J7

Find it quite baffling that neither were prepared to go out on loan. Surely playing every week at a team dominating possession near the top of the Championship would have done them the world of good.

Yep. Football basically ruined for a huge chunk of all of our lives. It's been about 16/17 years since I think we've supported a club who actually wanted to achieve anything.

West Brom regularly beat us to transfers in a January window.

Billy Gilmour?

Looks like the number 2 in any ITV detective series Still don't get how this is going to help...this guy hasn't pulled up any trees anywhere he's been, and isn't exactly a 'yoing' up and coming star since he's 50 already, with his last involvement being taking Bournemouth down. Maybe he's brought in to teach players what relegation looks like Swansea played class football, Belgium are the No.1 ranked team in the world and Bournemouth played great football and took it to teams with budgets far larger than theirs for a few years in the PL. His credentials sound pretty good to me, especially when compared to our incumbent shower. He's only been at Bournemouth a few months.

He's far better than anything we have in midfield, which isn't difficult tbf.

Just a very poor player now that barely tries. Watch him tonight at the first goal. He isn't actually involved in the goal, but he completely ignored the full back going past him. Had the shot not been as good and the ball come loose, the guy he let go was just waiting in acres. For the move where Leeds hit the outside of the post he was just standing watching as three attackers stood at the edge of the box. It's like this every game he plays.

First half was as bad as ever with the five at the back which never works. A slight surge against an out of form, newly promoted Leeds with one of the worst defences in the league and he's full of it again.

If there actually is a good chance of the takeover going through, you'd like to think they'll have some sort of influence. Eddie Howe maybe the type of manager who could come in and be given some time under a new owner. It sounded like they had firm plans a year ago, but if they're still interested in buying us now you'd expect it to be more up in the air. It's still a Premier League job though so I don't think we'd be short of takers if Ashley bothered to make a effort.

As much as McCoist seems like a good guy, probably a bit like Bruce, aye an embarrassment of a manager. Watched his Rangers team struggle 4 times against Berwick in Scottish League 2.

Defeat written all over it.

Loved SJP, but agree with much of what is being said. So long as it was still fairly central and was something special, I'd love a new stadium. The new LA one looks unreal. The Texas Rangers one, not so much.

I thought he was shite on Friday before his brilliant work for the two goals. I really hope he comes good, but the patheticness of his efforts are baffling from a footballer in any position, never mind an attacker. The effort for his goal was even tame, luckily coming off the defender. Missing the ball totally for the header under no pressure was also unbelievable. Hopefully its a confidence thing and everything turns round now, but it's not very promising when this is happening without the pressure of a crowd.

Wigan 1-0 NUFC under Allardyce on Boxing Day was horrific. 3-0 defeat at home to Liverpool was utter gash. However, the worst under Allardyce had to be the defeat at Derby. God, this thread is bringing back so many terrible memories. Drove there and back on the day. I think we had Viduka up top on his own, with nobody within 50 yards of him. 2 shots all game, nothing on target, Geremi and Alan Smith as wingers Lost to another Ryan Taylor free kick. I remember Ashley being sat near us and getting loads of fuss in the concourse at HT First game I can think of when it got really toxic for Fat Sam. Fans universally turned on him. I was at that one. Utterly horrific. I'm sure the only chance we had was a standing overhead kick from the edge of the box by Viduka.

His response to any criticism with the attitude 'it's always like that here', 'that's Newcastle for you', 'here, we know what it's like playing here', chuckling away is a disgrace. Like anyone doubting him is some thick, deluded Geordie.

Those unreasonable, thick Newcastle fans again, unfairly picking on Steve and his players.

It may be that only two teams can win the league, but it still isn't easy to be consistent enough to win it. Rangers had a poor run after last years winter break, and Celtic have had one more recently. They can also both be judged on European performance.

My Blackburn supporting mate says that Ashley was a 'regular' at Ewood Park before buying us. Longsdale sponsoring the club.

You're acting like we have a choice in the matter, there's no way we'd even be considered for one Certainly not. We'd have no choice. I'm just saying what I'd rather. I see absolutely no appeal in following a team in a league that means nothing, unless we could get promoted to that new top level.

IF there was a European Super League, I'd rather us be in it than left behind playing for a pointless title where Wolves and Leicester are the big boys.

Like anyone would be interested in buying a team outwith the nine in it. Why would you buy a club when you have no say in what happens in the league you play in. For example, if we got bought and went and won the league 10 years on the trot, we'd still have no say unless Southampton or West Ham got relegated. Even if they did, Palace and Burnley are next in line. Not that the aim would be for these rules to be in place for that long. They'll fuck off as soon as they can or rig it to favour themselves even more. I get the 'major league' clubs having to play 'minor league' clubs point in Tony Evans article if you Americanise it as ridiculous as it is. But if you do, the reason there are 6 with revenue far higher than the rest isn't because they're all bigger and more historic. Most of it is down to luck on who bought your club and when. Certainly outside Liverpool, Man Utd and Arsenal. Ourselves, Leeds, Villa and to a lesser extent a club like Forest could have sustained our/themselves at the same level as the likes of Chelsea, City and Spurs all things being equal.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out who the 'big 6' are when you look at revenue. They're all included in the 9 teams who've been in the league the longest anyway and there's nothing suggesting it's top 6 in the league.

Bruce totally buckles under pressure. When we beat his mackem team 5-1, if you remember he went on and on about it. Saying he had his own song ready for when they beat us after the whole ground were signing 'Cheer up Steve Bruce'. Then they failed to beat us at home and had a shocking end to the season and a shite start to the next season where we beat them again. It's mad that he's buckling already and there aren't even fans in the ground.

But but but, they're Bruce's buys? Caulkin has as much a clue as Edwards. He built a reputation on being significantly more articulate that the typical local journalist and having a tenuous friendship with Staveley which has been shown up to be worth less than a slice of dung smeared toast. I'd be happy to state that people on this forum know as much about what has gone on as Caulkin does after the last few months. Christ man! Detach the emotion, and what exactly is inaccurate with that? There is some absolute fruit cakes on this forum. I think it’s largely accepted that caulkin gets his info from staveley, he passes on what she tells him. It really is as simple as that Questioning whether the info she passes him is crap does not make a fruitcake, If it did, then the takeover would have been done ages ago based on what she fed him and he reported. He isn't presenting it as the truth.

Rafa's style of football was fine, and was good when he got a player like Rondon in.