Rich

3 of the 5 managers he names are ex-Man Utd, though. He brightens up my day. I barely see any Championship football, I prefer to pretend Sunderland don't exist.

At the time we were all seething, but I don't remember anyone mentioning the Palermo farce. It is a fairly big ask to play 2 games in 3 days, when Sheff Utd had the midweek free... we also had Duff and Rossi up front.

More accurately: "here are my thoughts on 9 of the 24 Championship teams." Classic bandwidth wastage from Delima. Keep up the good work

About 36 hours after Palermo, wasn't it? Slightly forgivable, although admittedly it's only recently I seem to have remembered this.

On ESPN in the Summer I heard Paulo Wanchope, Jared Borgetti and Kasey Keller, amongst amusing others, described as "world class" - all in complete seriousness. The "soccer" coverage over your way is diabolical. They will "get it" some day, hopefully. Until that point, I hope USA do as well as they did in 2006.

Idiots ? I'd say the idiots are the ones who dwell lovingly on every word, star struck and drooling. Wouldn't be you by any chance ? ^-^ How many games has he played in two seasons again ? How many games did he play for 3 months after the 2 goals in the Argentina match, in which he walked off fit as a fiddle ? Quickly forgotten, his comments to Ericsson, eh ? Dear, some peoples memories, eh Gemmill ? Strange that many Liverpool fans - the ones not screaming and crying about him coming here, that is - said he'd do exactly what many Newcastle fans (like me) are getting mightily pissed off about. Wasn't the poster on here - "Rafa" one of them ? Phil, I've said it before and I'll say it again, but every time you post on here I wonder how you manage it in a straitjacket. He was a far bigger wanker back in the old ToonTastic days, imo. Getting back to his best lately.

Are we though? Obviously we're falling behind the teams regularly in the CL as the money from that increases, but it's irrelevant to Chelsea anyway, Man U have always had loads to spend, and Arsenal have a new stadium to pay off. Liverpool and Arsenal haven't spent anywhere near the full amount they have pulled in from being in the CL in recent years. As for the recent takeover clubs, well they may have an initial burst of spending promised to the old owners to make them and the new owners look good and get the fans on their side, but don't expect them to keep pouring in money year on year that isn't generated by the club. Don't think all these takeovers are being done by altruistic philanthropists just in it for the love of the game, and solely for the good of the team being taken over. They're in it to make money. They may be better than the old regime, but then again they may be even more incompetent, and just be content to spend the bare minimum to keep the team in the Premiership and sit back and share out the new TV cash amongst the themselves, reaping a healthy return on their investment. Remember, there's a consortium out there looking for a club with a Mr G. Souness at the helm. Be careful what you wish for. Wasn't wishing for a takeover, was I? I'm actually less supportive of the prospect than most on here, but you cannot tell me that Spurs/Portsmouth/West Ham/Aston Villa/Chelsea have LESS money now than they did under their previous regimes, can you? They'll keep putting money in until they get success, I reckon. Also, I wasn't speaking in the immediate - it's more a thing that will happen over the coming years. Gaydamak, Lerner, ENIC and others have fair whacks of cash behind them, something that we seem to be lacking for the first time in a good while.

Which is what I've been saying since he joined the club. Get your tin hat on is my advice. BTW Barry is a very good player, I'd like to see him playing for us tbh. Barry was mint last night, he seemed to have endless amounts of time when he was in possession and was all over the pitch, generally involving himself in everything good that Villa did. We missed a trick not going for him when Villa were in the mire, IMO. Always been a fan.

He's always been injury prone, hasn't he? Made of Turkish paper. Not sure if he's injured this time like.

I'm not counting out the teams from 11th down, I just had a gargantuan shite mid-post and it killed my thought-train... which is much like a ho-train, except without the sluttly broads

Aye, we need him fit more than ever now that we're an extra striker down and Emre/N'Zogbia are showing no signs of returning soon. Not to mention Nobby being "transformed" into a defender due to injuries/the ineptitude of the Irish goblin.

