BottledDog

Without a doubt, Taylor/Tiote/Jonas being out at the same time was a blessing although i'm fairly certain Taylor/Jonas wouldn't be in regardless. Still fancy Tiote to creep back into the side at some point but no way is Remy/Mym coming out for the other two. Pardew hasn't even been giving enough praise for which deserves for how well he has actually utilised Ben Arfa and got him playing some of the best football of his career, really think the way he has handled Ben Arfa here has been superb. See, I don't get this idea that he's just twigged or got lucky with the team due to injuries. He's been after a starting central defender which was always likely to see Taylor as the one benched. His priority has been to get Remy in for a while, and this summer also one more for the left/up front to push/push out Jonas. He love Tiote, and I do too, and yes, he will play a lot this season, but he has also consistently said that this year will be Anitas year, someone we have invested in heavily. He has also consistently said that this is the kind of football he wants to see. Here I can't defend him as much, not least because I don't find it easy to see him as the greatest of managers, but also because it seems that as as soon as things go against us, whether that be injuries, fatigue, no signings, or fuck knows what else he gets panicked and thinks safety first. But that's not to say he hasn't always been aiming for this kind of team. I think he has.

I thought we made them look horrible and he deserves some credit for that. Oh absolutely, I'm not taking anything away from the team, I'm just saying it's a step in the right direction but we're nowhere near the level we should be at. What level are you expecting of this squad? From this squad? Considering we have better players than the season we finished 5th I'd say realistically top 9. Competing with Everton behind the top 6-7 clubs. And you think we are nowhere near that level (finishing 7-9th) this season? I don't think we're that far off really, and the thing that would stop us getting there is not Pardew imho, but similar to last year, injuries hitting the first team. Absolute travesty we couldn't get a few more players in over the summer.

I thought we made them look horrible and he deserves some credit for that. Oh absolutely, I'm not taking anything away from the team, I'm just saying it's a step in the right direction but we're nowhere near the level we should be at. What level are you expecting of this squad?

Pardew has got what he wanted considering our lack of depth, a fit and fairly settled first team.

He's as discerning and positive as a puppy. Puppie aren't wankers. Especially ones waking up every morning and realizing they're getting paid to play in the prem for Newcastle.

Yeah, God forbid he answers the likely question, 'What would you do for your testimonial?'. He also said, "I was there last night watching and it was incredible, so many people were talking about it. Many teams in the country don’t have that level of support from the crowd for a charity game, they might get 15,000 or 20,000 if they’re lucky but nothing like 50,000 but that is what Newcastle is all about." What a wanker.

I thought there were reports from France that his preferred choice was Marseilles but they had asked him to be patient and wait until his contract had run down and then they would be able to bring him in at a lower fee and meet his demands. He's stayed at Lyon so that makes me more pessimistic definitely. Totally missed that if it was the case. Yet Jean Michel-Aulas, president of Lyon, complained to French football authorities last month that his Marseille counterpart Vincent Labrune had continued to approach Gomis and ended any hope of a fresh deal. Aulas had said last month: "We saw Vincent on August 2 and I asked him to stop his manoeuvres. "But Marseille continued, and it was only after I verified that they didn’t want to invest the sum that was demanded that I asked for an explanation from the league’s Commission for Legal Affairs." Labrune had hit back at the claims by saying: "As I said to Jean-Michel Aulas, I’m not going to shoot myself in the head because players are interested in the sporting challenge at Marseille. "Our strategy is good." Ronnie Gill today - http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/lyon-drop-complaint-over-marseilles-5909623?

Yes and they are morons. Pillock.

Bloody long, but a cracking tale. The day Harry Redknapp brought a fan on to play for West Ham. http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2013/sep/05/harry-redknapp-played-fan-west-ham

If true, what a system... Of course it isn't true. The club were never wanting to sign anyone until Cabaye left. That didn't strike me as the case at all. The Telegraphs version is a good deal more believable, and if anything, actually more disheartening.

Daniel Levy is the one true God.

Yeah I felt he represented himself quite poorly on that pod cast. Was he the one that also kept banging on about Douglas going to Inter Milan? /Douglas didn't go to Inter Milan Yup! That was him! Right'o, cheers. Good listen anyway.

Yeah I felt he represented himself quite poorly on that pod cast. Was he the one that also kept banging on about Douglas going to Inter Milan like we'd missed out on a superstar? /Douglas didn't go to Inter Milan

Am I missing a trick here? Ashley it appears will not put further money into the club. If supporters don't then all that will happen is that the club we love will be run on a tighter and tighter budget. It makes no difference to him.

"we should all approach the season in a positive, optimistic frame of mind" http://tacticstime.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/wpid-clockwork_orange_mind_control.jpg /who are they trying to convince here?

If anything, that was written to Pardew, rather than for him. Urrrrrg.

Not a fucking chance in the world that's directly from his gob. Clear indictment of or budget (or lack of) there though.

Apparently, not on Windows Phone though. Can't believe nobody has reviewed this premium food to seat service yet. Come on fatties!

The loan that he seems to want paid off sharpish is the 20 odd million he injected after we went down I think. /we went down because of his mistakes again though obviously.

It is - but only up to 30th June 2012. Well that's all we can go on really, what is in the accounts. If he pockets all the new TV money than that's a different matter. I'll be raging.

In this case, something fairly specific for me. It was not inconceivable we'd sell our best players and bring in some cheap crap. It has been often said this would fit the Ashley model. We haven't done that. We have Krul, Debuchy, Yanga Mbiwa, Santon and Collocinni. A very pleasing back 5. We have Haten Ben Arfa, Sissoko, Cabaye and Anita. A perfectly palatable central 5. We have Gouffran, Cisse and Remy. A not unexciting front 3. We have a good bench, but beyond that, not a lot of quality. We clearly lack an effective senior attacking left winger and a striker. Pardew indicated he wanted at least one or both and he got neither. That is deeply disappointing, deeply frustrating, and we're all pretty angry about it. Not least because all it would have taken to elevate our optimism for this season considerably would have been that one extra attacker. Raging, no (that would have come if we'd sold anyone of note). But as it is, it's an opportunity well and truly missed. Good post Cheers, think that Central five is a four though. Doh! What a difference bringing in just Thauvin or someone similar would have made man. 'kin'ell.

I'd have said Ashley is doing enough to our squad to enhance the away fans experience without paying to bus them in. Arf.

I'd have borrowed Lukaku in a heartbeat. Sure, the loan would feel dirty, but you never know, a bit of wining and dining down the Bigg market might have him begging Chelsea to sell him to us at the end of the year for a fiver.

In this case, something fairly specific for me. It was not inconceivable we'd sell our best players and bring in some cheap crap. It has been often said this would fit the Ashley model. We haven't done that. We have Krul, Debuchy, Yanga Mbiwa, Santon and Collocinni. A very pleasing back 5. We have Haten Ben Arfa, Sissoko, Cabaye and Anita. A perfectly palatable central 5. We have Gouffran, Cisse and Remy. A not unexciting front 3. We have a good bench, but beyond that, not a lot of quality. We clearly lack an effective senior attacking left winger and a striker. Pardew indicated he wanted at least one or both and he got neither. That is deeply disappointing, deeply frustrating, and we're all pretty angry about it. Not least because all it would have taken to elevate our optimism for this season considerably would have been that one extra attacker. Raging, no (that would have come if we'd sold anyone of note). But as it is, it's an opportunity well and truly missed.