midds

He's not going to get into the Spanish squad by playing shite is he? If he does leave on a free he'll probably have far more options anyway, so I don't think he'll be too fussed at staying an extra year. He's not going to get into the Spanish squad regardless of how well he plays for Newcastle. He needs/wants a move if he wants to move his career onto the next level.

Would you keep and play a bloke who doesn't want to be here though? All very well saying keep him even if he wants away but he's hardly likely to run through walls for us when he knows he's walking away for nothing in a few months time. Shit or bust this summer.

He knows exactly what he's been told. That's the very reason he's being so vague and non-committal. He's just getting his excuses in. [/cynicalasfuck]

I'm guessing he knew what was coming. I'm also guessing that he'll be ok and get another decent job in the game. Sullivan and Gold deserve relegation. Might get quite nasty down there tbh. Not sure what the financial situation is there but if they need to sell all of their better players then it could be a while before we see them again

Respectfully disagree. If he hasn't signed a new contract by, for argument's sake, July 1st then I'd sell him. I want to keep him and hope that he's offered a contract he wants to sign but IF he's dug his heels in and wants a move then he has to go this summer. Can't lose him for nowt next summer.

Blessing in disguise. No Europe means they can have a proper go at the top 4 next season. Spurs won't cope with the extra fixtures and Arsenal are slipping a bit. Could work out well for them in the long run. More's the pity.

Aye, could probably keep an eye on them both. One eye's going to the shop and the other's coming back with the change.

Couldn't agree more. We've got a few players we need to ship out because of their wage (Smith, Xisco) and a few who simply aren't good enough but we have to keep the quality we already have as a bare minimum. We should be adding another 4 quality players with the Carroll but if we can pick up a couple of Bosmans then all the better.

We're due a win against this lot and I think we'll sneak it 2-1. It'll be a tough game though. I'd like to see the kids get another run out.

It would be nice if we could finish the season with a win. Send the fans away for summer on a high after a top-half finish with a few of the kids getting a game and showing a bit of guts.

Fuck me. Completely deserved that. Taylor had a proper cowie face on when he scored.

Maybe he's told the powers that be that he's got no intention of signing anything they put in front of him. If that's the case then he's forced the club's hand and we've got no choice but to sell him. If he's not happy here then he's got every right to ask to play elsewhere. As long as he does it the right way then it's fair enough, it happens, it's how football works.

That's ridiculously harsh on Bily. Not even a yellow tbh.

Sunderland are fucking terrible. Playing like a relegation team.

The genetics would fit.

Did the 'reaching 10 yellows' rule not lapse a month or two back?

I honestly don't think European teams will be able to handle Stoke at set-pieces. They caught some of the best teams in the country out for a while when they got promoted a few years back so God alone knows how our continental friends will cope.

Take away his ability to tackle/harry midfielders and we've got half the player. That's his job, he's our destroyer and the law of averages says he's going to get it wrong from time to time. To be honest, the amount of graft he gets through, the amount of attacks he breaks up and amount of tackles he makes over the course of a season getting booked 14 times isn't the end of the world, particularly if you consider some of the poor bullshit bookings he's had. It comes with the territory. I wouldn't tell him to change any aspect of his game. Keep on doing what you're doing Cheik, it's phenomenal.

Some of these (completely plausible) XI's being posted, honestly man, the planets are going to align on Sunday afternoon or something. We'll see a performance of which the world has never seen before. Well, since Stevenage anyway.

Would be alright, if it didn't have the bottom bit. What, the bit under the collar?

It's a fucking kids jigsaw!

Money, income, sponsorship, ratings, revenue, value, cost, price... The FA have been obsessed with money since Wembley was built and Crozier moved them into Soho Square. Every single decision they make is based on making as much cash as possible to pay for that fucking stadium.

Shouldn't really mock the afflicted but these gormless knackers need burying alive.

“They can put together whatever they like. He is not for sale. I am going to say it for one last time, he is not for sale,” Why am I even pushing this issue? We're learning nothing new. The only thing we're learning is that we shouldn't believe a fucking word he says.

The only line-up I want to see Smith in is blindfolded against a whitewashed wall, facing a dozen loaded rifles.