BottledDog

Long shot, but has anybody got an email address at St James's that might actually get read and absorbed? Just need to let off some more immediate steam at these thick fucks.

Just can't believe it.... Absolutely fucking livid with his sacking. Hells teeth. Sorry Chris.

This about sums up my feelings right now.

How come you are willing to write off our results as 'mental' but not anyone else's? If anything, the better teams starting to do the business is good for us because we already have a decent point/GD advantage over the bottom three. I meant the more established but poor teams ability to scrape important results (not the better teams) would be my worry. I think we have great character, but our capacity to lose to anyone outweighs our rare ability to pull off the odd great result. Anyway, quit questioning shit - I'm just trying to balace out the positivity.

I would bank on the more established teams having the ability to get runs of results together over us, so would be surprised if we ended up outside the bottom 3rd tbh. A few mental resuts still doesn't mean we are much more than a newly promoted team struggling to win at the moment.

Sold on the Iberian lot above us or the Russians. Late night scran and drink. Nicest weather.

Clueless, why 'should' we have lost at home to Wigan? Because we got a late equaliser? Give me a break. Not many players are still around from Allardyce's time? Get a f***ing grip Mark. It is true enough though - Simpson, Colo, Willamson, Jonas, Nolan, Tiote, Guthrie, Routledge, Lovepants, Raylor are post Allardyce. Carroll was around but only marginally involved. When did Ranger join? 2008, a Wise signing suposedly. Just out of interest, and probs the wrong thread, but what ever happened to Aaron Spear? Was excited when we captured his signature, but have no idea how he is getting on.

He has done well for a while now, long may it continue.

Not going to argue with that. Me either, but at the moment Ashley is doing what an owner should do... just create the environment for the playing staff to operate and leave them to it. Whether or not he stumbled on the right setup out of luck and/or despite himself is another matter, obviously. Not going to argue with that either.

Not going to argue with that. /though I was thinking more around 75 - 85% tbf.

No love for Shane?

Ashley may have just stumbled upon Chris, but he has also stuck with him, backed him, and both apparently have a good working relationship, which while they should all be givens, that's not always the case. This has been part of (or a catalyst leading to) the stated policy of promoting from within (where possible) which is also commendable imho, hopefully moving away from the disastrous stumbling from one managerial outfits philosophy to the next. As for not knowing what Llambias does; if you're questioning why he's keeping fairly quiet, that it probably for the best to be fair. But it's been pretty clear from quotes from Hughton and various reports that apart from the overseeing the running of the club in general, he is also integral to the sanctioning and persuit of players, bringing in the likes of Tiote and Arfa among others on particularly good deals, as well as sorting out contracts for the likes of Carrol, and getting decent money in for any wantaways. Not a total disaster then. And the club for sale rumours being an insider drumming up interest on the sly? I find that pretty far fetched, but it all depends on how you choose to see things really. Clearly you remain sceptical, and fair play to you for that, but I hope and genuinly do believe that while they have made some god awful decisions along the way, they are not the malicious buffoons you would have them be.

Nobody has. The question was a very simple one, 'who spotted him?'. Some people replied Keegan. Others thought there might be no evidence of this, and that Hughton himself gave credit to the Newcastle scouts and the system in place. No humps. Just prefer to give credit where credit's due.

Load of toss. It's nice to find the story on who spots these players, especially ones who go on to be top class. That's why there was so much love and respect for the likes of Jack Hixon.

Based on what exactly? Build me a scenario here. If we are talking players, despite all the gnashing of teeth every transfer period saying we'll flog our best players and bring in freebies, when has this actually occured under Ashley? When have these fears over his asset stripping tendancies ever borne fruit? Any decent player has left for their own reasons; not one player has been forced out. ive never built one before but............ http://i674.photobucket.com/albums/vv108/centerpaddock82/buildmeascenario.jpg That's a quality scenario, thank you.

4th last paragraph. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/oct/30/cheik-tiote-newcastle-united ...says nothing to indicate Keegan had spotted the bloke.

