Benwell Lad

I've posted this elsewhere so you may pull it but on the other hand maybe these stats are worthy of specific discussion. Theres lies, damned lies and then statstics but these were last season's facts. I double checked my maths but apologies in advance if anyone adds differently as I scrawled it down on a piece of paper. Point is maybe we could survive without Shay Given after all. Last season's records league records. HARPER Played 19 Points gained 26 Goals for 26 Goals against 23. Average goals conceded per game 1.21 - record extrapolated over full season - 52 points - i.e 10th in league. GIVEN Played 19 Points gained 17 Goals for 19 Goals against 42. Average goals conceded per game 2.21 - record extrapolated over full season - 34 points - i.e 19th in league (relegation)

Scary that you believe we have the quality of Given waiting in the wings The FACTS would tend to back me up. Last season's records league records. HARPER Played 19 Points gained 26 Goals for 26 Goals against 23. Average goals conceded per game 1.21 - record extrapolated over full season - 52 points - i.e 10th in league. GIVEN Played 19 Points gained 17 Goals for 19 Goals against 42. Average goals conceded per game 2,21 - record extrapolated over full season - 34 points - i.e 19th in league (relegation)

The FACTS would tend to disagree. Last season's records league records. HARPER Played 19 Points gained 26 Goals for 26 Goals against 23. Average goals conceded per game 1.21 - record extrapolated over full season - 52 points - i.e 10th in league. GIVEN Played 19 Points gained 17 Goals for 19 Goals against 42. Average goals conceded per game 2,21 - record extrapolated over full season - 34 points - i.e 19th in league (relegation)

Shay Given - great goalkeeper but nowhere near as good as the media hype. His best displays have been in games where we were hammered and the flow of the game was towards him, like the great shot stopper he is it was no surprise the Liverpool defeat again showed him at his best. He does not however command an area like a great goalkeeper would. Last season was the only one I can recall where Steve Harper played enough games to make any sort of comparison and on the basis of that, Harper's record was MUCH better than Given's in terms of points gained and goals conceded. So maybe the repacement is already there (most fans felt Harper should have started this season as first choice) and with two very able young keepers coming through eventually they are going to need to see some way to progress otherwhise we will lose them. Shay's been a great servant - although he did spit the dummy out when he didn't get his own way, but at his age and with the cover we have in that position I'd take Man City's hand off if a stupid bid is put on the table.

:clap: :clap: I hope we aren`t planning or hoping to sign anyone born in London or a player married to a Londoner or good friends with Londoners, we have enough to put off a potential signing as it is without adding to it. Being a southerner myself I do find it a bit a thick but I view it in the same condescending way I view the hatred that Scotland has for England. Its a one way thing I or my friends don`t have an opinion on "Northerners" one way or the other, everyone are just people, you either like them or not, Culture, accent, stereotyping means nothing to me. To be honest I have never actually understood the link between the Banner and Ashley and Co , I havn`t asked because I thought it was a northern thing. It aint a northern thing mate, it's a narrow minded parochial thing, it's an NUSC thing and it embarrasses people from Newcastle to be associated with it. You'll also notice that the "cockney mafia out" people are the same people making ridiculous demands about how much this so called "cockney" should be spending on our football team to appease them in January.

What Barton did was wrong BUT the other kid did provoke the incident and did keep getting up and asking for more. Seems like your already adopting the attitude that Gerrard's violence was almost acceptable because he's cheeky scouser Stevie G and not the evil Joey B.

............... or at least they'll blame Ashley for the problem.

:clap:

Should have been jailed for that tackle on Solano a few seasons ago. Couldn't believe Newcastle supporters clapped the tw@t yesterday, he might be a decent player but clapping him ?? Can only assume it was the bank holiday day trippers who were making their annual appearance.

i hate this attitude. bassong, jonas and guthrie cost hardly anything and look like great bargains. a few more like them in january and i'll be delighted. Too true. Spending big is NOT the answer, we've tried that before and failed miserably. Spending wisely is more important. If the answer was to spend big we could follow Sunderland's example but that would hardly be deemed success. A smart approach to recruitment and clever acquisitions of players with ability and good character like Bassong, Guthrie, Colo and Jonas is a much better way to go forward.

