Benwell Lad

Was that the one where she said it should be called SJP rather than any other name ?

Has Pardew actually said anything negative about HBA? As for the Liverpool game he said something along the lines of we controlled posession for periods without hurting them. Pretty much how I saw it.

Acutely sad on the day their home town club goes into administration.

Are macum bookies taking NETD handicap bets ? FTM. Sundlund til half time.

Perfect cue for tomorrow's "you heard it here first" scoop.

Wouldn't be a problem, mere pocket change to them. Organisations like this think nothing of spending millions on a top trade show booth for a few days or even a one off sponsorship opportunity. Rebranding SJP would be a piece of piss.

Dunno like. That would be a relatively easy thing considering they are already our shirt sponsors, they are about to embark on the take-over marketing/advertising campaign and tonight's match will go out to one of the biggest TV audiences of the season.

Thought this was a well written appraisal on TF of where we are and what's going on. I'd agree that we're in better shape than 1,2 or 5 years ago, that it's better to know where the club's money comes from as opposed to some of the modern Premiership owners and to have a development structure in place. Also agree they need to start getting the more emotive issues right and wonder too about where exactly our billionaire owner wants to take us. http://www.true-faith.co.uk/tf/features.nsf/0/50DBE2290DABCA088025796F002CDDF8?OpenDocument

Anyone running a sweep about what minute we hit the Leazes woodwork in tonight ?

I think there is a lot of drivel written re Pardew/Ben Arfa. My take is that Pardew would love to play him for 90 minutes (which sane manager wouldn't?) but from what he sees day to day doesn't think he can get a full 90 yet. It's the manager's call and I think he prefers to keep the Ben Arfa time up his sleeve for later in the match depending on how the game progresses rather than start him. Ben Arfa is integral to the club's progress and I'd be very surprised if the manager/coaching staff didn't think so too.

Is that the same as the Carroll £35M ?

and their target market may be slightly broader than devotees of NE1.

Probably very similar, in terms of expectation, to what the last three derby threads were pre-match. FTM. Sundlund til half time !

don't fall for beardies PR. I want to though Fatty > Beardie. Although Branson would definitely ramp up the quality of the tottie in the corporate areas.........mmmmm.....maybe Beardie > Fatty after all.....

Don't you just love internet forums. Unsubstantiated rumour started by junior employee at local newspaper = new stadium name, new shirt design, spending spree, the FCB is dead, long live King Branson. When is Rooney signing? Not saying it's not true like, or that none of the above may happen.

Trophy Virgins Stadium. Copywright Smogsters c 2009.

Somehow they manage to be an ever bigger joke when they're winning than when they're losing. I wouldn't have thought it possible.

It was a good result and they showed a lot more resilience than they had under Bruce. That said Wigan had 56% posession, 20 shots versus 10 and 9 corners versus 6, BUT sunderland got the goals. I watched the first half and frankly Wigan passed them off the park and crashed two shots off the inside of a post. Just before half time the ref inexplicably denied Wigan a corner, Sunderland went up and he even more inexplicably gave them a free kick when Bentner fell over. They crashed in a wind assisted beauty for 1-0. Great result for them but I saw nothing in their play that looked particularly different, lots of bodies behind the ball, Cattermole kicking anything that moves and a huge amount of good fortune. The new manager syndrome has certainly had an impact but if they get too carried away on the back of the last two results they are kidding themselves.

f*** sake. Obertan fit, Rooney back with a point to prove and Man U's number 12's 'impartiallity' as well. This match is going to be nothing but a disaster. and of all those perceived negatives Webb is probably the greatest. Regularly f***s us over and is s*** scared of Ferguson too, just like the rest of them. Yep. Must w*** himself to sleep knowing that disallowing Viduka's goal vs Fulham was just about the final nail in the coffin of sending us down. Aye because his clanger earlier in the season FOR us was meaningless...... Which one? Saylor dive to rescue a point at home v mackems Letting the cheating,diving c*** Larsson take the lace out of the ball on the goal line this season probably evened this one up. That was more his gutless lino tbh he can argue he didnt have a great view whereas the yesman couldnt have had a better one. Its pointless anyway you can go on all day about various mistakes but i was just replying to the stupid notion he wanted to make it as it was us. Even if he didn't dislike Newcastle his fear of Ferguson will ensure we get nowt tomorrow.

f*** sake. Obertan fit, Rooney back with a point to prove and Man U's number 12's 'impartiallity' as well. This match is going to be nothing but a disaster. and of all those perceived negatives Webb is probably the greatest. Regularly f***s us over and is s*** scared of Ferguson too, just like the rest of them. Yep. Must w*** himself to sleep knowing that disallowing Viduka's goal vs Fulham was just about the final nail in the coffin of sending us down. Aye because his clanger earlier in the season FOR us was meaningless...... Which one? Saylor dive to rescue a point at home v mackems Letting the cheating,diving cunt Larsson take the lace out of the ball on the goal line this season probably evened this one up.

The gnashing of teeth at a few meaningless rumours already, means the end of January looks like being excruciating once again. Unfortunately many journalists and especially Sky Sports TV seem to depend on Newcastle drama queens to perpetuate their smoke and mirror reporting. My greatest wish this January (apart from not selling any key players) is that we can resist playing straight into their hands once again.

f*** sake. Obertan fit, Rooney back with a point to prove and Man U's number 12's 'impartiallity' as well. This match is going to be nothing but a disaster. and of all those perceived negatives Webb is probably the greatest. Regularly fucks us over and is shit scared of Ferguson too, just like the rest of them.

Dennis "Backheel" Law! You beat me too it - it's on Youtube too Just shows that it's not the done thing though when you hear what happened next. Manchester United 0-1 Manchester City, 1974 "If the 5-1 derby victory 15 years later was City’s zenith, then this was United’s nadir. Relegated at Old Trafford, doom confirmed when Denis Law, the Stretford End’s old hero, backheeled them to oblivion. Law, utterly heartbroken at what he had done, was substituted immediately and never kicked a ball in league football again. He can take solace from the fact, though, that, because Birmingham also won, United were going down anyway".

Sad really that in the north east, once considered a football crazy region, two of our big three clubs are seen on TV playing to half empty stands and one club has had to sink to these undignified methods to try and pad out their stadium. Still I suppose once upon a time that proud club would not have selected a known thug and alleged car vandal as it's captain, nor had a manager who continued to select him and even bigged him up despite his despicable behaviour.

He actually looks like he's got the tools to score a few rakers but would much rather play it safe and not get too near the penalty area. Lacks bottle and desire from what we've seen so far. Agree with that apart from it looks to me more like a lack of self belief than bottle or desire. Whatever it is I struggle to think of a player who has frustrated me more in recent years, however like a couple have just said Jonas's last few performances have been just as bad.