James

First shot on goal by....Habib Beye.

Although Martins and Milner are behind our full backs in some kind of wide sweeper position.

Good on you Smithy. What does the 4-3-3 look like then? Milner on the left and Martins on the right? Or vice versa? Neither, they're bot playing centrally, with Smith out wide. -------------------- Given Beye ------- Faye ------ Roz -------------- Zoggy --------------------- Butt ------------ Barton --- Geremi ------------------Milner ----------------Martins Smith Sort of like that...

Come on!

Blackburn: Friedel; Emerton, Ooijer, Samba, Warnock; Dunn, Tugay, Mokoena, Bentley; McCarthy, Santa Cruz. Subs: Brown, Savage, Pedersen, Reid, Roberts. Newcastle: Given; Beye, Rozehnal, Faye, N'Zogbia; Geremi, Butt, Barton; Milner, Smith, Martins. Subs: Harper, Viduka, Emre, Enrique, Carr. Post match reaction from: http://www.newcastle-online.com/nufcforum/index.php?topic=47320.msg1090897#msg1090897 DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES REQUEST OR PROVIDE LINKS TO STREAMS. IF YOU DO, YOU WILL BE BANNED* *See http://www.newcastle-online.com/nufcforum/index.php?topic=19161.0 for more information

Gamst surely? Not in the First XI - dont know about the subs.

Might be Bentley today with Dunn down the right. If they do that, we are laughing.

I take back all that I said in the booing thread. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I don't have too much of a problem with that. N'Zogbia at left-back is the only real thing that you can properly criticise; but if we're playing 4-3-3, there's no place for him in midfield and he's done well from deep earlier in the season. Good line-up imo. Just hope it's not all-out long ball. Am I the only one who thinks N'Zogbia could be absolutely lethal playing as left sided striker/winger in the 4-3-3? He has a great eye for goal and if you get him one on one with the full-back he has about a 800% better chance of actually going by his man and getting in a cross than either Milner (who'll go by his man before checking back and allowing the defence to get in position to deal with his cross) or Martins (who can beat his man with sheer pace but seems determined to not do so if possible). But no, lampoon him at LB where he's a liability defensively and can only effect the game getting forward when we're on top, which is pretty much never. Well according to HTT, Allardyce wont play him there until he learns to defend. Expect to see Martins at right back next week.

Viduka, Emre, Harper and two others.

Swap Milner for Enrique Swap Zog and Enrique's positions Swap Butt for Emre and thats our best team at the moment in my opinion.

Viduka on the bench.

Given Beye Rozehnal Faye N'Zogbia Geremi Butt Barton Milner Smith Martins

I'm guessing he'll be up front.

Smith starts - no surprise there.

Doesn't Ferguson delegate tactics to Quieroz these days?

I'll add this poll to the current thread in a second.

Its probably going to be difficult to come back and play well no matter how hard he tries. His injury sounds like a broken metatarsal only ten times worse, and we all know how long it takes a player to fully get over a broken foot.

Something he has actually done if you read this months FourFourTwo. Sorry, not everyone reads FourFourTwo, should they be booed? There was an in depth interview with him and excluding the upcoming cout case which he isn't allowed to discuss, he went through a list of all his past misdemeanours, and admitted he was wrong in his actions. I was thinking more along the lines of the crimes he's been committing on the pitch a la his level of performance. I was talking to thenorthumbrian who clearly believes that Barton's past actions are relevant. As for Barton's performances, I seem to remember the likes of Wayne Rooney and David Beckham playing poorly for months after breaking a metatarsal. It is a difficult injury to come back from and immediately find form.

Something he has actually done if you read this months FourFourTwo. Sorry, not everyone reads FourFourTwo, should they be booed? There was an in depth interview with him and excluding the upcoming cout case which he isn't allowed to discuss, he went through a list of all his past misdemeanours, and admitted he was wrong in his actions.

Something he has actually done if you read this months FourFourTwo.

There's plenty of competition James but this is probably the stupidest thing you've said on this board. It is something I know most will disagree with, but why should anyone who doesn't seem willing to support the team even want to be in the stadium? It would be better off if the club decided that it didn't want these people in the stadium when there are others on the waiting list who are willing to pay up and support the club.

The first team squad have to do worse stuff than play badly before they should be criticised from their own fans within the stadium. They are on the pitch because the manager has chosen them and given them the necessary instructions, and should get full backing from the crowd to help get the best out of them even if their best isn't very good. The buck stops with the manager and the board, as they make the employment decisions, but any wrath aimed in that direction should wait until after the final whistle, as any ill feeling during the match undermines the support for the players.

The most important thing Barton spoke about was the fact that there was an atmosphere in some elements of the crowd that in their minds had lost the game before a ball had been kicked. Even the opposition had picked up on it, which would explain how quickly Liverpool came out of the blocks. The start of each game should be a carte blanche for all our players, and they should get a reception their performance over 90 minutes deserves, not a five second moment at eleven minutes. If a player says there is an issue, the fans should look to resolve it, as just telling the player they are paid enough and playing crap isn't going to make matters better. People blame the kids for the bad atmosphere, but it was grown men who were the first to shout out against the team in the Liverpool game. That fat middle aged man with glasses that was on the TV screens berating Allardyce from behind the dugout, I seem to remember sitting near him at Fulham last season, and all he could do for 85 minutes was scream abuse at Damien Duff, with the occassional chant for Nobby Solano on the bench, and for some reason he would suddenly cheer for Steven Taylor whenever he touched the ball as if he was his Dad or something. Compare this to preseason and cup games where there is a younger and fresher group of fans in the stadium, and the atmosphere is usually much better. I'd be very happy if Chris Mort decided that enough was enough and banned fat middle aged bloke with glasses from the stadium with the full knowledge that a younger, fresher, more enthusiastic fan is waiting out there to take his place.

Hardly the best in the world given that everyone outside England would have to endure a bunch of long ball cloggers bumbling their way to a quarter final knock out.