WhatTheFunk

Bjarni Gudjonsen was it? was meant to be the next Peter Beardsley

and that means quite what exactly.....?

Despite the risk of sounding totally original, i'm going out on a limb here and saying that Lawro is a tool

Isn't the fitness test some form of the bleep test, where by there are minimum criteria for players to be considered match fit? It's what I always thought at least. Failing a fitness test might not necessarily mean that the player has to take the test. Just being unable to undergo a test in the first place means the player has failed it. I think...

Is he playing? nah i mean thats why he's holding off putting barton back in, so he doesnt have to drop the owners son ixnay on the bollocks

Tactical from Big Sam. A man who thinks miles ahead. That is all. No need to worry.

LOVE the avatar!!

whey hey big boy ..calm down How did you know I was big?

Something about the line up tells me Allardyce actively went for the 0-0. Anything more would have been a bonus. As of yet, I'm not complaining. We lost. Big fucking deal. Nothing we're not used to. How the manager and players react after this is very telling of how things will go this season. A tepid affair on our part, but you knew that from the line up. Patience patience patience. Some of you on here are unbelievable!!! Fickle muppets!

All time favorite is Shearer. Used to love Ginola and Albert back in the day. Out of the current crop I would say Zoggy, Oba and the whole new defence!!!

fyp

no one is calling you "thick", just for disagreeing with you, like that some of that toontastic crowd [who are mostly thick as it happens by the way, but not because I disagree with them, just because they are thick, and dumb, full stop] but Dalglish improved an already top team at a big club, Liverpool, which was EXACTLY what was needed at Newcastle at the time. They also played with more flair, when he improved them. What is wrong with appointing a foreign, innovative, young, coach, in Gullit ? [Although I personally wouldn't have appointed him because I thought the sexy football stuff was bollocks and just a reaction to the supporters of the way things turned out under Dalglish] But he had the support of the majority of the fans. You shouldn't really understate appointments you think are "obvious", [including Robson], in your haste to slate the old board, if they are obvious, this must mean they have good qualities and are good candidates for the job, correct ? Was Alex Ferguson an obvious choice for ManU ? Would you slate them for that ? Anyone who looked at what he did, would say that he was easily on his way to a top job in England, it was just a matter of who saw him and recognised it first. Was Dalglish an obvious choice for Jack Walker ? On reflection, and putting aside for the moment that eventually we ended up with Robson who did very well for the club, maybe Dalglish and Gullit could have had more time, especially Dalglish ? If either of those had won the FA Cup Final, they certainly would not have been sacked. One single game, 90 minutes, and our history could have been very different, for better or worse. Sure. Nothing wrong at all with picking the "obvious" choice who the board will have believed to be the solution to our problems at any given time. However, it's not as difficult as biting the bullet and having the calmness or steadiness to make a change or appointment that would bring more than just short term solutions or quick fixes. IMO that has been the previous board's major shortcoming in that they always seemed to worry about the now, rather than the future when it came to managerial appointments.

To be honest...and in my own thick-minded opinion of course....I believe the only good work done in appointing a new manager by the board since Keegan has been Allardyce. Here's why: -Post Keegan....entertainers....but couldn't finish things off and win the trophy---> Dalglish. Straightforward no brainer. Manager who has won lots and was pragmatic in his approach, and had just won the title with a small club. -Post Dalglish....dour football...stopped getting results...got itchy feet---> Gullit. Starting to spring out some form of success at unfancied Chelsea. Sexy football. Continental manager and mentality. Again, not too difficult a decision to make at the time. -Post Gullit....no results...falling out with players...didn't seem to understand the club or city or fans---> Robson. Managerial legend, and massive supporter. A world class appointment no doubt. But how obvious a choice was he? Very! -Post Robson...lost the dressing room....lost the confidence of the board...did not like players signed over his head---> Souness. Notorious hardman, his biggest asset. Winning trophies here and there a bonus. Easy to control and use as puppet. no problems. Easy yet shite decision as it turned out. -Post Souness...no results...falling out with best players...heading toward fizzy pop league...expensive flops...no training methods to speak of---> Roeder. Successful academy manager, and nice guy who wouldn't push best players out of the club....knows the club well...can steady the ship...already an employee at NUFC, so no need to pay transfer fee. When Roeder was sacked...at this juncture, the board could have gone out and made another appointment for other reasons: - Sven: glam factor. successful manager. raise the club's profile once again - Shearer: Geordie hero. club all time top scorer. repeating the Keegan russian roulette routine among others.... IMO the correct appointment FINALLY by bringing in Big Sam Allardyce. A highly progressive manager with an eye to the future. Creative yet very scientific in his approach. Big balls of steel. Burning desire to win almost as bad as Sir Alex. Will build from the bottom up, and take a top down approach to size up problems and find solutions. In conclusion...maybe Shepherd and the board finally learned from all their previous mistakes? When they have gone for the sensationalist, or the pragmatic, or the glamorous....in hindsight, none were as successful as we had hoped, and some flattered to deceive. Here's to hoping that Fat Fred's parting gift to the club in Allardyce is where he really showed his worth to the club.

still trying to get that interview with old temuri!! i promise i will try even harder!

I dont think SBR can get the credit tbh. I sure i read somewhere that a scout saw him and was impressed and so he was bought. Sometimes i think managers like Wenger get a lot of praise for finding players like Fabregas etc etc when in truth its the scouts that find the talent and the managers then developes the player. Zoggy would not have been bought had Robson said he didn't like the look of him. I'm pretty sure managers do take a look at players recommended to them by scouts before going after them!?

excellent news this! Sir Bobby's parting gift to this club. A star in the making

nonesense i for one would have respected him a bit more. He always came across as someone who was quite disconnected from the fans. Freddie Shepherd would have been tenfold more popular had he still done everything he had tried to do for Newcastle, and kept a relative dignified distance from the media. Shame for the club, himself, and ultimately us the fans that he never did. Moving on...

i really hope you're on the wind up! Otherwise...

RIP Ray Jones What a tragedy!!!

easy chuckles

I would get it if Ajax didnt pay a fee, Luque paid up his contract, and in turn got a massive pay packet. We get first dibs on a couple of Ajax youth team players in the mix. From short of 15m in total to zero is just criminal. Fair point he has to go, but its a farce that embodies the general climate of the previous regime with regards to knowledge about anything to do with football.

This lad talks more sense than most on this board. Not too fond of the dig at larger-ish heads mind For the record, I voted aye... I tend to trust those who speak less more than those who worship the sound of their own voice

Why am I terrified of this takeover news?

Thought he had a good game, but is that the one where it was more a case of hitting him than him saving it? Dunno like, I didn't get a good view of it and didn't watch MOTD. That was the header from Laursen. For the NRC shot he must have seen it quite late, and done very well to get down to his left and push it away. I thought that had gone in tbh

That's the way forward! Fine...you can stay