Rich

I love the fact that you're justifying the selection entirely on a chance that he got and didn't score, as well

Martins started and we lost, without scoring a goal... so surely people are entitled to question the decision? He's half-fit as well, I hadn't even mentioned that yet. I'm not usually one for questioning managerial selections too vigorously as these blokes are paid well to make those decisions and they see the players in training and have more experience than anyone on here (I realise all of that goes without saying.) I certainly haven't "determined" that it would have been better, hence me saying "it could have been worse, but it could also been a hell of a lot better". However, the selection you support meant we lost 1-0 and lost our two best defenders for the most important game in our recent history. How much worse could it realistically have been? I'm not calling Martins starting "silly", either, would just have preferred to see a fully-fit Lovenkrands given the nod alongside Viduka with Oba coming from the bench as he did against 'Boro. Of course there's no way of saying after the event how it would have panned out if that was what happened and as you say, there's no empirical evidence we could use to assume such an event, but my view is that the actual outcome was extremely poor for the club and it would have taken a fair bit for us to come off any worse (conceding a fair few more goals could arguably be suicidal should the season be decided on GD.) I can't make it any clearer than that. I have the feeling you're just being a stubborn bugger.

Nowt like sitting on the fence. Useless bastards.

It's football innit? Anything can happen. Just can't wait for Sunday now like.

No worse than any other combinations. In the immortal words of Fraser out of Dads Army........... Extremely debatable.

He's torn, you can tell. Loves the Toon man. If it was the other way around I'd want Villa to stay up, personally. Especially ahead of Birmingham and Hull.

Habib will go even further up in my estimations if he manages to keep us up with a goal when he's not even playing like. Jesus walks (limps).

Shola or my namesake? http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_f98opUNuVXc/SWR1Z3ikJjI/AAAAAAAAEn8/jCmTcXB61Zo/s400/Shola+Ameobi.jpg

Perversely, I should have asked "who would you least like to score it?" (even though I realise how incredibly bent that is, given the circumstances). I'm fairly sure I know what the overwhelming response would be like... (Can't be arsed to search for S.S.R.'s modified image of him.)

No mate, your more than potty- your a fucking clueless gobshite!

I'd love Jose Enrique to score it, for some insane reason. Out of the lot of them who'll be playing on Sunday I just feel it would be magical if he was the one to somehow stick the ball in the net. He's had a rough time here and has been a credit to himself in recent times when on the pitch. A goal of that magnitude would be fitting and would write his name into Geordie folklore. Others that would make it EVEN sweeter (basically I don't care who does it, at the end of the day) would be Jonas, Coloccini or Smith. Jonas deserves it the most out of those three, but what a fairytale it would be for Coloccini and particularly Smith after their performances here so far. If Smith scores it, then I might finally be justified in supporting his signing... would still want shot of him ASAP after that like. Big Mark Viduka would be another one I'd like to see get it and he'd be the one I'd put my money on as having the bollocks to actually put the ball away when it matters. He's barely had a chance worthy of the name since getting back into the side and so Sunday might just be the day. Aye, Viduka... just to make us feel like we have had some value out of him. For some reason I like him, as well.

If it comes down to somebody scoring the goal to keep us up: Firstly, who would you like it to be? Secondly, who would you expect it to be? (Inspired by the "goal hero" poll on NUFC.co.uk - hence the lack of a poll here.)

I'm sure my prediction had us on 37 with Sunderland and meant that Hull went down on 36, hence why I'm looking. Said about 3 months ago that 36 points could do it.

I'd kill for 46 points. (Trying to find my BBC prediction from around February and stumbled upon this.)

Now come on!

At the end of the day, you think the decision to play Oba for the 90 minutes was right, others think Lovenkrands starting with Oba being used from the bench later would have been the right decision. Your preferred method saw us lose the game 1-0, lose Bassong for 30 minutes of it (and the following match) and found us back in the relegation zone with a game to play. I would add Beye's injury to this list, but I'm not sure whether that was inevitable anyway. Obviously it could have been worse, but it could also have been a hell of a lot better.

They might have been brilliant as well, who knows?

You said we were all happy when he got the chance (and missed it) and then said that was the reason we lost the game. I did understand what you were getting at, but written in the way it was looked a bit odd - basically saying we were happy that he was on the pitch to miss a chance... which then cost us the game. It's just a daft post/belief anyway, though, because who knows what might have been had Lovenkrands started? Obviously you can't say for sure either way but the result might not have been a loss, which was obviously the worst possible outcome (oh, as well as our player of the season getting sent off). Just because Martins fashioned himself a couple of chances (which he missed, for fuck's sake) during the game doesn't mean we wouldn't have had chances had he not played... if Lovenkrands starts then the entire game is different and maybe, just maybe, we wouldn't have lost. I think that's what TRon was getting at (and it's also my belief).

I think I'd like to see Martins come off the bench again. So that leaves Viduka, Owen and Lovenkrands as the possible starters if I was picking the team. That's what should have happened against fulham and I think it cost us. Martins for the last 30 mins can be really destructive, and I also have a feeling that Lovenkrands and Viduka would work well as a pair. Im pretty sure we were all happy with Martins being on the pitch early when he ran though and smashed a clear chance against the post. Thats what cost us, not him being on the pitch. Is it just me who has read that and seen the contradiction? Impressive in a 2 sentence post! Its just you, read over it again & rethink it. Obviously not...

I think I'd like to see Martins come off the bench again. So that leaves Viduka, Owen and Lovenkrands as the possible starters if I was picking the team. That's what should have happened against fulham and I think it cost us. Martins for the last 30 mins can be really destructive, and I also have a feeling that Lovenkrands and Viduka would work well as a pair. Im pretty sure we were all happy with Martins being on the pitch early when he ran though and smashed a clear chance against the post. Thats what cost us, not him being on the pitch. Is it just me who has read that and seen the contradiction? Impressive in a 2 sentence post! Better prepare for a 10 page refutation of that statement Rich. I'm ready for a nap anyway. Bring it on.

I know it is, but as opposed to struggling to be brilliant consistently, he looked as though he just wasn't pulling his finger out. If he just upped the work rate and effort, who knows what could have been? Can't live with "what ifs" man. Not a personal dig, I just hate the whole philosophy. He was what he was. If he did have the attitude/application to go with it (at all times) then he wouldn't have been playing for us in the first place... Still think he was fucking ace.

I think I'd like to see Martins come off the bench again. So that leaves Viduka, Owen and Lovenkrands as the possible starters if I was picking the team. That's what should have happened against fulham and I think it cost us. Martins for the last 30 mins can be really destructive, and I also have a feeling that Lovenkrands and Viduka would work well as a pair. Im pretty sure we were all happy with Martins being on the pitch early when he ran though and smashed a clear chance against the post. Thats what cost us, not him being on the pitch. Is it just me who has read that and seen the contradiction? Impressive in a 2 sentence post!

Hard to achieve that level of brilliance on a consistent basis, like.

One thing I was moaning about recently was the lack of the "Shearer option" from a close-range free-kick. He scored a bucket-load of them in his later years here. When we got that one against 'Boro it was too close for the bender (Nicky Butt), but would have been perfect for the tee-up and smash. Am I honestly expected to believe we don't have anybody in the squad capable of striking a ball properly? Viduka? Set pieces for us are an embarrassment and have been for a while now, it honestly makes me wonder what gets done in training.