Rich

I don't think you can go wrong in the city, but it depends on what you're looking for. The number of pubs/bars/clubs within walking distance of St. James' Park is huge. Some close at 11pm, some at midnight, others at 1am. I'm not entirely sure how late most clubs have licenses these days, but 2am/3am sounds about right. The Trent seems to be a popular jaunt with people from Toontastic (another NUFC forum), it's just a typical pub and I know a few people who I used to knock about with who say it's quality on match day. Wetherspoons (Union Rooms) is always good if you like a good variety of cheap beer and a place where there is no music/a lot of Newcastle fans, plus free entry. It's very big, as well, so there should be plenty of room. It's very close to Newcastle's Central Station (train) and about 5 minutes walk from the stadium. It closes at midnight. The variety is huge, though. There are bars that have music, some that have topless girls, "old-men" pubs, live music pubs. There's a gay section in town, if that's your bag. http://www.newcastle-online.com/nufcforum/index.php?topic=35638.0 That is a good thread from someone else who was asking for good places to visit in Newcastle, as is this one also: http://www.newcastle-online.com/nufcforum/index.php?topic=35954.0 Then there are pub review sites like: www.pubsnewcastle.co.uk and www.theburglarsdog.co.uk if you have the time to read them. Personally the Bigg Market is the only place I'd say to avoid, but I have a few mates from Belgium of various ages who absolutely loved the place and insist on going back whenever they visit... I'd just suggest having a walk around and taking over the place you like the look of the most. You should have a great night.

Newcastle are slight favourites at EVENS on PaddyPower, AZ to win & the draw are 9/4. What do you think mate? I reckon it'll be a score draw, 1-1 or 2-2.

Excellent. If your fans are as good as Heerenveen's, PSV's and NAC Breda's then the atmosphere should be a lot better than it has been lately. The NAC Breda fans in particular were excellent, but the PSV match has been among my favourites over the past couple of years. All gave very vocal backing to their teams and made it a special night.

Glad we'll be able to see Parker playing more defensive over the next two games, because of Butt's ridiculous suspension for AZ and him also missing the Charlton game. Hopefully he will be far better than he has been lately with a more attacking partner beside him.

Don't blame you at all mate. Personally I haven't been to a home European game since the Levadia Tallin one as I was away for Fenerbahce, playing football myself when Celta came and at a family thing when the Waregem game was on. It's probably why I'm so up for this one because it feels like ages since I've seen a good European night at SJP.

Just been buying me and the lads some tickets online and I was fairly surprised to see the lack of availability around the ground: the only remaining areas were the various bars (1892, Sports, Platinum Club, etc.) and then a couple of sections in each of the four stands (Two sections of Milburn Paddock 'B', two sections in the East Stand, three sections in the middle of the Gallowgate and two sections in the middle of the Leazes) not the choice I was expecting. Plumped for seats behind the goal in the Leazes End, right next to the Sports Bar seats, as to get a different perspective from my usual digs in the Gallowgate. Made me wonder whether we can expect a decent turnout on the night for what is probably the biggest game of the season so far and one that promises to be fairly good value for money. So are you going? Where are you sitting? If you're not going, why not? Wouldn't blame people after the 'Boro match and because it's on the TV, but I'm fairly excited about it -unlike most other home games this term. Any news on how many fans AZ are bringing?

Funnily enough, I think spending £10m on Martins was a bigger gamble than either of those.

I'm waiting for him to break a fingernail and pull out, tbh.

My thoughts exactly, both then and now. It was such a non-event. "Say what you want about Newcastle, but we are never boring", etc. I just slunk out of the stadium and got straight on the metro, where one of the clown ticket inspectors seemed confused by the amount of miserable bastards queued up before him and proceeded to shout out, "Well at leat they won, eh?" Then turned bright red as the usual sarcastic replies flooded his way. Daft cunt, aye we fucking won 10-0, hence all the long faces. To think I had some drying paint at home, an' all.

I didn't hear too much jeering at half-time where I was sitting, and even at the end it wasn't exactly the majority. I was asleep for most of it, though...

3-1 to us.

Rather have Ameobi playing than Sibierski.

If he played for anyone else but Spurs I'd feel more sympathy. From a personal perspective for the lad it is a great shame because he has had some absolutely outstanding games and has been a model professional for Tottenham. Surely a move to a big club was on the horizon if he was able to keep fit? It is terrible news if it's true, and I do hope that it's not, mainly for King himself.

