Rich

you still in favour of Butt starting? Certainly in that role, I am, and I would assume Shearer is as well. Having players who played it last season can only help and Butt is one of 5 outfielders in that proposed/expected line-up who would be in the exact positions they occupied at the back end of 2007/08.

There has to be a left footer in the three man midfield surely? Barton did that job under Keegan and Geremi likewise on the right. It gives it a nice balance. Barton's right footed though? It's as close to last season as you're gonna get with the players that are currently in favour.

Harper, R. Taylor, Beye, Bassong, Enrique, Guthrie, Butt, Nolan, Owen, Martins, Viduka. Can see that being the team in the 4-3-3/4-3-1-2 formation, with the main question mark being over Guthrie (Jonas potentially). If all are fit then I can't see anything other, reading into recent comments from Shearer and Dowie regarding our squad.

Bottom left is fucking gorgeous. Are the badges central just to avoid nipple chafing, you reckon? Think it looks shit like that personally.

The seriousness people are giving this game of football is magical. Nah, it was just a seriously bad tackle in a 5-a-side league game, the lad looked up and saw me coming to clear the ball, turned his body sideways and stamped just under my knee as I cleared the ball. Foot was planted in the ground, shin took most of his body weight (felt it bend) and my knee hyper-extended...some strained ligaments and a series of cuts running down the top of my shin. It looks nice and colourful along with the swelling and bruising, might be a nice shade of green by the time I next see you I can't wait!!

I am undertaking the most rigorous training programme since the Communists made Ivan Drago into a mean, lean fighting machine... that got beaten by a brain damaged Rocky Balboa. I have been up the occasional mountain and celebrated at the peaks in Siberia as well, because I'm fairly certain that's what gave Rocky the edge when it came to the big fight. I've also managed to secure a very partisan Red Team crowd, who will gravitate towards the majesty of the Blue Team during the match, eventually cheering our name and loving our capitalist ideologies. All-in-all, I am extremely prepared on all levels.

The seriousness people are giving this game of football is magical.

Christ, just seen the back...

It's alright like, sponsor looks fucking terrible on it. Will grow on me in time, as the current one has done. 'Keeper kit is very smart.

The general argument that Ashley doesn't have good intentions for this football club still bewilders me, by the way, and is still constantly glossed-over by all and sundry. There is no logic to spending the money he has on a club and then running it into the ground, none at all. He's been naive and made mistakes, the ultimate one could be becoming the first man to get NUFC relegated from the Premiership, but I don't think anything has been done out of malice or spite. Ignorance, maybe. Not entirely unforgivable or irretrievable in my book, but then I'm a forgiving sort.

I'd prefer to say that he'd accept mid-table mediocrity as a necessary short-term evil. Much like Shepherd did when Robson was appointed? (When there was fuck all money available as well if I remember rightly.) I think that has been the "plan" after he discovered the financial state of the place, however I cannot argue that it has gone absolutely tits up on more than one occasion. If we go down he deserves all the shit that is headed in his direction, much like Freddy would have done. However, if Shearer keeps us up then I still think there is a decent possibility of a bright future under Ashley in the Premiership. Can only hope for the best.

He was very good the first time he came back this season. The first two times he started this season we got our two of our best performances of the year and two wins. He was instrumental in both. Undoubtedly so, but am I wrong or was that after a behind closed doors game and a reserve match or two, though? No time for that this time around, which is what worries me. He'd be getting chucked straight in at the deep end with people expecting the world from him.

Slow on the uptake or what!?

Which results in no goals and no end product. He needs to sort that side of his game pretty quick or he can fuck off in the summer as well I look forward to the days when we have a squad of 0. At least then people won't have anyone to whinge about... except the owner/manager/chairman for letting us get into that state of course...

I would bet my bottom dollar that after all this hope, hype and build-up surrounding his return that he gets dog's abuse after his first appearance for doing fuck all. People shouldn't expect too much. Obviously I hope I'm completely wrong like but I do fear people are remembering him with extremely rose-tinted spectacles. He's not much quicker than the dross that's available already, for starters, and he's not going to be anywhere near match-fit. I think people forget just how bad he's been the last few times he's returned after long layoffs for NUFC, it's taken him a good while to get into the swing. His presence and attitude are going to be definite bonuses though, I won't argue at all with that. He won't fucking hide like Nolan does, either. Basically: I'm not expecting you to be our saviour Joey, but feel free to prove me wrong. Howay the lad.

Fucking hell. All mates have been in pub watching it. I'm stuck in doing this fucking assignment! ARGH! Someone please tell me MOTD is on tomorrow.

There'd probably be more, but 34 is the maximum return... It's another case of "damned if you do..." I'm afraid, he'll be back in a week.

This is absurd. Yes, I suppose he was being "abusive," but surely some of his frustration is understandable? Simply can't go around calling people "cunts". That's really all there is to it. I like Pilko, but just because he's a "decent user" doesn't make him exempt from the rules. Frustration is understandable and it happens to all of us, myself included, as far as I recall I haven't resorted to calling anyone a "cunt" on here though in all my time registered. There's just no need for that level of abuse.

Sorry folks, just had to alter some stuff on the server due to some software tweaks that have occured today! That should be it sorted now.

Blefescu, how much do you love PhysioRoom.com?

The key word there is WHEN. When Owen doesn't have the ball he is next to useless. When he does get a sniff he can be a killer. 14 games now though and he has been relatively invisible. Hence why KK moved him deeper and made him the central cog in a very effective machine towards the back end of last season. He obviously saw enough in Owen to build the team around him in that way and I'm assuming Shearer does too. That's enough for me, personally. He is wasted in a 4-4-2/3-5-2 in this team though, and has been since Shearer retired, we are simply not good enough.

Think with Owen is, unlike a lot of our team, when he gets the ball it tends to stick and he does keep the team ticking over linking up play. This part of his game is quite underrated (though I do realise he keeps things very simple.) I absolutely believe the KK 4-3-3 will get us out of the shit though, with Owen being vital and I can honestly see Shearer going with it as soon as Jose is back, probably even before then after how Duff played at LB on Sunday.

I'm actually hoping Smith has played himself in ahead of Nolan after Spurs, by the way. Shearer has to see that even he offered more than Nolan when he was on the park. He could probably slot in on the left where Barton played (would still prefer Guthrie or Barton himself, like!) I'd still like to see Jonas given a shot in there, but can't see Al going for it.

As the article says though, playing three in midfield when we only have the likes of Nicky Butt and Kevin Nolan to play centrally weakens us significantly. There's no mobility there. Geremi - Butt - Barton incredibly immobile as well, really. I agree in a 4-4-2 he looks done in our team but play him where KK did last season with Oba and Viduka as the flair/spearhead and he'll still score the goals. Nolan - Butt - Guthrie is probably "more mobile" than the 3 played last season, incredibly. Barton is slow as treacle as well (he seems to have become a great player again since his injury, when I tend to think he's been pretty dreadful for us when he has been on the park).