Wullie

Best minutes applause I've ever seen. Certainly got Craig Gardner fired up anyway.

Fucking Wigan man. Only result more certain all season than a mackem win tonight is three points for them bastards tomorrow.

Best result is a Stoke win for certain. Would mean that the mackems would need to get a result at White Hart Lane if we beat QPR, and if we didn't do that then Stoke would be fairly irrelevant anyway.

A point and it's only goal difference. They're below us atm.

Feel utterly sick about tonight. I know they'll win but the unlikely consequences of a Stoke win are vast.

Half wish Stoke could just forfeit and give the mackems the points now. It's the hope that's hurting. Not a hope in hell of a Stoke win, things that good don't happen.

Doesn't matter how many goalscoring midfielders you have when they're not allowed to get into the box. Sometimes I watch teams like West Brom and there's a queue of five or six striped shirts waiting in the area for the ball to drop. We tend to have Cisse standing on his own amongst half a dozen defenders.

Anyone who says they wouldn't take Benitez should be detained under the Mental Health Act tbh.

If we have a lead, there's very little incentive for QPR to chase the game. Start him. He's not a great sub really because he tries to do it all himself (understandably).

All Newcastle being shit has done for me is drain my interest in other football. I'm still stuck with these buggers.

Can't say it has for me, I usually wish it had on a Saturday evening. Find it dominates my mood more and more when we're losing, a win and I can relax and forget about it.

Yep I think you're right (although if no. 2 happens, we'll probably still need a point, depending on GD) and we've not even taken into account Stoke, Fulham, Saints or the mackems. There's an insane amount of permutations, 8 teams still vulnerable with 2/3 games to go is mental. I keep going over everything in my head, we'll know a lot more by Tuesday night. What's really fucking irritating is the GD situation after the last two home games. Still very possible, given the number of teams who still have to play City/Spurs/Arsenal/Chelsea that one team taking a kicking could be a nail in the coffin.

There's many twists and turns to come. Very feasible that a team like Fulham could suddenly find themselves in the bottom three momentarily on the last day. That's why I think three points will do it - there's simply too many in the mix. If we get to 41, for both Villa and Wigan to finish above us would require one of them to beat Chelsea/Arsenal respectively. Then even if that happens, the mackems still need 4 points to get to 41, Norwich need 3 (and they pretty much need them against West Brom), Fulham need 1 but have tough games, Southampton, Stoke and mackems are all playing each other so points will be dropped there.

Looking at other fixtures, teams having to play each other etc, three points will almost certainly be enough.

Probably more upset with the prospect of being relegated again like, just a hunch. I think everyone is Toon's Taylor, I know I couldn't stomach watching from 60-90 - it was truly abject s*** today. Back on topic with the guy in charge - this guy needs to go, I think with the exception of one or two, everyone agrees. But that shouldn't stop people, who see one or two positives in a f***ing tragic situation, from posting in this thread because Interpolic or someone else might lose his rag, again. Less than a month ago you were claiming anyone who wanted him gone couldn't "see the big picture". I can fully understand why IP's so p*ssed off, the smug condescending attitude of the people who've backed him has been excruciating all season. It's been like watching a slow motion car crash whilst standing next to a load of mugs telling you how hysterical you're being and of course that child flying through the air will be fine if you just stop being so bloody negative about his prospects. Anyone who couldn't see this coming at least six months ago simply doesn't know very much about football. Sorry like but that's the truth of the matter. Plenty like to dress it up and call it "staying positive" when what they actually mean is living in a dream world so far detached from reality that they might as well be on the f***ing moon. Yeah you're right about that. I was. That's changed since the Liverpool game where it appeared the players just didn't give a fuck. A big part of why I supported Pardew was because it seemed the players liked and respected him and that perhaps unusual circumstances had caused results to drop so badly. That theory is now blown apart. I think a lot of people stood behind him on the basis that the players like him but I was always far from convinced a) that it was the case and b) that it was necessarily a good thing. The managers I've had that I liked most are the ones that let me have leave at short notice, don't get on my back when I'm posting on here instead of working, let me do a half-arsed PDR etc. Whether they're any good at their own job or not is generally a complete irrelevance to me.

Probably more upset with the prospect of being relegated again like, just a hunch. I think everyone is Toon's Taylor, I know I couldn't stomach watching from 60-90 - it was truly abject shit today. Back on topic with the guy in charge - this guy needs to go, I think with the exception of one or two, everyone agrees. But that shouldn't stop people, who see one or two positives in a fucking tragic situation, from posting in this thread because Interpolic or someone else might lose his rag, again. Less than a month ago you were claiming anyone who wanted him gone couldn't "see the big picture". I can fully understand why IP's so pissed off, the smug condescending attitude of the people who've backed him has been excruciating all season. It's been like watching a slow motion car crash whilst standing next to a load of mugs telling you how hysterical you're being and of course that child flying through the air will be fine if you just stop being so bloody negative about his prospects. Anyone who couldn't see this coming at least six months ago simply doesn't know very much about football. Sorry like but that's the truth of the matter. Plenty like to dress it up and call it "staying positive" when what they actually mean is living in a dream world so far detached from reality that they might as well be on the fucking moon.

I know you're not a fan but that's like Pardew-speak. This idea that you can only win a game by going gung-ho. A Premier League team should be quite capable of both attempting to win and attempting not to concede at the same time. Exactly, we looked least likely to concede when we were turning the screw and pushing them back. Wham are one of the least likely teams to hit you on a break and rely on peppering the penalty area with crosses and feeding off scraps. Exactly right, which makes the tactical decision to sit back even more ridiculous than it was. He just doesn't read games at all, for all his spew about studing the opposition he does a shit job of implimenting it. Aye. Defend in our own box against a team whose main attacking ploy is whacking high balls into a crowded area. FFS.

Grow up. Tottenham are 2 levels below winning a big trophy. Arsenal and Chelsea haven't been at their best and they're fighting neck and neck with Spurs. That is their level. Staying another year is a good shout but Spurs aren't that close to challenging for big honours. "2 levels below winning a big trophy" ffs. What does that even mean? Wigan Athletic are playing in the FA Cup final next week, I presume they're 1 "level" above Spurs?

I know you're not a fan but that's like Pardew-speak. This idea that you can only win a game by going gung-ho. A Premier League team should be quite capable of both attempting to win and attempting not to concede at the same time.

PSG staff mentioned wanting him a couple of weeks ago. Why would they want him though, he's shite and has the heart of a pea. There's no way we're gonna be able to offload this chancer. Agreed. We should snap up some of the Scottish internationals in Wigan's midfield, or perhaps the French lad that Villa got from Ligue 2 to replace him. Give them to Pards and then we'll see some real football.

Indeed. Can't condone it but I wouldn't blame any of the players for being well beyond the end of their tether. Coloccini is too, but today showed that it's not as simple as "offload him and problem solved"

Agreed. He's all talk but little action. Totally, if we stop up we should offload him. He has been shocking and not bothered his arse one little bit fighting for the cause. Who do you think will take him?

Been happening all season, no matter who the players are. Either it's the tactics, or the players as a squad aren't nearly fit enough. Pity he didn't dispell the myth about us being negative as fuck and scared shitless of absolutely everyone. Funny how today we were all worried about West Brom because they're safe and we're worried about Swansea because they're safe, and we're worried about West Brom because they're (still) safe next week too. Meanwhile we go to West Ham (yep you've guessed it) and absolutely shit ourselves.