Wullie

Disappointing result but I take my hat off to Bolton. One of their players in particular was outstanding, he broke up every Newcastle attack with ease, dominated our strikers with a minimum of fuss and kept all our attackers at bay single-handedly in the second half with some top notch timewasting. His interception when Milner was clean through on goal was magnificent. Bolton came to spoil a game that 52,000 people had paid money to watch and Wiley was the pick of the bunch. The type of performance that should see him banned from being in charge of a football match at this level.

Penny floater.

It's the Steel Wheels bloke who used to do it, Rob I believe his name is - at least I think so, he's been on for the last few games. I've actually thought of late, though I do prefer the music he plays PA Guy sorry, that the NUFC.com (and TF to an extent) praise of Rob was out of order. He's their mate and used to sponsor .com, I found it quite unfair.

Not sure if it's been mentioned but Owen will captain the side today.

Newcastle 7 Tottenham 1. i think Pretty sure it was against Charlton.

Not sure he has the range of passing to be a top class central midfielder. His brand of pace and trickery works best out wide imo. He's never really played well in the centre for us over a period of time, looks like he'll get his chance now though, I hope he does take it.

It's really sad to see so many kids wearing Chelsea, Man Utd, Liverpool shirts round Newcastle. If I had it my way, it would be classed as a form of child abuse and I'd have Social Services round there in a flash with a shirt and a few posters.

We were mullered by Monaco in the UEFA Cup. Doesnt disprove what youve just said, because iirc we had no strikers fit for the game and Lee/Beardo had to play up front whilst this was at a time when Gillespie was still out and hence the team was struggling due to an imbalance and a lack of depth. Im only mentioning it because its an example of how average our backline was, which is supposedly a myth. Keegan had gone by the time we played them.

What a dense comparison. Compare Ferguson, Mourinho, Wenger, Benitez taking over at Sheff Wed, Preston, Scunthorpe or Colchester and having the best team in the country within three years and you're a little closer to making sense.

I wouldn't want to sign Bridge. Today in the Sun, they had an "opinion" piece, slagging off Enrique. Just had another look at tomorrow's: Mongs. Hope KK saw enough from Enrique the other night to know he's a good player.

Just watched his Inside Sport interview, says himself "I wasn't enjoying it anymore, fans didn't want me anymore, it wasn't going how I planned - I could have played the game in Finland, got sacked and got millions." Apparently not being a greedy arsehole like so many others I could mention is a bad thing.

Aye, I used to read the Times supplement "The Game" on a Monday morning and always liked Caulkin.

So when did keegan fail , yes we missed the title but he was made promises which were not met and i believe words to the effect of "thats not what i read in the brochure" and promptlly left as i remember him sayig its a plc and he was getting shackled by the money men and could not operate in football in that way and the boards aspirations did not match his. So what did he do! spat his dummy and walked away like he did at Fulham and Man City. How the fuck did he spit his dummy at Fulham? He took the England job ffs. I like how when a manager stays on to collect his hefty payoff for doing a shit job (Graeme, Glenn) they're greedy but when a great man like Keegan walks away with his head held high and his dignity intact, he's "spat his dummy." Do you know the reason your expectation for the type of manager this club can get is so high? I do. His name's Kevin Keegan. Have some bloody respect.

Wullie, honestly man, the world has changed and so has football since then. The Prem was not even near the best league in the world in 96. Its only recently that we've been able to claim that. For the record, i'll support Kev to the hilt but i am worried about this. I appreciate that but it hasn't changed THAT much. That Man Utd team was excellent - Schmeichel, Neville, Keane, Cole, Giggs, Beckham, Cantona amongst them - great players then and players who would still be some of the best in Europe now and we were better than them that season overall, I don't care what anyone says. KK spent money but even then, to come from the brink of relegation to the 3rd tier of English fotball to 3rd in the Premiership in two and half seasons was phenomenal, especially when we'd not spent that much by that point. I'll also say that Keegan suffered from the rule change re: the Champions League. His Newcastle team would have given some of the best teams in Europe a bloody good game if given the opportunity. I'm not blinkered enough to think that everything's going to be alright now and we're going to steamroller teams all of a sudden, but neither am I going to complain that the man who brought this club to within a Peter Schmeichel save of winning the title is back. For now, just his presence is enough to tear ourselves from the apathy that we've been wallowing in for far too long, that much was obvious last night, even from players who've never met the man, and other than pipe dreams, none of the other candidates seemed to stand out for me.

Really? Yeah, it was big about my family; my brother, my dad, my Grandad, but I never really sat down and watched a match. I can remember the day in 2002 though, when I sat and watched a Newcastle match with them and thought "Wow. This is brilliant" and I ain't turned back since. Which one? Ironically Man U 5-3 Newcastle Who wouldn't fall in love with that Shearer thunderbolt? I used to go and watch Hartlepool with my dad (first game a Coca Cola cup tie with Stockport on the day after my 8th birthday), enjoyed it but football was never high on my agenda. Then my Grandad took me to the old Odeon on Pilgrim St to watch Newcastle vs Swindon, March 1994. Won 7-1. Hooked.

Really? Yeah, it was big about my family; my brother, my dad, my Grandad, but I never really sat down and watched a match. I can remember the day in 2002 though, when I sat and watched a Newcastle match with them and thought "Wow. This is brilliant" and I ain't turned back since. Which one?

First thing Ashley and Mort should do is issue a general statement to the British media along the following lines: "Fuck off."

I'm puzzled by the way some people go on about him. Fair enough, I can understand folk having reservations (I'd have said "no chance" a year ago) but "average manager"? "Step backwards"? He's not Glenn Roeder ffs. How many other managers can claim to have lead one of the world's most competitive leagues for 35 games right from day one? He didn't win it, but for one or two tiny bits of luck in certain games he would have. You'd think he was Steve McClaren the way some of you wail. I love the "he was shit with England" comparisons too - probably from the same people bumming Sven without a hint of irony.

Fucking mint. As I was saying the other day, we have good players and getting the spark back into the club is half the battle - Keegan's presence alone managed that. The players looked like a massive weight had been lifted off their shoulders for the first time in a long time. Only Stoke it may be, but this time last year we got slaughtered by a team in the same position when we had 10 men. Tonight we simply stepped up a gear upon losing a man and played some superb stuff second half. We've played worse teams than Stoke this season and looked woeful.

I'm fucking astonished. I had a feeling it was going to happen since his "interview" the other day but I'm still stunned by it. Going to the match has been a chore for far too long now. This'll put the spark back into the crowd and hopefully the players and that's half the battle won. Sentimental, yes, but this is as excited as I've been for a long time. He's never failed in club football (failed at City, my arse! He did a brilliant job for them) and he knows good players.

Cheers for the info, even if it does turn out to be bollocks. By "prodigal son", do you mean one of our ex-players? Probably a limo stealing one.

Oh cheer up Dave, you're bringing my mood down. Keegan in! £20m over three year btw? Shut up.

He'd also have an immense amount of contacts and also is a well respected bloke to players too, seeing as he's won it all with juve and is still about 40. Tbh I don't care anymore, I'd happily take Didier or Gerard right now altho I like the idea of Deschamps better He's hardly won it all with Juve. Edit: oh as a player? Gotcha.

Is there a source for NUFC's rebuttal?

Houllier's transfers at Liverpool where often highly shit. He worries me. Indeed. Lyon and Liverpool, he took over good sides with good players. Can he buy well enough from our position? Hmm.