Rousseau

There was an image on Twitter showing Halliday in an airport -- not sure of the veracity of the source.

Decent loan signing, and deserves a permanent deal. He's still young, but I hope going forward that he becomes a squad player.

This is mental. We're basically giving up on the season! Second is there for the taking, but Murty -- I hate to say -- won't get us there, unfortunately. Murty having say on signings in January is fine, because we have a DoF. There's continuity there; the DoF will not scout players that don't suit us long-term. The criticism there is unfounded.

You said he's had a "seven year losing streak", but it's not as bad as that. After Twente (1st spell) he had 1 year, albeit at Wolfsburg and Forest, where he failed completely. He returned to Twente and did 'OK', signing good players, consolidating their position etc., but was sacked -- so, failed! -- after a run of 7 games without a win. His Derby career was terrific. Play-off final, only losing out in the last second of the game, then second season he had them top for most of the season until injuries (his excuse) and Newcastle speculation (press), spoiled their run-in. He completely failed at Newcastle. And failed at Derby (2nd spell). For me, that's only 3 years of failures, possibly 4. It's not as bad as it's perceived to be -- some of it's even understandable (Forest and Newcastle!). He would certainly cost more, but I think he'd guarantee us 2nd. I also think he's a much better coach, so there's value there in the sense he'd be able to develop our players and team. Moreover, he can build and develop our squad towards European objectives. It may be too much money, but there's so much more value there than a McInnes or, heaven forbid, a Wright appointment. I can see why Allen would recommend him.

I actually see him being a useful forward in the 4-4-2 diamond -- playing a role similar to Windass.

Fascinating how we perceive things. McClaren -- who is by all accounts a 'better' coach than McInnes and most certainly Wright -- is perhaps a gamble. However, I don't understand how he can be spoken less of than Wright. He's just better: better coach, worked at a higher level, has experience of working with winners etc. The only down side is the dry spell, which does appear to be a long one. Is he the answer? I don't know. But if it's a choice between McClaren or Wright, that's no choice at all. Edit: Actually, after checking, that dry spell appears to be 3 years, only 2 of which he was actually managing (he's currently in a consultancy role). It's still a significant dry spell, but you could argue it's not as bad as it is perceived to be.

I don't think it was compo who posted that comment, but you're right. McClaren may have his detractors but there's no doubt there's a decent coach there. In what world is Tommy Wright considered a better coach than McClaren, looking at their careers? I don't get it? Moreover, If Allen is recommending him then surely we must take it seriously? That's his job to know these things.

When I see the Tommy Wright "rumours"...

I really don't, to be honest. Swansea are unique in the sense they have a club philosophy that has done well for them -- that's why they always had another man lined up that could take over seamlessly, Rodgers, Martinez, Laudrup etc. Pulis is really not that man. Any other club, I'd say, Yes, Pulis would have a good chance of keeping them up. With Swansea, I don't see it.

On SSN Swansea say they are "not considering Tony Pulis as a candidate". Even Swansea don't want him!

I think They are the perfect example of how wrong your first point is. A manager with a modern style can transform a team. I'm not saying they are all good players, but I believe a manager would transform the team. Yes, I do get annoyed when people say manager X, Y or Z is not right, without any examples to the contrary. To be honest, I don't know. But, I'm not willing to throw my lot in with any old name, that happens to have done a job at another club with very different circumstances. I think Preud'homme would've been a good shout, but I don't know if he's a viable option. Anderlecht destroyed Them in the most recent game -- after they had changed managers -- and I don't think Belgian football is that far ahead of us, in terms of the league -- perhaps their players are better. The Scandanavian managers are quite progressive. I believe there are better options out there than a free British manager. Fair enough; we can agree to disagree. Happy Birthday!

A "good style of football" doesn't mean we are open to the point of suicide. A good style of football can be the German way of the high press, whereby they concede few because they are aggressive and score more in the process. Being defensive -- although it is important -- does not win you games. Pulis' win% barely gets over 40%; that's not good enough for us. Moreover, we don't need more quality -- although I'll take it! -- to play better, winning, football; we need a manager/coach that can implement a modern style. Being tough to beat is not enough. It doesn't have to be either/or, Defend or Attack.

It wasn't aimed at you, as I saw his name doing the rounds on Twitter. He knows how to defend, I'll give him that, but he hasn't got a scooby how to win and play football. Four Centre-halfs and one in midfield? No thanks. It has to be a foreign manager for me; but one that knows how to win. Not sure how realistic that is, though.

The names get more desperate every time I log on. Tony Pulis?

We should be scooping up the cream of the crop at this level. I see the influence of the DoF in this strategy, if the article is to be believed -- not a guarantee.

That was my point -- perhaps poorly articulated. There is always an element of misfortune at the time, but it happens too often to us, suggesting we're the cause of it.

There is an element of misfortune, but it happens too often against us.

Oh well, I'll make an early start on the GPL scores; shouldn't take long...

Looks like a 4-3-3, the way it is written out in a following tweet.

[tweet]942031807742119936[/tweet]

He'll pull a Marvin and play through it...

Stupid Yellow cards is a good topic to discuss, but there is no need to single out Windass.

I don't think he is a left-sided player, naturally. He's been better through the middle. We are short on the left. I agree he doesn't deserve to be left out.