Rich

Appreciate your sentiment and agree it was his best game, but Pardew simply used him on the right-flank at Stoke, which is where he played for the vast majority of the first half of the season. If anything we "controlled" the game against Stoke (Pardism), rather than played on the counter. Tonight was the first time he used him in the way many had hoped for; in that he was a late substitution brought on to relieve pressure and offer a threat against their increasingly high/tiring/dissipating backline on the counter. It worked very well.

Pards knows how to use him If this wasn't the first time he'd used him like that successfully, I'd be inclined to agree.

Absolute Bisto, this post.

Aye, I still think he has been utter shit overall but he did brilliantly for the goal tonight (and throughout his cameo to be fair) and he was used well by Pardew in the circumstances. Is that acceptable?

Shola - 5 Best - 4 Are you retarded? Any need, Neesy? Obviously didn't watch the match. Shola give Blackburn one of there best chances when he decided to unmark Givet on a free-kick. It was Dann.

Game suited him, he did his job well. Can't ask for/expect much more than that, especially when there was a half-decent pass forward or two chucked in.

This guy, man. This guy. That moment with the turn on the byline, the threatening amble forward and the hopelessly skewed shot was like watching a microcosm of his career here. Never fails.

Liquid football.

Gosling could potentially excel in the third midfield slot alongside Tiote and Cabaye. As much as I like Guthrie, I do tend to think he's a bit too similar to Cabaye. We'd need someone capable of breaking beyond the forwards and adding another goal threat.

He's got a Masters in Sucking Cock.

hmmm i can understand that considering Obertan's performances this season. I've never seen Obertan as a right winger in a 4-4-2. We haven't seen him able to cut inside on his right foot where I reckon he could be very dangerous. He is tall, fast and has some ability on the ball and I think he could be lethal on either side of a 4-3-3 if he can get behind the defence. You're a better man than I am giving him another chance, but the logic sounds fair. He loves a diagonal run from the left side if the early games of the season are any indication, just can't beat a man on the outside for shit.

If it's any consolation Shayno, I liked the back four. Obertan in for Jonas made my nipples bleed though.

Play all three, move Best up top in place of Shola. Pie in the sky.

What the fuck? Defensive midfielders on either wing?

If Saha actually plays a few games for Spurs I can see him scoring a few goals, the bloke is undoubted class when he's not in the treatment room. Nelsen is a complete Steady Eddie of a centre-back and considering how few games Bassong has played this season I'm not sure it'll affect them too much either way. Similar can be said of Pienaar, who has probably played even less than Bassong, not to mention the fact that they've still got plenty of options in the midfield area for backup - with the most notable being Krancjar. I'll gleefully agree on Sunderland, though, can't believe they haven't pulled in a striker.

Heard the same from people near the top as well. The most interesting snippet being that Bassong "poisoned" Beye into leaving along with him and was generally quite disruptive during his final weeks with us angling for a move away. Don't think Mike and Dekka are the type to forgive and forget easily, either. Shame really, when we'd took the chance on him in the first place by bringing him over from the French second division and he'd been such a hit with the fans here.

dont shot the moderatas

Skirge is getting his thread-making privileges removed at this rate like

Getting grief from your family about how good they are now? Don't see any of them these days, which probably helps. Still can't understand how they could constantly rip the piss out of us when Keegan was here on the first go-around like, the mad bastards.

Spurs are so good I can't even bring myself to hate them these days, although Harry still keeps the fire burning at times. Still love the way he sets them up to play though. Urgh. I'm off for a wash.

Divn't be fucking crackers man.

Haha. There you go.

Fixed for the eternal optimists.

We've had an enquiry for him, according to the Pardosaurus: http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/newcastle-united/nufc-news/2012/01/31/pardew-staying-cool-in-final-few-hours-of-transfer-window-72703-30236927/#ixzz1l3IzApmJ Wonder if we'll be tempted to let him go, given the imminent return of the Dembii? I'm assuming it'll be a loan with a view to a permanent contract when his expires in the summer.