The summer of 2006

[CanadianGer 1]

Back in June, I thought we were on the verge of a new era, as when Souness arrived. The chairman had taken a bold move and appointed a new coach with exciting promise. We had a team of young confused boys who needed to prove themselves but in amongst that group, there was some real potential.

So I expected a Souness style approach to the challenge. The necessary addition was aggressive veterans with a track record. Instead we got more boys. In some cases literally. With a paper thin squad he signed a 17 year old.

Who knows what lies ahead? My first reaction on hearing that PLG had dropped Barry for a game was "he must be mad". Then I read it was permanent and my first thought was - is this an exit strategy? "Oh, they wouldn?t get rid of the local boy so I had to quit".

Then more speculation. I can't agree with BF being able to dictate tactics and undermine a coach. The guy needed time to settle and stand or fall in his own right. But as fans we've been desperately unhappy the last few months - who knows how bad it looked on the inside.

Now PLG has walked. Maybe that was his goal from the outset when he dropped Barry. But I'm worried now. The new Souness-style era looks further away than ever. We've already seen that SDM doesn't want to release cash, even to a supposed golden boy. We've now been tarnished with a Hearts style fight in the press. And we have no manager to oversee the January transfer window.

[CanadianGer 1]

*shamelessly bumps own thread*