Rich

al last someone with a bit of sense anybody who actually believes Sir Bobby wanted to sell Shearer needs there heads checked, i suspose these are they same people who would suscribe to that of Sir Bobby having no control of the dressing room despite getting 3rd, 4th, 5h -these myths are laughable whats more laughable is those who believe them- What you seem to forget is, during the summer of 2001, Robson's first choices were Jeffers & Zenden. It was only when those two turned us down that we signed Bellamy & Robert. Just imagine what would have happened to us had Robson had his original plan? An excellent point and one that had never crossed my mind before now... it adds a lot of credence to other debates regarding Roeder/Shepherd as well in regards to transfers. It's like how people perceive Martins as our second choice behind Kuyt, and that's not turning out so bad either at the minute. Jeffers and Zenden could have been mint here, like, but of course we'll never know.

Is it really all Glenn's fault? The bloke can't win... now if he goes out and buys someone like Bridge in the summer people will beat him with "I thought we were only signing young players!" I know a lot of the times he leaves himself wide open, but perhaps he doesn't give a toss that he might have said something different a few days/weeks/months ago. People need to realise that the club uses the media (especially the Chronicle) as nothing more than a mouthpiece/tool in order to appease the masses. It makes good sense for him to tell the Geordie Nation that we're after youngsters way in advance, it's only the likes of us on here who'll remember he said it anyway! Papers like the Chronicle are generally aimed towards the mass paper-buying population of the North East and - not to tar people with the same brush () - I doubt the vast majority of them are able to comprehend things/analyse things like the majority of us on here do. It's all just hot air and bluster man, like the majority of news stories are. What Roeder says in the papers won't always be what he is really planning, the Gooch scenario is the ideal example of that. It's working for him so far, so he can't be as thick as people like to think... and someone that minging and bookish-looking surely has to have some noggin about them.

Don't see a lot wrong with his policy, whether he'll be able to follow through with it is another matter entirely. I wouldn't turn my nose up at a few under-25's turning up, but I wouldn't mind him abandoning the "philosophy" for a pair of proven fullbacks. Wayne Bridge is 26, etc.

I reckon with that geet manka extension done, if it ever happens, we'd be looking at between 75 and 80 thousand seats. Basing it on the previous expansion's increase and all that, not just off the top of my head. If we ever really "crack it" then surely they'll extend the Gallowgate, at least, as surely the road could simply be incorperated under the stand? Much like it is on the Milburn? It looks mint even with the 3 sides done, reminds me of Parkhead. Sounds dramatic, but I do hope I'm still around to see another expansion of the ground.

Aye, the lead singer does look rock like. Floppy haired Rambo if ever there was one. Plus, the numerical advantage would surely count against Little Craig.

In all seriousness I think the poor lad was worried about missing the second leg and was doing his best to avoid SuperSib at all costs. The pansy leg-flail attempt towards him sort of shows it. He had a decent game for them up to that point. Anyway, now he gets to play in front of 20,000 kids on a bollock-freezing night at SJP, while getting more goals stuck past him. GREAT

Riise has been shite lately according to Rafa on here and a few other Scouse I've seen in the media, so I reckon wor Craig's heart was in the right place. Don't forget that it was Riise who gave away the penalty at SJP as well. He loves the 'Pool.

Hadaway and shite man, he's like the second coming of Daveed... ...what's with the glove things he wears, though? Does look fairly mincey.

I'd like to see Henry move that slow and skin three blokes.

Arguably in the top echelons of the most important players to have played for us in the Premiership, I can't think of many who have given us better value for money than the little Peruvian. What a signing at £2.7m, fair play to Kenny - I didn't know he was meant to sign for Arsenal before us, as well, we stepped in as they dallied. Love the little bloke and would happily have him here for another 12 months, I'd give him another year on top of that for reduced terms as well if he would accept it. PS: He stinks though, genuinely. Served him a few times last season and he was HUMMING - seemed to have a fetish for chicken and blue Extra chewing gum as well.

