Rich

I'd still sign two centre-halves, at least one left-back and one tall/powerful defensive midfielder if we aren't going to lose any of the current playing squad. I'd take a specialist right-back as well if I can be greedy and if Geremi hasn't been signed to play there first-choice. That would see us into the enviable position of having two adequate (at the least) players to contest for every spot on the park and a few extra bodies for "emergencies" in each section of the pitch: Krul, Ramage, Luque and Carroll - all of whom wouldn't worry me if they had to play during a bad spell, which I'd be surprised to see happen under Allardyce. And of the remaining players the only one I'd see as being utterly surplus/definitely sell is Stephen Carr, but that wasn't really the question.

Barring Cole getting crocked the lad must know he's never going to be a natural first-choice there. Still, he's at one of the world's biggest clubs, will still have a fair-good chance of being involved in some massive games (like he was last term), he'll be living down South near his family and in the capital and he'll have a lot of mates in that squad with him as well. I couldn't knock the lad for staying with them, but I would love it if he took the gamble and came up here. Can't help but feel that it's a hopeful one though, how much good can Duff and Parker have to say about us after last season? If he comes he'll be coming for the first-team football, the money and the new "era" though, I suppose.

I'd be fucking delighted if this comes off! Wanted Bridge here for a long, long time. If he stays clear of the big injuries he's been prone to then I'm fairly confident that he'll be brilliant for us. Not sure if I've witnessed a top-class left-back at NUFC since I've been old enough to be classed a "supporter". Beresford was always adequate-good, Pearce came too late, Bernard never became as good as he perhaps should have, etc. Bridge coming here would top the four signings we've had so far for me.

I suppose it doesn't need reported anymore now that we've been de-listed? We're not de-listed yet, the Rozehnal deal was announced to the LSE.

Willow, I think the majority of the staff trotter means are the support staff that aren't all listed there. Scouts, analysts, tai-chi instructor... that lot.

It definately won't include Speed and Sbragia. Big Sam puts a lot of store in backroom staff but Sammy Lee may not, so their contracts might not have been renewed anyway. I think we can learn to live without the Tai-Chi instructor! Some of your kin are keen to see that particular person get replaced... or at least expect him to be replaced. I won't claim to know much about Bolton, but I'd be surprised if you saw a massive upheaval in strategy/staff levels after appointing somebody from under Allardyce to take the job. Perhaps if it was a bloke who'd come in from the outside maybe, but it's not like much needs to be changed down your way is it? I understand you're trying to be gracious about the situation/not seem too arsed, but we're all friends here, especially if this story turns out to be true. Would love Gary Speed to come back, but can't see it happening just yet.

I think we would be extremely bitter if we had just lost a quality manager and he had come back to take the staff that had helped make the club succsessful.... Never said they didn't have good reason for it, but they could at least try and talk with a bit of clarity on the issue instead of banging on about him like he's shagged all their wives and saying nowt constructive at all. Of course some/most on here would be the same if it was the other way round, you're right.

I'm very, very excited for next season after the dross of recent years. Not just from a Newcastle perspective, but with the Mackems being allegedly rejuvinated and back in with us and the amount of moolah flying around from the South Coast up to here then things could be very, very tasty indeed. I'm anticipating the best Premiership season ever on the whole. No doubt I'll be let down.

Just read a quick response from the Bolton Message Board linked to from the thread on here and most seem content to "let them go if they want to go" and seem to think it'll be "performance" and "scouting" people and that sort of thing as opposed to the likes of Sbragia and Speedo. Not many talking good sense like as most are extremely bitter about Allardyce, but there are a few who you can glean some information from. Think we've got a good one here in this trotter58 fella, despite his constant 4-5-1 pontificating! It's all forward motion, as I seem to keep saying and it's putting us on the right track though. I'm delighted that we should be able to get a third of his former staff in, rather than having to employ new people in every position under his umbrella. It'll be a massive help to be getting people who know exactly what they're doing under Allardyce and should speed things along nicely for us. Whose to say that Allardyce won't have been using these blokes to help him out already though, after all they're only a drive/phone call away. He said he's going to start building fitness dossiers on the players this week, so he must have had some help from somewhere... or he's not as reliant on the 22 bodies as people seem to think.

He may have recruited them but the club pays their wages so if the Chairman says that they must honour their contracts, then they're going to have to honour them. Are the regulations not a fair bit different for staff to players? I'm not entirely sure on this but will staff not be able to resign with notice, or do they have to hand in a sort of "transfer request"? I understand that if we "poach" staff from Bolton then they'll be due compensation, but if Bolton won't play ball can the coaches/physios/whatever just hand in their notice and wait until they're free from the contract? If Bolton are playing hardball then it could be reason for the delays. EDIT: Obviously players can't exactly "resign", but they can buy out their contracts these days so maybe something similar has happened/will happen here?

Let's hope this story has legs to it and that all 7 of the mooted staff are coming in, when you add Steve Round and the might of Pearson/Clark/McDermott to that, as well as the other subsidiary staff we have, the foundations seem to be getting well-laid ahead of the season. As for the "lateness" of the proposed hirings, like others have said anything could have been happening away from the public eye in regards to this, for all we know there could have been multiple negotiations between the clubs where no compromise has been found, leaving the people themselves no option but to resign and then be employed by us directly afterwards. There are literally dozens of potential explanations for the delay and I'm sure we'll hear about them in due course. Let's just hope the bulk of the staff are in place as soon as possible, with the season only being 5/6 weeks away.

