James

Listen mate, at the end of the day, you know very little about this club. People like me and HTL attempt to wise you up but you don't listen or want to listen. I don't mean to sound patronising, but you give me very little choice. Newcastle United does not have a divine right to be one of the top clubs in the country. There are numerous other clubs who were above us for decades - that should not have been. That could just as easily happen again if we really did have a shite board. Look down the road at Sunderland if you don't believe me. That is, if you know where Sunderland is or know anything about them and their potential too. Take these comments on board if you like, or don't if you don't want to, but if you wish to remain largely ignorant of the reality of our situation and the progress we have made under this board, that is your choice. Do you then believe that Shepherd should be unblamed for as long as we reamain in the top flight? Although it is a blessing to have had top flight football year-in, year-out for the past 15 years, I don't want to see the club rest on its laurels, I want it to see it constantly try to improve itself. Everything seems a bit complacent right now, and complacency brings decline, and that is a worry for me. My criticism of Shepherd is not with the purpose of necessarily ousting him. You need people to point out his faults, otherwise he could get really complacent. Ideally, until the day a billionaire Geordie comes along, I am happy just pointing out that Shepherd has done this and that wrong, in the hope that Shepherd can acknowledge these faults and try to improve on his own performance.

Aliadiere

Explain? I think there are already enough explanations from myself in the rest of the thread.

As I pointed out to you yesterday, why would a man name a player that he was 48 hours away from signing, have the move vetoed by either his board or the selling club and then come out with "It has come to light that this player is rubbish and is no better than what we've got." He wouldn't because it makes him look like a fucking idiot. So I think we can safely say that you're wrong about that one and that the reason we didn't get him is because some kind soul saved Roeder's arse by pointing out that he was shit. I just can't see Roeder being that stupid though. And given his proffesionalism, that was what he perceived as the best recovery option, although it has turned into a PR disaster. It's all conjecture though, none of us really know what is going on, although I can see further than any of the six options I mentioned in the post you quoted.

I really don't believe that Roeder would be so stupid. That kind of comment would inevitably backfire if he knew it wasn't true. This has Shepherd's fingerprints all over it. I don't expect the club to buy players, but I do expect honesty. don't think Shepherd has been honest to either fans or manager. Well I'll tell you what, IF Shepherd has lied to Roeder and told him there was plenty cash and has now pulled the rug out from under him, then the onus is on Roeder to either go public with it or walk out. Sorry, but no manager is going to stand for that and nor should they. So unless I see one of the above happening then I very much doubt that Shepherd lied to him. Lose out on a large wage and probably one of the few chances of top flight management he will get. Not to mention that such a move would inevitably let down the fans and the players in the long run. If I was in that situation, I would go public, and if Shepherd sacked me, I would then have a hefty pay cheque, and no-one would believe Shepherd again. However, I'm not sure roeder would do the same. As I say, it's rolling contract so there will be no hefty payout. It is a 2 year contract actually. Either way, I don't care, if what you two think is true, then he needs to grow some balls and take a stand. If he ends up on the dole then so be it. As things stand he's being made a mug of in front of all of the fans and media, and if he was any sort of bloke he'd be raising hell. I know I fucking would. I know I would too. But it doesn't happen. Remember Souness? He just gave up after Shepherd wouldn't spend in January, and he just waited for the sack and a big payoff.

Here are the facts: Roeder has drawn up a list of big-name targets, and had to rip it up after discovering that there is no transfer kitty. Roeder was hopeful on signing a top international defender on loan within 48 hours. 24 hours later, he names the player and states that he has changed his mind. Of the latter, and I said this yesterday, I don't believe that Roeder has changed his mind. Either Kiev didn't want to sell, or the board vetoed the move. For me, this means one of the following: 1) Roeder has come up with this imaginary transfer kitty, and has only just found out that that imaginary kitty is non-existant. 2) Roeder was told that he had £X to spend, but Shepherd had lied to him. 3) Roeder was told that he had £X to spend, but Shepherd has changed his mind, deciding to sack Roeder and replace him with someone else. 4) Roeder was told that he had £X to spend, which we do, but he is only allowed to sign players Shepherd approves of. 5) Roeder was told he had £X to spend, but the Halls have vetoed our transfers as part of their dispute with Shepherd over the takeovers. 6) Signings are subject to gettin Luque of the wage bill, and Roeder has been unable to do that.

I really don't believe that Roeder would be so stupid. That kind of comment would inevitably backfire if he knew it wasn't true. This has Shepherd's fingerprints all over it. I don't expect the club to buy players, but I do expect honesty. don't think Shepherd has been honest to either fans or manager. Well I'll tell you what, IF Shepherd has lied to Roeder and told him there was plenty cash and has now pulled the rug out from under him, then the onus is on Roeder to either go public with it or walk out. Sorry, but no manager is going to stand for that and nor should they. So unless I see one of the above happening then I very much doubt that Shepherd lied to him. Lose out on a large wage and probably one of the few chances of top flight management he will get. Not to mention that such a move would inevitably let down the fans and the players in the long run. If I was in that situation, I would go public, and if Shepherd sacked me, I would then have a hefty pay cheque, and no-one would believe Shepherd again. However, I'm not sure roeder would do the same. As I say, it's rolling contract so there will be no hefty payout. It is a 2 year contract actually.

