In the week that Liverpool stage an amazing comeback to win the Champions’ League (amazing; there was one point between us last year, now its a million miles.  (Article) The difference?  In my opinion it’s a simple one, they sacked their manager over the summer and got the man they wanted in.  We didn’t) you’d think it would be all quiet on the western front where we were concerned.  Of course, as we all know too well, there’s never a week when the daily goings on at St James’ aren’t discussed in public.  Our laundry is never done in the comfort of the utility with the latest Bosch appliances; it’s pawed over and gossiped about by Pauline and Dot in Mr Papadopoulis’ laundrette. 

It started this week with the unsurprising revelation that Souness is to be charged by the FA for bringing the game into disrepute.  (Article) (Article) (Article) and (Article) Not surprising really is it?  For me he deserves a clip for trying to blame the referee for everything.  These days you just can’t criticise officials in public even if they are crap.  And this one is mind you.  Bearing in mind what he got for assaulting a water bottle earlier this season a touchline ban seems inevitable.  A permanent one would satisfy a lot of us right now I’m sure.

On the other hand, our illustrious figurehead maintains that he backs Souness 100% of the way and is convinced he “will get it right.”  (Article) We will of course be reminding you of these words and other like them (Article) if we are sat looking for yet another new manager just before the transfer window closes at the end of August.  We’ve been here before so many times you’ll forgive me if even my usual optimistic outlook is tainted with an earthy cynicism.  Meanwhile just to remind us what we have endured The Guardian’s Fiver section gave us the worst manager award and Fatty K the third place in worst player. (Article)  Rub it in why don’t you? 

The Journal provided plenty of talking points this week.  First up is their fans poll result.  (Article) (Article) and (Article)  I take a lot of these with a pinch of salt, mainly because many who vote in them get bothered to do so because they have a view at either end of an extreme and too often one point of view or other can become skewed in it’s proportion as a result.  However one thing, looking at this poll, other polls, reading the message boards and generally talking with the faithful, is crystal clear.  There is a continued and growing lack of trust with the board, the management and the playing staff from the fans.   We as a fan base are divided on the major issues and the division seems to be growing and the rifts not healing.  Indeed if anything the views on players, management and those who run the club we all love are polarising and until such time that we are a club united again we will remain amongst the also rans.

Meanwhile we get patronising platitude such as this from Luke Edwards.  (Article)  Tough challenge?  You don’t fecking say!  Then he produced another great piece of investigative journalism to try and predict who we may or may not be signing over the summer.  (Article)  Wonderful, mention as many players as you can then if one of them happens to sign you can say, “I told you so.” Genius.  And of course you can’t mention Luke Edwards and The Journal without mentioning, yes you guessed it, Kieron Dyer.  An unholy trinity if ever there was.  This week the yearlong Dyer Love-a-thon continued with this speculation that to retain Dyer was a priority.  (Article)  Sadly it probably reflects how far we have fallen that he is actually, right now, our best player and retaining him rather than letting him go for nowt next summer seems to be the plan.  Great.  Talks started apparently on Saturday  (Article) with unsubstantiated rumours that Mr 60 clicks could well be on his way to being Mr 75 clicks.  Perhaps that’s what FFS meant when he said we’d be “astounded?”

Talk of contracts brings us nicely to transfers.  Windy Millar there is now quite nicely turning the sails on the transfer rumour mill.  Of the outgoings so far Aaron Hughes expressed his sadness to leave this week.  (Article)  Good luck Aaron and thanks for being a professional young man whilst others around you were not.  Patrick the Pie Man meanwhile reckons it was his decision to leave and not the other way round.  (Article)  Who are you trying to kid as you desperately search to spare your blushes?  Waster.  Speaking of which Jamie McClen described his “agony” at three wasted years.  (Article)  If that’s agony, put me down for some torment, anguish and distress then please.  The most worrying development this week on the possible outgoings front was Man U letting 2 keepers go.  (Article)  Is that to bring one in I wonder? (Article)  The Mirror has it there reminding us of the reassurances we were given just before Woodgate’s sale.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if Given was to go would anyone blame him?

Meanwhile the Viana saga continues  (Article) and Robert may be on his way to Spain (Article).  Not wanting to go was Shola (Article) and after a little bit of silliness from his agent (Article) Peter Ramage signed a new deal. (Article) 

And so to the randomness that is who we may be bringing in.  This week we’ve been treated to Scott Parker (Article), some Ukrainian who looks like he needs a good mean and 2 weeks in Tenerife (Article), Freddy Kanoute (Article) and the Sunday Sun have gone off on one all together suggesting we’re “confident” of signing Shaun Wright-Phillips in a cash plus Robert deal.  I’ll have a pint of whatever they had before they put that into print!

And so some final thoughts for this week?  Ruud Gullit departs his latest managerial post still looking for someone else to blame.  (Article)  Couldn’t happen to a nicer fella really.  The Premier League are discussing the possibility of making away wins worth 4 points to make games more exciting. (Article)  Well that’ll be us more fecked than normal then.  What next, penalty shoot outs to decide drawn games?  It’ll be cheerleaders and foam hands next.  Well at least that’ll keep them happy in The Riverside and The Reebok I suppose.

NM