Jeez, Swale...you could have written a novel in the time you’ve spent on this, and please stop with the insults...always a sure sign that someone has lost the argument.

I haven’t said half the things you’ve suggested for starters. I haven’t ever said ‘it’s all Lampard’s fault’, I haven’t ever tried to ‘lay the blame solely on him’, haven’t ever blamed him for ‘the club’s transfer and wage budget’ or suggested that I’d be ‘happy’ if we’d ‘finished mid table’. If you think I have, and have an afternoon to waste, please show me where I’ve said any of those things.

What I have said is that ultimately he left us in a mess. He was with us for twelve months, made a marginal improvement on the finishes achieved by Clement/Wassall and Rowett and left us with gaping holes in the squad because the player of the season and two players who had contributed about 23 goals between them promptly upped and left too...aka ‘he didn’t leave the club in a good place’...which you have acknowledged and agreed with.

Beyond that I’ve questioned his actual transfer dealings. I really haven’t got the time to check this out, but as memory serves these are the players he brought in and the marks (out of ten) they deserve...just imo...Waghorn (7), Marriott (4), Holmes (6), Evans (4), FloJo (0). I’d also query the wisdom of some of the departures but that too is just a matter of opinion.

So...what I’ve actually said is...Lampard didn’t leave us in a good place and his dealings in the transfer market weren’t up to much. I’d let it go now if I were you, but if you insist on continuing ...those are the only two points for you to address, and you’ve already agreed with the first one.