Rich

http://www.canalplus.pl/sport/liga-angielska Just to get the link onto the new page, for the lazier amongst us. Have also voted on phone/tablet/laptop

Moved it into here mate, hopefully a few people will vote for you. I've done so.

Aye, same. Would love us to bring in a real quality left-back to give Santon the chance to move over and solidify that position as his own, but if there's nothing doing on that front then the next best thing is to bring in someone on the other side and let him keep developing at LB.

How long is this taking to come around, man? Jaysus.

Just says he could move in the summer as the "next step" in his career (following success at Lille and progression into the full France setup) and that we've watched him a couple of times. Valencia are also interested and he would be open to both potential moves.

Looks like he's another one who is back in full training: http://www.nufc.co.uk/page/News/Gallery/0,,10278~2738840,00.html Smashing.

Well, in terms of the OP nothing I had hoped for really came to fruition this weekend. Neither Everton or Spurs could get the job done and get through to the final and we got no extra time or red cards in the game this evening, which was a shame. I suppose David Luiz went off injured, at least, but some people may look upon that as a positive for Chelsea. It's one less body for them in an area where they aren't too well-stocked, though. On the bright side, both semi-finals had a good amount of win-win about them depending on your view. Liverpool beating Everton more-or-less guarantees us European football next season in the Europa League and, as I have seen people mention frequently, it may well mean that we go into the remaining five fixtures with even less pressure on us. This can only be a good thing if it comes to pass. Now I suppose we're hoping that Everton have nothing to play for when it comes to the final game of the season, because it could become an even trickier fixture if they're going into it needing a victory. I'd rather play a team whose season is over than a team with something to fight for, although I appreciate the role pressure plays here too of course. In terms of Tottenham and Chelsea, the nature of the result could be a real dagger into Spurs for the remaining games. Their hideous form is continuing and they've suffered humiliation on a very large scale tonight. As is being discussed in here now, either Redknapp gets them regrouped and they get a reaction or they continue to muddle through and put in some more patchy displays before the season is out. Let's fucking hope the latter is the case. I certainly wouldn't be fancying a trip to QPR after tonight if I was a Spurs man, but we really need Joey and Co. to do the business for us. If Spurs win that, then I don't see them struggling in their other fixtures. It is absolutely essential that their downward spiral continues. A draw in that game is "meh", in a way, but a defeat for them would be great. Chelsea now have the prospect of a game every 3.2 days until the end of the season and an FA Cup Final on the horizon, which handily comes just after our trip to Stamford Bridge. Add this to the fact that two of their league fixtures come at Anfield and The Emirates and I remain optimistic it's just going to be too much for them to do. They are in a rich vein of form though and everything seems to be going their way, so it would be foolish to discount them completely just yet. We could do with fatigue catching up with them sooner rather than later and some more injuries coming into play. Like us, they have momentum, but they also have two games with Barcelona in their immediate future... Again their CL tie there is somewhat win-win. Ideally we'd like them to either take it to extra-time/penalties and then go out, to just get utterly trounced and demoralised, or to actually make the final and then get beaten just so their calendar becomes even more jam-packed. As mentioned in the OP, though, I wouldn't fancy finishing the season in 4th (should it happen) and then facing the prospect of still not being sure of a CL qualifier, while relying on Madrid/Bayern to do us a favour. As for ourselves, nothing has changed in terms of what we need to do or who we need to play. We need to maintain the momentum we have, starting at 3pm on Saturday with Stoke. I've reset the poll and added the results from the beginning of this thread to now in at the bottom of the OP, just so people can maybe change their mind given what they've seen this weekend in the semi-finals and from Man City, etc. I'll keep doing this every weekend as more pieces of the puzzle fall into place and people's opinions swing back and forth. Obviously I'm still voting "yes", but I'm a little tiny bit less confident than I was on Tuesday because of City's apparent revival and because of the way the semi-finals unfolded. Still, howay the fucking lads!

Love that Habib got sent off before they threw the win away. Kernt.

Pretty decent suggestion tbh. Agree with that. Just make a thread about the specific incident? Certainly worthy.

We'll sort the thread out later on tonight when it's died down, pointless switching it now when there's stuff ongoing.

22887 for me like

I think some of the players who went off for a jaunt aren't back yet, basically. Today might have been a "come in if you want to/can" sort of thing.

Back in full training looking at the pictures here: http://www.nufc.co.uk/page/News/Gallery/0,,10278~2734059,00.html Probably won't get much of a look-in unless we get very unlucky with injuries, but good to see him back invovled regardless.

I fucking like it!

