Sunday supplement panel discuss immediate future of CH & NCFC

Apologies to all who've seen this already. The views of a panel of - hopefully, non green-and-yellow tinted spec wearing journalists discussing the implications of this weekend's Palace match.


http://www1.skysports.com/watch/vid...rwich-city/9040173/will-hughton-get-the-sack?

Interesting to note that they're as undecided as a giant chunk of the fan base is.

 

As you may know Cromer I have been behind CH in these debates and hoped that he would find that bit of magic or pick up some good luck (which he has sadly lacked) but to be honest I do feel that there is now an inevitable drift in the negative and it is probably a matter of time before he is shown the door.
It is sad because I like the guy and he is genuinely decent which is a rarity in this game. However, the continual away batterings and the potential humiliation against West Ham (only prevented because they couldn't hit a barn door with a banjo) have reinforced the feeling that CH has not got the answers. Substitutions in the 89th minute are disturbing and when it comes to luck, well you only have to look at the injury list and start to shudder. Beating Palace will put off the immediate decision but are we best now to install someone and give them a few weeks prior to the January window? I have stated on this board several times that I do not fancy any of the out of work brigade and similarly am not a fan of Malky for our club, however, the name of Mike Phelan has possibly opened my eyes to that possibility and if we could have a situation with Phelan and maybe retaining CH in some capacity that could be interesting. CH has been central to bringing in some genuine talent to the club but as the actual manager I am no longer sure.

 

Am I the only person not overjoyed at the link with Phelan? He was great for us for a while but couldn't get out the door quick enough once his head had been turned! Might he not treat us the same way in a managerial capacity?

 

That is correct and is also why I didn't want Bruce as our manager! Both excellent players but you have to question their loyalty!

 

Wait a minute. Bruce and Phelan were sold to Manchester Utd right? The chairman at the time was Robert Chase, regularly castigated here and elsewhere for his policy of selling the club's best players. You are saying that Bruce and Phelan "couldn't get out of the door quick enough once their heads were turned". Have you any evidence for that other than the fact that Man Utd wanted them and NCFC let them go? How do you know they couldn't wait to get out of the door? Have they said that in their memoirs? What makes you so sure that they didn't agree against their will to go?

 

Ashley Ward and John Newsome immediately spring to mind, in the context of that last post.

 

My post wasn't about Chase. It was about the claim that Bruce and Phelan were disloyal to the club. As far as I can see it is based on nothing more than that Man Utd wanted them and NC were prepared (maybe even happy from a fund-raising point of view) to let them go.

 

Many thanks for clarifying that (though I'm not clear why you attribute it to greed rather than e.g ambition. Nor does it seem to me necessarily to warrant being called disloyal). What about Phelan? Did be do something similar?

 

Yes, threatening to refuse to play is certainly not admirable no matter what the circumstances. Can't remember off-hand how long Bruce played for us before going to Utd.

 

So three years/seasons. Any idea of where he was in terms of his contract? Threatening to go on strike doesn't somehow fit with his otherwise wholehearted attitude on the pitch. You could never fault him in that respect.

 

So he resigned, had his resignation rejected? Strange; that usually works the other way round.

 

Thanks, Cromer. Yes, sounded just like us lot (except they were polite).

 

Wouldn't it be great if they each preceded every counter argument with a slap of their own forehead, though?

 

All I can say to that is