James

Whatever you say about Gouffran he is still significantly superior to Riviere

Can't believe our fans like. We don't know if Mbemba will start? Will Colo need a few weeks? Is Lascelles ready? And who is McClaren's preferred option between Williamson & Taylor? Spoiled for choice man. I think a lot of fans will be disappointed when they see Taylor and Williamson jog out this weekend.

I'm not sure where Anderlecht compare in terms of start of season but I suspect that Mbemba is a little bit off in terms of fitness, especially with the number of training sessions he has probably missed. So a wise manager will probably be resting him until he's got the preseason minutes under his belt. Whilst this is frustrating now it will be better for club and player in terms of future fitness and injuries. So unfortunately a weak defence will probably play this weekend and for the next few weeks. Which is a shame but it is the best the management can do under the timescales they were given.

He has already realised that potential with the coaching of Given, Krul, Forster, getting them all out in consistent form for 20 years. Harper coached given? Righteo. Have you never seen a keeper train? Fwiw both Given and Krul have mentioned the important role Harper played in getting them ready for match day.

He has already realised that potential with the coaching of Given, Krul, Forster, getting them all out in consistent form for 20 years.

Harper has the potential to be very good as a GK Coach so if he has his badges I'm all for it

To be fair to Harper I think GK Coach is a bit different to other coaches in that the keepers work together in twos or threes and coach each other and we developed Krul and Forster during Harper's senior period. So I think we do miss him to that regard and he will make a good GK coach.

That's true but it's also irrelevant to whether he starts or not because it's pretty obvious De Jong will start behind Mitrovic or Cisse. I think it's very relevant because the likelihood of a player starting a game depends on the position they play.

I presume someone has had the brainwave of having trial agreements while paperwork is being finalised so players have extra days to integrate. Makes a lot of sense.

Because he has mostly been used as a striker I think some forget he was an attacking midfielder before he joined. Winner of Spanish Second Div Midfielder of the year.

We won't because of the wages. Loans like Marveaux would be what happens.

I believe there would be reasonable interest in Gouffran in France but not player and club would need to be prepared to accept a financial loss for that to happen and neither are at that stage yet. At this point, managed well Goiffran is still sufficient as a 4th choice striker so I'm not anxious to get rid.

I would love to see Newcastle develop a Bobby Robson Cup. Every year or two, NUFC, one of Robson's other English clubs, and two of his European clubs. Good mix of teams and interest for the supporters.

Hopefully more has been done on the training pitches

From James' post above it seems he wanted to go out on loan but wasn't allowed and then wasn't given game time here either which would be pretty annoying Yeah but James said that, so... It was all on the Chronicle and I said apparently. Appreciate that is not much better though!

He wanted to go to a League One club. We rejected his request because he was wanted for the first team. He doesn't play and spends another 6 months playing reserve football while others got to go to Rangers. That is why he is pissed off.

Apparently he is really pissed off at having asked to go on loan was rejected due to club needing him for the first team. Players with more significant experience then being allowed to go on loan to Rangers. Then him not getting a game when he was promised otherwise.

The panel won't look at Williamson, they will look at what British centre halves we have in their late teens or early 20s. So will Mbemba block opportunities for Dummett?

Wasn't it a recommendation in last year's state of the game report that the FA panel should be turning down more applications with a focus on whether the signing could adequately be covered by an Englishman? For that reason I would be surprised if he gets approved.

If this was football manager it would be zero chance of initial work permit plus one in 4 chance on appeal. If that is reflected in real life you also have to add on the issues with his age documentation. It's not clear cut at all that he will be able to join us.

Acuna Matata

I thought his agent was Pini Zahavi who is as rich as agents get.

Maybe his height is linked to his age?

I know there are a few countries with Congo in their name - is he from the same Congo as Kazenga and Unique Treasure (so good they named him twice)