Mr Logic

We were poor today, the loss of the African lads is huge, out of shape completely, we didn't deserve to win.

You have to be joking, (not re: loss of Africans), if you call that poor relative to the dross we watched under Allardyce.

Well at least no-one can say it wasn't exciting.

Thought Zog and Duff looked fantastic at times with their link up play on the left. If Smith had been a Shearer/Ferdinand type, (well anyone else almost), it could have been a very different story. It's also very clear we need a right winger for anyone who wasn't convinced before.

Carr also had another good game relative to how he used to play. Cacapa looked great at times, and horribly exposed at others, he's yet to get to grips with the EPL.

Feel sorry for forwards against defenders these days, the officials afford the protection the wrong way round from what I see. One forward against three defenders and the defenders get the infringement nearly every time. 

Not another Keegan topic!    But it's really a Newcastle United topic, whose main question is about Keegan.

I've had time to think a fair bit on this and arrived at some conclusions. Firstly, my initial reaction to the news that Keegan had been appointed was not dissimilar to the news about Souness. It didn't have the same gut-dropping effect, but there was the same level of bewilderment. I just couldn't see how it was the answer. Despite myself I got caught up in the wave of optimism, and for good enough reasons.

Short term there will be a turn-around of fortunes. A feel-good factor will be generated, the team will start to play football again and we can expect some interesting & hopefully exciting players coming in. We are unlikely to lose at Pride Park, almost worth the appointment on it's own. I think with Ashleys desire for success, (and his chequebook), we can start to qualify for Europe again. But that's where it stops however I try to imagine it, winning the odd game in Europe and finishing amongst the also-rans in domestic competitions. Sure it might be exciting, but will we finally win something?

There have been enough snippets of truth peeking out from the regular diatribes in the daily presses to point at the fact that Ashley is genuine about wanting this to succeed. He has his pet projects, his babies, that he turns into winners. Other ventures may be for a fast turnover but all the signs point to Newcastle not being one of those. Newcastle is his baby now and Ashley takes care of his babies. The three recent appointments of Wise, Tony Jimenez and Jeff Vetere to me are further proofs of putting the foundations into place on which to build a successful future.

I've been a supporter since '73/74 when I attended my first game in the Leazes End. Looking back over all those years the two highlights that stick out in my memory as the happiest of times was the night we beat Barcelona and when we became the first club in the history of Champions League to qualify for the second stage after losing our first three games in the group stages. There were others of course, that's just my personal recollections. The 5-0 has lost a bit of it's gloss following the recent 6-0.  Not much really for 34 years of ups and downs. The memories will always remain though.

So can Keegan be the driving force to propel the team to success to match Ashleys dreams/vision/desire (whatever it is.) I don't believe he can, however much I wish for it. I can only hope that he is a stepping stone that will ultimately lead to that final triumph. I believe solid foundations are being built for that time.

Despite all the animosity directed at McKay, and I'm no fan myself, I can't believe an agent would agitate for a move if the player himself was happy where he was. Which leads one to conclude there's no smoke without fire.

However, it is possible he (McKay) creates the unhappiness by suggesting to players..  "You'd do better elsewhere." or... "Club 'X' have made enquiries." when no club did. That way he causes the unrest that leads to transfers that continue to line his pockets. In which case be true, I concur with the majority opinion in regards to McKay.

From .com

From the Derby Evening Telegraph, Wednesday:

Derby  County have told Newcastle United they will not get Giles Barnes on the cheap.

The Rams are waiting to see if the Magpies return with an improved offer for the 19-year-old before the transfer window closes at midnight tomorrow.

Newcastle's first bid, believed to be around £1.5m, was rejected.

A  verbal offer for Barnes was made to chief scout Bill Green on Monday - the day Derby's new American owners were being unveiled to the media.

“The offer was nowhere near our valuation of Giles Barnes,”  said manager Paul Jewell.

“When you see players move for £4m to £5m, what we would want for Giles is not unreasonable but I would be very  happy to keep him. He is a player of huge potential, so I don't see why we should let him go on the cheap.

“If Giles tells me he does not want to go to Newcastle or anywhere else, I will be very happy to hear that.

“If he tells me he wants to go because it looks like we are going to go down, I have to respect that and we won't stand in his way as long as it's right for the club.

“But he is not leaving on the cheap.”

Have to get rid of Duff, he has become a very negative player on the whole.

Lack of movement from most of the team after first 30 minutes.

