Paphos People

Having supported the TOON for 16 yrs now, I've had my points where I think things couldn't get any worse & something amazing will happen but just lately, I'm becoming a little more disillussioned with the way my beloved club is being run

I did think that when Ashley took over he, being a multi billionaire, he'd pump some real money into the club & get us off to a good start like it was back in the early-mid 90's, how wrong was i to think that because all I've seen so far is our wafer thin first team get even thinner, yes we've brought in 4 very decent players this summer but we've not brought in more than have left, which makes our wafer think squad even thinner & thread bare

Now this past few days have seen us beat Coventry in the CC but only to find one of our better, more stable players, Milner had put in a transfer request & has now moved to Villa for around 10-12mil, which yes is good business on Ashleys part, as he's got twice as much as we paid for him but now we need to find a player who can replace Milner for less wages than Milner wanted, then we have to see whether this new player can cope with the premiership, (as it seems the Spurs multi million pound players Santos, Modric don't seem to be able too) instead of giving Milner the same wages at Taylor is getting which would have kept him quite happy & playing for us & not against us, not only that, we've sold him to one of the teams we'll be competing against to get into europe, so where's the logic in that

So I hope by midnight Monday 1st, the TOON have brought in some more players & proved me complete;y wrong about being disillusioned over there practice of selling our best & weakening our team for the forecoming season

dont worry pete, its not as if your best stiker is going to walk away on a free at the end of the season is it?

and you have some quality back up strikers (shame viduka is injured) in ameobi and smith

newcastle will be similar to last season many poor days, some good days you are right to be worried over the ownership and how thin your squad is mind

Owen offered 85k a week.... what other strikers

We have the thinnest, weakest squad in the Premiership even the new boys, Stoke, WBA & Hull have bigger squads than us it's a joke, a complete laughing stock

Pete, you're such a woman sometimes!

We already have one of the strongest squads in the league (outside the top 4 obviously) - let's not confuse quality with quantity here, most sides would love our players. 4 top notch signings already and I'm sure there'll be a couple more before the window closes.

Clubs in far deeper sh!t than us currently include:

Spurs - loads of new players but same old rubbish
West Ham - selling all their top earners and in disarray off the pitch
Portsmouth - bottom of the table, lost Muntari and Kranjcar now injured long term
Man City - still buying players on the never-never, but it will all end in tears when Thaksin goes down
Everton - having to play 16 year old kids as their squad is so light

I'm the most upbeat about the toon I've been for years - in KK I trust!

What has being disillousioned about the club got to do with being a woman

Not sure you noticed but we didn't have any strikers starting against Coventry, we had to play two AM's instead & oops, we've just sold one of those to one of the teams we'll be competing against for a european space

The only striker we currently have isn't fit enough according to KK to start a match, especially against a top 4 team, so who's going to play up front this game, Jonas & Zogs maybe as remember Duffer is injured again & if I remember rightly, we had 16yr olds on our bench last week & every week so far, due to us having a very thin 1st team too

I'm disillusioned because nothings changed, we're still panic buying at the end of the transfer window as we've always done I just thought & hoped those days where behind us when FFS left but it seems not

As for those teams you've mentioned, at least they've brought players, maybe not very good one's but at least they have a stronger 1st team squad than the TOON does, we currently have just enough players to put out a 1st eleven & 1 sub

I think I just rate our current players a lot more highly than you do - when fit, as striking options we currently have:

Owen, Viduka, Martins, Ameobi, Smith, Carroll

Now who outside the top 4 has a better set of strikers than that??

We have possibly the best keeper in the league, and certainly the best pair.

A defence of Beye - Taylor - Coloccini - Enrique is the best we've had for years, and on paper possibly the strongest we've ever had in the Prem. Decent backup from Cacapa, Bassong, Edgar.

In midfield Spiderman looks capable of being a worldbeater then we have seasoned internationals like Butt, Geremi and Duff, complemented by excellent youngsters like Guthrie and N'Zogbia. Barton might even play soon.

That's 22 players I've named, not including our growing band of top-notch youngsters - look at the list of those brought in over the last 12 months - Kadar, Tozer, Spear, Baheng, Zamblera, Soderberg, Ranger etc - that's building for the future right there!

It just seems we're living in a Football Manager generation where everyone flaps and panics if their club aren't buying and selling dozens of players every window - I'm more in favour of steady growth, and regular solid acquisitions so you have a squad and team that grows together - that's what KK did last time and he'll do it again.