That's probably the best post in this thread. Sure is. Very balanced opinion.

Absolutely joey-tastic. Let the "Liverpool in crisis" headlines begin. Over to Alan and Mark in the studio !

Rubbish. I don't think Ashley is the right man to turn this club into what we all know it can be. Is that good enough? And 29.6% on here agree with you while 70.4% think having Ashley back may be the best way forward in the present financial climate. Is that good enough ?

And caused the rotten atmosphere which contributed to the defeat by Hull. They've got a lot to answer for if we go down by a point or two.

Seems as usual the anti Ashley 29.6% have little to offer other than the personal and parochial abuse they've become known for and offer little in the way of alternatives to the regime they obviously despise. Good to see that over 70% of voters think we should move forward and that just maybe Keegan the serial quitter is more the villain than those who remain.

Should re-name themselves the ANUSC - Anti-Newcastle supporters club. Idiots of the highest order and to think cretins in the media actually give them air space !

Good news. Like he said he would only sell if the interested parties had the clubs interests at heart. Right now there is no better option than going forward with the stability Ashley's return can bring. Time everyone got behind Newcastle United and dropped their personal agendas.

Reminds me of the Richard Dinnis appointment we made many moons ago, strong disciplinarian manager leaves, popular coach with dressing room gets a couple of decent results, players lobby for him to get the job, total disaster follows. Quinn is a joke - probably frightened of having another manager who would treat him like a doormat the way Keane did. Really surprised though that Jol prefers Hamburg to Wearside, Houllier prefers Lyon, and Mourinho and Capello also turned it down. Thought every top manager on the planet was after the job according to the press and Niall Quinn.

There was a time when a Sunderland player who scored in a win against Newcastle wouldn't dare go out on the town in Newcastle. We live in a time where people are gobsmacked & in awe of seeing the 3rd person evicted from Big Brother be in the same bar/club. When the see a PL SUPERSTAR like Cisse every bird in the place is thinking if I suck his BBC I could become a WAG & all the chaps in the place are texting there pals "Sissy in TGER TGER" Personally I agree with you with he should of become a knife crime stat. ;D Remember in the early 80s seeing 3 macum players in town, they were made to feel unwelcome. If they're stupid enough to sign for Sunderland they should do their socialising in the hovvel. As people rightly say were any Newcastle player stupid enough to want to be in Sunderland they would very quickly be on the receiving end. Celebrate winning against us then come up and join us in our pubs ?? We must be turning soft in the 21st century.

Owen. He's irreplacable and peerless at what he does.

He's perfectly entitled to take time in order to make the right decision. It will be the last chance he has to make a significant impact on a sport he has been a credit to. I hope by the time he makes that decision Newcastle United have convinced him that his ambitions will be best suited staying here. If he does return to the north west I wish him well, it's a shame so much of his time here was blighted by serious injury but he has scored some vital goals for us (none more so than Birmingham away last season) and it has been a pleasure to watch a truly world class player in a B&W shirt.

Thought he was superb again yesterday. Once again much credit to the much maligned Ashley scouting set up - not only do the players they've recruited look like excellent buys -they also seem to have excellent attitudes which is equally important. Lets remember though lads that every centre half will make mistakes even John Terry and Rio F, so when Bassong does drop one lets not get at him as given time and support he could end up being one of the best CBs we've had in a long time. Credit to Colo too, he's certainly helping Bassong.

If there's something that p*sses me off more than the sham NUSC organisation, it's lazy journalists who think they have any kind of credibility and quote them for an easy story. Perhaps thats where the £10K or whatever went - bribing journos with free beer ! I think most rational Newcastle fans, having weighed up the present economic situation and possibility of a sale, just want to see some stability and way forward for the club and realise that an interested Ashley welcomed back to SJP may be the best way to achieve that right now.

A typically flippant comment about the serious problems they have with crowd control at the SOL. Their management do not take the problem seriously, the FA don't take the problem seriously so how could their fans be expected to take it seriously. Perhaps it needs to be explained to them that there is a difference between celebrating fans running on the pitch at a non-league ground and the VIOLENT pitch invasions and close up treats to opposition PLAYERS that have been occuring at Sunderland at every derby match (including Middlesbrough) for years now.