Benwell Lad

In reality the extreme bashing was coming from a very,very small minority. This thread was bumped by Dave this afternoon, in what I assume was his amusement at someone out there thinking there is a Pardew out campaign going on on here. Some of the discussion may make it appear that way, but any observer should look at the above poll, which by N-O standards is big and therefore probably quite representative. 1.6% think he's terrible, 71.8% think he's Good or Brilliant, 92.6% think he's OK, Good or Brilliant. Hardly a Pardew out campaign methinks.

About 4 actually, maybe 3 now as Deadmau seems to have died off, or at least gone back to where he came from after the weekend. FWIW I think Pardew should be given the freedom of the city for what he's done during the last 15 months or so. The main vocal detractors were HTT, Wullie, Mick, Tron, HawK, myself and a few others. Most weren't saying they wanted him out but that he needed to show signs that he could change the way we were playing as for three-four months we'd been progessively playing worse football. I don't think it's unreasonable that many were asking for changes to this and saying that if we didn't see improvements by Christmas then we'd have a case for looking for someone who could better utilise the players. WBA was a massive improvement and has renewed some of my faith in him. I think many were frustrated by the fact that what he was saying in the press didn't match up to what was happening on the pitch and felt short-sold. More of the WBA stuff and you won't find anyone complaining, HTT included Like you said there are a just hand full of Pardew detractors but a lot more, myself included, who have not enjoyed the visual spectacle of us nervously hanging on to narrow leads and stumbling across the line when we win. WBA was a great win and an excellent display in two contexts, a half of fast, accurate, attacking football and a half of watching a team made up largely of squad players fighting determinedly for the cause. Both very satisfying in different ways. However I don't think the WBA game, or any individual game for that matter, should have too much read into it, managers, football clubs and business in general needs to be judged over a longer term period, a minimum of one season for a manager I would say. In the context of what Pardew has done in the last 15 months and indeed this season so far, I think he has been excellent in all respects. Concerning the media, whereas some don't like his style, I see an intelligent diplomat who has bridged the gap between the club's ownership and the fans admirably. Being Newcastle we'll get some disappointing performances along the way and we'll get a few epics too, but overall I'm pretty happy about where we are, cautiously optimistic about our future and deliriously happy when I think back to where we were just three years ago.

About 4 actually, maybe 3 now as Deadmau seems to have died off, or at least gone back to where he came from after the weekend. FWIW I think Pardew should be given the freedom of the city for what he's done during the last 15 months or so.

IN SPADES!!! Carroll won't get any abuse off me but i was more narked by Enriques manner of departure than that of Carroll. The offer for Carroll was ridiculous and too good to turn down whereas Enrique p*ssed about and hankered for a move to a "big Club". Agree with this. Agree 100% too. Enrique was so up his own arse during his last season at our club.

That is genius. Sums up a football club and it's supporters with a simple graphic which a thousand words could not explain.

Well I've got to say I'm truly gutted. It would have been great for north east football if they'd won the cup and I really thought it was their year.

With the hype which surrounded this match (biggest ever game in the history of the FA Cup etc,etc), almost 10,000 Everton fans inside the ground, the usual load of cheap tickets, AND they're still 6,000 short of capacity, the macums must now realise that they will only ever fill their stadium again when Newcastle or Take That are the attraction.

Tactical genius from the Madman putting Vaughan in central defence. He should try him up front if he can show that kind of composure in front of the opposition's goal. The touch and finish were the work of a master - almost Cisse-esque.

A victory for football tonight. Everton were excellent. I watched the whole 90 minutes and still have no idea what Sunderland's shape or game plan was supposed to be. They personify their manager - jump up and down a lot, huffing and puffing and make ridiculous appeals for everything, but have no cohesion or plan to what they're doing. Strange thing is they've played as bad as that and won on a few occasions since Madman O'Niell arrived, but their luck seems to be running out now.

;D

I've heard that the O'Brien's rubbish skip outside the SoShite is chocka block full to overbrimming with tin foil FA Cups.

Has Cisse scored more PL goals for us than Carroll has for Liverpool yet ?

Don't think so, case against Cattermole was adjourned again. Perhaps multi-millionaire Sunderland footballers face a different judicial system to the deprived teenage charvers such behaviour is normally associated with ?

Anyone know why the court hearing for their club captain's criminal damage charge, for vandalising ordinary working people's cars, keeps being adjourned ?

I used to believe that when I was young too

All true, but regarding the gem bit, anyone who has observed the Bundesliga knows he was an absolute gem for some time before we got him. Possibly Giggsy but my suspicious mind wonders if Miaga's failed medical was made to happen when we realised Cisse was a possibility in January ??

Late to post but I thought the performance showed two great performances. A first half of pace,skill and sublime counter attacking. Second half we ended with maybe 5 first choice players, but showed great resolve and determination to see it through. A team/squad that can show both those attributes will do very well. HBA was simply superb 10/10, Tony Green,Gazza,Beardsleyesque. Jonas was excellent, Perch and Williamson (despite the horrible situation which led to their goal) were both very good. Looks like they're going to be vital in the next few games too so we need to be right behind them. In fact an excellent team performance in which everyone including the subs played their part.

Aye, saw it on BBC. Thought the clip they showed where he displayed unpleasant bad sportsmanship by running on to score after an opposition player fell to the ground with a serious injury was rather unfortunate in light of last week's sad events at White Hart Lane. His impact so far has been down to a youthful directness but essentially a one trick pony who has been a part timer just a bit too long. Nothing is less effective on a football pitch than a one trick pony when the trick stops working.

Saw him before the Norwich game buying a programme, he's literally a dwarf. He's had a ST in the milburn for years and is indeed vertically challenged. Christ, imagine being sat next to that droning b******. I once had an argument with him in the Leases car park. Remember singing "we've got more hair than you, Roger Tames" to the tune of the BA advert as he was perched on top of the Gallowgate bogs in the west corner with his TTTV camera crew, just a few feet away from his adoring public. How pampered the press are nowadays in comparison.

In defence of Pardew (and Andy Woodman), anyone at the game who had a view of the dugout area knows there was a lot of provocation from the macum bench, not to mention their pre-meditated thuggery on the pitch. The behaviour of Frazier Campbell who also tried to wind up spectators was disgraceful and it's quite incredible that he has not been charged. Martin O'Neill's trademark is to behave like an animated tramp on speed, regularly winding up opposition fans and benches, but for some strange reason that's deemed acceptable because in the eyes of the fawning press he's just being "passionate".

I know. If we had won that game, we would had won the title. The eerie silence coming out of that match still kind of haunts me. I've never experienced it since and the contrast to the mood as people made their way to SJP was tangible.

Martin O'Niell did a decent job at Leicester moulding average players into an efficient unit which played unattractive football but were hard to beat. It was almost as good as the job Joe Kinnear did at Wimbledon, but not quite.

It's also the easiest of football clubs to be a "legend" at. You can be the most average of players but simply write FTM somewhere or kiss the badge and it's lifetime legendary status guaranteed. Vandalising poor innocent people's cars in Newcastle seems to work too.

The day you played the macums I was joking with someone that there would be two sides sitting on the edge of their own box and the ball isolated in the centre circle waiting for the opposition to get it and start a move. How wrong was that ! You were awesome that day and should have had 10, but I think O'niell was found out as he doesn't really seem to have a plan if they concede first.

You really are full of s***. Is there anything at all you actually like about Newcastle ? A well thought out reply. Yours or mine ?