James

Also, I think that if Allardyce wanted Diouf, he'd already be here.

Fair enough, but I think we have to now add Martins to the wingers if we want to play 433. Also, we'll be playing 442 a lot at home. I dont think Diouf would be happy on the bench, I don't think he is suited to 442, and I wouldn't really want him starting ahead of Milner or Martins, who are not quite as good as of yet, but have the potential to be better in a couple of years, which is really the time frame the manager and board are looking at right now.

Good player, but we've already got enough good strikers/wingers, so I'm not sure how he could play and still keep Milner in the team.

What do you mean this isn't my team's stadium?

He's angry about the fact that Allardyce poached a lot of backroom staff from Bolton.

No this is the year when he joins a club to replace a star player whom has moved to one of the best teams in the world, and gets relegated, lambasts his teammates for being shite, and engineers a move to the top flight. Bellamy's career goes in circles, so its time that scenario gets repeated.

I'm not on commission or owt but you may find that .com have a few more than 5000 people logging on. But are they season ticket holders?

.com have an effect No website is going to influence 52,000 people. .com serves 5,000 season ticket holders at most, and only a small minority of those will be influenced by what is basically a two-man editorial that isn't taken seriously by many quarters.

He's not. He's saying how bad the quality of players has dropped Not entirely sure why he added Sholas name there though, can't see him being best impressed. About the booing thing, I think thats a massive thing for Sam to say, and a lot of fans need to take note. Maybe you should make an exception and give it a thread there. I'd like to see if anyone disagrees with what he's said, without having to sift through all the stuff in here. So basically, he's comparing the best of an era with the mediocre of a different era? Surely he should be comparing Shola to a player that was as equally forgotten about as Shola will be in 40 years. Nothing there made sense, and he'd have been better off keeping his mouth shut regarding Shola in my opinion, true, or not. Still a brilliant manager though.

The last time we were top was Christmas 2001 wasn't it? We were genuine darkhorses for the title for the next two seasons, after that, only being ruled out of contention around April of each season. Those days were great.

I dont get this Crouch, Davies, Ameobi comment. Surely if comparing with Macdonald, Royle etc as players playing in the same league at the same time, the quality would be exceeded by English centre forwards Owen, Rooney and Shearer.

Agree with your analysis of that there. In addition, where abouts was James Milner during that corner? I'd imagine he'd be best deep outside the box too, given his long range shooting ability, and his determination to track back.

Smith and Butt men of the match - they really controlled the central midfield area that gave Martins and Milner the space to attack in the first half, and who really calmed the game down and let us take back control after a torrid start to the second half.

Allardyce, who are you, and what have you done to my football club. FUCKING AWESOME!

Wrong player, wrong side of the pitch, otherwise pretty close.

We are playing 4222

If we are to beat Spurs in the league, we need them to lose games like that, so I'm sort of happy, as long as the Mackems don't do this too regularly. Thanks Chopra.

Article is very negative - written by Louise Taylor who has an anti-Newcastle agenda. However, in context, Allardyce is challenging his Newcastle players to follow his game plan.

There was a mention in the Journal earlier that he was captain versus Bolton, but it was merged with another thread as there was no full-time indication. But it is a full-time role then, well done Geremi and good luck!

Today's team/formation depends on whether N'Zogbia, Martins, and/or Huntington have been picked. Given their absence from yesterdays training pictures, I'm guessing we want to hide that information from Bolton. EDIT: I'm talking about the Getty pictures by the way, not the ones on the official site.

Nobby is almost certainly missing from today's starting XI given the teams in yesterdays training match.

Looking at other photos, the weaker team during the training game were wearing white bibs. On that evidence, it would seem that Smith and Milner start, but Shola and Solano don't.

One of the training ground photos would suggest that in yesterdays training match one team had a back four of: Edgar Ramage Cacapa Enrique with Viduka lining up in the other attack. That suggests Viduka starts, with three of the defenders being Carr, Rozehnal and Taylor, and with either Huntington or N'Zogbia at left back.

Sam still hasn't decided on a long-term captain yet, but the captaincy is now certainly Geremi's to lose.

I can tell you the following certainties about tomorrows game: Both teams will field eleven players, with five substitutes. Both teams will select a goalkeeper. The name of the Newcastle goalkeeper will end with 'er'. Kick-off will occur at least twice. The ball will leave the centre circle. The referee will blow his whistle. The ball will move during the game. The players will move during the game. JLloyd Samuel will be shit.