Nicky

Good luck Pattison. Not a bad way to make your first premiership start - trying to contain Ballack and Lampard. I reckon N'Zogbia will be on the left.

From Sky Sports's "Best of the weekend"; Humble pie of the Weekend Obafemi Martins Don't worry Obafemi, this isn't some kind of football 'Bushtucker trial', it's us, the media, sat at the table this weekend. The Nigerian has had his critics all season but three goals in two games have been instrumental in Newcastle's mini-revival. Martins came with a big reputation, only now is it beginning to look justified. http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?hlid=434276&CPID=8&clid=&lid=1490&title=Best+of+the+weekend

We're gonna get destroyed - I don't think anyone doubts that. As long as we get through it with enough players to get a win against Watford, i'll take it.

Havent you heard? It was all done on reputation and hype this year.

Did I spell it wrong then? Oh well.

We need more honesty from managers, like him. On his BBC website interview he's asked about Karade's dive and what he thought of it. Compare this with Mark Hughes interview... "Many managers would stand here and give you some bullshit story - i'm not prepared to do that. The ref got the right decision, i'll speak with him during the week and it wont happen again." Brilliant. Hats off to him

I can see your point, but I think if we were to manage to knock Chelsea out of the carling cup, then that would be much more benificial to us in terms of confidence and moral, then it would be to rest some players. I'd be a bit annoyed at having got this far and not rested players, to suddenly play a weakened side and admit defeat.

Yeah. Had a rubbish start to the season, but its not too bad now. Bit like Newcastle I guess. With 9 men, we managed to draw 2-2 against league leaders Oxford at the weekend.

Sorry, turned 21 2 months ago.

22 I believe. Don't quote me on that though.

Just read a small bit in the Sun that reckons we're tracking Stevenage winger George Boyd. I know most of you spit at the word Stevenage, but he is the most exciting talent in non-league football at the moment. There was a fair bit of rumour down here (I live in Stevenage :oops: ) that Spurs were gonna grab him over the summer, but it never happened. Mainly an attacking left-sided midfielder, who with the right coaching could go a fair way in the game. Would cost peanuts by our standards too.

didn't he miss the WC because of his injury at Southampton? Nah, he went in the end but was clearly not fully fit.

hahahahhaha. woooooo Anyway, bit pissed off, but I was starting to get worried we'd have Chelsea, so meh. It'll do.

Someone at work has stuck on £100 on a theory about todays draw. According to him, for the last 2 years no premiership teams have faced each other in the 3rd round (to make more money for lower league clubs). When he was asked how they rigged it, he said that the draw is live still, but the balls are heated up That way whoever draws them feels for a hot ball (prem) or a cold ball(non-prem) depending on how its going. We all mocked him, of course but he's deadly serious. Ladbrooks have given him 20/1 on there being no all-prem ties today. What a numpty.

Sir Alex Ferguson has branded Giuseppe Rossi's loan spell at Newcastle a wasted exercise. Rossi was allowed to join the Magpies to further his footballing education with Ferguson believing he would be a regular member of Glenn Roeder's squad. Instead, the promising 19-year-old has made just six Premiership appearances and four of those were as a late substitute. Rossi has not been seen in league combat since completing the full 90 minutes in the home defeat to Sheffield United on November 4. And, with his own striking resources stretched to breaking point, Ferguson will call time on the Italian Under-21 star's spell in the north-east at the beginning of next month. "Giuseppe will come back to us because he is just not getting enough football at Newcastle," said Ferguson. "The understanding we had with them was that he would play more games. "Every manager is subject to their own opinions on players, so I don't want to say too much about that. But we could have done with him here, so he might as well come back to us." Rossi will return at a time when Henrik Larsson is about to arrive. http://www.teamtalk.com/football/story/0,16368,1780_1739557,00.html He's got a fair point.

Refused to wear it! Saw that. I hope he gave a larger donation instead.

Must be an agreement in place to keep Rossi then, surely? They can't need Rooney, Saha, Solsjkear, Rossi, Smith and Larsson?

Looks like he's made national press with it. Get in there Clarky http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/football.html?in_article_id=419299&in_page_id=1779 "Lawro, you’re a fine one to talk By MARTIN HARDY TV pundit Mark Lawrenson has been told to button his lip when it comes to commenting on Newcastle United. The advice comes from St James’ Park coach Lee Clark, who has been incensed by the former Liverpool defender’s attack on manager Glenn Roeder. Lawrenson, a newspaper columnist and Match of the Day regular, said Newcastle face relegation with Roeder in charge. "To make him manager was the wrong appointment. He is simply not cut out for top-flight management," he said. "It is a set-up which is doomed to end in tears and Newcastle are sinking like a stone with the prospect of relegation." Roeder was seething after Lawrenson’s comments and a furious Clark said: "What right has Lawrenson to talk about Newcastle United? "He hasn’t managed or played in the Premiership. And when he was a manager at Oxford he was hardly a success, was he? "And don’t forget, I was at United when he came here as a defensive coach. "It’s easy sitting in a television studio telling a manager how to manage but, as Lawrenson found out at Oxford, it’s not easy when you’re out there." The Lawrenson newspaper comments came as the feud between Roeder and Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp was resurfacing ahead of Sunday’s clash at St James’ Park, which Newcastle won 1-0. The two managers fell out after Roeder replaced Redknapp at West Ham — and was then uncomplimentary about his predecessor. But Clark leapt to the defence of his Newcastle boss. He said: "Glenn will not answer Harry or Lawrenson or anyone else back because that’s not his style. But since he took over he has beaten Portsmouth three times. Harry should look at his own club and keep his nose out of our business. "It was always going to be difficult for us after losing Alan Shearer and Michael Owen. But apart from the Sheffield United defeat, when we were terrible, you couldn’t say we’ve really played badly." Newcastle are unbeaten in five games and, if they avoid defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt tomorrow, they will finish top of their UEFA Cup qualifying group. " Glad its made national coverage. Hopefully a couple of people will come out and back the idea that Lawro is a ****.

They could have played it on April fools day, but we would still get humped, so I can't really see what the fuss was about.

Auxerre are still in with a shout too. Interesting thought on Freddy leaving if we won something. Gotta be worth a go

From BBC; 1457: Talking of Spurs - what a segue - they walk out with Wigan at White Hart Lane. It is a "world famous home" according to the PA announcer. Funny, cos its true.

Really glad we've already qualified for the UEFA now, as it gives those injurys a week to recover. Thrilled with the result, been a long, long time coming!

Happy with that. Plenty to attack with, with Solano at RB and N'Zogbia, Milner, Emre, Martins, Parker and Dyer in there. Its gotta be Dyer just behind Martins, with Milner and Zoggy as wingers. Reckon we can do this today. Just no longball shite though, give it to the 2 wingers who'll run with it.

Is that confirmed?

Are all your posts simply pastings from news reports?