Rich

Amazing that we still looked so porous at the back with the performance he put in... says a lot about his team-mates and the system Big Sam selected. If we hadn't have lost 3-0 he'd have been on for an 8 from me in hypothetical match ratings he was that solid. Wasn't the perfect game, but he stood out miles over Rozehnal et al.

Thought he was one of our better players yesterday, playing in a completely unfamiliar role against one of the best sides in the league. Must have been watching a different game to some, but he didn't do too much wrong - especially when compared to his colleagues.

Not as stupid as it sounds, actually.

I've resigned myself to giving him the rest of the season. Unless we're in relegation trouble we've got to, havent we? I think we probably have. It's far easier to say this now that I've moved away a bit and can't get to all the games but I wholeheartedly agree. Not sure if I'd have been so relaxed if I'd been up to SJP first thing this afternoon, frozen my bollocks off for 2 hours in a dead stadium and saw a performance like that, mind...

Thinking outside the box, I like it.

The thing is though, Sam wasn't their guy so it's a bit different. Why should they stick with him? They were probably very smart not to give him a lot of money in the summer. They haven't backed him a lot with funds so why deal with this mess? Surely they would be a lot more comfortable dealing with whatever the situation was if they had their man in charge right? This is Freddy's mess. You could argue we need to make a complete break from the past regime now. Well of course, I've already stated the same as that though further up the page. They either back him to the hilt, or get their own man who the fans will rally behind.

Are you suggesting we should have stuck with Roeder or Souness? A fairly simple solution would be to make the right appointment in the first place, then there would be no need for "sack, sack, sack". It's never that easy though, because you know as well as I do that the fans are never 100% behind an appointment - the only man I could see getting anywhere near enough patience/backing/support/feelgood factor behind him is Alan Shearer, much the same as Kevin Keegan was. It's never been this difficult to be Newcastle manager, though, and Special K came in at the perfect time. A lot more goes into a successful managerial appointment than simply making the "right appointment". The vast majority of people saw Allardyce as the "right appointment" when he came in under Shepherd, then the club gets taken over by a billionaire and the doubters began to multiply when more factors came into the equation. It would be magic if it was as simple as you say it could be. EDIT: Also, if we'd stuck with Roeder then perhaps when Ashley/Mort came in they could have brought in their own man with them... food for thought.

Yeah but where has appointng the wrong managers got us? Sounds a bit crazy but when we are appointing our next manager Bobby Robson should select him. We needa football man on the board. Exactly, I was waiting for someone to show the other side of the coin. Toon's Taylor has it spot-on though - Ashley and Mort either back Allardyce to the hilt or they hire a manager who will be given more time by our fans to get it right - a popular choice. They've got the PR side of things spot-on so far, but hiring managers is where they live and die. It's a massive gamble either way and there are more interesting times ahead for this club before we see any consistency.

Great points from toontownman there. The answer isn't "sack, sack, sack" - where has it gotten us so far?

Not saying that's what I want to see. Can see it turning out that way, personally, for better or worse. I'm clueless as to what the best course of action is for us at present - let's hope Mort and Ashley aren't the same.

That's like saying we wouldn't be shit if we had good players though really, isn't it?

To be fair, the three defenders were probably our best players over the 90. I thought Rozehnal got embarrassed on more than one occasion, personally. He doesn't convince me at all, despite how much I like the bloke. I agree that Beye was the outstanding outfield performer and that Enrique had a really good first half before fading badly after the break - which was understandable in the circumstances. Given's saves in the second-half probably make him the MOTM though. Geremi was probably the worst player on the park, N'Zogbia had an off day at left wing-back... more to blame on the tactics than the players? Butt and Smith were fairly anonymous, Emre huffed and puffed, Martins didn't get any service but was at his worst with the ball and Viduka looked miles unfit, but still our major threat.

Getting beaten 1-5 at home to Birmingham still beats it, for me. Just. We seem to have little fight with a midfield that just seems to stand off and lolop back and forward with little purporse. I'm burying my head in the sand these days, unfortunately, there is simply too much wrong to even begin analysing it.

Lose Lose Lose Sacked Win

Getting beaten 1-5 at home to Birmingham still beats it, for me. Just.