As this was a thread to see if anyone would give Berbatov credit, I might as well appease Kingdawson. Out of that list the two strikers I'd most like at Newcastle are Martins and Berbatov, what a fucking partnership that would be. Berbatov looks class whenever he plays and has done well to score 14 goals in such an average team, much like Martins for us, and both are two of the youngest out of the list suggested. You have to wonder how well they'd do with settled partners beside them and a creative midfield in to boot. Berbatov doesn't have many PL goals at all, mind, which is a worry. But as I've said previously, Spurs are pretty average. How the feck have they scored 4 less goals than us? (In one less game, mind.) Kanu and McCarthy don't have much left in their careers and so surely can't be considered great investments, like these two. I would say that Martins and Berbatov also have the highest chance of succeeding at the highest level from this point onwards.

Roeder was getting an awful lot of praise on that late-night Channel 5 show, from Daily Mail writer and a former Arsenal/Coventry player. Was nice to actually see him getting recognition in the national media about the job he's done... and they showed mega-extended highlights of the Toon game AND did a full piece on how well Solano did at RB and how badly Emerton did for Blackburn in the same position, so all-in-all it made for fairly good viewing late on a Thursday night. Then I watched MOTD a bit last night and was eager to see more of the red-card in the Watford/Ipswich game... and the cunts didn't even discuss it post-match. I was surprised and how much better the C5 show was for actual analysis and discussion, especially where we were related. Granted, they don't exactly have big names on, but at least they do things semi-properly. But aye, Glenn has done extremely well with the players he has had available. Who's to say we won't make a good crack at the UEFA, as well? Especially if the likes of N'Zogbia, Emre and Owen play some part in the later rounds.

C5 is decent for football, but even better for the NFL... I think they're steadily improving and seem to mix zany with sensible quite well. I'd take it over ITV/BBC1 any day of the week, but I still prefer the Sky stuff for actual matches.

Rooney Henry Drogba Would be my top three without a shadow of a doubt, I'd conga nude around the town to have one of them playing for us... it gets a lot more difficult to name the other seven, though: Owen Anelka Shevchenko Tevez Martins Berbatov van Persie Bloody hell, that was hard... I only left Larsson out because of his age. Others that crossed my mind were Darren Bent, Craig Bellamy, Dirk Kuyt, Louis Saha, John Carew, Dean Ashton, Benni McCarthy and Andy Johnson. I assume we're talking purely hypothetically here, because if injuries/current form/PL history were taken into account then I'm not sure if I could justify picking Owen, Shevchenko and Tevez. I'd replace them with Larsson, Bent and Bellamy. I just picked the ten players I'd most like to have in my team based on history/reputation/form/bias and all that jazz.

I'd be a nutter and play super-attacking at SJP with this line-up: Given Solano Taylor Onyewu Duff Milner Dyer Emre N'Zogbia Owen Martins Subs: Krul, Bramble, Butt, Parker, Ameobi. Such a dull bench would allow us to play a lot more defensively towards the end of the game, if necessary . Away from home would look more counter-attacking, with a narrower set-up for defending in two banks of four and pace up front/out-wide for the breaks: Given Solano Taylor Onyewu Babayaro Dyer Parker Butt Emre Owen Martins Subs: Krul, Duff, Milner, N'Zogbia, Ameobi. (Who needs defensive cover?)

Aye, I'm sure merely changing the manager would achieve that!

I'll wager at 8th, based on our run-in and the final games of our direct competitors. We absolutely have to take something from the JJB, even just solitary points away from home are massively valuable if you can win your home games, which are: 'Boro Man City Arsenal Chelsea Blackburn 10 points from these? The away games are all games that we should win, but traditionally don't: Wigan Charlton Sheff Utd Portsmouth Reading Watford 8 points from these? (Would hope for more, obviously.) 10 points, 8 points... that would have been lovely

