction. Eg the removal of the first "that" from the sentence preceding this one would not change its meaning. You may now of course wish to substitute the " h" of that with a different consonant to provide a retort

Glad to see satire is still alive and well and well reserved

I am glad to see they are asking for details of height weight and position before they can come.....we wouldn't want any 6 foot 3 inch strikers turning up would we?

I understand your point but this is the crux of the issue. Do you and my brother by setting what you consider realistic targets , citing managerial change, low budget etc., actually provide excuses in advance for mediocrity and dress up adequacy in the clothes of success? I think that is the danger....does not mean I am right though. That is why a discussion about club aspirations seems so important to me

I think you make a valid point with that assessment

"Be careful what you wish for" It might benefit some on here to consider and analyse this commonly quoted caveat issued by many who have learnt it's appropriateness the hard way ?

Blimey BP..... "Favorable " "Endeavors". I don' t we will nominate you to be Harry's correspondent with The Oxford English Dictionary". How do fancy being our liaison with the Americans though?

I have endless arguments with my brother about what constitutes success for Latics. He says he will happy if we stay up this season and success would be finishing higher than for last 6 years ie 14th.( I think that is only one step up from being pleased to fulfill our fixtures) I have said success would be to score 60 goals , get 60 points and increase home support numbers by 5% What does the panel think ?

Whereas you address it as an interested objective onlooker with no axe to grind re united and Manchester PS I think most on here have a similar axe!

Agreed....my heart was not in supporting this lot of players anyway!

I don't we think disagree particularly in fact but just for arguments sake.. Competent: "having suitable or sufficient skill or knowledge for some purpose"Being selected and paid to be a professional footballer would ipso facto suggest that they have demonstrated competence. PS"strive to gain or win something" means something completely different than " gain or win something" PPs I bet our colleague forum members are transfixed by our discussion of semantics.....apologies all

Am i mistaken in thinking that only last week SC in the Chron said that " the players should look at themselves" Is that not doing exactly what he criticising others for doing?

Objectively yes I think so. 8 away games unbeaten is competent . 4 defeats in 16 is competent ...... Having said that it is tortuous to watch and I think what I am saying is that the whole is significantly less than the sum of its parts should be?

This is not the worst team we have had. By and large they are competent pros doing a competent enough job.....the problem is that it is so sterile. There is currently no player at the club you want to see with ball. Groves and Stainrod etc were from a different stratosphere but now we don't even have a Harkins or even the sight of Matt Smith trying to clatter into a centre half or even Sid dribbling the ball into touch at high speed..... This lot take no risks, there are no smiles on their faces, .and it is a good job they have their names on their shirts because we would not recognise them otherwise It might not be worst time to have supported us but it is up there with the most dreary

So 1 % of 3500 home fans are negative.....that is 35 people! We wish! Miles out Simon

I am a bit taken aback by this....I had always thought that out of say the average 3500 crowd about 3000 went to every game ( barring a holiday or a wedding). I very rarely miss a game and most Latics fans I know don't either. What are others experiences? I can't do the maths( I can but can't be bothered ) but if every 3500 crowd contains 1500 occasional visitors doesn't that mean we have considerable more supporters than we think?

Absolutely and I think it is fair to say without being patronising that Mansfield might think it is a bigger and more attractive game given the geography of it and may be more up for the replay?

Not if it results in more dressing room unrest

But as you say earlier, non league footballers tell lies:)

Wow! When did thought become the truth?.....that seems a really really dangerous road to me!

Was that the game when their keeper tried to throw the ball , dropped it on the 6 yard line and put his head in his hands in horror only for a David Shaw to side foot it wide unchallenged in front of an open goal from 6 yards? ...if so has anybody ever seen a worse miss?

In November 1972 I watched us lose at Scarborough in a cup replay, that was the last time we lost to a non league team. Does anybody know of any previous occasions we lost to non league?

In November 1972 I watched us lose at Scarborough in a cup replay, that was the last time we lost to a non league team. Does anybody know of any previous occasions we lost to non league?