Which trend would this be? Aren't we on a run of 5 consecutive wins? Not that I object to a short break considering we don't play this weekend and what's coming up in the next few weeks, just found it an odd thing to say. The trend that Stu had mentioned (again) in the post immediately above mine and basis of that Journal article (I should have linked it to be fair). We haven't won a game which has been preceded by a gap of over 8 days without another fixture. Admittedly there have only been four of them. http://www.journallive.co.uk/nufc/newcastle-united-news/2012/04/13/workaholic-alan-pardew-looks-for-hard-graft-from-nufc-61634-30749197/

Pardew comments on the break thing in this morning's Journal, saying that's why he's pulling the players in this weekend and gave them this week off instead, to try and buck the trend.

They've got three away fixtures at relegation-threatened clubs, I'm not sure I'd be picking those games at this stage of the season. Granted Villa could be safe and dry by the time Spurs get to Brum, but I'd hope not.

He was linked to them for a long time a few years back, one of the ones the ITK council were "sure on" IIRC. Remember seeing a lot of prospective line-ups posted by their fans with HBA out wide.

On the other hand, I'm chuffed that QPR look even more capable of upsetting Chelsea and Spurs than I'd previously thought.

As long as everyone agrees not to be morbidly depressed if it doesn't happen then I don't see the harm in dreaming a bit, it's what the game is all about at the end of the day. Fuck pragmatism and taking the safe option. It's there to be had, so we might as well have a fucking gamble and go for it. We're not in the driving seat, but we're choking on the winnits of the team that are, such is our proximity - and they have other plates in the air at this moment in time too. Right now, I believe we can do it. Obviously this might change with a bad result against Stoke or a bad injury to our key man of the moment (Cisse), but in the here and now with a 12 day gap between games, the fact it looks like we'll have nigh-on a full strength squad come April 21st and the FA Cup Semis on the horizon for our rivals (a few red cards, injuries and extra-time/penalties wouldn't go amiss there cheers chaps) we're the favourites in my eyes.

For what it's worth, I'm absolutely delighted at the style of replies to this, even considering the vast majority aren't in agreeance with me. You bunch of fucking beauties. I've particularly liked the "it's still been a great season regardless" mentality, because whatever happens it really fucking has. Fourth is an outlandish dream-like finish, but fifth is still monumental given our transition before a ball had been kicked this season. Although I'm loathe to consider finishing below Chelsea because I just really can't see it, sixth would still be outstanding as well if it came with Europa League qualification. The point about the pressure piling down upon us given the extra media attention and the realisation that we are a legitimate threat to the top four is an extremely valid one too. I reckon the role of expectation in football is a massive and underappreciated phenomenon and perhaps after the results this weekend we've tipped over the edge into the realms of belief. This thread could be proof of exactly that. The last one from Colo about being the "chasers rather than the chased" = too. Even those refusing to make a judgement either way, I can fully understand. It's nice just to enjoy the ride sometimes, but I was fit to burst after yesterday and had to let it out. We're still a long, long way from this being over and there are undoubtedly a lot of twists and turns to come. However, IF we can take care of our own business in an even remotely realistic fashion - say 7-10 points from the remaining games - then I do honestly believe the other two teams in it won't get enough to topple us. Chelsea regardless and Spurs IF they have an FA Cup Final to think about, I freely admit that the chances are greatly reduced if fourth is all they have to go for, especially when considering the goal difference. This weekend is fucking massive, basically, even though we aren't playing.