The amount of times we've "papered over the cracks" this season is unreal... surely couldn't be anything to do with the fact that in reality there aren't that many cracks in the first place? (For a team supposedly challenging for a top-six place, I mean.) Obviously there are a few key areas we need to strengthen in transfer-wise and a few style adjustments we need to make, but howay, after every single win there are people who call it "papering over the cracks". It's laughably brilliant. Do people genuinely think we are utter dogshit or something? Have these people seen the other teams in this division? I know everyone wants us to play like Man Utd or Barcelona every week, but that is a little bit of a stretch in our current plight, or ever really as we don't come anywhere near to these teams financially. People need to lower their expectations if they want to be happy following this club, at least in the short-term, instead of picking apart everything that Roeder/Shepherd/Player "X" does. 1) Admittedly I was a bit peeved by Roeder's team selection on Saturday, but we won 2-1, so he was proven correct. 2) I thought exactly the same before the game but Nobby was outstanding and Taylor didn't do half-bad at RB, either. 3) Utter dogshit. I've been waiting for his return for weeks now and I thought he put in a very solid performance in very tricky conditions against a good right-winger. It wasn't his fault for the first goal because his back-pass was perfectly weighted to be smacked by Harper, who simply didn't oblige. I know the brother situation is an easy get-out for him, but much like most of the other times I've seen him at SJP this season I thought he looked our best bet in that position. I do still hope we buy a good quality LB in the summer, though. 4) Again, you would have had a point here if we'd lost or if Milner had been atrocious, as I was a bit puzzled by this from the outset - but he played well, gave Finnan a torrid time and constantly had Pennant pinned-back defending as him and Babayaro attacked down that flank. Most of our play came down the right, where Solano excelled. He played on the left against Man Utd, didn't he? And scored that peach of a goal? Think Glenn might have been looking for more of the same. People need to get the blinkers off and sharpish, I thought we played some cracking stuff on Saturday in pig-bad conditions and although we did get a little bit lucky, it's not like we were completely outplayed. Carragher and Agger were bricking themselves whenever Martins or Dyer got the ball in what is becoming a fantastic partnership for this club up-front, I'd love to know how many goals-per-game they've scored when playing together as I bet it's a close call to being one in every match.

I was waiting for you or Gemmill to arrive with that counter-argument, in fairness you two are the only ones with enough brain to be able to realise it and then raise it. Could well be the case, although I was hoping to get away with it for longer than I did...

Interesting to note that a bloke who was directly involved in Bellamy's line of fire on more than one occasion speaks so highly of him, though, eh? Even went to his wedding in the summer. Someone who would actually know the goings-on inside of the club far better than any of us on here... and somebody who probably knows more about top-flight coaching than most, as well. Madness. Are you talking about someone else now. You reckon the majority of this forum know more about coaching in the Premiership than John Carver?

I was saying exactly the same during the game. It was winding me right up.

Interesting to note that a bloke who was directly involved in Bellamy's line of fire on more than one occasion speaks so highly of him, though, eh? Even went to his wedding in the summer. Someone who would actually know the goings-on inside of the club far better than any of us on here... and somebody who probably knows more about top-flight coaching than most, as well. Madness.

I know that people sometimes can't be arsed clicking links, so here are the 3 Carver stories, propaganda'd by yours truly.

A lot of stuff in the Chronicle today about Bellamy from Carver, Shearer and McDermott... http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/newcastleunited/chroniclesport/ Carver, in particular, talks a hell of a lot of sense... especially for someone who had a chair thrown at them by the subject matter.

Spurs' assistant manager was on SSN yesterday complaining about the amount of games they've played as well, suppose he'll be happy now. "We only played 40 games in total last season... this season we've played 39 already..." We've played 41, by my count, with far more injuries than Tottenham have had, to far more important players. So boo hoo. The only reason I can possibly see that is good for Spurs to stay in it is the chance that we'll draw them and knock them out, but the likelihood of us getting to the last 8 isn't exactly massive and then getting the required draw on top of that. I think all fans of both clubs would relish a UEFA Cup showdown, though. It would be fantastic viewing. Tottenham are there for the taking without King in the defence and with Robinson on such abysmal form, I reckon Feyenoord would have dumped them out, shame really.