Did we have a legitimate shot on target today? I can only remember Viduka's two offside attempts and when Martins stuck it in when he was offside, an' all. Anyone? Soccernet has us down as having had 6 shots and 2 on target (as opposed to 'Pools' 17/11)?

I reckon we'll see this (same as Sicko predicted): Given Geremi Beye Rozehnal N'Zogbia Smith Butt Barton Martins Milner Viduka SUBS: Harper, Enrique, Edgar, Emre, Ameobi.

The problem today wasn't 4-4-2, it was the players selected to play in the formation that was the problem. 4-4-2 would have worked if we'd played with 2 wingers and attacked down the flanks from time to time, we would have stretched the game a bit and gave Reading something to think about. Not necessarily, nobody can say what "would" have happened if something else had been selected. The issue was Michael Owen in the 4-4-2 more than anything. My personal feeling is that he doesn't offer enough in open play and won't get enough chances away from home to justify selection. I'd rather see him benched in favour of having Viduka/Smith/Martins down the middle with the likes of N'Zogbia/Milner/Martins down the side of them. I do understand we can't ask Oba to play in two positions at once, but I believe he's capable of filling all the forward roles in the 4-5-1/4-4-2 to a decent standard. Fact is we've taken 4 points from 2 games playing 4-5-1 and 0 points from 3 games playing 4-4-2 on the road, rightly or wrongly under Allardyce I can't see the 4-4-2 being a success. People are wanting something that they will never get from him, in my opinion.

Obviously I hope this goes tits up for them, but I can't see it. Ramos seems the perfect man at the perfect time. If they sell-up to new owners as well, which is more than likely, I'll start to worry about them again. They missed the boat under Levy and Jol two seasons ago, that's plain to see, but with both of them gone and better replacements in then Champions' League qualification is definitely back on the radar. New stadium/training ground in the pipeline as well. Worrying times when you hate Spurs as much as I do.

Unfortunately the Owen comment is spot-on and has been my feeling for a good while now. He does not fit into what Allardyce wants to do with this team, away from home in particular, and I'm not sure how much longer Big Sam will stretch to accommodate him while it's costing us points. Say what you will about 4-5-1, but it can't be much worse than what we saw today with 4-4-2.

Nicky Butt isn't ever going to be a favourite of mine, Shakster, but I can appreciate when the bloke puts a shift in. I can't help it, just dislike the bloke for some reason. He frustrates me.

FUCKING GET IN THERE! Butchered the bastards (bar that 15 minute spell in the second half when my ringpiece was going like the clappers.) Thankyou Michael Dawson, thankyou Jermaine Jenas. Cacapa and Butt were immense for us, the former is fast becoming a favourite of mine.

Jenas Relishing Return Former Newcastle player Jermaine Jenas is relishing his return to St James' Park on Monday - and is aiming to help his new team Tottenham secure all three Premier League points. The midfielder is sure to come in for some stick from the home fans after he was quoted as saying he did not want to stay in the 'goldfish bowl' of Newcastle as the reason for his departure to Spurs in 2005. The 24-year-old is adamant he did not say those words - although if he is targeted by the crowd, he will turn it to his advantage. Concern Jenas said: "I have never ever said those famous words really but people believe whatever they want to believe. "My main concern is Tottenham and I'm looking to going up there and trying to get the three points regardless of whatever stick I might get. You can use the stick to your advantage if you are that type of person." A reflective Jenas has fond memories of his time at Newcastle, which included UEFA Champions League football. "It was a great city and club to be a part of," said the midfielder. "We were very successful at the time. "We had two top-four finishes as well as finishing fifth one year plus a good run in the Champions League. "They were very exciting times, but I think the year that we didn't get into the Champions League and then went into the UEFA Cup was when things started to deteriorate a little bit." Frustrating Jenas has been capped for England 15 times but has been out of the squad recently, so it made for a frustrating recent international break. He said: "My main concern is Tottenham, obviously I would have liked to have been away in Russia, but I've been more than happy to come in and do my work at Spurs. "It is frustrating, but these are the things you have to go through as a footballer sometimes. It is about how you deal with it and come out the other side."

Would go with this. With Martins and Owen starting up front we'll need Emre's ability to pick a pass. This'd be my first-choice eleven as well, with Harper, Rozehnal, Butt, Barton and Ameobi on the bench.

That's that sorted, then.