I'm gonna break it down, in typically optimistic fashion: 5th - Bolton are in trouble, if you ask me. They couldn't put Charlton away last night and are being hit by injuries to some very important players. Watford away at the weekend is hardly an easy game, either. Davies, arguably their pivotal player, is out for 3 weeks and Anelka is a major doubt this week. I'm sure I saw on SSN earlier that another one or two first teamers are now injured, as well. Ben Haim being out of favour is also an important factor as Meite and Faye together are dodgy, IMO. They also have to play away at Tottenham, Man Utd, Wigan, Arsenal, Chelsea and West Ham this season (in that order.) And they still have an FA Cup replay to attend to. 6th - Portsmouth haven't won for 5 games now in the league and are also coming off that disappointing loss to Man Utd in the FA Cup. Their remaining fixtures are very similar to ours in that they still have to play the big 4 at home, but they arguably have tougher away ties. Everton and Aston Villa being the two that stand out. We do have to go to Fratton Park, mind, in what could be a huge game. I'm not sure if they're good enough to remain this high up. 7th - Reading have just lost their best defender for the rest of the season (Sonko), which is a massive blow to them and Doyle is also out for a month or more. They still have to play away to Arsenal, Tottenham and Bolton and their other away games are hardly easy, either. It's going to home form or bust if they're to remain so high, with Villa, Portsmouth, Liverpool, Fulham, NUFC and Watford to visit - all winnable games, but I can see a lot of draws in there. They're unbeaten in 4 games in the PL, won 3, drew 1! 8th - Everton still have to play the big 4, Liverpool/Chelsea away and Man Utd/Arsenal at Goodison, but aside from that I doubt they're too fearful of their other games, especially at home. Johnson being out for another 2 weeks is obviously good news for us and McFadden's injury is more significant than most probably think. Struggling for firepower at the minute and Liverpool away at the weekend, the immediate future looks bleak. But with Johnson back and Fernandes arriving a little later they might start to charge with 6-8 games left. 9th - NUFC have easily the most crippling injury list AND the prospect of the UEFA Cup, two major disadvantages league-wise against the 4 teams mentioned above. We arguably have the "best" remaining league fixtures, with Man Utd/Bolton/Spurs/Everton already played twice and Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool all coming to St. James'. Reading (a) and Portsmouth (a) are two games where at least a draw seems essential for our European qualification hopes. I'm quietly confident that if we can keep a settled back four and keep Martins/Dyer/Milner fit, in particular, then we could sneak up into top-seven quite comfortably. 10th - Spurs - Have the UEFA Cup, same as us, but the bastards might be getting a bye which will help their league form immensely, due to having fresher players. Like us, are struggling with injuries to key players at the moment, but unlike us these injuries don't seem to be incredibly long-term. Still have Man Utd (weekend) and Arsenal to play at the Lane, but they have to visit Chelsea and are still in the FA Cup, due to their usual lucky draws. Hopefully they'll get tonked away at Fulham in the fifth round, but I wouldn't mind them having to go to a replay, even if it meant them progressing. They'll never win it as long as Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea are in it anyway. The more games Spurs play, the better as their league run-in is fairly straight forward, perhaps even better than ours.

Common misconception to be honest. That is how he managed to take over the Montreal Canadian ice hockey team. People actually thought he was the Gillette i.e. razors bloke but he isn't. His name isn't even spelt the same. I did know that, mate. Was merely an apparently ill-fated attempt at a pun. Miserable bugger. And are you telling me the entire city of Montreal, and the owners of the Canadiens in particular (probably respectful businessmen in their own right) didn't realise the spelling was different? These aren't Americans we're talking about here, you know? It would be highly amusing, though! "...So you AREN'T the bloke with the razors!? Gosh-darn it!" Canadiens former board member: "Can you believe he's spelt his name wrong right the way through the entire bid document? You'd think a bloke who'd made billions selling razors would be a bit sharper than that. Geddit? Sharper? Razors? Oh fuck off then!" Classic Scott Gemmill material. He's here all day folks... as always.