Pete,
You've been disillusioned ever since I've known you.
Your mate Martin is not much better.
He says you have a great set of strikers when fit.......... the problem is they are never fit.
He says you've got a great keeper and he's right.......... but you need one !
No doubt you'll sign a few players in the next few days,playing in the Spanish league I bet. Poor KK will have to ask Dennis not so Wise who he is getting.
There can be no doubt whatsoever that KK was over ruled in the Milner saga. No doubt at all.
Little Dennis did Ken Bates a favour there didn't he ? Leeds get £2m from the Milner deal.
I bet you wish you were a Mackem !!!
Gary

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So close yet so far away

I am really disappointed that Milner is gone. Oddly, enough Dean is please about it!

Out of the teams that Martin listed, Newcastle have the biggest listed current squad. Ok I haven't compared current injuries fully. Some of Newcastle "current" squard are very young.

Newcastle - 38
West Ham - 38
Portsmouth - 29
Everton - 28
Man City - 28
Villa - 26
Spurs - 20 (I've double checked that as well!)

As for buying etc
Everton - 1 player back from Portsmouth and that's it! a few player out on loans and a few sales
I think Villa have brought very well.
Newcastle have done ok so far. It would be nice to see a few more before the end but it always is.

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Alison - Ali for short

And while I'm on, Boro have a more impressive set of strikers.... Alves,Tuncay,Mido et al.
We've got Kenwyne,Healy,Cisse and Diouff plus Chopra and Murphy !
Like I say you'll sign some new players, no doubt, but I don't think KK has a clue who they will be.
Gary

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So close yet so far away

So we have a good set of Strikers do we:

Owen is either injured or wants to leave
Viduka is always injured
Martins is class
Ameobi, don't get me started there
Smith, you call him a striker, not scored in 2+ years
Carroll is a good reserve striker & wont get a chance while the other are playing for us

As for midfielders:

Barton, well you know the story there
Zogs, would leave in a heart beat
Butt, ok on his day but is getting on
Spider is a class act
Geremi, ok on his day, does well for us
Duff, well what can I say, ok against non premiership teams, lost his pace & skills
Gutherie, seems ok, still young & lots to learn

Lets look at our defence, yes I agree it the best we've had in a long time but then agains, we don't really have anyone of real class to cover them when injured, do we

Beye, easily our best player last year, lets hope it lasts
Taylor, making too many mistakes & can cost us a game with his stupid tackle or handballs
Colocinni, class players no doubt, hope he sorts Taylor out
Enrique, was a little shaky last season & has trouble getting into the first team for some reason
Cacapa, getting on now, surprised he's not been sold or released
Bassong, would play him instead of Taylor at present, seems lest hazardous to me
Edgar, another who has trouble getting a starting place

Now Goalies

Given, world class & needs to be, we'd be screwed if we didn't have him
Harper, shay's twin brother, equally as good, surprised he's not playing for England,
Forster, not a bad 3rd goalie but little chance of gettinga game ahead of other 2
Krul, Sold now

So yes, thats right Martin, 22 players, of which we have probably 8 really class players, 5 good & the other 9 are either always injured or aren't good enough to get into the first team, oh yeah or in prison

By the way, if we have 11 players on the field of play, 7 subs, that 18 yeah, so we have a reserve team of 4 plus all the youngsters you've mentioned, not really a solid, strong team is it

I'm disillousioned with the fact that Ashley & KK have both said we're signing young players for the future team, so why sell Milner (22) & Krul (18) if thats the case, aren't they the sort of players we should be keeping for the future of our club or is it just down to money again, same as it was with the last regime

Quick call an ambulance for Pete !!!!
Gary

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So close yet so far away

Pete, you have a strange idea of what constitues a good player - I spent my youth on the terraces watching the likes of Frank Pingel, George Reilly and Billy Askew, the current crop are a world away from that shower!

The football world has changed beyond recognition since the advent of Sky, and I think all the hype has messed with people's expectations - personally I'm happy to see a team of players of decent ability that look like they give a sh!t, at least trying to play proper football and with a management team with the club's best interests at heart, and I think at the moment we have all of that for the first time in a good while.

Beating the mackems twice a year always goes down well too!

Just heard unofficially that KKK has resigned. Nothing official yet, but will let you know later if I hear anything more.

John.

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Never let truth get in the way of a good rumour.

Pete, your club were well and truly left behind on Transfer window closing day. I'm not thinking of Man City, Spurs or Everton here more like Hull City and Stoke City !
What's going on mate ?
Will you be even more disillusioned when Little Dennis is the manager or do you think that will be a step in the right direction cos after all, Martin's told us you have a management team with the club's best interests at heart.
Keegan should walk, if he has any pride left he will.
Ashley and Wise, a marriage made in heaven.
Gary

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So close yet so far away