Vidic and Evra were written off on a ManU forum 45 minutes into their debuts My Man Utd supporting mate was calling Evra worse than shite even into the beginning of this season! Vidic was hardly a favourite either. It happens everywhere.

I agree with the Bridge supporters and have done for a long while now, I still wouldn't be upset if we got Baines instead though... Shorey wouldn't inspire me, I must say. Always felt it was one of Bridge, Baines or Bale for us though since a decent while back.

I'm guilty of it myself on occasions, but I think you're definitely onto something with what you're saying. It's not just us though, I bet it's happening at every club at every level of the game. Society is obviously reflected through football - and not wanting to get too deep or anything - but like a lot of other things, football seems to be going a dodgy route at the minute. Let's just hope it sorts itself out. People do seriously need to step back and try and look at things from outside of their mono-vision though when it comes to things like 20-year-olds who've barely had a chance here being written off and castigated from almost every corner. I'm guilty of the same with players though, as I've already said, for example at 2-0 down at home against West Ham last season Peter Ramage might well have just robbed my granny and pissed on her curtains the way I was going on about him... As a victim of what you're describing, it's funny to hear it from someone from the "previous generation" of support. The ones who piss me off the most are the older blokes who act like this, though, us young 'uns sort of have an excuse!

Thats speaks volumes about you to be honest. You're either very lucky or stupid, I wouldnt rule out a combination of both. Missed lots of football due to serious injuries, played out of position in a s*** side and his full PL debut when he was MOM against West Brom has been totally forgotten about. But SKY new breeds are a fickle, ignorant and totally clueless bunch to be honest. Chopra turns s**** overnight, gans back down a division to bang goals in like he has done previously, but still SKY new breeds are harping on about Nugent and the likes Toon players have to be either totally s*** or fuckin brilliant dont they A bit aggressive, but it's hard to disagree with the sentiment.

I'm not really into betting but if you want to bet on last season I'd consider it as long as I get first attempt. Was just looking for a resolution mate, because we're not going to agree on things are we? Whatever happens, let's just hope that both Nobby and Shay stay fit/play well and that whoever gets the nod as Captain does a bang-up job and stays fit too (if it's not either of those two.) I honestly don't mind much either way, although it's obvious who I'd prefer of the two.

I've already mentioned Given's dodgy season last year, which is the exception, not the rule to his other years here. Aside from that, of course we'll never know what the situation will be come August. Might as well just say that for every debate going at the minute though! I'll wager you that Given plays more than Nobby next term and that he'll be captain though, if you like?? Nothing too extravagant though, I'm in debt up to my eyeballs!

Go to Blackburn and play regularly or come to Newcastle to be 4th/5th choice. The lad's probably made the right decision - if we were ever seriously in for him.

Mick I see what you're saying in regards to the contradiction, but I was trying to look at things from every aspect instead of just narrowing it to the original "first choice" player angle, as you said it didn't really matter if the club captain was a guaranteed starter or not - so I was trying to find some more debating room for us, if you get me. Otherwise it'd just be me saying "it matters if he's not playing" and you saying it doesn't. I wasn't simply trying to support my own argument basically, was trying to see it from the other side as well. If you weigh up every aspect of things (position, time at the club, character, professionalism, basically the whole schebang) then Given is a canny way ahead of Solano in my eyes and has a fair bit more to offer than the Peruvian. From all his time here I've never really seen Nobby as a "leader" and he certainly seems to be more of a "character" in the squad than anything else, when you consider his trumpeteering and suchlike! I can't argue that Given seems like a quiet bloke and has never really appeared much of a "leader" either (save for his reported outbursts fairly recently in the dressing room), but to me he seems like the most model professional at the club and has probably earned the captaincy with his performances for us over the years. As you've alluded to it's not simply about "playing every game", because nobody is nailed-on to do that. But usually a captain would be one of the first names on the team sheet and a definite starter for the "big games". Who, out of the current squad, aside from Given is going to be a regular starter for us and perhaps even "undroppable"? (Watch us start next term with Harper as first-choice and Solano as captain!) For the record, I'd have no problem with Solano being captain if he played and Given didn't, this isn't some anti-Nobby rubbish - I'm just going with what realistically I think is our best bet in the current climate. If anything I think Solano would be next-best bet behind Given and I think I mooted that last month or so as well. Ideally it would be Given as club captain and Solano as vice-captain for me, no matter who comes through the doors between now and August 11th.

Me as well. The lad is only 20. Although he is also ginger, chunky and balding... Non-plussed either way, cannot see him ever being given the chance to make it here/earning the chance to make it here. But Jon's idea certainly makes sense.

I like the look of that if it is the 3rd kit! No chance it might be the 3rd 'keeper kit, though?

Or they just want more money? 3 kits seems to be the way of the world these days, I just hope it's nicer than the other two so that I'll definitely be able to get one this season. And on that NUFC.co.uk interview Craig Hope says "you've been modelling the 2nd and 3rd kit", so it's defo happening.

Already being discussed, as Greg pointed out.

I think we should be looking at getting 2 CB's unless one of the LB's could play there. If Beye is still on the agenda and if Geremi is going to be used as a pure utility man then the lad from Marseille can also cover CB, which potentially leaves us with Taylor, Rozehnal, Ramage and the proposed new bloke as well as Beye and possibly Edmilson. Still think there are going to be up to half-a-dozen new faces coming in, so I wouldn't worry too much just yet.

Aye, at the talk-in thing on the morning of the Carling announcement at SJP Crumpy mentioned that Big Sam said getting in 1 RB, 1 CB and 2 LB's was his priority.