Rich

Newcastle fan as well if FM is to be believed! Hooray.

3-0. FML.

Crazy tackle to make in that area, awful execution when he did actually make it. What a fucking cunt of a human being. Sums up all that is wrong with this club.

Are we playing at the minute? Or am I just having a nightmare that we're getting bummed by Liverpool? (I do recognise the irony of this post.)

yeah that sounds a bit dodgy. but if it helps us then great. i dont think it was totally clear cut anyway, the ball is played forward and part of him is offside, is the 'daylight' rule still used? I think that any part of a player's body that he can legally strike the ball with isn't allowed to be beyond the last man. Benayoun's left leg was beyond the last man, so he was offside. "Daylight" has been out of the thinking for a good while now, if I'm not mistaken.

He's got balls of solid rock.

Quite impressed with that selection, in theory! Dear me... go away hope.

Saying that, though, there's a few inaccuracies in that article... so probably best not take it as gospel (as always with paper shite). Here's my attempt at second-guessing AS for tomorrow (has there ever been a manager harder to predict!?) 4-5-1. Harper Beye Coloccini Bassong Duff Smith Butt Barton Jonas Lovenkrands Martins SUBS: Krul, Edgar, R. Taylor, Nolan, Guthrie, Viduka, Owen. Viduka up front on his own is surely not going to happen? Oba as a lone ranger (if fit enough of course) supported by others has looked good at times this season against the big teams.

Mail now reckons he's dropped for Lovenkrands. It's also reporting the Torres hamstring injury that was mentioned on here, saying he's barely been able to train over the last 3 days. Humiliation for Owen: Striker dropped for Lovenkrands as Shearer hopes for an Anfield miracle

Rich nails it. I did say "hope not" in the first post, to be fair! The game died on it's arse as a contest from the point Barca went 4-2 up, Madrid threw the towel in. Thought that had more to do with the ending we saw than Keita's introduction, to be honest, game totally died a death and they STILL managed to slot 2 more goals in. Tempo totally went though.

Ref was kind to Madrid there. *Tips hat* Sort of game that makes you remember why you like football. Sure that feeling will be gone again by about 2/3pm tomorrow...

As for Iniesta, was going to make a similar post myself earlier but then thought "surely people realise how good he is now?" Unbelievable footballer, second only to Messi in terms of watchability in that team. 6-2! Christ almighty! Pique!

I'm not fussed either way, as for some reason I like Valencia in Spain. When you see a team play like this, though, it definitely softens your stance towards them. It's all the card-waving, diving about and play-acting that switches me off to the likes of Barcelona though, thankfully there's been little need for them to go down that route tonight.

Barca down to about 75% now and still making it look easy. Tempo is totally gone and Messi still slots another one in.

I can understand that because at times he did look a shadow of his former self. But he was half-fit for a lot of it, if my memory isn't failing me, and openly admitted that he was missing England. Playing in a completely new country, team, system, position, etc. This is why I get so fucked with idiots calling people "shit" or "fantastic" and having no in-between. No consideration is taken for fitness or anything else a lot of the time. Having a quick read-up now and he was STILL Barca's top scorer and second-highest assister last season, despite all of that.

He wasn't shit like. Howay man Tooj, players aren't allowed to have a season slightly below their own previously prolific standards - even when they move to a different country and into a different team to play their football! Thought you would know this by now, you've been on here long enough

Not really a typical defensive mid IMO, pretty technically sound as well. It's more the psychology behind the substitution than the actual player if you ask me. Sort of like Guardiola saying "that'll do" and the rest of the team sitting back on the lead a little more, rather than going for the jugular time after time after time. He's still a lot more defensive than Henry, and far less clever/mobile/forward-thinking than Iniesta in midfield is!

Let's see if Keita coming on strangles the game at all. Hope not.

Who needs viagra? Stiff as a board here like.

Classic pd.

Good God, that was fucking brilliant. Barcelona have been incredible since Higuain's goal. Sublime doesn't even begin to cover some of the football on display. This is what it should all be about.

Daily Mail reckons he's dropped for tomorrow. Shearer looks to the future: Hopes grow that he will stay on at Newcastle

I like this thread. Refuge of the insanely optimistic.

Wahhhhhhhh!!! What more can you say? Oh, I know. Howay the fucking lads man! Get into them, fuck them up! We are the Geordies... There's only one Alan Shearer... EIEIEIO up the Premier League we go... GANNIN ALONG THE SCOTSWOOD ROAD, TO SEE THE BLAYDON RACES!!! COME ON YOU BASTARDS!!