This has undoubtedly been the season of the optimist. As such, I come to you with a question that would have been laughable if asked way back in August: Will we qualify for the Champions League? Yes or no? Simple. I've voted "yes" and here's a few reasons why: 1) I'm an eternal optimist. 2) I get easily carried away when things are going well. 3) Seriously though, after yesterday's results we sit joint fourth with Tottenham and two points clear of Chelsea in sixth with five league games remaining for all three teams, here's why I think we'll finish above both: It just so happens Tottenham have an FA Cup Semi-Final against Chelsea this Sunday which I hope they win, because if that happens it means that they'll play the FA Cup Final on Saturday 5th May. On top of the formality of causing their league game with Aston Villa to be rescheduled and adding another fixture onto their run-in it's a cup they have great history in, but haven't won since 1991 with a team containing Gascoigne and Lineker. This alone should be enough of a factor to have some kind of adverse affect on their league form as the FA Cup still looms large on the horizon despite the bigger draw of CL qualification, but looking at their fixtures into the bargain they have three away matches and two home matches - including two London derbies/two away games against relegation-haunted teams. It's not the easiest, regardless. Even if Chelsea prevail at Wembley this weekend, Spurs have a run-in of similar difficulty to our own and their form is almost on the complete opposite end of the spectrum to ours as well. It's not the end of the world if they don't have an FA Cup Final date to muddy their chances even further, but it would be a boon for NUFC if this became the case. In short, and in my John Humble, if you have any kind of ambition for NUFC you want Spurs to win this Sunday - preferably after extra time and penalties. Well, what about Chelsea, then? Regardless of their result this coming weekend they have the small matter of a two-legged Champions League Semi-Final with Barcelona to contend with, along with a trip to the Emirates wedged in between. In total they have at least 8 games to play in just 29 days, an average of a game every 3.625 days. If they beat Spurs that becomes 9 in 29 (a game every 3.222 days) and if they do the unthinkable and turn Barcelona over then it's a game every 2.9 days. Insane whichever way it falls, really, especially for this late stage of the season. Without wanting to read too much further into things and make this already-large opening post an absolute monster, something has to give for them and with two horrendous away trips left in the league and another West London derby to come with QPR, I just don't fancy them to get enough points to finish above either ourselves or Spurs. Even if they go out to Barcelona they'll only have four games left to recover things in the league and I firmly believe by that stage they'll be five points behind us and a hell of a lot more fatigued than any of their impending opponents, which will see them dropping points. As for ourselves, we're the form team in the division outside of Manchester United and we've got the form striker in the division. We've undoubtedly got what looks to be a tricky run-in on paper, but consider the fact that we could be playing the final three fixtures "at a good time" against all of the respective teams there. One of them could be simply cream-crackered after too many games in too short a space of time, one of them could have nothing to play for after bottling the league and one of them could be off the back of an FA Cup Final and an extra midweek game. In terms of the latter, win or lose that takes a hell of a lot out of you both mentally and physically. In short (comparatively, at least): I want Everton to beat Liverpool this Saturday so that they come up against NUFC the week after an FA Cup Final and so they have an extra fixture thrown in there immediately preceding our game down at Goodison (their trip to Wolves will undoubtedly get pushed to midweek) and I want Tottenham to beat Chelsea this Sunday so they have an FA Cup Final to distract them a bit from their league form. Ideally, I think Everton winning said final would be best for us too, as they'd nail Europa League qualification without it hinging on their league finish. Ideally I want Chelsea beating Barcelona and then losing in the Champions League Final to completely nullify them in the league, but I still maintain that even if they lose over the two legs and go out in the FA Cup to Spurs they'll be left with too much to do to take qualification from us. Us finishing fourth and then still not being gauranteed a CL qualifying spot come the end of the league season might be too much for some of us to take too, although it would make the CL Final interesting viewing to say the least. I appreciate that just because I want these outcomes to occur doesn't make them so - I've lost enough money betting to know that much. However, I do firmly believe that these results would be in the best interests of NUFC. As we stand we have to make the CL our goal. Forget taking the safe option and wanting guaranteed Europa League qualification, let's just fucking go for the big one. Of course even if things go our way this weekend in particular there's no guarantee that we'll keep our own end of the bargain and get the requisite points to actually finish top four, but similarly if they don't it still doesn't make it impossible: we are the form team in the battle and we've been proving the doubters wrong all season. Finally, I realise this doesn't take a lot of things into account such as Arsenal (surely too far gone and with too much of a "nice" run-in?), injuries, jinxes, refereeing decisions, etc. However, all of that is practically impossible to cover without going mad. I've done my best. Call me crazy, but I genuinely believe we'll finish fourth and I hope I've made a decent enough case to stir something up in one or two of you as well. Rolling Results Tuesday 10th April @ 6pm - Sunday 15th April @ 9pm: Yes = 89 (24.7%) No = 271 (75.3%) from 360 votes Sunday 15th April @ 9pm - Saturday 21st April @ 5pm: Yes = 62 (37.6%) No = 103 (62.4%) from 165 votes. An increase in belief of 9.9% Saturday 21st April @ 5pm - Saturday 28th April @ 3pm: Yes = 94 (41.8%) No = 131 (58.2%) from 224 votes. An increase in belief of 4.2% Monday 30th April @ 10pm - Wednesday 2nd May @ 9pm: Yes = 5 (15.2%) No = 28 (84.8%) from 33 votes. A decrease in belief of 26.6% Thursday 3rd May @ 1am - Saturday 5th May @ 1pm: Yes = 33 (25.6%) No = 96 (74.4%) from 129 votes. An increase in belief of 10.4%

Class clip there, fair play to the big fat fucker. The crowd's roar when it goes in takes the cake though