Right now we have to consider him a striker... but with Nicky Butt, Emre and N'Zogbia being unavailable it looks as though he has no choice but to play in the middle of the park. It's a shame because I think him and the Oba have looked good together.

No, no he hasn't His current deal runs until 2009.

Common misconception to be honest. That is how he managed to take over the Montreal Canadian ice hockey team. People actually thought he was the Gillette i.e. razors bloke but he isn't. His name isn't even spelt the same. I did know that, mate. Was merely an apparently ill-fated attempt at a pun. Miserable bugger. And are you telling me the entire city of Montreal, and the owners of the Canadiens in particular (probably respectful businessmen in their own right) didn't realise the spelling was different? These aren't Americans we're talking about here, you know? It would be highly amusing, though! "...So you AREN'T the bloke with the razors!? Gosh-darn it!"

In the fairness to the little Yorkshireman he has been extremely productive this season after I had all-but written him off... he still needs a shitload of work on his passing/first-touch (it was atrocious in the second-half), but his crossing/dribbling/shooting has come on leaps and bounds. He could be an exceptional winger if he keeps up this level of improvement in all areas of his game, proving that you don't need a footballing brain - or any brain - to be a success. I should also mention that he seems to be learning how to become a threat in the air. If you've noticed (against Spurs majorly) we seem to be aiming our goal-kicks towards him and he raped Lee Young-Pyo in the air both home and away, it was a massive factor in our wins because of the sheer amount of headers he won. Even against Villa we seemed to favour Milner .vs. Bouma with Harper's kicking, at least until Sibierski arrived to lose almost every header against the impressive Wild Man (Mellberg). I have to say that he seems to be the most obvious candidate for "most improved player" this season, even ahead of the revitalised Nicky Butt. Thing with Milner is, he's still got a lot of potential to fill, where Butt is only likely to get worse. Exciting times for Jinky James, most definitely. He's playing much like N'Zogbia did last season in that he can be quiet for a lot of games but when he does get involved it usually equates to a goal, or a dangerous set-play, or even just a decent chance. He is definitely our key threat at the moment. It's a massive pity N'Zogbia hasn't kept fit or kept up his level of performance because if he had of done then our flanks would have been imperious this season, especially when you again consider how young they both are. I thought N'Zogbia was our key man last season - he was certainly the most exciting to watch - and Milner is taking the reigns this term.

I think I'd rather have Shepherd in full-control than this Dubai lot, when I put my sensible cap on at least. There is a reason why Liverpool didn't accept the offer... granted, it may just be that Gillet "the best a man can get" will offer them more cash, but it might also have been that they realised they'd be villanised as well if DIC got their way and used the mighty reds as a cash cow (it would be a sin rivalled only by mass genocide, in fairness). It is a worry that we're falling behind a host of clubs financially, though. Suppose we've lived a charmed life since the Hall days in that respect and I can't help but feel that we missed the boat on numerous occasions. Proof that money without sensible management isn't as great as it sounds.

You could say the same for Babayaro. The fact that he was picked for the national team after no more than 135 minutes of first team action could suggest he is an awesome player or it could suggest the Dutch manager doesn't know what he's doing. I've seen enough of him as a player and MvB as a manager to know where my money is.. It's a bit like Eriksson and Walcott: his selection for the World Cup wasn't exactly based on his on the pitch performances was it? Oh, and don't start saying Walcott has potential so Babel must have too.. Again, I don't think Babayaro is utter shite on the pitch. I'd just be happy if we was on the pitch for often and showed more stomach for the fight than he usually does. It sounds to me like there's more to this Babel stuff with you than just the fact you don't rate him as a player. You think he's useless, but proven top-class managers and scouts seem to think otherwise. I know who my money would be with. He's played for Holland, hasn't he? And scored a few goals? Did they all go in off his arse, or something? You personally don't want Newcastle to sign him, based on your own view of him, we get that, but to pour cold water on people who get excited about us buying a 20-year-old Dutch international is a bit cheeky. Those people get excited because Roeder and the scouts have spotted potential in him, much like they did with Martins, and have apparently made a move. Those people get excited because an international manager has praised him and because the likes of Arsene Wenger have been credited with a solid interest in him. I think all of this holds more weight than your personal view of him, playing for a rival club as he does. Not to mention, again, that the kid already plays international football and comes from a big club, Ajax. Aye, he must be fucking gash.