 

Lack of inspiration from the bench, last 30 minutes the cameras all too often showed McDermott, Keegan and Pearson sat there like defeated men with no ideas.

 

Same result mid-week.  Someone said Keegan had a lot of work to do, ....and then some.

 

They had 3 kids, a clown and a keeper on the bench, do you really think they would have made a serious difference?

I was talking about appearances.. any player glancing across at the bench in those last 25 minutes or so would have picked up the defeatism. There should have still been encouragement and support offered from the bench by at least one of them. They looked beaten, transmitted to the pitch.

Have to get rid of Duff, he has become a very negative player on the whole.

Lack of movement from most of the team after first 30 minutes.

Lack of inspiration from the bench, last 30 minutes the cameras all too often showed McDermott, Keegan and Pearson sat there like defeated men with no ideas.

Same result mid-week.  Someone said Keegan had a lot of work to do, ....and then some.

Duff made to look like a pleb there.

We don't seem to be very good at finding space, and when we do they're quick to close down. They find space everywhere.

Now we'll see what we're made of..

Owen also said that the players had actually lost confidence in their footballing ability

You could see that increasingly in every performance they had under BSA. I've never been a fan of sacking managers mid-season but in this case everything points to the right decision. Not least that it gives Keegan so much time to plan for next year rather than just a summer close season.

These are the sort of quotes I love Keegan for, it's the sort of positivism that the club has lacked since.. well since he was last here. No slight to Robson intended.

"When you go to these places, you have to play. You cannot let them have the ball and see what they can do.

"When you’ve got the ball, you have to have the courage to play football." Keegan talking about the cup-tie with Arsenal

i'm the opposite, started out with all the excitement and now the doubts have begun to creep in.

Snap. Looks like a short-term solution the more I think about it. Will generate excitement and cash then fizzle out, I give it less than 2 full seasons, (from Aug 2008), before there are serious questions being asked.

Looks Youtubetastic

It's a psychological addiction. The mind's more powerful than the body.

 

The mind is just a reaction of chemicals, and addicts are addicted to the chemicals produced by gambling.

 

The mind is not just a reaction of chemicals. If it is, how would you explain 'consciousness', or even something like simpler like the placebo effect?

Hope he's learnt a few things since then. Nobody plays all-out attack any more.

I have concerns that's what he was good at, and anything he has learnt and tried to accomodate since then does not work for him so well.

The first time Newcastle came up under Keegan we surprised the hell out of the opposition who didn't know what to do with us. When he brought City up in a similar fashion they were not so much of a threat in the top division as we had been. Can't see anyone being surprised anymore and I don't see what tricks he'll have up his sleeve. He might get us in the top six, next season, but I don't expect anymore than that. Whilst he can roll over the basement clubs and pinch games agains mid-table opposition he's never going to scratch the top four other than with the odd win in four.

John Burridge may be full of shit, I wouldn't know, but it doesn't take much observation to conclude Keegan is emotionally unstable and is not suited to top pressure.

there is no such thing as a mental addiction. The only true addictions are physical like with heroin and alcohol and some other drugs. thats why you can't get addicted to marijuana

The only place an addiction can be beat is in the mind, the body may send a signal of craving but it is the mind that succumbs or resists.

Any effort to spread money between many teams should be applauded imo.

If you consider the wealthiest clubs have the highest percentage of internationals then they would be reaping it if they got the total fees for each player.

........During one game he is said to have bamboozled his marker so much, the defender fell to the floor as Garrincha ran past him. Instead of carrying on, Garrincha dribbled back to his opponent, picked him up off the turf and then carried on down the wing.........

Would love to have seen that, skill that stands out a mile is worth watching time and again.

Mort :glasses8: says Shearer needs some experience at managing, and maybe he does, maybe he doesn't. Keegan certainly never had any experience the first time.

Mort :glasses8: never had any experience at being a football club chairman either.

Should have more journo's like him, just as he says we should have more men in the game like Keegan

Well Keegan will still sell him quick as a wink if he feels it's the best route forward, so I have no worries about that.

It may have made political sense but Lil'Micky is hardly a leader of men, he doesn't speak unless spoken to.

I cracked up at Morts opening line of the press conference, bit of a Freudian slip.

"It gives me enormous press pleasure to welcome Kevin Keegan....". Started to say pressure instead of pleasure.

And Keegan, loved the line about reporters writing the truth and editors basically cutting it back out.

Happy Days are here again, about time. 

This guy was minding his own business, tapping out the beat and listening to sports news on an earpiece when he heard Keegan was back.

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