Benwell Lad

Never really understood why Milan is placed on some kind of pedestal and is supposed to equal "glamour". It's a very industrial city and not particularly attractive. Very few Italians would choose to live there rather than one of the coastal cities like say Genoa for example. I'd say Newcastle is a much nicer city than Milan, albeit smaller of course.

I think the hostile situation Pardew initially walked into, coupled with the ongoing Cockney mafia accusations, probably led him into hiring local guys in an attempt to buy some popularity and appease the masses. Nowt against Carver, Stone or Beardsley - all great guys - but I think Pardew could have dealt himself a stronger hand had circumstances been different. I'd like to see more pugnacity in the dugout and I'd also like a bit more pugnacity on the pitch too.

Faster than Obertan ?

Tell that to some of the families of the players that we've lost recently due to heart problems. You may be confusing detected and not previously detected conditions. Detected heart problems are generally fine and can be worked around. The tragic losses you may be referring to where seemingly fit young people (including professional athletes) have sudden problems, are normally previously undetected conditions.

Yeah can hardly walk or breathe, is on all sorts of medication, requires regular hospitalisation and has to live in a rarified atmosphere. Do you actually think the tight fuckers who run our club would try and sign someone who is healthy and end up having to pay a fair price?

Doesn't Ashley normally bung the Doc to provide a negative report, in order that he can drive the price down a bit further ?

The man obviously hates Newcastle and the "Geordies" he repeatedly refers too. No problem with that plenty of others in the media do too. We get used to it. He is however, insulting towards Geordies, Newcastle and Newcastle fans. No need for that. Perhaps Mr.Liddle should keep his head down and avoid reporting on Newcastle for a while.

Any reason as to why you're not overly fussed with this? Don't get him wrong. He's fussed an that, just not overly fussed. He would give one s***. But not two. He likes the idea of getting a striker in and stuff. But we could have done without one. No biggie. He's cool like the seed at the centre of a cucumber. Aye definitely raised a chuckle to on a dull dreary Sunday afternoon.

Go try and discover alcohol or sex or something else that might make life a bit brighter fella.

Makes sense to me. "We'll give you €5m and you can have Sammy Ameobi on loan". Sammy would enjoy Marseilles. He'd grow up quickly down there.

Makes sense to me.

We didn't score three goals, entertain the nation or leave the pitch as plucky losers who'd made new friends. Massive improvement.

Having a third defender who is comfortable on the ball is a big plus for us. Should we ever have four defenders who are comfortable on the ball we really could start looking upwards.

HH is nice, but a bit posh (it's the richest city in Germany)...When you live here you realise the locals think they're a bit special and so I often have to make jokes that this city isn't much bigger than a village. I didn't find it posh at all Parky, probably wasn't there long enough though and we stayed mainly around the docks and also the arty bit up beyond the reeperbahn at St.Pauli. The people we did speak to I thought they had quite a working class kind of attitude which was cool. The people reminded me of Glaswegians which is quite strange I know but I got that kind of vibe off them. It's certainly posh in neighbourhoods like Pöseldorf, Rothenbaum and outlying places like Blankenese and Poppenbüttel. In fact very posh. There are rougher parts in the south and east of the city but the district you were in, which IMO is the best part of town, is more trendy lefty and "bohemian" nowadays than it was in it's tough working class past. St.Pauli embraces the working class, left traditions of the past and scorns upon anything posh, though in reality many of their fans are a lot more well heeled than they'd appear or admit to being on match days. Belfast Mags -although I say it through gritted brown and white eyes.a day at the Imtech watching HIV would be a great day out too, and you're right it's a city which is well worth the trip. Belfast Mags versus Benwell Lad in a strange inter-forum second team, cross city derby rivalry thing St Poorly's stadium looks a bit mad, would be worth the trip alone just to see it. Until recently it resembled Croft Park (Blyth Spartans) but was crammed with 23,000 highly vociferous fans every game. It was fantastic. It's currently being redeveloped into a very tidy c 30,000 capacity but will retain a "pure" football stadium feel - not like a flatpack SoL,Riverside,Pride Park type thing. On a recent visit HSV were at home on a very cold Friday evening and I was out wearing a St.Pauli hat, I returned by U and S bahn at about midnight on the line which comes from the Imtech and had to make a couple of changes, standing on the platform wearing that hat amongst hundreds of pissed up HSV fans was quite strange and not something I'm sure I'd get away with in many other places. In honesty, as an outsider, I struggle to dislike HSV, in fact I have a certain empathy as they remind me very much of a German equivalent of our beloved Newcastle.

yup, it's the old Croydon link.

Seems that fence we bought must be fucking tiny. Colo smiling, Cabaye looking very fit and Gareth Southgate lending his nous to the management. Encouraging.

I think the closest we're going see to an official statement for now will be when the teamsheet is handed in tomorrow.

Can only repeat that this has nothing whatsoever to do with football, it's a huge personal issue and he needs to get away. Can you elaborate? I could and don't want to sound like a twat but I'd rather not. It's still not public but everything I've been told to date adds up. It'll disappoint the those who always want to bame Pardew/Ashley/Dekka for everything that goes wrong, but it's all his own doing and he need to get home.

Can only repeat that this has nothing whatsoever to do with football, it's a huge personal issue and he needs to get away.

HH is nice, but a bit posh (it's the richest city in Germany)...When you live here you realise the locals think they're a bit special and so I often have to make jokes that this city isn't much bigger than a village. I didn't find it posh at all Parky, probably wasn't there long enough though and we stayed mainly around the docks and also the arty bit up beyond the reeperbahn at St.Pauli. The people we did speak to I thought they had quite a working class kind of attitude which was cool. The people reminded me of Glaswegians which is quite strange I know but I got that kind of vibe off them. It's certainly posh in neighbourhoods like Pöseldorf, Rothenbaum and outlying places like Blankenese and Poppenbüttel. In fact very posh. There are rougher parts in the south and east of the city but the district you were in, which IMO is the best part of town, is more trendy lefty and "bohemian" nowadays than it was in it's tough working class past. St.Pauli embraces the working class, left traditions of the past and scorns upon anything posh, though in reality many of their fans are a lot more well heeled than they'd appear or admit to being on match days. Belfast Mags - although I say it through gritted brown and white eyes. a day at the Imtech watching HIV would be a great day out too, and you're right it's a city which is well worth the trip.

Anybody on airport/Nuffield/Greggs watch yet ?

Yeah the Laudrup for manager thread. Well it will certainly be an upgrade on the Martinez one. We've mentally hired and sacked him already. Tricky comb forward. Oh fuck....looks like Laudrup's on his way now. Seems Ashley wouldn't back him in the transfer market.

Yeah the Laudrup for manager thread. Well it will certainly be an upgrade on the Martinez one.

I kinda get where you're coming from but several thousand posts demanding/requesting/hoping for a new centre half and striker probably contradict that.

Maybe he used "trees" so it could be used as yet another stick for his detractors to beat him with, even in one of the only positive threads left on here. BTW are there any threads remaining which haven't yet descended into predictable boring "Pardew's shit" type stuff.