Joleon Lescott - GONE

[saunders_heroes]

Honest to God, talk about a broken record.

Same could be said about you and your tiresome "it ain't all that bad" routine.

[Clampy]

Honest to God, talk about a broken record.

It's 'Now that's what I Call Austerity 678' I believe.

[brontebilly]

Lescott or Clark for CB at Stoke? Lescott for me.

Clark for me, Okore/Clark for rest of season.

Lescott wont be at the club next season so no point in playing him imo

[saunders_heroes]

Lescott or Clark for CB at Stoke? Lescott for me.

Clark for me, Okore/Clark for rest of season.

Lescott wont be at the club next season so no point in playing him imo

Clark is like a bomb scare. No thanks, I'd rather stick with Lescott.

[villan from luton]

Lescott has been doing ok recently, it wasn't only him that was awful last Sunday

[Toronto Villa]

Honest to God, talk about a broken record.

Same could be said about you and your tiresome "it ain't all that bad" routine.

Where have I said that exactly? Specific to the recent discussion on this thread where have I said things aren't bad? You can't seem to go a few posts without repeating how Lerner has slashed the wage bill. Do you mutter it under your breath as you brush your teeth in the morning or pour milk over your cornflakes?

[PeterWithesShin]

Any chance you two can give it a sodding rest for a few days. Or at least take it to PM.

[saunders_heroes]

Lescott has been doing ok recently, it wasn't only him that was awful last Sunday

Yeah, that's why I'd stick with him. He's far better than the nightmare that is Clark.

[SheffieldVillain]

Lescott has been doing ok recently, it wasn't only him that was awful last Sunday

Yeah, that's why I'd stick with him. He's far better than the nightmare that is Clark.

Also, regardless of the fact that he isn't the player he was and that he seems to be a Grade A twat, he was once a very good player and is hopefully teaching Okore a thing or two which will help him in seasons to come.

[ozzjim]

Okore will be off in the summer too, so not sure his learning curve is our number 1 concern either.

However, Lescott and Okore should play. In fact I would be tempted to go to a back 3 for a few weeks, we are so narrow anyway it would at least let the full backs get forward more, and Richards would not have to run playing the right side of the 3.

[SheffieldVillain]

Okore will be off in the summer too, so not sure his learning curve is our number 1 concern either.

I'm not sure it should be our number 1 concern but a factor. If he stays, he will have learned something. If he goes, he will have become a better player and in theory will rate a higher fee.

[villan from luton]

I think we have to play our best side until we are gone and Lescott would be in my team. Was pist off when  heard about him threatening a "fan" until it was in response to giving him another scar. That is sick.

[Villa in Denmark]

There's no doubt at all in my mind that he'll be leaving the club in the summer. He claims to have not wanted to leave a sinking ship in January, but at soon as the ship is sunk he'll be off. I don't blame him mind you if he has the choice of B6 and Championship football and MLS with LA Galaxy (as was rumoured)

But we'll probably tell him he can leave just so we can remove him from the wage bill. Reducing our wage bill has been the priority since 2010 and the cause of our horrible decline.

If we can pick up a million and lose his wages at Championship level it's not a bad thing. Reducing the wage bill that was inflated beyond reason has been a priority since it got out of control. It's not like we are the lowest spenders is it? And I really don't want to get into this all over again on the bloody Joleon Lescott thread.

Great. I'm sure we've now reached the wage bill Randy finds acceptable after 6 years of cost cutting, and the Championship awaits.
Talk about a false economy!

The problem has always been that at no point, including under the blessed saint Martin of Kilrea, have we actually got value for money out of what we have spent, always overpaying by a level for what we actually got.

Based on the wages data accessible on various sites:
MON. Top 4 budget. Highest finish 6th three times.
Houllier. Still at top 6 budget. Finished mid table.
McLeish. Upper mid table budget. Bottom 6 finish.
Lambert. Mid table budget. Bottom 6 finishes.
Sherwood/Garde Lower mid table budget Finishing bottom.

At no point have we actually punched our weight. We've been badly managed from day 1, and there I will agree with you that there's only one person to blame, but not throwing enough money at it isn't the root cause.

[ChicagoLion]

I would only play players that give a shit. Garde will know who they are, I have no idea if that includes Lescott.
The rest can get lost as soon as possible.

[villan from luton]

Fair points made Villa in Denmark.

Where does that stem from though do you think? Houllier didn't have long to change things, wasn't sure of him after the Liverpool comments but hey. Didn't want McLeish, did want Lambert and was quite positive about Sherwood and Garde. The budgets they are working within were from the first manager who seemed to have the total trust of the owner