Keegan spotted him and sent Hughton out to have a look at him. Really? Can't see it myself, thats what the scouts are for unless Keegan had time in his busy schedule to sit down and follow Tiote (but there is no indication that he ever saw Tiote live, if ever). But whatever, lets say he did send Chris because he had spotted him and wanted a second opinion, shame he never bothered to persue his interest. Might have kept us up. EDIT - Looking back at an article you linked to, Hughton says “Getting players like Cheick in, it’s all about a network of scouts. I had seen him myself and when that is the case it sometimes stays in your mind. He was one we’d looked at over a longer period. I saw him a couple of years ago but Newcastle’s scouts knew him even before then, when he was in Belgium."

Who did spot him ? Like you say, credit to whoever was responsible for getting him to our club. Fairly sure that plenty spotted him, but Chris was one who has scouted him in the past and probably recommended him this time around. Llambias will have been responsible for sanctioning the signing and actually getting him in.

Based on what exactly? Build me a scenario here. If we are talking players, despite all the gnashing of teeth every transfer period saying we'll flog our best players and bring in freebies, when has this actually occured under Ashley? When have these fears over his asset stripping tendancies ever borne fruit? Any decent player has left for their own reasons; not one player has been forced out.

I can't see any reason to make any major additions bar injuries. Happy to let Hughton just bed the long term wounded back into the team slowly. This a chance to stabilise, consolidate, and then move on not go ape because of a few results and mess with a tight knit group. But whatever happens, I'm comfortable enough to trust in the direction Ashley and his staff seem to be setting since relegation.

Well, he's still learning, but he's getting better and better tactically as well as bringing on individual players. I'd be absolutely sick if we don't get behind him. What would that say about us as a club? We are behind him and I think it'll stay. I'm just not at the same level as others, that he's our saviour and we'll become a successful club with him - it's too early to tell. Doesn't mean I won't give him a chance like. I think he has a very real chance of giving us some great times given backing, just seems to have the perfect character for us and the players, but agree that it's still way to early to hail him as the next Robson etc; In the same vein - I also don't hold with all the pressure to bring forward discussions on his contract, it's in both parties interest to work something out, let them sort it in their own time.

Always backed and defended him; seemed a straight, determind bloke, who talked a great deal of sense from the start. It's pretty mad that people who apparently had no time for him, and saw him as nothing more than a puppet that should be got shot of asap, are now loving the bloke. Good to see though.

Mike Ashley will probably think "Well I appointed a coach as manager and we're 4th. If I get rid of Chris and do it again we might win the league. Sorry Chris no new contract!" I don't doubt that Stevie Stone would indeed win us the league.

f*** him, players like him, Michael Owen, Oba Martins, Beye, and every other c*** who thought they were bigger than the club. Look where they are all now. On benches. getting paid handsomely though, which is all c***s like that really care about I think Shay's move is different to the others mentioned. He moved to a club to be their first choice keeper, a club which will be challenging for trophies soon. The rest either left for more money or went to average clubs. Shay gave us some good years, a lot of them to be fair. He was always a top class keeper, and although he had no North East connections he loved the area, the club and the people. Still love the guy, but wouldn't take him back because it would be unfair on who we have. Shay has done absolutely nothing different to all the other players who are readily criticized for being mercenaries. Personally, I don't see the problem moving to City, they have money which is an obvious bonus, but that pretty much goes hand-in-hand with chances of winning trophies, so quite how you can separate the mercenaries from the ones who are there 'for the right reasons', is beyond me. The only ones that really seem like mercenaries are maybe Ade & Balotelli, but I'm sure you could make reasons for Balotelli to move other than money. Not so sure about Adebayor like. It does not go hand in hand to be fair, for how many years did we pay huge wages to players? We never stood a chance of winning anything. I don't like City but they do, yes money is great there but he moved to try and win something. And Shay was here a lot longer than the rest of the other players who left. Regardless of how long he was here, he picked the worst fucking time to force a move away. That's what gets most peoples backs up I'd wager. A great goalkeeper for us once, but it's difficult find much love for the bloke and his bulging retirement fund after the role he picked during his last act at the club.