I really don't believe that Roeder would be so stupid. That kind of comment would inevitably backfire if he knew it wasn't true. This has Shepherd's fingerprints all over it. I don't expect the club to buy players, but I do expect honesty. don't think Shepherd has been honest to either fans or manager. Well I'll tell you what, IF Shepherd has lied to Roeder and told him there was plenty cash and has now pulled the rug out from under him, then the onus is on Roeder to either go public with it or walk out. Sorry, but no manager is going to stand for that and nor should they. So unless I see one of the above happening then I very much doubt that Shepherd lied to him. Lose out on a large wage and probably one of the few chances of top flight management he will get. Not to mention that such a move would inevitably let down the fans and the players in the long run. If I was in that situation, I would go public, and if Shepherd sacked me, I would then have a hefty pay cheque, and no-one would believe Shepherd again. However, I'm not sure roeder would do the same.

I really don't believe that Roeder would be so stupid. That kind of comment would inevitably backfire if he knew it wasn't true. This has Shepherd's fingerprints all over it. I don't expect the club to buy players, but I do expect honesty. don't think Shepherd has been honest to either fans or manager.

Shepherd is an absolute disgrace. Roeder must have been completely misled as to who the club can afford if he had compiled a list of targets and then find out we can't even afford one of them. Means he's spent the last few months looking at big money players, when he needed to instead be looking at cheap options. Roeder was blatantly appointed so that Shepherd could have a man in place with whom he could totally control what went on in the transfer market.

I know, Roeder's transfer policy is beyond a joke.

http://home.skysports.com/transferarticle.aspx?hlid=443938 From what I've seen of this player, he is quick, agile, and has one great leap on him so he might be better than what we've got, however I'm concerned about the fact that a few years back he was unable to settle at the Riverside stadium when he played for Boro.

I think this is all one setup. Roeder doesn't intend to have new players playing at home against Villa on their debut as Gemmill (who was at the match) will criticise these players, and anyone's argument otherwise is invalid as Gemmill was at the match. Such posts on a forum would demoralise these players. Instead, Roeder intends to blood them away at Fulham when Taylor27 is at the match, and as Taylor27 is more likely to post nice stuff on a players debut, it will be a permanent morale boost for the player, especially as Gemmill isn't able to comment as he isn't at the match.

All wikipedia says is that he was in Holland's U21 World Cup winning squad, is a left back, is 23, plays for Utrecht and is Surinam born. Surinam players are generally more physical than the average Dutchman, so physicality issues may not be a worry.

Utrecht Left Back Braafheid had originally verbally agreed to join Twente, though nothing has been signed yet, and the Dutch press claim we have made a move.

According to todays Mail, Spurs still owe Derby money for Tom Huddlestone, and Derby are on the verge of embarking on legal action that will result in Spurs having a transfer embargo placed on them until the dispute is resolved.

I suspect Kiev never wanted to let him go, so Roeder is now trying to save his own face by saying that he didn't want the bloke anyway.

We could do with a defender who possesses all the physical attributes to be hones, and Gooch would fit that bill.

Dyer: Quick, get Ramage as faraway from the ball as possible. Or Dyer: It's a bomb.

It's Wayne Bridge, its official. Official Load of Bollocks was brought to you courtesy of Taylor27 ©

Evidence that Shepherd should just sack the Roeder and manage the team himself.

How many managers do you think have this ability. Unless the manager really knows his stuff, and is willing to watch every single step his keeper makes when the opposition is in his own half, then the goalkeeping coach is more likely to have the better judgement. I'm pretty sure I remember hearing that Bob Wilson was in charge of the majority of the goalkeeping decisions when he worked for Wenger.

Just a thought, but what do club managers actually know about goalkeeping? Most managers were outfield players, and the reality is that managers probably only look at the obvious things that take place during game such as a save, a goal, and a caught or missed cross. However during other spells of the game, they are undoubtedly oblivious of the goalkeepers performance. In a situation where defenders are preventing the opposition from having decent chances on goal, or in a situation where the goalkeeper makes himself look good with some spectacular saves which mask his other flaws, the goalkeeper is likely to come out as overrated, and is thus, without fans and manager realising, potentially the one to blame when things go wrong. Given that goalkeepers are not imperative with the tactical dynamics of the rest of the team (assuming he can distribute the ball), surely it would be better if a goalkeeping coach, gets to pick the goalkeeper for each game, and also buys/sells the goalkeepers for his club, as the goalkeeping coach must be the best qualified to judge a keepers performance over 90 minutes.

I think that because Paul Robinson is McClaren's England No. 1, and because he's bigged up by Spurs fans, he finds himself under much more scrutiny. I'm sure a lot less people notice poor things that the likes of Roy Carroll do, and thus there are probably worse keepers than Robinson, it is just that these goalkeepers do not catch the attention of the average football fan.

Of players that start when fit: Carroll El Karkouri Mackay Shittu Diawara Smith Faye Quashie Reid Priskin Henderson