Phil Brown?

Car Expert

If only Steve Coppell was an option for you...

Car Expert

A year ago I'd have wanted Coppell (he and Curbs were my first choices). I'm not so sure after his flirtation and desertion with Bristol City.

Is there anyone you can think of that has any connections with Middlesbrough? Gary Pallister for example, except he has no management experience. Bringing in Brian McDermott as manager at Reading seems to have worked for us so far (he was our Chief Scout for 10 years and has worked under Steve Coppell).

Car Expert

Southgate.

Of course...

Car Expert

Reading and Boro lost again tonight

Arsenal beat Shakhtar 5-1 in the Champions League, with Eduardo scoring Shakhtar's goal on his return to The Emirates.

Car Expert

But yet again, Derby County triumph!

Oh dear...

Portsmouth in some difficulties

I saw that. Not looking good, is it.

I also saw a rumour in the gossip column on the BBC site that Liverpool are lining up Frank Rijkaard. I wouldn't object to having Hodgson at a certain NE club.

I think Boro will have installed a new manager before any changes at Liverpool...

I thought Portsmouth were going to come out of administration this week. Let's hope they get their problems sorted out soon...

Car Expert

I don't want the mangers they seem to be talking about, though. Mowbray was awful when he followed Strachan at Celtic - would be great to have at some point in the future, but not straight after Strachan - and I don't like Megson. O'Neil would be fab, but he'd never come to a club as low as us.

Tony Mowbray might be better in this case though : I just don't think he was ready for the Celtic job when he took it. Megson...not sure that'd be a great move...

Who do you think we should have?

Either Alan Curbishley or Steve Coppell : though with the latter, I have the reservation that he'd bail out at any sign of things not going the way he thought. But if he performs in the way he did at Palace and Reading, he'd be a good choice.

There's no chance of getting Coppell - he's retired from football management.

Car Expert

A year ago I wanted Curbs. For some reason I have a bad feeling about him now, and I had a bad feeling about Strachan when he was appointed. I'm doing a much better job of coming up with managers I don't want than managers I do. Stuart Pearce would be good for all our academy lads, but probably too comfy in the England set up. Can't see Pearson leaving Hull so soon after starting.

Has he? When did he do that - after he left Bristol City?



How about Eddie Howe, currently doing a brilliant job at Bournemouth?...

Yes. Or so he said, anyways.

Coppell was the other person I wanted last year, but I'd be concerned at him walking after what happened at Bristol City.

What do you think's going to happen with Portsmouth?


Don't know enough about him.

I think they'll survive by the skin of their teeth. I hope they do survive, it's never nice to see a club go to the wall, like poor Chester did last year



Young manager, born 1977 (echoes of Southgate). Has taken unfashionable Bournemouth from league 2 to league 1 promotion contenders.

That's the same year as me.

I hope Portsmouth do survive.

Four years after I was born, Flossie!!!

A bit of hope for Pompey

He left Bristol City so early in the season because he just simply lost the passion for it. We might see him do a bit more punditry for ITV in the FA Cup. We shall see...Aidy Boothroyd took Watford to the Premier League at the age of 35. On that basis, Eddie Howe may be worth a shot.

Car Expert

I note that now Strachan's gone our academy players are suddenly getting a look in again.

Reading 0-1 up already, CE.

Not before time...

In the drop zone now.

I would much rather be promoted to play you than you come down...

The highest we can possibly get with a win today is 19th.

1-0 up at Carlisle

Yay for Charlton. Shame it's Carlisle you're playing, though...

Palace have equalised against Preston, so that puts us back to 21st - for the moment.

It's a long way to go to come back with nothing, though...



All right, I'll cheer the Palace goal for you. Goes against all my instincts though...

You didn't cheer loud enough. Preston are ahead again.

Yeah...sadly any cheers for Palace will be half hearted...sorry...

It's now 3-1 there...

2-0

Good. Let's hope it stays like that...

Car Expert

Oh dear, Flossie...

There's still 45 minutes to go...apparently, according to Final Score on BBCi, Boro can't defend...

We now have 6 ex-academy lads playing though, which I suppose is a good point...

Yes...you do wonder why your ex-manager ignored them for so long - now they're being dropped into a side with very little confidence...

Well. Strachan sent all our left backs out on loan, and has had us go into the season with only 2 goalkeepers (one of whom is only 19 and had no first team experience until Brad Jones left).

All of them? So...let me get this right...you had no left sided defenders to call on? None at all?

It looks like Portsmouth will survive...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/t...uth/9120575.stm

Car Expert

It's now 3 beautiful goals to 0.





Excellent news for Chev and all the other Pompey fans

We have no left backs. Joe Bennett started out as a defender, but actually seems to have morphed into a LW. Jonathan Grounds is on loan to Hibs and Andrew Taylor (who was our best LB) is on loan to Watford. Poggy was never replaced. Killgallon was signed on loan from the Mackems to cover on LB, but he's actually a central defender and has been injured since his first match for us........

We also have a serious shortage of true wingers...

Sounds like a bit of mismanagement there...

I think that's the understatement of the year. I tried very hard not to be too critical of Strachan whilst he was still our manager, but his approach and tactics were bizarre.

No clean sheet for Charlton.

Orient are leading 2-3...

Car Expert

Carlisle have completed the comeback...

Car Expert