Who's coming in to replace him? Surely 'Pool won't let Crouch go at this stage and after last night? (That's the rumour I've heard.) Apparantly were in for Marlon ' i look like the baddie in the mario brother film' Harewood and Teddy 'where's my walking stick' Sheringham. Worst transfer business in the clubs history if this comes off. Oh and we dont want the beanpole. We flogged him off years ago. Liverpool are welcome to him. Harewood does look exactly like a Goomba (Mario), as well. I love that someone else has noticed. http://www.dan-dare.org/Dan%20Mario/SMBMovie-Goombas.jpg

To offer a bit more perspective on this, I certainly don't think Luque is a "shite" footballer, either. I never claim, like some, that I could do a better job than him on a football pitch. I think his attitude has let him down here and his relationship with Roeder has deteriorated to such an extent that he will probably never play for us again, even if his move to PSV doesn't happen. I don't particularly like Luque much because I don't think he's done himself justice, or the shirt justice, but I'm not daft enough to say he'd be an awful signing for PSV because he might well flourish in that league, with that type of football and with those team-mates/manager. I just don't know. It's a fair assessment to say he's been shite for us, but who can say he will 100% categorically be shite for PSV? It's the same for Babel.

I've never said he's certainly going to make it, I've also never said he's going to be a complete waste of time, which seems to be your message (the latter). How can we know for sure? In my eyes we are potentially about to sign someone who is generally regarded as of the hottest properties in football (in his age bracket) for a very good price indeed. Not just from what van Basten has said but also from what other posters on this board have said (who have also seen him play a fair bit) and the fact that Babel carries this sort of reputation, I am fairly pleased that we might be getting him in. In my eyes it is set-up in a similar manner to the Martins deal, although at a far smaller price. (Martins was also frozen out of the first-team picture at a top-class club and had nothing but his reputation going for him, he certainly hadn't set the world alight in Italy - otherwise Inter wouldn't have sold him.) There are similarities here. At Babel's age, his value shouldn't diminish gigantically and even if he does fairly well here (gets played often, scores his share of goals and shows signs of developing) then his value might even go up a significant amount. To me it seems like a potentially sound investment by the club, who are desperate for a versatile forward player. It's not like we're paying mega-money for him, either, so I really don't understand your objection. He can't be purely "shite" every time he plays football otherwise we wouldn't be in for him, he wouldn't play for Ajax and he certainly wouldn't have been capped by the Netherlands.

Liverpool have no intention of selling their top scorer! And Crouchygol has no intention of taking a step back in his career anyway I'm glad to see him finding form again. I love the giant streak of piss, seriously.

If you're one of the people that have seen most of him, I'll produce as Exhibit A the fact that you rate Luque as good enough reason to disregard your opinion. Look at it this way.. Luque was a good player before he joined us and was never given the chance to prove himself. Babel isn't a good player to start with. What makes you think he will do OK for us? Okay... so because Karate_Kuyt doesn't rate Babel, while the likes of Wenger, van Basten and Roeder clearly do (to varying extents), we shouldn't sign him? I thought Sibierski was pure shite before we bought him, but he's done fairly well. I thought Duff was ace before we signed him and he hasn't done much of anything at all, yet. Transfers aren't an exact science, there isn't "right" or "wrong" and none of us know for sure how things will turn out, so it's ridiculous for you to be so against signing someone based on nowt but your personal opinion of the bloke.

Who's coming in to replace him? Surely 'Pool won't let Crouch go at this stage and after last night? (That's the rumour I've heard.)