English FA Cup 6/1/2008 - Stoke vs Newcastle

A battling performance by the strugglers from Newcastle have stayed the hand of execution on Sam Allardyce. It might actually save him the job and lead to an "Alex Ferguson", but in truth, I only see it as just some extra money for him before he finally gets booted out of the Tyneside soccer club. The simple fact is that Allardyce does not have the style that would buy Newcastle fans over, and this is a club that is really run by fans. They chase their managers out of the job before any real results could be had.

For Allardyce and his counterpart at Liverpool, most of the better players would not want to join their clubs. Torre would be an exception to the rule, but just as much as players have become mercenaries in today's game, they also know that the clubs that win trophies are the ones who can afford to pay them more. It just goes to show how much Liverpool might have wasted on average players since winning the Champions League.