That’s actually a brilliant shout. That would be amazing.

Obviously all depends on whether Palace have identified Howe as successor, and of course if Roy standing aside is amicable. He might not be happy about not having his contract extended so may not agree with any such hand over. I know he’s a great bloke but is definitely his own man. Who knows? But what you outlined there would be a perfect transition on so many levels.

But I stress, only after we are mathematically safe. Can you imagine an Oldham situation happening under this arrangement?

'Better stop dreaming of the quiet life 'cos it's the one we'll never know'

More likely after the Baggies game given we have 3 games in a week, next week before the Baggies game a week later by which time we could be all but mathematically safe. We then have a THREE week break due to the rearrangement of the Man U game and the International break before we play Everton. So after the Baggies game makes more sense IMO.

Wouldn’t that be a great way of transitioning to a new era - after the Albion game.
I think the points about Roy’s stubborn streak are valid but he’s 20 plus year’s older since Blackburn and is making noises like he may want to retire or at least sounding more accepting of it.

I think the smart move would be to keep his knowledge and vast experience at the club in some capacity, which could support a young manager new in post.
From what I have read about Roy’s interaction with a number of young managers over the years I think it might offer some appeal to him too.
This would be the best of both worlds for all concerned imo and would allow Roy to bow out of Management in a manner befitting of his stature and esteem in the game.

While I certainly like the sound of a transition period, I think it would only work if Roy actually wants to retire and if the man coming in was genuinely happy to be somewhat of a silent passenger. Given the criticism he's taken recently I doubt Roy will want to retire with someone else climbing into his bed while he's still in it. I imagine if he is going he'll want to finish with a record points toll and then bow out quietly.

If Howe or someone else has been sounded out they may already be assessing the squad from afar anyway, as there are cameras at the training sessions and they can watch all the games, including the youth matches. I imagine it might be disruptive to have another manager around and Roy might perceive it to undermine his authority, especially if it is a manager with a different ideology like Howe.

Lockup your daughters and your wives and sisters well anything with a pulse really.

One more point

Age will in the end play a part in Roy’s future as it does for all of us sooner or later.
But when this is applied to Roy’s situation right now, it has to be taken into account that aged or otherwise, he is still capable of getting results against some of the highest rated managers in the game, and most of all those presently mooted for his job.
If he is fit, and loves his roll, enough to take the obvious pressures why should he bow to anyone, merely because he is older than they are?
Howe s only real qualification to be thought a better fit than Roy, is he is younger.

A question ...... would Howe have got a result against the weed the other night with the team at his disposal. I get it’s conjecture but what’s your gut feeling?

Bring back Brolin

My cat is getting nervous !

Apparently he is partial to a bit of pussy

Terry has worked under a wider range of top managers and coaches than most, has seen what is required to be successful, and has undertaken an apprenticeship of sorts at Villa, where they seem to value his contribution. As a top former player he would command the respect of the squad (at least at first) and he seems very serious about being a successful manager.

On the other hand, he may be asked to explain, once again, the time he used the words 'f***ing black c***' to an opponent. This is not simply because we've always had a lot of black players, supporters and staff. Firstly, being concerned (or not as the case may be) about the episode is not tied to one's own racial category. Secondly, I think it's a reputational issue that any club might want to address before making Terry the public face of the organisation.

For what little it's worth, I've always found his defence (that he was repeating something he thought Ferdinand had accused him of saying) every bit as implausible as the football authorities did when finding him guilty of racial abuse and banning him for four games. At the same time, I recognise (as did the courts) that however implausible his defence might be, it can't be disproved. I'm also not aware of any evidence that, over the course of his life, he's been racist in his attitudes. If anything the opposite seems true, though he has displayed several other character faults. Those other faults may affect his managerial suitability less than the Ferdinand incident though.

I've always presumed (and it is of course a presumption) that he's not racist, but that in the middle of a very heated exchange in a pressure cooker game, after Ferdinand made several direct references to Terry personal life, he instinctively reached for the most hurtful,aggressive or upsetting thing he could find, then regretted what he had said (or the consequences) and cobbled together the only vaguely operable escape route he could. It would have been far better to accept guilt and apologise.

What is far more clear is that Terry doesn't seem to have publicly acknowledged how implausible his defence must seem, or offer much public support to Ferdinand, who later reported receiving significant abuse over the incident. He's not obliged to do either of course, but it might have been the decent thing to do.

Personally I've a number of concerns about the BLM movement, and about the inadequate critique of it in the mainstream press, but even without the current commercial and media climate I'd reckon the Ferdinand incident would be a factor in any potential appointment of John Terry.

Edited by TheBigToePunt (25 Feb 2021 1.42pm)