Out of the list, only Emre and Owen are currently injured, with the former expected to be back on Thursday and Owen by April. Sibierski will not get a start when Dyer and Martins are fit, let alone when Owen/Ameobi are back. He's only played so many games because of the sheer number of injuries we've had this season. He's had 19 starts and 12 substitute appearances out of 44 games, so he's started a bit les than 50%. I never said he was a "reserve", he's just nowhere near a first choice player for Roeder - who prefers Dyer up there to him when the situation allows it. In comparison, Dyer has started 17 despite being crocked for most of the campaign so far.

If we lose to 'Boro after they played 120 minutes on Tuesday and we had no midweek game then it will be nothing short of disgraceful. We should beat them, but it will probably only be by the odd goal. Will be interesting to see if Woodgate plays after playing the whole of the WBA game, as Southgate has previously only tried to use him in one game per week in order to stop him breaking down. Wonder what the odds are on him going off injured if he plays? He is back at SJP, after all, would only be keeping with previous form if he got crocked.

We just need to provide him with the bullets. He'll benefit enormously from playing off a mobile partner and having the likes of Dyer/Emre/Duff/N'Zogbia/Milner/Solano in the team. I can't wait until he returns, personally.

Think that's wrong mate, because they've left N'Zogbia out and there's no mention at all of Peter Ramage. Lazy journalism.

Given Solano Onyewu Bramble Taylor Milner Parker Butt Duff Dyer Martins SUBS Harper Huntington Pattison N'Zogbia Sibierski I'll be very surprised if this isn't what Roeder goes for, assuming that Ramage isn't ready yet, as he seems to be the only player off the injury list in with a shout of making the bench for this one. I'm looking forward to seeing Dyer and Martins torment Woodgate, because he has looked utterly pedestrian in every game I've seen him play this season, he's nowhere near as quick as he was when he was here.

From BBC.co.uk... although they've also missed N'Zogbia out of the squad, so it's not exactly bulletproof information. I thought Carr wasn't in contention until the AZ game, personally, from what Glenn "The Birdman" Roeder said in a recent interview.

It might rain still but the roof covering all sides of the ground hasn't been in place for that long. Try sitting in the front row of the Gallowgate, mate. Roof doesn't extend as far as my seat.

Eh? Sibierski isn't even first choice now mate, so I can't work that one out. Dyer/Martins is Roeder's preferred starting pair up front, Sibierski only gets a game when Dyer has to drop back into midfield. Which is why Milner seems to be the obvious answer to this one, because there's no way he'll leave Martins, Owen or Dyer out and the obvious answer would be to move Dyer back onto the right. If Emre is off, then it could be the case that Dyer will play AM and Milner will retain his position. If we're going to play with Martins/Owen up top, I'm not sure how effective Milner will be as it seems a strikeforce more geared towards using "wide midfielders" rather than "wingers" in so much that we'll be looking to play the ball on the deck, rather than load the box with crosses. Think Pires/Ljungberg at Arsenal. I wouldn't be surprised if Roeder's first-choice front six was: Dyer, Duff, Emre, Parker, Martins and Owen, however the chances of all six being fit at the same time aren't exactly brilliant.

In relation to the point about Gerrard not doing any signings/photographs and the fans being "lepers", I've heard a few stories from lasses I know who work in the executive sections of SJP about players who do their absolute utmost to avoid any interaction at all with the supporters. For example, my cousin works in one of the most luxurious bits and says that Kluivert used to have a member of staff tell all the waiting kiddies that he'd be leaving out of a certain exit at a certain time and then fuck off early and in a completely different direction, leaving the lasses/lads up in the suites to get abuse for giving false information, simply to avoid 15 minutes or so of interacting with the people who pay his wages. Fair enough that the lad wants a fairly peaceful life, but he's at SJP for fuck's sake and is obviously injured (otherwise he'd be on the pitch), so what the fuck else is he up to? Hardly a shocking revelation by today's standards, but it just seems to be the way things are going. It's amazing how much things can change in two generations, because my Grandda was always going on about Toon players riding their bikes to the match and drinking in the local boozers with the fans. It does take the piss, but the powers-that-be know that for a lot of us football is an integral part of our lives so we're hardly going to cut all ties with the club we've been indoctrinated with. It's hard to blame the players these days for being cunts, an' all. I'm not quite sure how I would have handled being a millionaire by the time I was out of my teens, but I probably wouldn't be the delightful chap that I am these days

Its not a bad thing if you are from a culture of inherent racism. Apparently. Aye, but have those people called the Spaniards racist? That was my point. The "inherent" racism could be used for the Spanish an' all, like, but it doesn't exactly make it right.

To be fair, I haven't personally noticed anyone who has done what NM has just said. I certainly don't think there are many people saying it's "okay" for Emre to be racist.

Dirty Don's ICONS Page Maybe he was a Mackem, who the fuck knows? I've definitely read a story about his family being Toon fans, though, he might have even been a dirty little turncoat as a child.